How does Acts 13:17 demonstrate God's faithfulness to Israel's ancestors? Setting the scene Paul, in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch, recounts Israel’s history. Acts 13:17 is his concise reminder that everything God promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has been kept, step by step. Text “The God of the people Israel chose our fathers, exalted the people during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm He led them out of it.” Three-part testimony of faithfulness • Chose our fathers – Genesis 12:1-3; 17:7 • Exalted the people in Egypt – Genesis 46:3; Exodus 1:7, 12 • Led them out with uplifted arm – Exodus 6:6; Deuteronomy 4:34 Faithfulness in choosing the fathers • God initiated the covenant, not the patriarchs (Genesis 12:1). • He bound Himself by oath (Genesis 22:16-18). • Centuries later Paul can still say, “God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew” (Romans 11:2), proving the original choice stands. Faithfulness in Egypt’s furnace • “The LORD was with Joseph” (Genesis 39:2) and used hardship to preserve the family (Genesis 50:20). • Even under oppression Israel “multiplied and became exceedingly mighty” (Exodus 1:7), matching God’s promise of a nation (Genesis 46:3). • Psalm 105:24 celebrates this growth: “The LORD made His people very fruitful.” Faithfulness in the mighty exodus • “With an outstretched arm and mighty acts of judgment” (Exodus 6:6)—language echoed by Luke’s “uplifted arm.” • Every plague targeted Egypt’s gods, proving the LORD alone is God (Exodus 12:12). • The Passover lamb secured deliverance (Exodus 12); Paul later links this to Christ, the ultimate Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7), underscoring consistent covenant mercy. Echoes through the prophets and psalms • Deuteronomy 7:7-9 ties election, deliverance, and covenant love into one package. • Psalm 136 repeats “His loving devotion endures forever” after each act of Exodus history. • Nehemiah 9:7-12 reviews the same sequence when calling the nation back to covenant fidelity. Why it matters • Israel’s story is evidence that God’s word never fails (Joshua 21:45). • The same faithfulness guarantees the new covenant established through Jesus (Hebrews 10:23). • Believers today rest on the unbroken track record revealed in Acts 13:17: what God promises, He performs—every time, for every generation. |
    |