Devotion for Thursday (of Whitsun Week) 16 June 2011 Anno Domini (Acts 5:29)

Devotion for Thursday (of Whitsun Week) 16 June 2011 Anno Domini (Acts 5:29)
“29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. 30The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to bea Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.33 When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them. 34Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;35 And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. 36For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. 38And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. 40And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. (Acts 5:29-42)
The 29th verse is a very profound Commandment. The word used ‘ought’does not bear the connotations we usually ascribe in the modern vernacular. In fact, it is a contraction of the phrase “Owe it” in old English. “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” This is not something we SHOULD do, but represents the LEAST we must do! It is an echo of an earlier verse positioned at the exact center (the very center verse) of the Holy Bible: “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” (Psalms 118:8) God so positioned this verse that it is the most unique in Scripture. Psalms 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible. Psalms 119 is the longest, and the center verse, at the heart of the Bible in Psalms 118, tells us we must obey God and not men. It is reinforced, powerfully, here by Paul! In every government, there is an hierarchy of authority. In the United States, we have local government, superseded by state government, and state government superseded by Federal government. And then three equal branches within the Federal head. We are to obey the local governmental laws unless they conflict with state law. And we obey state law unless it conflicts with Federal law. And we are to obey Federal law unless it conflicts with the Law of God. His Law is at the apogee of all laws. It is, again, vested in a Tripartite Head – Father, Son, and Holy Ghost – all equal in power, authority, and purpose.
Paul is responding to the interrogatories of the chief priests and Sadducees. He again convicts them of their sin in the crucifixion of Christ. “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.” We see the working of the Holy Ghost always with ministers of righteousness – both through them and with them. Note also that obedience is the qualifier in the gift of the Holy Ghost to an individual or a church. Obedience is the principle Paul lays out in verse 29, and he reinforces it here.
How do the unrepentant wicked respond to Gospel truth? “When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.” Yes, they were cut to the heart by the teachings of Christ, and now they are cut to the heart by the teachings of His apostles. These wicked are likened to the snails made mention of in Psalms where David compares the sinner to the snail: “As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: likethe untimely birth of a woman, thatthey may not see the sun.” (Psalms 58:8) If you are a gardener, as my wife surely is, you may go out early before the sun of day has arisen and find the snails fleeing from the garden where they have eaten that for which they have not labored. They seek the shelter of a rock or crevice whereby the sun cannot find them. If caught in the sun, they will melt. Two things a snail cannot abide: 1) strong sunlight (the Light of the World) and 2) salt (the salt of the earth – Christ’s disciples). So they seek to destroy the messenger if they cannot brood the message!
“Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space.” Gamaliel was a sage scholar of the law and a well-respected Pharisee. He is doubtless the same Gamaliel to whom Paul refers as his teacher in Acts 22:3. This man of wisdom will offer advice once the Apostles are put out of earshot. Being a Pharisee, Gamaliel probably perceives that the Pharisaical doctrine of the resurrection is being challenged by his fellows, the Sadducees (who do not accept the resurrection of the dead), and intervenes on that account.
Gamaliel’s advice: “And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.”Splendid advice coming from one not intimate with the Gospel. Better not to make martyrs of these men. Let God sort out the matter and, of course, God certainly did! The work of the Gospel could not be overthrown, and no man could fight against it with success.
“And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.” Yes, they took the politically safe route and freed the Apostles rather than to provoke the ire of the people. But they did not do so prior to having them BEATEN of course. It would be too much to simply release such innocent men without an attention-getter… and they appended the usual unheeded advice – “commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus Christ!”Though they averred no belief in Him, they had a curious fear of His name.
As we note in the next two verses, the Apostles were incorrigibly inclined to disobey man and to, instead, obey God! “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” These not only suffered shame and torment in the name of Christ, they also rejoiced in the privilege. Please note here how well they heeded the commandments of the council not to preach in the name of Christ: “ And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” How hopeless must the Temple rulers have felt at this disregard on the part of the Apostles. When Christ has opened your eyes for the first time, or made the lame to walk, or healed the incurable leper, such ones cannot hold their peace even if commanded to remain silent. Christ often told those whom He healed to “go and tell not man.” Of course He knew it to be an impossibility. But He was establishing the principle in our own hearts that we cannot remain silent in the face of such great mercy and grace. Our hearts being so full of the joy of salvation, they will overflow like a river filled with the melting snows of Spring. Have you told NO ONE?