A Study of Acts: Peter Also Has a Vision
Acts 10:9-16; Mark 7:14-23 - We don’t have to be perfect to obey God’s voice! We just need to obey!
“On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; and he *saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.” Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky.”
Acts 10:9-16 NASB1995
The envoys from Cornelius are on their way to Joppa. In the meantime, Peter went up on the housetop at the sixth hour (noon) to pray. He became hungry, however, and was desiring to eat, but while the household is making preparations, Peter falls into a trance. I don’t know about you, but I have often been distracted by things like hunger or sleepiness when trying to pray. Peter is no different. A trance is defined as an abnormal state of wakefulness and I’m not sure I’ve been in that state of mind. Peter wasn’t asleep but his perceptions were perhaps altered. God uses the distraction of Peter’s hunger to make a very strong point.
God has orchestrated these events perfectly. Peter is already violating the Jewish laws by staying with the tanner. But he is still bound up in many traditions and old prejudices, like the hatred for Gentiles. In his trance, he sees the sky opened up and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered to the ground. The sheet is covered with all sorts of creatures, both kosher and non-kosher per the dietary laws. A voice comes to him to get up, kill and eat. But our old friend Peter has to argue with God again. He essentially tells God “no” because he would never eat anything unholy and unclean. Here is some good commentary from Enduring Word:
All kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air: Peter saw all sorts of kosher and non-kosher animals prominently displayed on a sheet-like background (a great sheet bound at the four corners). Then, Peter heard a command: Rise, Peter, kill and eat.
When Peter became very hungry and wanted to eat during prayer, he no doubt regarded it as a distraction. Yet, God used it by speaking to him through a vision regarding food. His hunger perhaps made him pay more attention!
A voice came to him: We don’t know exactly what this was like for Peter. It is rare for God to speak in an audible voice. More often, God speaks to our inner man. As a vision can be “seen” by the “mind’s eye,” even so we can “hear” the voice of God with the “mind’s ear.”
“God does not need sound waves to fall on an ear drum to speak to a man. When it pleases him to do so, he can speak directly to one’s mind where all sound waves are finally interpreted.” (C.S. Lovett)
Rise, Peter, kill and eat: This obviously went against Peter’s commitment as a Jew, which was to never eat anything except kosher foods. Certainly, among the all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air there were non-kosher animals included.
Not so, Lord! Peter’s response was both absurd and yet typical of us. He said “no” to his Lord. The only legitimate answer to a request from our Lord is “yes.”
Peter had a bad habit of telling Jesus “no” (Matthew 16:22, John 13:8). Compare Peter’s response to God (Not so, Lord!) with Cornelius’ response to God (What is it, Lord?). On that day, it seemed that Cornelius was more responsive to God than Peter was.
Peter had pretty much put God in a box of limitations, and now God was going to shake Peter up to change his thinking. He can do the same for us. “Shake yourself up a little, my brother. If you are too precise may the Lord set you on fire, and consume your bonds of red tape! If you have become so improperly proper that you cannot commit a proper impropriety, then pray God to help you be less proper, for there are many who will never be saved by your instrumentality while you study propriety.” (Charles Spurgeon)
Peter was saved, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, and Peter had been greatly used by God. At the same time, Peter was still Peter. God didn’t use him because he was perfect, but because he was in the right direction and he was available. We often fall into the trap of thinking that we must be perfected until God can really use us.
A few key takeaways:
When God speaks to us, the only response is yes, Lord.
We cannot ever put God into a “box of limitations”. He is the Creator of the universe and the author of our existence. He is not limited.
We can fall into a trap of thinking that we must be perfect before God can use us. Peter is saved and full of the Holy Spirit, but he is still the old impetuous Peter.
Peter had already heard Jesus talk about what really defiles a person and it is not what goes into his mouth, as noted in the passage below found in Mark; Peter is so quick to snap back to the old habits and forget the lessons he has learned:
“After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. [If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”]
When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. And He *said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.””
Mark 7:14-23 NASB1995
The object lesson, of the variety of animals in the sheet, is presented two more times to Peter. I like the second image that I found doing a search. I couldn’t find who the artist is, but the sheet contains some amazing (and huge) animals, most of them non-kosher!
The voice tells Peter that what God has cleansed can no longer be considered unholy. Peter mirrors his disgrace before the crucifixion by essentially denying the Word of God three times because of his inflexibility in disobeying the laws; in fact, he makes it worse by saying “No…Lord”. He acknowledges the sovereign God but says “no” - that’s pretty gutsy, Peter!
But the lesson will soon have its reason made apparent to this complex and conflicted apostle. My next devotional examines Acts 10:17-23, the men arrive and Peter is told by the Spirit to go with them.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - May I always listen and obey Your voice and not come up with excuses or religious limitations. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Commentary from Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission.