Acts 13:20-25

Paul continues his history lesson to the people of Antioch of Pisidia. He highlights several important points. The Israelites begged for a king, and God gave them Saul, who reigned for forty years. Yet it wasn't too far into his reign that Saul lost favor with God, and he was eventually replaced by David. This replacement, however, was several years in the making and not without struggle, as Saul tried to kill David on several occasions. Paul notes that it is one of David’s descendants—not Saul’s—who would be the promised Savior of Israel, and he identifies Jesus as that Savior, heralded and confirmed ahead of time by John the Baptist.

History is so important. There are many valuable lessons to be learned if we take the time to learn them, lest we be forced to learn through the painful repetition of the same mistakes. Paul was declaring nothing that the prophets had not already proclaimed. The difficulty was getting the people to realize that this was the very time the prophets had spoken about.

This reminds me of Jesus’ words when approaching Jerusalem during His triumphal entry before His crucifixion. We read about it in Luke 19:41-44:

“But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.””
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The people of Israel missed the time of their visitation by not accepting Jesus. Consider these words spoken by Jesus as recorded by Matthew:

““O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate. For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭37‬-‭39‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How many times have we missed the Lord’s visitation in our own lives? There are times when He is speaking to us and drawing us into a closer relationship with Him, but are we responding? The invitation is still open, but we must be careful not to harden our hearts to the point where we ignore so great an invitation.

Do you remember the first time you learned about the Lord? I do. A friend of mine in college “forced” me to go to church with her on Easter during my freshman year. I can’t say I understood everything, but when the preacher gave the altar call, I had to hold onto my seat to keep from responding because I felt so strongly compelled to go forward. Thankfully, after a few well-placed individuals in my life explained the Gospel more clearly to me, I accepted the Lord a few weeks later. I don’t even want to think about what might have happened had I not. The blessings of the Lord have certainly overtaken me throughout my life, and God has been faithful to me in every way.

Don’t ignore the times when the Lord is speaking to you, and don’t put Him off. There was a specific window for Jerusalem that they missed by rejecting Jesus. Let’s not make the same mistake.

God’s invitations often come quietly, but they carry eternal significance. The people of Jerusalem had long awaited the Messiah, yet many failed to recognize Him when He stood right in front of them. The same danger exists for us today. God speaks through His Word, His Spirit, circumstances, and people He places in our lives. Every prompting, conviction, and invitation to draw closer to Him is an opportunity we should not take lightly. While God is patient and merciful, wisdom teaches us to respond when He calls rather than assuming there will always be another opportunity. A softened heart is a fertile place for God’s work, but a hardened heart can miss the very blessing it has been praying for.