September 19
Bible Reading: Acts 17:22-24
Acts 17:23, “For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.”
In the sixth century B.C., Athens was struck by a devastating pestilence. The Athenians, who worshipped a multitude of gods, believed that the plague was a sign of divine displeasure. To address this crisis, the city sought the counsel of a priestess, who recommended a ritual purification. They summoned Epimenides, a man from Crete, to perform the necessary rites.
Epimenides took both black and white sheep and released them to roam freely across the city. Followers were instructed to mark with an altar the locations where each sheep was laid down as an offering to the local deities. To ensure that no god was overlooked, they also erected altars to an “Unknown God” as a precautionary measure.
Epimenides’ was credited with saving Athens from the plague, and he was hailed as a prophet. However, like with other such outbreaks, it eventually merely subsided on its own. Not only was Epimenides revered as a prophet, he was a famed poet. In fact, the words, “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28) were from him.
Epimenides came to Athens to address a pestilence that threatened the city’s health, employing rituals to appease a multitude of deities. In contrast, Paul arrived in Athens sent by the Holy Spirit to address a far greater issue: the spiritual plight of its people. The numerous false gods of Athens could not stop the pestilence, as they were mere fabrications. However, the God previously unknown to the Athenians, now revealed by Paul, offers a solution to a universal affliction of a different nature.
Jesus’ resurrection stands as undeniable proof of the acceptance of His sacrifice for sin. The pandemic of sin, which affects all of humanity, finds its remedy in the blood of Jesus. While Epimenides sought to placate a host of imaginary gods, Paul proclaimed the good news of a real God who sacrificed His only Son to redeem us from our sins. How wonderful it is that this God is not unknown to us!
In creation, God shows us His hand; in redemption, He shows us His heart. – Dennis J. De Haan
HOW GREAT THOU ART
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Refrain:
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze. [Refrain]
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin. [Refrain]
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!” [Refrain]
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