The narrative of Acts overlaps the last scenes of the gospels and shows the risen Christ commissioning His apostles for a worldwide task and their enabling for its performance by the gift of the Holy Spirit. It describes the first assault upon the world at Pentecost, with the scattered followers of Christ confident, united, and clear-cut in their message, proclaiming fearlessly in Jerusalem the truth committed to their care. It recounts their confrontation with the guilty hierarchy and the beginning of priestly and political persecution directed equally against the activities and the preaching of two distinct groups, those represented by Peter and the apostles on the one hand and those represented by Stephen and the Hellenistic Jews on the other. The early appearance of the latter group in the internal and external activities of the Church is not without relevance in its careful pattern.

The book is, in fact, early preoccupied with showing the emergence of a new dynamic witness. Stephen, Philip, Paul is its sequence; Peter, at first the representative of a more exclusive and orthodox Jewry, is shown with subtle art adapting himself to a broader proclamation and merging his activities with those of the vigorous groups of Hel. Jews who claimed and won a part and place in the Church were soon thrust to the forefront of its testimony. Peter was found significantly in the home of a tanner at Joppa when the historic call to Caesarea came to him.

Later, the book follows the journey of the Apostle Paul, from his conversion to his arrest and journey to Rome. Many complicated issues are addressed – such as the place of Torah observance among Jewish believers and the freedom of Gentile believers from any such restrictions, and the inclusion of all peoples in the Kingdom of God and the Gospel.

The Book of Judges

The Book of Judges illuminates Israel’s political, social, and religious conditions during the vital period between the Conquest and the institution of the monarchy. How this is done allows the reader to capture the atmosphere of the period in a way that would be impossible in formal history.

It provides a dramatic illustration of the effect of apostasy upon every aspect of life. The root cause of Israel’s decline was that the covenant relationship with the Lord, with its requirement of absolute and loyal obedience to His commands, was broken. This led to disintegration in the political, religious, social, and family spheres and a sharp increase in immorality. The Book of Judges serves as a reminder that a nation cannot live on its past glories. The author of Judges was, of course, a preacher to his generation, but his message has a permanent and universal application and may be summed up in the words of Proverbs 14:34:

“Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a reproach to any people.”

Israel’s chronic inability to profit from its bitter history is a solemn exhortation to profit from the lessons of experience, whether observed or experienced.

Against this sombre background, the enduring character of God stands out more clearly.

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Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

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Sunday

Introduction to the Books of the Bible

Acts (The Acts of the Apostles)

The Book of Judges

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