A Study of Acts: Peter Ponders His Vision and Has Visitors
Acts 10:17-23 - Peter must honor the authority of God while questioning traditions. The Voice of God is heard through His Word!
“Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate; and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there. While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.” Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?” They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you.” So he invited them in and gave them lodging. And on the next day he got up and went away with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him.”
Acts 10:17-23 NASB1995
Peter is very perplexed about what he just experienced in the vision. As he ponders the meaning, the men sent by Cornelius appear at the gate of Simon the Tanner’s house. The Spirit speaks to Peter, who is still lost in the reverie of his vision; He tells him that “Behold, three men are looking for you. But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself”.
I have to unpack this for a minute - the God that created the Universe (and Peter) is telling the sometimes (well, maybe often) obstinate and duty-bound apostle to accompany these men without misgivings. He knows that, in spite of the amazing vision that Peter has just seen (three times) and said “no, Lord” to, that Peter is not yet comprehending what has occurred. He is still bound by his prejudices and habits.
So how do we know when God speaks to us? I like this answer from Gotquestions.org on how we can recognize the voice of God:
This question has been asked by countless people throughout the ages. Samuel heard the voice of God, but did not recognize it until he was instructed by Eli (1 Samuel 3:1–10). Gideon had a physical revelation from God, and he still doubted what he had heard to the point of asking for a sign, not once, but three times (Judges 6:17–22,36–40). When we are listening for God’s voice, how can we know that He is the one speaking? First of all, we have something that Gideon and Samuel did not. We have the complete Bible, the inspired Word of God, to read, study, and meditate on. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17). When we have a question about a certain topic or decision in our lives, we should see what the Bible has to say about it. God will never lead us contrary to what He has taught in His Word (Titus 1:2).
To hear God’s voice we must belong to God. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Those who hear God’s voice are those who belong to Him—those who have been saved by His grace through faith in the Lord Jesus. These are the sheep who hear and recognize His voice, because they know Him as their Shepherd. If we are to recognize God’s voice, we must belong to Him.
We hear His voice when we spend time in Bible study and quiet contemplation of His Word. The more time we spend intimately with God and His Word, the easier it is to recognize His voice and His leading in our lives. Employees at a bank are trained to recognize counterfeits by studying genuine money so closely that it is easy to spot a fake. We should be so familiar with God’s Word that when someone speaks error to us, it is clear that it is not of God.
While God could speak audibly to people today, He speaks primarily through His written Word. Sometimes God’s leading can come through the Holy Spirit, through our consciences, through circumstances, and through the exhortations of other people. By comparing what we hear to the truth of Scripture, we can learn to recognize God’s voice.
So Peter listens to this Voice and goes downstairs and now greets the men because he was told to do this without hesitation or misgivings. They tell him what Cornelius has experienced and ask Peter to accompany them back to Caesarea. Peter invites them in to lodge for the night. So can you obey the voice of God without “misgivings?” I love this example of how we get into a rut sometimes or an expected behavior, without even thinking about it, from Chuck Swindoll on Precept Austin:
When I was a young boy growing up in rural Texas in the 1930s, I remember that my maternal grandfather, Judge Lundy, didn’t much care for “the way it’s always been.” At a time when unemployment for white men topped 25 percent, my granddad hired a black man named Mr. Coats and kept him employed for many years. When it came time for the man’s wife to deliver a child, my granddad used his influence to make sure that it was in the hospital—probably the first black patients in that maternity ward and undoubtedly the last for quite some time. I learned from his example to honor authority but to question tradition. As it turned out, most of the hospital staff didn’t have a problem with black people; they had just never thought to change what had always been.
So Peter, by his actions, has started to break down the barriers between Jew and Gentile. He asks the guests to lodge with him for the night (not sure what Simon the Tanner had to say about this, but apparently Peter called the shots). Let’s do a word study on gave them lodging: This comes from the Greek verb ξενίζω or xenízō, which has the following Biblical usages:
to receive as a guest, to entertain, hospitably
to be received hospitably
to stay as a guest, to lodge
be lodged
to surprise or astonish by the strangeness and novelty of a thing
to think strange, be shocked
First, Peter is being hospitable to Gentiles and treating them as guests, which is unprecedented. Second, take a look at the second usage for this phrase - this is a strange and novel thing! Both sides were probably shocked, none more so than Peter! The next day, he takes some brethren with him and they accompany the men back to Caesarea and the household of Cornelius.
My next devotional examines Acts 10:24-33 - Peter enters the household of Cornelius.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Help me to hear Your voice in everything that I do. Help me to be hospitable and to honor authority but question traditions that have little meaning. 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
Gotquestions.org was accessed on 10/10/2024 to answer the question, “How can I recognize the voice of God?”
Precept Austin was accessed on 10/10/2024 to review commentary for Acts 10:17-23.
The Blue Letter Bible was accessed on 10/10/2024 to review the lexicon for “gave them lodging”.