Acts 1:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "For it is written in the Book of Psalms, "‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and "‘Let another take his office.’

NIV: "For," said Peter, "it is written in the Book of Psalms: " ‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, " ‘May another take his place of leadership.’

NASB: For it is written in the book of Psalms: ‘MAY HIS RESIDENCE BE MADE DESOLATE, AND MAY THERE BE NONE LIVING IN IT’; and, ‘MAY ANOTHER TAKE HIS OFFICE.’

CSB: "For it is written in the Book of Psalms: Let his dwelling become desolate; let no one live in it; and Let someone else take his position.

NLT: Peter continued, 'This was written in the book of Psalms, where it says, ‘Let his home become desolate, with no one living in it.’ It also says, ‘Let someone else take his position.’

KJV: For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

NKJV: “For it is written in the Book of Psalms: ‘Let his dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it’; and, ‘Let another take his office.’

After a brief interlude in which Luke gave Theophilus (Acts 1:1) more detail on the death of Judas (Acts 1:18–19), he picks up again with Peter's speech to the 120 disciples who are sitting in the upper room, waiting for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5, 1:15).

While following Jesus, the disciples had a hard time seeing where their Scriptures, our Old Testament, fit in to Jesus' ministry. They believed Jesus to be the great Messiah and King. However, they assumed that meant a conqueror-warrior who would free Israel from Roman oppression and bring in a golden age for the Jews. They didn't realize Jesus' kingdom is yet to come, but first He had to be the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. Now, with the temporary gift of the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), Peter begins to see more clearly.

First, Peter references Psalm 69. David is listing the abuses he endured from those who were trying to destroy him with lies and force him to repay what he did not steal (Psalm 69:4). He says he became a stranger to his brothers (Psalm 69:8), much like Jesus (Mark 3:21, 31), and that his oppressors gave him "sour wine to drink" (Psalm 69:21), which Jesus experienced on the cross (Matthew 27:48).

The quote is from Psalm 69:25. David prayed that the camp of his enemies who wrongly persecuted him would be abandoned. Applied to Judas, this is fulfilled almost poetically, as his estate, the thirty pieces of silver, was used to buy land for a cemetery (Matthew 27:3–10).

The following quote is from Psalm 109, an imprecatory psalm in which David calls for extreme prejudicial judgment against his deceptive accuser. The request for another to "take his office" (Psalm 109:8) is tame compared to some of David's other requests, but it applies to the people sitting in the upper room.

"Office" is from the Greek root word episkopē from which we get our word episcopal. In church government, an episcopate church is one that has a single leader as opposed to a presbyterate church which is ruled by a board of elders. One's "office" is that over which they have authority to inspect and manage. Jesus promised the twelve disciples that when He reigns they will "sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19:28). Since Judas was disqualified from such a service, the remaining apostles need to find a replacement.

Acts 1:12–26 records what happens when the Jesus-followers pray. Jesus has ascended (Acts 1:9). The Holy Spirit is coming (Acts 1:5). The apostles don't really know what these things mean, but they know where to start. They join the other Jesus-followers in Jerusalem and start praying. The next order of business is to find a replacement for Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus (Matthew 26:14–16, 47–50) and then hanged himself (Matthew 27:3–10). The remaining eleven apostles don't know this yet, but their third task will literally be to change the world.

Acts 1 sets the stage for the establishment of the church and the spread of the gospel. Jesus is alive but if the Holy Spirit is to come Jesus must ascend into heaven (John 16:7). The disciples obey His last instructions and wait in Jerusalem. Peter uses Old Testament Scripture to show the group of about 120 they must choose a disciple to replace Judas. The man must have been with them from Jesus' baptism to His ascension. Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias are put forward and, in the last use of the lots found in the Bible, Matthias is chosen.

Acts 1 is the second letter Luke wrote for Theophilus. In it, he narrates the transition between Jesus' ministry as described in the Gospel of Luke and the development and spread of the church. The disciples have received a temporary indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), and Jesus has spent forty days reassuring His faithful followers (Acts 1:3), appearing to over five hundred in that short time (1 Corinthians 15:6). Now, the disciples complete some administrative-like tasks before the Holy Spirit can begin the ministry of the church on Pentecost (Acts 2).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.