BULLETIN ARTICLE – 15 July 2018
Back in secondary school, I had a few classmates who disliked History class – learning History was an agonising chore. At that point in time, it seemed that we were only learning about events that have passed and seemingly had no real relevance to the present. Coupled with the “agony” of History, we had to memorise dates, facts and figures and write lengthy essays for quizzes and examinations. As a result, I remembered that the handful of bored and mischievous boys made life very difficult for our History teacher. But is there anything we can learn from history?
In the second half of Acts 13, the Apostle Paul spoke “a word of exhortation for the people” – to the Israelites and some Gentiles worshipping God in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch. He started by retelling the history of Israel. Chances are we ourselves may gloss over this section quickly; we know of Israel’s history and have heard of it countless times. How would a recapitulation of Israel’s history encourage the people? In his commentary The Message of Acts, John Stott pointed out something that you might discover only if you take more time to think through the passage. It is that Paul’s emphasis in his retelling of Israel’s history is on God’s initiative of grace; God is the subject of almost all the verbs. Here are some examples in Acts 13: “The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors”, “He made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt”, “He led them out of that country”, “He endured their conduct in the wilderness”, “He overthrew seven nations in Canaan”, “God gave them judges”, “He made David their king”, and “God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised”.
Do we see God in HIStory (His story)? God had always been there with Israel through the good and the bad times. He was the source of all their blessings. Knowing this would surely serve to encourage the Christians in Pisidian Antioch as they heard how God dealt with the Israelites in their historical journey. This same God would always be with them and his grace will see them through thick and thin.
We often forget God’s grace to us until we reflect on our personal history. It is only in reflecting on our lives so far that we begin to take note of God’s grace to us, and we begin to give him thanks for his blessings to us. Lest we forget, God’s greatest grace must be that he has brought us the Saviour Jesus, as he promised. It is this person Jesus that dominated the rest of Paul’s message in the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch. He further asserted: “that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you”. This wonderful news was for all people – both Jews and Gentiles. As we reflect on HIStory and on God’s work in our lives, let us take some time today to thank God for giving us Jesus, for his grace to us, for his forgiveness of our sins and the free gift of eternal life.
