Monday Devo
Scripture:
Acts 17
22 So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, 23 for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.
24 “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need.
22 So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, 23 for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.
24 “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need.
Commentary:
17:22–23 Religious (Gk. deisidaimōn) could be taken either positively (“pious”) or negatively (“superstitious”).
17:23 To the unknown god. In the second century a.d., the Greek geographer Pausanias recorded “altars of the gods named Unknown” in Athens (Description of Greece 1.1.4). He also mentioned such an altar at Olympia (Description of Greece 5.14.8), and an inscription found at Pergamum has been restored to read “to unknown gods.”
17:24–25 Paul speaks of the God who made the world and everything in it, including mankind. He identifies this one true God as superior to all the lesser, competing deities that might be worshiped in Athens, with all their foibles and weaknesses. When Paul says that “God … does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands” (cf. 7:48), it is easy to imagine him gesturing toward the magnificent temple, the Parthenon, that stood just above him and his hearers on the acropolis. Paul was claiming that the true God of heaven and earth does not live in temples like the Parthenon and is not served by the sacrifices which the Athenians regularly brought to their temples.
17:23 To the unknown god. In the second century a.d., the Greek geographer Pausanias recorded “altars of the gods named Unknown” in Athens (Description of Greece 1.1.4). He also mentioned such an altar at Olympia (Description of Greece 5.14.8), and an inscription found at Pergamum has been restored to read “to unknown gods.”
17:24–25 Paul speaks of the God who made the world and everything in it, including mankind. He identifies this one true God as superior to all the lesser, competing deities that might be worshiped in Athens, with all their foibles and weaknesses. When Paul says that “God … does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands” (cf. 7:48), it is easy to imagine him gesturing toward the magnificent temple, the Parthenon, that stood just above him and his hearers on the acropolis. Paul was claiming that the true God of heaven and earth does not live in temples like the Parthenon and is not served by the sacrifices which the Athenians regularly brought to their temples.
Questions:
- On Sunday, we looked at What God is like, why we are here, and how we know. In verse 22, Paul lays out the truth in front of the high council in Athens. First, He presents God as CREATOR, PROVIDER, FATHER and SOVEREIGN. God is the creator, and we are His creation. He is omnipotent, not needing anything from anyone, yet He provides us what we need. He satisfies every need in us. He's not only God, but He's also our Father. This means He's extremely personal to us. He is our Abba, our Dad! He's both infinitely POWERFUL and PERSONAL. Most people tend to see God more as one or the other, either the powerful creator of the universe or our perfect, loving Father. What about you? In which way do you tend to relate to Him most? How can an unbalanced view of God, whether it be all big and scary or all loving and gentle, be dangerous?
- God, as provider, SHOULD satisfy every need we have in our lives. This means not only does everything we have come from Him, but also we should find everything we need IN HIM ALONE. Do you have a tendency to take for granted all God has given you and not give Him thanks for it? How many things OTHER than God do you look to for satisfaction?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would seek to know the one, true God.
- That you would find satisfaction in nothing or no one else but Him.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
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