PODCAST
The True God
January 23rd, 2021
Acts 14:8-20
There is often confusion about credit when it comes to miracles. Paul notices a lame man who is listening intently to his preaching. He sees that “he had the faith to be healed” and takes the time to commend the action of faith and restore the man physically (v. 9). The man responds in faith, but the people misinterpret the miracle; they assume Paul had done it and then also assume he must be a god—Zeus, in fact.
How easy it was for these Greeks to think that Zeus had come down to them. Paul and Barnabas must act quickly to point to the living God, the Creator. It should have been an easy step to point to Jesus. Idolatry, though, was deeply rooted in these people and their emotions carry them to false conclusions.
This incident reminds us of the importance of complete clarity when we testify to the one, true, living God. We must understand the people and their context all while proclaiming the truth with words and actions they will understand.
Author: Eva Geddes
January 23rd, 2021 at 7:00 am
Did the author of this even read the scripture? Verse 12 clearly states that “Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker.” At the very least, this error should have been caught and corrected by the editorial staff.
January 23rd, 2021 at 8:24 am
I, too, saw that they thought Paul was Hermès. And they thought Barnabus was Zeus.
January 23rd, 2021 at 8:31 am
“ This incident reminds us of the importance of complete clarity when we testify to the one, true, living God.” This should also hold true for God’s word as well, we must accurately present the word of God, especially in print.
I have used this devotional for years and have enjoyed the thoughts and insights of the writers, thank you for your time and effort in this task. However, there have been a number of errors beyond typos over the last few years but the error in this devotional is one of misrepresenting the word of God.
At the end of the first paragraph, the writer states that, “the people misinterpret the miracle; they assume Paul had done it and then also assume he must be a god—Zeus, in fact.” In the scripture it says it differently, “Paul they called Hermes” (NIV). I have let lesser errors, like tense inconsistency and other grammatical errors, go by without mention, but a misrepresentation of scripture is worth a mention.
Please be more careful, it is of utmost importance that a devotional be above reproach in every area possible, especially in the handling of God’s word. I know this error may seem minor, as word handling errors go, but it is very important to the integrity of this publication.
Thank you for your work and faithfulness to publish these devotionals, I will continue to use them for my morning devotionals as they are, most of the time, a great way to start my day.