A synagogue was a place where people who sought God studied the holy Scriptures. Whenever Paul went to a synagogue, he preached and taught from the Bible, which at that time, of course, consisted only of the Old Testament. Paul and Barnabas did not preach and teach any kind of human knowledge or anything of themselves. On the contrary, they preached and taught the word from the holy Scriptures. Whenever they went into a synagogue, they preached from the Bible.
Paul’s word in 13:17-22 was based entirely on the Scriptures. In verse 17 he said, “The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people during their sojourn in the land of Egypt, and with a high arm He led them out of it.” Here “high” means uplifted. In verses 18 and 19 Paul went on to say, “And for about forty years’ time He carried them as a nurse in the wilderness; and when He had overthrown seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land as an inheritance (for about four hundred and fifty years).” The four hundred fifty years extends from the people’s sojourn in Egypt (v. 17) to the judges (v. 20).
In 13:20-22 Paul continued, “And after these things He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. And then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when He had removed him, He raised up David for them as king, to whom also He testified and said, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man according to My heart, who will do all My will.” David was a man according to God’s heart, that is, according to the desire of God’s heart, not only according to God’s words. Such a man will do all God’s will.
We have seen that Paul’s preaching and teaching were based on the Old Testament. The Old Testament, however, contains many things: history, the law, types, and prophecies. The Jews studied the Old Testament week by week, but they did not pay attention to Christ. They had some thought concerning the Messiah, but they did not have any understanding of Christ. When Paul went into the synagogues to preach and teach, he did not care for anything other than Christ.
When some hear that Paul preached Christ and Christ alone, they may say, “Did Paul not begin his preaching with an account of the history in the Old Testament? Did he not speak of God’s bringing His people out of Egypt, and about Saul and David?” Yes, Paul spoke about those things, but he did so in order to prepare the way to preach Christ. In verse 22 Paul quoted the word about David being a man according to God’s heart. Then in verse 23 he went on to say, “From this man’s seed, God, according to promise, brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus.” Here we see that after a short introduction, he came to his crucial message, which is altogether centered on Christ. After beginning with the history until the time of David, Paul went on to point out that from David’s seed God brought forth a Savior, Jesus Christ. With Him there is salvation.
In 13:24 and 25 Paul refers to John the Baptist: “John having previously proclaimed before His coming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. Now as John was completing his course, he said, What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, One is coming after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.” Literally, the Greek words rendered “before His coming” mean “before the face of His entrance.” Here Paul points out that before Christ’s coming, John proclaimed a baptism of repentance. Repentance is to change the mind, and baptism is to bury the repentant ones, terminating them, so that the Savior may germinate them by regeneration (John 3:3, 5-6).
As Paul went on to speak concerning “the word of this salvation,” he emphasized Christ’s crucifixion. He pointed out that the people of Israel had Him put to death. In verse 27 he says, “For those dwelling in Jerusalem and their rulers, being ignorant of this One and of the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by judging Him.” They judged the Lord Jesus by sentencing Him to death (Luke 24:20). “And when they had accomplished all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb” (v. 29).
Beginning with verse 30, Paul went on to speak of Christ’s resurrection: “But God raised Him from among the dead.” We have seen that Acts tells us both that God raised up Jesus (2:24, 32) and that He rose from the dead (10:40-41). Regarding the Lord as a man, the New Testament says that God raised Him from the dead (Rom. 8:11). But considering Him as God, it tells us that He Himself rose from the dead (Rom. 14:9).