“In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, ‘Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.’ (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) ‘For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it”; and “Let another take his office.”’” Acts 1:15–20
The Bible is divided into two main parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. One great way to think about the differences between them is to remember that in the Old Testament, God makes many promises about what he will do in the future through the Messiah, and in the New Testament, he fulfills many of those promises in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Some of these Old Testament promises are called prophecies. In the Old Testament, prophecies are statements that come true at a later point in time. One Old Testament prophecy, Psalm 109:6, foretells a betrayer who will eventually die and be replaced in his role by someone new in the subsequent verse 8. Another prophecy, Zechariah 11:12–13, even specifies the 30 pieces of silver. Jesus’ first followers loved all of God’s Word and took it very seriously. They knew the Old Testament very well and realized that what it predicted would come to pass. This is why, in today’s text, we see the apostles replacing Judas with a new person according to the Scriptures. God said it should happen, and they are ensuring its fulfillment.
Read
- Where do prophecies come from? Where do they not come from?
- What are some of the things a Christians or church leaders might do to discern what is or isn’t a prophecy?
- What if Jesus’ life weren’t a fulfillment of prophecy? Consider how this might affect his testimony about the Father.
Prayer
Our Father, may we take all of your Word seriously—just as seriously as did Jesus’ first followers, whom we read about in this text. May we love your Word and long to read it, so that we can be people who are encouraged by hope. Thank you that you have spoken to us through your Word. Amen.
Wanna know more about Old Testament prophecies about Jesus? Check out Pastor Mark’s sermon “How did people know Jesus was coming?” from the 2006 series Vintage Jesus, or “How Jesus taught the Bible,” from the Luke series. Also helpful will be this Resurgence post, “10 prophecies about Jesus’ birth.”
This devotion is adapted from the Acts Study Guide.
