Reading for Today:

• 2 Chronicles 28:1 Chapter 28 1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, like David his father; –29:36
• Proverbs 21:6-8 6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue Is a vapor driven to and fro by them that seek death. 7 The violence of the wicked shall sweep them away, Because they refuse to do justice. 8 The way of him that is laden with guilt is exceeding crooked; But as for the pure, his work is right.
• Psalms 84:8-12 8 O Jehovah God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah 9 Behold, O God our shield, And look upon the face of thine anointed. 10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, Than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For Jehovah God is a sun and a shield: Jehovah will give grace and glory; No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. 12 O Jehovah of hosts, Blessed is the man that trusteth in thee. Psalm 85 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
• Acts 19:21-41 21 Now after these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome. 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. 23 And about that time there arose no small stir concerning the Way. 24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no little business unto the craftsmen; 25 whom he gathered together, with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this business we have our wealth. 26 And ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they are no gods, that are made with hands: 27 and not only is there danger that this our trade come into disrepute; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana be made of no account, and that she should even be deposed from her magnificence whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. 28 And when they heard this they were filled with wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesus. 29 And the city was filled with the confusion: and they rushed with one accord into the theatre, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel. 30 And when Paul was minded to enter in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not. 31 And certain also of the Asiarchs, being his friends, sent unto him and besought him not to adventure himself into the theatre. 32 Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was in confusion; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. 33 And they brought Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made a defense unto the people. 34 But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. 35 And when the townclerk had quieted the multitude, he saith, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there who knoweth not that the city of the Ephesians is temple-keeper of the great Diana, and of the `image' which fell down from Jupiter? 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be gainsaid, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rash. 37 For ye have brought `hither' these men, who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 If therefore Demetrius, and the craftsmen that are with him, have a matter against any man, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls: let them accuse one another. 39 But if ye seek anything about other matters, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. 40 For indeed we are in danger to be accused concerning this day's riot, there being no cause `for it': and as touching it we shall not be able to give account of this concourse. 41 And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.

Notes:

2 Chronicles 28:9 Oded. An otherwise unknown prophet, with the same name as an earlier Oded (15:1, 8). The prophet said that Israel had won the victory because God was judging Judah. But he protested the viciousness of the killing and the effort to enslave them (v. 10) and warned them of God’s wrath for such action (v. 11). Amazingly the apostate and hostile Israelites complied with the prophet’s warning (vv. 12–15).

2 Chronicles 29:3 first year…first month. Hezekiah addressed the spiritual problems first, which reflected his life priorities. Hezekiah correctly diagnosed Judah’s ills—she had abandoned the true worship of God. So the king stepped in to reverse the policy of his father (28:22–25) and to repair the temple and return proper temple worship as God had prescribed in His Word (vv. 3–7). He knew such a revival of devotion to God would turn God’s wrath away from Judah (v. 10).

Psalm 84:9 behold our shield. A metaphor for the king, who also would have participated in a festival at the temple (Ps. 47:9; Hos. 4:18). the face of Your anointed. The king is regularly described as God’s “anointed” (Pss. 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 89:38, 51). The psalmist thus prays that God would look upon the king with favor, blessing his reign with prosperity.

Acts 19:21 21 Now after these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome. I must also see Rome. Paul had not visited the Imperial capital; but because of the strategic importance of the church there, he could stay away no longer. In addition, Paul intended to use Rome as a jumping-off point for ministry in the strategic region of Spain (Rom.15:22–24).This simple declaration marked a turning point in Acts—from this point on, Rome became Paul’s goal. He would ultimately arrive there as a Roman prisoner (28:16).

Acts 19:31 31 And certain also of the Asiarchs, being his friends, sent unto him and besought him not to adventure himself into the theatre. officials of Asia. Known by the title “Asiarchs,” these members of the aristocracy were dedicated to promoting Roman interests. Though only one Asiarch ruled at a time, they bore the title for life. That such powerful, influential men were Paul’s friends shows that they did not regard him or his message as criminal. Hence, there was no legitimate cause for the riot.

Acts 19:33 33 And they brought Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made a defense unto the people. Alexander. Probably not the false teacher later active at Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:20) or the individual who opposed Paul at Rome (2 Tim. 4:14), since the name was common. He was either a Christian Jew or a spokesman for Ephesus’s Jewish community. Either way, the Jews’ motive for putting him forward was the same—to disassociate themselves from the Christians and avoid a massacre of the Jews. make his defense. Either of the Christians, or the Jews, depending on which group he represented.

DAY 16: How profound an impact can the gospel have on a society?

Reading Acts 19:1 Chapter 19 1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper country came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples: –20, it is clear that the gospel made a tremendous impact on Ephesus. Paul’s two years of ministry here along with “unusual miracles,” the very public deliverance of a man from an evil spirit, and burning of magic books had left their mark. “So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed” (v. 20).

So much so that Demetrius, a silversmith, took action against them. He was a maker of “silver shrines of Diana” (v. 24), the goddess Diana (also known as Artemis). These shrines were used as household idols and in the worship at the temple of Diana. Worship of her, centered at the great temple of Diana at Ephesus (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), was widespread throughout the Roman Empire. It is likely that the riot described in this passage took place during the annual spring festival held in her honor at Ephesus. The statement “brought no small profit” suggests Demetrius may have been the head of the silversmiths’ guild—which would explain his taking the lead in opposing the Christian preachers.

Demetrius cleverly played upon his hearers’ fears of financial ruin, religious zeal, and concern for their city’s prestige. The Christian preachers, he argued, threatened the continued prosperity of Ephesus. His audience’s violent reaction shows they took the threat seriously (v. 28). That was the impact of the gospel on their daily lives. The frenzied mob gathered in the theater clearly threatened the lives of Gaius and Aristarchus because of their role in the delivery of the Christian message.

From The MacArthur Daily Bible Copyright © 2003. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson Bibles, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc, Nashville, TN 37214, www.thomasnelson.com.

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