And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles. (Acts 1:24-26)

From thinking about what the Bible said, the disciples understood that they had to choose someone to take the place of the dead and disgraced Judas. As it says in Psalm 109:8, another should take the office of Judas.

How should they choose the one to become the twelfth apostle? The disciples did the right things. They were in a place of obedience to God. They sought God’s will in the Scriptures. They used some common sense. Added to all that, also they prayed (Acts 1:24). It was easy for them to pray, because they had already been praying (Acts 1:14). They probably remembered times when Jesus prayed before choosing the disciples (Luke 6:12-13).

Then, they did something unusual: they cast their lots. This was essentially rolling dice or drawing straws for the answer. Many have questioned this method – it doesn’t seem spiritual to decide on God’s will by rolling dice.

Still, I think when they cast their lots, they actually relied on God. Though they were not yet filled with the Holy Spirit as they soon would be, they still wanted to choose a method that would make them rely on God. Perhaps they remembered Proverbs 16:33: The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

Some insist that Matthias was the wrong choice and the use of lots in making the decision was not right. The idea is that God would have eventually chosen Paul if the office had been left vacant. But we must respect the testimony of the Scriptures; God did not want to leave the office vacant. If it were left unfilled, it might be seen as a victory for Satan; it would be as if Jesus chose 12, but one came up short and therefore Satan defeated the desire of Jesus to have 12 apostles.

As for Paul, he clearly considered himself an apostle, but one born out of due time (1 Corinthians 15:8). It doesn’t seem Paul objected to the selection of Matthias.

Casting lots may be an imperfect way to discern God’s will, but it is much better than the methods many Christians use today in making big decisions:

– They rely on their emotions.
– They rely on circumstances.
– They rely on feelings.
– They rely on fleshly desires.

It would be better to roll the dice and trust God for the results!

At the end of it all, Matthias was numbered with the eleven apostles. I believe God guided them into the right decision, and He will also guide us as we obey Him, search the Scriptures, pray, and rely on Him. Do it today!

Click here for David’s commentary on Acts 1

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11)

Some 40 days after His resurrection, Jesus gathered His disciples on the Mount of Olives and told them to be witnesses to Him in all the earth. After finishing that important and final command, Jesus did something remarkable. His physical body was lifted up into heaven, even as His disciples watched. He went up, up, and up even further until He faded into the clouds and could be seen no more.

Jesus wanted His disciples see His departure from earth to heaven. We read, while they watched, He was taken up. It was important for Jesus to leave His disciples in this manner. In theory, He certainly could have simply vanished to heaven and to the Father’s presence in a secret sort of way. But Jesus wanted His followers to know that He was gone for good, as opposed to the way He appeared and reappeared during the 40 days after His resurrection.

Jesus told His disciples it was better for Him to leave, because then He would send them the Holy Spirit (John 16:7). Now the disciples could know that that promise would be fulfilled. The Holy Spirit was coming because Jesus promised to send the Spirit when He left, and the ascension was a way to demonstrate that Jesus was really gone.

As the disciples stared up into the sky, two men – apparently angels – asked, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? They told the disciples to focus on what Jesus told them to do, not in wondering where and how Jesus went.

The two men referred to Christ as, this same Jesus. This reminds us that the Jesus who ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father is the same Jesus of the Gospels. He is the same Jesus of love, grace, goodness, wisdom, and care. The Jesus in heaven is this same Jesus.

Then also added a wonderful promise: Jesus will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven. This Jesus will return just as He left.

– He left physically and will so come in like manner.
– He left visibly and will so come in like manner.
– He left from the Mount of Olives and will so come in like manner.
– He left in the presence of His disciples and will so come in like manner.
– He left blessing His people (Luke 24:50-51) and will so come in like manner.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Click here for David’s commentary on Acts 1

And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.” (Acts 1:7)

Just before He ascended to heaven, Jesus spoke with His disciples on the Mount of Olives. They asked (Acts 1:6) if it was now the time for Jesus to restore the kingdom to Israel – that is, if it was time to fully establish the Messianic kingdom.

Jesus answered the question by telling them It is not for you to know. Jesus warned the disciples against focusing on the details of the timing of God’s kingdom, because those things belong to God the Father alone (which the Father has put in His own authority).

At the same time, Jesus did not say that there was to be no restoration of the kingdom to Israel; He simply said that focusing into the time and date of this restoration was not proper for the disciples. It was as if Jesus said to them, “Don’t think about that right now – I’ve got something more important for you to focus on.”

At the same time, I have to wonder: why didn’t Jesus tell them more about how and when, in general, the Messianic kingdom would be fully established?

The Bible teaches (and we believe) that Jesus is God. Therefore, He knew that history would continue for at least 2,000 years after that time. Why didn’t Jesus tell the disciples?

The disciples hoped that it would be soon that the kingdom was fully restored to Israel, but Jesus knew that it was better that did not then know that a lot of history would pass before it would happen. For several reasons, I think it was wise for Jesus not to give a general outline His plan over the next 2,000 years.

– If Jesus had told them, it is likely that they would have been overly discouraged.
– They may have felt that their present work would be useless.
– It would be easy for them to think less of the aspects of God’s kingdom that were present with them at the moment. Just because the kingdom would not fully be restored to Israel at the present moment, that did not mean that the kingdom of God was absent from the earth.

We could probably think of more reasons, but there is something important for us to learn: when Jesus doesn’t tell us something, He has a good reason for it. It can be hard to accept, but it’s a necessary part of discipleship.

Not every question will be answered and not every mystery solved. It doesn’t mean Jesus loves you any less or is any less good to you. It simply means that Jesus knows that it is better for us not to know some things, or it is better for us to know them later.

When you feel Jesus won’t answer your question, take comfort in knowing that sometimes it’s better not to know!

Click here for David’s commentary on Acts 1

Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” (Judges 6:14)

In the days of the Judges, God called an unexpected man named Gideon to deliver Israel. Gideon was a man who didn’t want the job and didn’t think he was worthy of the job. Gideon wrestled back and forth with God, seeking more and more confirmation that he was the one to do this great work of leading the resistance against the Midianites. At some point in it all, the Angel of the LORD spoke to Gideon and told him, Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites.

Given the circumstances, it was strange thing to say: Go in this might of yours. Though it didn’t look like it to many, Gideon was already mighty in many ways.

Gideon had the might of the humble. When the LORD came to Gideon, he was threshing wheat on the winepress floor. This was both difficult and humiliating. Wheat was threshed in open spaces, typically on a hill-top so the breeze could blow away the chaff. Wheat was not normally threshed in a sunken place like a winepress. In this humble place, Gideon was mighty.

Gideon had the might of the caring, because he cared about the low place of Israel. When the LORD came to Gideon, he wanted to know why Israel was in a low place. Gideon cared about the low place of Israel and was interested in doing something about it. In this caring place, Gideon was mighty.

Gideon had the might of the spiritually hungry because he wanted to see God to great works again. Gideon asked the LORD, “We heard of these great things in the past, but we want to see God’s greatness among us now.” This hunger for more of what God could do was a trigger for future action. In this hungry place, Gideon was mighty.

Gideon had the might of the teachable, because he listened to what the LORD said. After this conversation, Gideon set about doing the will of God. This showed he really was teachable. In this teachable place, Gideon was mighty.

More than anything, Gideon had the might of the weak, and God’s strength is perfected in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). He knew he was weak, and this made him wise enough to trust the strength of God. In this weak place, Gideon was mighty.

Looking at it with the eye of man, Gideon was weak and God’s message was sarcastic. But looking at it through God’s wisdom, we see that Gideon really could go forth in might – because it was the might of the weak relying on the strength of God.

This week, go forth in this might of yours – just make certain that it is really the strength of your mighty God.

Click here for David’s commentary on Judges 6

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem…. He also did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For because of the anger of the LORD this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them out from His presence. (2 Kings 24:18-20)

When a kingdom falls into chaos and disaster, it is never a simple story. The last kings of Judah show this. The last good king of Judah was named Josiah, and there was a significant revival in his day – but it was not enough to overcome the deeply-rooted patterns of sin present among the people from the days of previous kings.

After Josiah’s death, his third-born son Jehoahaz took the throne but his evil reign was brief. He was followed by the wicked Jehoakim, another son of Josiah. When Jehoakim died, his son Jehoachin became the next king – but he lasted only three months before King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon removed him from the throne of Judah and put the crown on the head of Jehoachin’s uncle Zedekiah.

Does that sound confusing? It is. Again, when God’s people turn away from Him, confusion and chaos mark the times. One reason God wants us to obey and honor Him is that it usually just makes life simpler!

Zedekiah was an evil king; we read that he also did evil in the sight of the LORD. 2 Chronicles 36:11-20 tells us more of the evil of Zedekiah, that he did not listen to Jeremiah or other messengers of God. Zedekiah and those around him mocked and disregarded God’s message.

Zedekiah so rejected the word of the LORD that he rebelled against the king of Babylon. Faithful prophets like Jeremiah warned of the great judgement of God that was soon to come through the armies of Babylon, but Zedekiah didn’t listen. Instead, he listened to the many false prophets in those days who preached a message of victory and triumph. They said, “Don’t’ worry! God has delivered us from enemies before, and He will deliver us from the Babylonians.”

It wasn’t true. Judgement was coming against Judah and Jerusalem, but Zedekiah was so convinced by the false prophets that he even rebelled against the king of Babylon, thinking God was with him.

Zedekiah was tragically wrong. We read that concerning Judah and Jerusalem, God finally cast them out from His presence. God’s patience and longsuffering had finally run out and He allowed – even directed – the conquest of the kingdom of Judah.

Many people today make the same mistake King Zedekiah made. Instead of seriously listening to God’s warnings, they trust in false promises presented by pretended prophets. The truth is, God’s will and word willbe done and there is nothing we can do to stop it. What we can do is repent and believe on Jesus Christ, setting ourselves on the right side of His word and will.

Click here for David’s commentary on 2 Kings 24