DEUTERONOMY 5-6:
Yesterday we heard Moses expound on the most important command to never worship any idol or any god other than the Lord. He based this on the Israelite's experience of hearing God's voice and not seeing his form. Moses was realistic and knew that Israel would eventually leave God and that God would judge them. He gave them this amazing promise: "from there (where you have been exiled by your enemies) you will search again for the LORD your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him."

PSALM 52:
This is another psalm from David's experiences. He was betrayed by a man called Doeg, and then that man killed priests who had done nothing wrong. This psalm stands as testimony that God notices such things and will eventually bring just punishment for all injustice.

ACTS 9a:
In chapter 8, we heard the fantastic way the Lord led Philip. The Lord wanted a certain Ethiopian high official to be saved. The traditional church in Ethiopia still traces its history to that official. And Philip had the privilege of being miraculously teleported to a new location. He continued from there in preaching the Gospel, all the way to Caesarea, which is where we find him later.

GNT Translation notes:
Acts 9:20 He went straight to the synagogues and began to preach that Jesus [is//was] the Son of God.

DEUTERONOMY 4:
Yesterday Moses gave his personal account of how God led the people of Israel is not attacking three nations, but finally led them in attacking two kings. Moses pleaded with God to allow him to cross the Jordan into the promised land, but God refused to let him.

PSALM 51:
This is one of the most quoted and most famous psalms. David's sincere and broken-hearted prayer for forgiveness is a pattern for all of us to follow.

ACTS 8b:
Yesterday we heard how the believers in Jerusalem were scattered by a wave of persecution following Stephen's martyrdom. Philip (the deacon, not the apostle) is given the wonderful privilege to turn many to the Lord in Samaria. My own thought about why the Holy Spirit was not given when the believers were baptized is because Peter really was given the "keys to the kingdom." Peter was present when the Jewish people received the Holy Spirit, and when the despised mixed-breed Samaritans received the Holy Spirit, and when non-Jews received that same gift.

DEUTERONOMY 2-3:
Yesterday we heard Moses preaching and confronting the people of Israel about their bickering and their incredible stubbornness in refusing to believe the Lord's commands, and their refusal to believe God's loving intent in his commands.

PSALM 50:
Remember what Moses said yesterday in Deuteronomy? This Psalm tells us what God wants most from his people.

ACTS 8:
Yesterday we heard the conclusion of Stephen's speech. He confronted the high council with the indisputable fact that the people of Israel had always refused to follow what God told them and killed the prophets. "They (our ancestors) even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered." Shortly after saying that, Stephen died as Saul watched.

GNT Translation notes:

Deut. 1:46 "So then, after we had stayed at Kadesh for a long time,

2:1 we finally turned and went into the desert, on the road to the Gulf of Aqaba, as the Lord had commanded, and we spent a long time wandering about in the hill country of Edom.

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Ps. 50:7 [And He speaks,] "Listen, my people, and I will speak; I will testify against you, Israel. I am God, your God.

14 [No! But] Let the giving of thanks be your sacrifice to [Me, your Almighty] God, and give [Me//the Almighty] all that you promised.

16 But [I, your God say//God says] to the wicked, "Why should you recite my commandments? Why should you talk about my covenant?

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Acts 8:5 Philip went to the principal city in Samaria and preached [about believing in] the Messiah to the people there.

28 and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah [while a driver was driving the carriage//0].

[See v. 38! Even back in that day, it was not a good thing to be a distracted driver.]