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JUNE 15
became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;
17 for he was numbered with us and obtained a
part in this ministry.”
1:8 The apostles’ mission of spreading the 18 (Now this man purchased a field with the
gospel was the major reason the Holy Spirit wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he
empowered them. This event dramatically burst open in the middle and all his entrails
altered world history,and the gospel message gushed out. And it became known to all
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eventually reached all parts of the earth (Matt. those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is
28:19,20). receive power. The apostles had called in their own language, Akel Dama, that
already experienced the Holy Spirit’s saving, is, Field of Blood.)
guiding, teaching, and miracle-working power. 20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
Soon they would receive His indwelling pres-
ence and a new dimension of power for wit- ‘Let his dwelling place be desolate,
ness (2:4;1 Cor.6:19,20;Eph.3:16,20).witnesses. And let no one live in it’;
People who tell the truth about Jesus Christ
(John 14:26; 1 Pet. 3:15). The Greek word and,
means “one who dies for his faith” because ‘Let another take his office.’
that was commonly the price of witnessing.
21 “Therefore, of these men who have
Judea. The region in which Jerusalem was
located. Samaria. The region immediately to accompanied us all the time that the Lord Je-
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the north of Judea. sus went in and out among us, beginning
from the baptism of John to that day when He
was taken up from us, one of these must be-
and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Si- come a witness with us of His resurrection.”
mon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. 23 And they proposed two: Joseph called
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and
and supplication, with the women and Mary Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, O
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the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the of these two You have chosen to take part in
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midst of the disciples (altogether the number of this ministry and apostleship from which Ju-
names was about a hundred and twenty), and das by transgression fell, that he might go to
said, “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to his own place.” And they cast their lots, and
16
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be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered
by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who with the eleven apostles.
DAY 15:When and why did the northern kingdom of Israel come to an end?
In 2 Kings 17:6,it says that the “king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria.”The
capture of Samaria by Sargon II marked the end of the northern kingdom in 722 B.C.According to
Assyrian records,the Assyrians deported 27,290 inhabitants of Israel to distant locations.The relocation
of populations was characteristic of Assyrian policy during that era.The Israelites were resettled in the
upper Tigris-Euphrates Valley and never returned to the Promised Land.“Halah”was a city northeast of
Nineveh. The “Habor” River was a northern tributary of the Euphrates. The “cities of the Medes” were
northeast of Nineveh.Samaria was resettled with foreigners (v.24).God did what He said He would do
in Deuteronomy 28.The Jews were carried as far east as Susa,where the Book of Esther later took place.
In vv.7–23,the writer departs from quoting his written sources and gives his own explanation for
the captivity of Israel.Judah is included,though her captivity did not occur until 605/604–586 B.C.at the
hands of the Babylonians.Her sins were the same.Here is a very full and impressive vindication of God’s
action in punishing His privileged but rebellious and apostate people.In v.7,he begins by stating that
the Israelites had sinned against the Lord who had redeemed them from Egypt.Gross perversion of the
worship of God and national propensity to idolatry finally exhausted divine patience.The idolatry of
Israel is described in vv. 7–12. In response to Israel’s actions, the Lord sent His prophets to Israel and
Judah with a message of repentance (v. 13). However, the people failed to respond to the prophets’
messages,because,like their fathers,they did not have faith in the Lord (v.14).Their lack of faith result-
ed in disobedience to the Lord’s commands and the further pursuit of idolatry (vv.15–17).The idolatry
of Israel (and Judah) brought forth the anger of the Lord, which resulted in exile (v.18).The “great sin”
of both Israel and Judah was their continual following of the sinful pattern of Jeroboam I, departing
from the Lord and practicing idolatry,thus bringing down the judgment of captivity predicted by the
prophets (vv.19–23).

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