The Yerushalayim Council ~ Part 3

We pick up the ongoing story of Sha’ul in Acts 15:13.

Note: To examine the graphics in this series, click on them for a pop-up version.

Ya’akov (James) Suggests a Solution

¹³ Ya‘akov broke the silence to reply. “Brothers,” he said, “hear what I have to say. ¹⁴ Shim‘on (Greek for Kefa) has told in detail what God did when he first began to show his concern for taking from among the Goyim a people to bear his name. ¹⁵ And the words of the Prophets are in complete harmony with this for it is written,

¹⁶ ‘“After this, I will return;
and I will rebuild the fallen tent of David.
I will rebuild its ruins,
I will restore it,
¹⁷ so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
that is, all the Goyim who have been called by my name,”
¹⁸ says Adonai, who is doing these things.’
All this has been known for ages. [1]

¹⁹ “Therefore, my opinion is that we should not put obstacles in the way of the Goyim who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead, we should write them a letter telling them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from fornication, from what is strangled, and from blood. ²¹ For from the earliest times, Moshe has had in every city those who proclaim him, with his words being read in the synagogues every Shabbat.”  ^[2]

Ya‛akov’s contribution is to point out that God decided in ages past not only to have Isra’el as His people but also to take from among the Goyim a people to bear His name (v. 14), that is, to be identified with Him and to honor Him.

The complete fulfillment of Amos’s prophecy will take place when the undivided realm of King David’s time is restored. Meanwhile, this is the beginning.

As a reminder from Part 12, Ron Cantor’s take on this passage:

Ya’akov’s reason for invoking Moshe in verse 21 and the widespread proclamation of the law is unclear. He may mean that the Jewish people who spread throughout the world via the Diaspora had made Moshe’s law known among Gentiles through their public reading of Scripture. Alternatively, he may have been saying that the standards he demanded Gentiles in verse 20 reflected universal moral laws enshrined in Moshe’s law.

In our next post, Sha’ul and Bar-Nabba return to Antioch.

Click here for the PDF version.

 

[1] Amos 9:11-12.

^[2] Acts 15:13-21.