Of this man’s seed hath God according to His promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus. Acts 13:23
The Star of David, or Magen David, appears prominently on the flag of Israel. The blue Magen David has two intertwined triangles, making a six-pointed star that is said to represent King David’s dependence on God as his shield (Psalm 3:4). The Magen David has been in use for many centuries as a symbol of Judaism, and became prominent in the Zionism movements of the past century. That the Israelis would choose as their symbol an object directly related to David shows their deep respect and honour for that ancient and great king. David brought Israel to the nation’s greatest pinnacle of power, and all Jews treasure that. But they also treasure the great promises that God gave to David, including the promise of a Messiah through his lineage. Even today, millions of Jews pray daily for the Messiah to appear. Our text relates how the Jews in the synagogue of Antioch in Pisidia heard that their prayers were answered.
Many Jews today believe that Jesus Christ is their Messiah. But most do not. The nation of Israel is functioning in ignorance of the fulfillment of God’s greatest promise. And yet, as our text declares, the Saviour has come and has been clearly identified. Paul and Barnabas have been carrying this message to both Jew and Gentile alike as they forge ahead with their missionary journey. Untold numbers of other missionaries and preachers and witnesses for Christ have carried this message forward since then. It’s the same message: God has kept His promise by sending His Son as our Saviour. And it is the only message worth telling, the only message that brings forgiveness to sinners, peace to rebels, and joy to the broken-hearted. In our text, Paul is preaching to Jews; the next day he preached the same message to the Gentiles. The Jews had the hope of a Messiah to come but the Gentiles did not have that. So the Gospel was a wonderful revelation to them.
The promise made to David was a long time ago. And yet, God has kept that promise. In contrast to the truce-breakers and unfaithful of this world, God always honours His Word and His promises are forever faithful. Just as we are saved today because God kept His greatest promise, so we have victory in Him as we accept and rely on all of the other promises that God has made to us. We will never exhaust the greatness of those promises nor will God ever exhaust the resources to fulfill them.
The Lord Jesus is the keeping of God’s greatest promise. And in the Lord Jesus is the keeping of all of the promises of God to us. -Jim MacIntosh