Acts 3, What Did the Disciples Teach? At the First, in the Temple, Part 2

In Peter’s speech to the crowd in Temple in Acts 3, he exhorted them with this:

“And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. 

Peter connected his admonition to repent with two individuals, Moses and Samuel. What was Peter alluding to?

Regarding Moses, I think this:

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, and make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

(Exodus 32:1) (emphasis added)

And this in connection with Samuel:

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.

(1 Samuel 8:4-8) (emphasis added)

As Stephen would soon more directly proclaim (Acts 7),

You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become;  you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.,

They were always in opposition to the salvation of God, and had always ignored or rejected His chosen messengers of that salvation at every opportunity. And now, they had killed the Author of Life.

Even so, God, having raised up his servant Jesus, sent him to them first, to bless them by turning every one of them from their wickedness—through a wonderful demonstration of resurrection power in the remarkable healing of the lame man and the ensuing Holy Spirit conviction when 5000 were saved. (see John 16:8). (“And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:”)

Do we constantly resist the Holy Spirit? Would we even know? In other words, are we ignorant enough of His salvation that we are found opposing Him? That’s a distinct possibility, as Gamaliel cautioned:

So in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone. Let them go! For if their purpose or endeavor is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.

Acts 5:38-39 (emphasis added)

Ananias and Sapphira sure found that out the hard way. See Acts 5:1-11.

So what: to do? Turn to God. Examine ourselves, to see whether we are in the faith, because Christ has worked for us so great a salvation. See 2 Cor. 13:5.

We are not without hope. Peter underscores that hope:

God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.

And so too David:

If You, Lord, should mark our iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand before You? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in Your word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

See Psalm 130:3-8.

God has raised His Christ! And in Him, we have mercy, plenteous redemption—redemption from all our iniquities.