Acts 8 & 1 Kings 12 - The house of David restored? Looking for feedback.

[KGP]

When I read the section regarding the laying on of hands by Peter and John for the Samaritan believers to receive the Holy Spirit, I see something here that I do not recall mentioned in the commentaries I have perused, so wanted to put it out here for the consideration of men more learned than I.

First off, I‘lol say that obviously, and immediately the Acts 8 9-25 text is about Simon and the reality of false profession, and also the expansion of the gospel as per Acts 1 - Witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth.


But what I ALSO see here is the reversal of Kings 12 and the rebellion of Israel against the house of David. Samaria very soon became the capital of the northern kingdom as I think it is significant that it’s the next stop after Jerusalem.

Kings 11 tells us it is for David’s sake, and for the sake of Jerusalem, which God has chosen, that a tribe was given to a David, and that God would preserve a remnant in the southern kingdom was merciful indeed. The Northern kingdom had no such remnant and became the ‘lost tribes of Israel’ due to the nature of their exile and assimilation through intermarriage. So there is no real earthly hope for a truly united Israel, and so the house of David is a truly broken and divided house and seemingly utterly beyond recovery.

But when Christ is at long last seated on the throne of David, one of his first orders of business is to send his authorized representatives to Samaria to pray that those who were obedient to the gospel would receive the Holy Spirit.

1 Kings 12:19 - And so Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day...but now in Acts, Jesus is the newly installed king ruling over the house of David, and uniting the house under the kingship and reign of the Holy Spirit is his first priority.

Judgment starts at the house of God, so Reconciliation also starts at home. Jerusalem first, because that is the faithful line of the house of David, then Samaria because the house affairs must be put in order before the gentile mission can begin in earnest. The the brotherly hostility (Judah/Israel) must be undone before the Jew and gentile divide can be dismantled; the Ephesians 2 program happens in house before it goes worldwide.

So I just see this whole restoration theme in connection to Kings 12 and the divided kingdom, and Samaria representing the rebellious tribes, being brought into subjection to the house of David once more.

I’ve also been curious, why is this the Samaria event here located in the middle of a story about a sorcerer? In the providence of God, it could have been any other sort of character...why sorcery? There are no coincidences with the Lord, it’s all there and what it is for a reason...

And then I’m reminded that the scriptures tell us rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. So Simon (sorcery aka witchcraft) himself is a reminder of the rebellion which so undermined God’s people for nearly a millennium and cost them so dearly; and which made them practically useless regarding the covenant promise - being a blessing to all nations.

But with Christ on the throne, the house of David is brought to obedience, unified and restored through unity of the spirit, and ready to launch the kingdom expansion campaign and bless the nations.

These thoughts seem to have merit, but the (admittedly small handful) of commentaries I looked at mentioned no such connection; I’m a connections kind of guy so I am sometimes see em where they are not really there.

Anybody see any problems or unwarranted connections with anything here? Any feedback?

Thanks in advance


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Contra_Mundum]

I appreciated your insights. It strikes me as a kingdom-centric treatment of the expansion of Christ's reign. The kingdom continues to have several noteworthy mentions, such as Act.15:16-17 and 28:31.

I'm sure I've heard the connection made to the Samaritans, as the "half-Jews," closest to the kingdom, and so the next logical extension for outreach. But I like the tie you made to 1Ki.12:19. In preaching, I only brought in Jesus' openness to them in the Gospels, a contrast to the typical Jewish attitude.

And, I'm intrigued by the bringing together of the witchcraft/rebellion theme in the person of Simon. I think, when I preached the passage I only covered the contrast between his unholy powers and trickery, and the genuine holy power exhibited alongside the selfless preaching of Christ through the church's agents.

I think, on a subtext level Simon the mage works as a kind of king/priest figure (ala vv9-10) whose northern rebellion is steamrolled by the conquering True King.

Thanks for the blessing.

 

[Wretched Man]

When I read the section regarding the laying on of hands by Peter and John for the Samaritan believers to receive the Holy Spirit, I see something here that I do not recall mentioned in the commentaries I have perused, so wanted to put it out here for the consideration of men more learned than I.

First off, I‘lol say that obviously, and immediately the Acts 8 9-25 text is about Simon and the reality of false profession, and also the expansion of the gospel as per Acts 1 - Witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth.


But what I ALSO see here is the reversal of Kings 12 and the rebellion of Israel against the house of David. Samaria very soon became the capital of the northern kingdom as I think it is significant that it’s the next stop after Jerusalem.

Kings 11 tells us it is for David’s sake, and for the sake of Jerusalem, which God has chosen, that a tribe was given to a David, and that God would preserve a remnant in the southern kingdom was merciful indeed. The Northern kingdom had no such remnant and became the ‘lost tribes of Israel’ due to the nature of their exile and assimilation through intermarriage. So there is no real earthly hope for a truly united Israel, and so the house of David is a truly broken and divided house and seemingly utterly beyond recovery.

But when Christ is at long last seated on the throne of David, one of his first orders of business is to send his authorized representatives to Samaria to pray that those who were obedient to the gospel would receive the Holy Spirit.

1 Kings 12:19 - And so Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day...but now in Acts, Jesus is the newly installed king ruling over the house of David, and uniting the house under the kingship and reign of the Holy Spirit is his first priority.

Judgment starts at the house of God, so Reconciliation also starts at home. Jerusalem first, because that is the faithful line of the house of David, then Samaria because the house affairs must be put in order before the gentile mission can begin in earnest. The the brotherly hostility (Judah/Israel) must be undone before the Jew and gentile divide can be dismantled; the Ephesians 2 program happens in house before it goes worldwide.

So I just see this whole restoration theme in connection to Kings 12 and the divided kingdom, and Samaria representing the rebellious tribes, being brought into subjection to the house of David once more.

I’ve also been curious, why is this the Samaria event here located in the middle of a story about a sorcerer? In the providence of God, it could have been any other sort of character...why sorcery? There are no coincidences with the Lord, it’s all there and what it is for a reason...

And then I’m reminded that the scriptures tell us rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. So Simon (sorcery aka witchcraft) himself is a reminder of the rebellion which so undermined God’s people for nearly a millennium and cost them so dearly; and which made them practically useless regarding the covenant promise - being a blessing to all nations.

But with Christ on the throne, the house of David is brought to obedience, unified and restored through unity of the spirit, and ready to launch the kingdom expansion campaign and bless the nations.

These thoughts seem to have merit, but the (admittedly small handful) of commentaries I looked at mentioned no such connection; I’m a connections kind of guy so I am sometimes see em where they are not really there.

Anybody see any problems or unwarranted connections with anything here? Any feedback?

Thanks in advance


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Interesting connections. I’m not sure I would say the northern kingdom tribes were “lost” or were without remnant prior to Christ or 70 AD. My understanding is there was a significant remnant of the northern kingdom that had either returned or remained in Samaria - though as you mention interbred with Assyrians and other races. In 2 Chronicles 30, Hezekiah invites the northern tribes (after their kingdom had already been exiled by Assyria) to come join in the Passover, “So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, "O people of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.” (2 Chronicles 30:6).

In Ezekiel 37, God promises to restore all the tribes of Israel. In John 4, Jesus addresses the Samaritan woman at the well, essentially claiming the hour has arrived when there will no long be division in their worship, for they were both awaiting the messiah (John 4:25) who had finally arrived.

It seems fitting then Samaria would be the first to be evangelized before the gentile world.

As for the sorcery connection, I wonder if Malachi 3:5 might be in play here... “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers...” This verse comes on the heels of the prophesy of the first arrival Christ - though seems to bridge to his second coming as well.

 

[KGP]

Thank you for the contribution of the Malachi passage to the discussion Nathan.

The status of the intermarried tribes of the North as 'lost' or without remnant can be approached from a few different angles, but as you say, the fact remains that in Christ they are reunited, and so it seems fitting that Samaria would be evangelized first. The more I consider this the more I see the Acts 8 outpouring as Christ putting the house of David back in order.

A house divided cannot stand, Christ said so himself. The house of David was to be a blessing to the nations; but the division of the kingdom after Solomon's reign was something they were not able to undo.

The old testament narrative is constantly doing this:
Q. Given these circumstances, how can God's people ever fulfill God's promise concerning them?
A. They can't.
Q. Will God's word then fail? Did he speak wrongly?
A. God's word will stand, because he himself will bring it about.

The divided house asks the question:
Q. Given the deep and increasing division in the house of David, how can they ever in any sense bless the nations?
A. They can't. In fact, not only are they divided, they are fighting eachother. And now not only are they fighting eachother, they both have been given over to exile. So yeah, they couldn't before, and now they REALLY can't.
Q. Will God's word then fail? Did he speak wrongly?
A. God's word will stand, because he himself will come and ascend to the throne and take his seat upon the throne of David. Among his first orders of business will be to put away the sin of his people, and heal the divide that has torn his house apart to this day. (Which I see so powerfully taking place when Peter and John come up from Jerusalem to lay hands on the Samaritan believers. John, who not long prior had wished to call down fire to consume and destroy them, now is calling the Holy Spirit down on them)
Now this house is healed, and now believing Israel united under it's new king will certainly be a blessing to the nations.

 

[Wretched Man]

Thank you for the contribution of the Malachi passage to the discussion Nathan.

The status of the intermarried tribes of the North as 'lost' or without remnant can be approached from a few different angles, but as you say, the fact remains that in Christ they are reunited, and so it seems fitting that Samaria would be evangelized first. The more I consider this the more I see the Acts 8 outpouring as Christ putting the house of David back in order.

A house divided cannot stand, Christ said so himself. The house of David was to be a blessing to the nations; but the division of the kingdom after Solomon's reign was something they were not able to undo.

The old testament narrative is constantly doing this:
Q. Given these circumstances, how can God's people ever fulfill God's promise concerning them?
A. They can't.
Q. Will God's word then fail? Did he speak wrongly?
A. God's word will stand, because he himself will bring it about.

The divided house asks the question:
Q. Given the deep and increasing division in the house of David, how can they ever in any sense bless the nations?
A. They can't. In fact, not only are they divided, they are fighting eachother. And now not only are they fighting eachother, they both have been given over to exile. So yeah, they couldn't before, and now they REALLY can't.
Q. Will God's word then fail? Did he speak wrongly?
A. God's word will stand, because he himself will come and ascend to the throne and take his seat upon the throne of David. Among his first orders of business will be to put away the sin of his people, and heal the divide that has torn his house apart to this day. (Which I see so powerfully taking place when Peter and John come up from Jerusalem to lay hands on the Samaritan believers. John, who not long prior had wished to call down fire to consume and destroy them, now is calling the Holy Spirit down on them)
Now this house is healed, and now believing Israel united under it's new king will certainly be a blessing to the nations.

I never considered the contrast in John's calling for fire and later for the Holy Spirit on the Samaritans!