Man Cannot Stop God
Man Cannot Stop God
God's plans may be difficult to understand only because of our limited knowledge, considering He is all-knowing. We may find God hard to know when He uses unlikely sources. One man God used is named Gamaliel.
We read about Gamaliel in the last half of Acts 5. From the historical information we have outside the Bible, we know Gamaliel is a wise man. Gamaliel was a Jewish rabbi. He was a leader in the Jewish Sanhedrin and was often viewed as a respected teacher.
Acts 5 introduces us to Gamaliel after Peter and John were preaching about Jesus even when they were warned to stop. However, they held firm to their beliefs when they proclaimed, "We must obey God rather than human beings!" (Acts 5:29, NIV)
Soon, Gamaliel stepped in to offer wisdom to the rest of the leaders. Gamaliel was respected (Acts 5:34), and people listened to his words. Some of the words people listened to were his advice on what to do with Peter and John. Gamaliel says in Acts 5:35-39, 35) "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36) Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37) After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He, too, was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38) Therefore, in the present case, I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! If their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39) But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” This speech persuaded the rest of the leaders. (Acts 5:40)
While Gamaliel is not often mentioned in the Bible, we can still learn lessons from his life. The biggest lesson is that God's plans will not be stopped. Many religious leaders tried to stop God's Word from being preached to many. However, God used a well-respected Jewish rabbi to speak wisdom into other religious leaders. By doing so, the Gospel began to spread across the world, and Peter and John continued to be faithful disciples of Jesus.
Many will try to stop God's Word from being preached. They will come from all areas but are not strong enough to defeat an all-powerful God. In the face of adversity, God's Word stands true. Nothing can stop our God.