Acts 13:22-25 22And after removing him, he raised up David to be a king for them, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23Of this man’s offspring according to the promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, 24after John had proclaimed before his appearance a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25And as John was completing his mission, he said, ‘What do you suppose me to be? I am not he. But behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
A shift in Paul’s sermon takes place in verse 22 as he began to move toward God’s plan of salvation in Jesus. Saul disobeyed God, so God chose David as the new king. Once again, Paul pointed out God’s action by removing and raising up these leaders. David was a special character in the biblical story because he was devoted to God. Paul uses a phrase that combines ideas from 1 Samuel 13:14, Psalm 89:20, and Isaiah 44:28 to show how David was a man after God’s own heart. The meaning of this phrase is that David pleased God in how he lived. True, David sinned, as we all do, and his adultery with Bathsheba created many problems in his life. But he was sensitive to God’s conviction through the prophet Nathan and repented. At many other points in his life, David showed awareness of God’s presence with him, as noted through the many psalms attributed to him.
Verse 23 makes a significant jump, from David to a Savior. Paul introduced the Savior as a descendant of David. God gave David a promise in 2 Samuel 7:12-16 that God would raise up an offspring from David who would establish an eternal kingdom and an everlasting dynasty. This passage became significant for messianic expectations. The Jews listening to Paul would know this passage and the hopes it expressed. Many Jews were looking for the Messiah and believed he would be a descendant of David. Paul made the important connection between the Messiah and Savior. The Messiah would not be a political leader, like David and other kings, but a spiritual leader because he would follow David’s example of being one after God’s own heart. The Messiah would reveal God’s heart of love, grace, and compassion, as Paul mentioned in the previous summarizing statements.
Any Jew with come understanding of Hebrew and the Bible would recognize that the name Jesus means “Savior.” Jesus was the one whom God had promised to David. Everything Paul said up in his sermon pointed to the coming Savior. Jesus stands at the center of Scripture. The Old Testament predicted his coming. Each story in the Old Testament somehow touches upon Jesus by showing the human need for a Savior or how God was working out his plan and promises to redeem people from the clutches of sin. Paul could preach from the Hebrew Scripture and convince people that Jesus, the Savior, is found in these ancient words.
John the Baptist served as a bridge from the Old Covenant to the New. Paul did not give elaborate details about John, at least as Luke records the sermon. The audience may have heard of John, even as far away as Antioch in Pisidia. Verse 24 summarizes John’s ministry as a baptism of repentance. John’s message called Israel to repent, turn away from their sins, and seek God in preparation for the coming Messiah. Assuming the Jews of Antioch had heard of John, they were part of all Israel as the diaspora. They also needed to repent and accept the Messiah. In case people gave John too much attention, he made clear he was not the Messiah but only preparing the way for the Messiah. Luke’s words here echo his earlier writing found in his Gospel 3:16. Everything Paul said up to this point was preparatory for the Messiah.
For older posts, click here.