For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
While Peter was still preaching Christ to attentive hearers in Cornelius's house, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard, and the Jewish believers with Peter heard the Gentile converts speaking real foreign languages they themselves did not know and magnifying and praising God. The manifestation was the same as on the day of Pentecost, with the same power, light and glory resting on uncircumcised Gentiles as on circumcised Jews. Their speech was proof that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also, with the same gift as had been given to Jewish believers at the beginning. This equal outpouring proves that in heaven there is no respect of persons, that God accepted the Gentiles and purified their hearts by faith just as He cleansed the Jews, removing the ceremonial distinction of circumcision and uncircumcision and granting to Gentiles also repentance unto life on perfect equality without the yoke of the ceremonial law. On this evidence Peter at once called for and commanded their baptism in water in the name of the Lord, since the descent of the Spirit did not replace baptism, and their conversion as the first of importance among the Gentiles marked the opening of the gospel beyond the Jewish people to all the world.
Setting in Cornelius House
While Peter was still preaching Christ — his life, miracles, betrayal, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and work in heaven as man's representative and advocate to plead for sinners — to attentive hearers with hearts prepared and charmed by truth in Cornelius's house, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word and interrupted the discourse. The fall came while Peter spoke the words of life to Cornelius and those gathered with him, coming upon every listener. It was Peter's own heart glowing as he preached Jesus in his life, ministry, miracles, betrayal, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and heavenly work.
Cornelius was a sincere, devout, God-fearing Roman officer in a high position of stewardship and responsibility who lived according to the light he had received. He followed principles of righteousness though not fully informed in regard to truth, living in piety, prayer, and almsgiving, longing and praying for light from heaven. God guided such a sincere man to greater light and into the church, sending him a message from heaven and directing Peter to visit him to give further light. He needed the fulfillment of the promise of the Messiah in Jesus Christ, and received Christ gladly when He was revealed. Men like him have sympathies toward God's people but are held by threads binding them to the world and lack moral courage to take their stand, so they need special care; yet God prepares the way for these true, pure men, including men of nobility and influence, to obtain advanced light through angelic visitation placed in connection with men of superior knowledge of His Word.
Peter undertook the duty laid on him by divine command to visit Cornelius with reluctance at every step. He defended it not on general principles but as an exception done because of divine revelation. The result was a great surprise to him. God taught those mentioned in the chapter by vision, showing them what they should speak, and the showing was repeated again and again, providing a pattern for receiving guidance about what to speak. Visions serve to comfort God's people and to correct those who stray from Bible truth, not to establish a new rule of faith.
Speaking in Tongues
Those who received the Spirit in Cornelius's house spoke with tongues and magnified God. Their speaking was praise and glorifying of God, the magnifying of His name by Cornelius and his household when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them. This speech in tongues was the outward demonstration that convinced the Jewish believers who had come with Peter that the gift had been given to the Gentiles also.
The tongues thus given are real foreign languages, which the speakers themselves do not understand but which native hearers understand. They are given to bear God's message, including warning of coming calamity. The same tongue may be given to two or three or four believers, who then hold an orderly conversation with each waiting until the other is through.
The manifestation in the Gentile home was the same as on the day of Pentecost. It came with the same power as upon the Jewish believers, so that the same light and glory reflected upon uncircumcised Gentiles as had shone upon circumcised Jews. It was known by miraculous speech and praise to God, showing that God had accepted the Gentiles and did not regard them as inferior because uncircumcised.
Spirit Given to Gentiles
The tongues and magnifying of God heard in Cornelius's house were the proof that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. What the Jewish believers who came with Peter heard showed them that God had given the Gentiles the same gift as had been given to the Jewish believers at the beginning. On that evidence Peter concluded they should be baptized, asking who could forbid water to those who had received the Holy Spirit as well as the Jewish believers had.
The outpouring astonished the believing Jews of the circumcision who came with Peter, recalling what had happened at Pentecost. Even with this manifestation of God's power it was hard for them to believe that God would send His Holy Spirit to the uncircumcised. So contention arose in the church at Jerusalem over Peter's course, and he had to go to Jerusalem and rehearse his experience before the leaders would believe.
Their reception proves that in heaven there is no respect of persons, and that Jew and Gentile are alike precious in God's sight. God accepted the Gentiles and did not regard them as inferior because they were uncircumcised, but acknowledges those who fear Him and work righteousness. He put no difference between Jew and Gentile, purifying Gentile hearts by faith and cleansing them from all uncleanness through the blood of Jesus Christ just as He cleansed the Jews.
The equal outpouring with the same power, light and glory reflected upon uncircumcised Gentiles as upon circumcised Jews proves God removed the ceremonial distinction of circumcision and uncircumcision and no longer counts Gentiles as unclean. He granted to Gentiles also repentance unto life. Gentile believers who accepted the gospel were to be regarded as on perfect equality with the Jewish disciples, without the necessity of observing the rite of circumcision or having the yoke of the ceremonial law imposed upon them. This silenced Jewish surprise, offense and censure and destroyed prejudice and exclusiveness, and the settlement that circumcision must not be imposed was a decision on which the prosperity and even the existence of the Christian church depended.
The event gave evidence that Peter was to be a messenger to the Gentiles and that the gospel was to be carried to all the world. It shows God tearing down the middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile and breaking down prejudice and exclusion, making those who had been strangers and foreigners fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household. Although Christ's death had already broken down the barrier between Jews and Gentiles, prejudice among the apostles still kept Gentiles from the privileges of the gospel, and Cornelius's conversion as the first of importance among the Gentiles began to overcome that barrier.
Baptism Still Commanded
The Spirit fell while Christ — His life, miracles, betrayal, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and work in heaven as man's representative and advocate — was being preached to attentive, prepared hearers in Cornelius's house, interrupting the discourse. The Jewish believers who came with Peter heard them speak with tongues and magnify and praise and glorify God, and this was proof that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also, with the same gift as upon the Jewish believers at the beginning and as at Pentecost. On this evidence Peter at once asked who could forbid water to those who had received the Holy Spirit as well as the Jewish believers had, and called for and commanded their baptism in water in the name of Jesus Christ, in the name of the Lord.
The descent of the Spirit was not an equivalent for baptism and did not replace it. Faith, repentance, and baptism remain the requisite steps in conversion in all cases. By them the true church is united in one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
Gospel Opened Worldwide
The hearing of Gentiles speaking with tongues and magnifying God belongs to the first conversion of importance among the Gentiles, that of Cornelius and his household, which was only the firstfruits of a harvest to be gathered in from the world. It marks the opening of the gospel beyond the Jewish people and its spread to the world, and the beginning of an entirely new phase of the work of the church. The door that many Jewish converts had closed against the Gentiles was now thrown open, so that Gentile believers who accepted the gospel were to be regarded as on perfect equality with the Jewish disciples without the necessity of circumcision. Although Christ's death had broken down the barrier between Jews and Gentiles, prejudice still kept Gentiles from the privileges of the gospel until this conversion began to overcome that barrier in fulfillment of God's plan to bring the gospel to the Gentiles.
From that home and household a widespread work of grace was carried on in a heathen city. Their conversion became the beginning of a wider work among the Gentiles, with Cornelius standing as an example of persons in influential positions who, when converted through the Holy Spirit, can use influence and resources to share the gospel with others. The discourse in his house was interrupted while Peter was still preaching Christ, and the firstfruits thus gathered pointed to the much larger ingathering to follow.
The event was part of Peter's pioneering work in breaking through longstanding barriers to teach the heathen world. The equal outpouring of the Spirit with the same power, light and glory upon uncircumcised Gentiles as upon circumcised Jews settled that Gentile converts must not be regarded as inferior and must not have circumcision and the yoke of the ceremonial law imposed upon them. That settlement was a decision on which the prosperity and even the existence of the Christian church depended.
God Works Through Messengers
The gospel was not preached to Cornelius by the angel who visited him, but by men sent to Joppa to bring Peter to his house. God knew exactly where Peter was, lodging with Simon the tanner, and by the angel told Cornelius every particular about where to find him. The angel could have given the message directly, but that is not God's way of working. His plan was for chosen human messengers to bring the gospel to those needing it, so that Gentiles would be connected with the gospel, and the work was to be done by God's power, not by human wisdom. The light He had imparted to Peter had to be imparted by Peter to Cornelius and all his family, so that Cornelius and Peter must become acquainted in gospel missionary work, heaven and earth would be joined, and His church must connect together.
The record reveals the simplicity of the Lord's plans for advancing His work and the readiness of heavenly agencies to cooperate with human agencies. Heaven is much nearer to the Christian engaged in soul-saving than many suppose. Ministering angels pass through the churches noting faithfulness in individual duty. God knows every person by name, just where they live, the spirit they possess, and every act of life, as He knew Cornelius as He knew Abraham, and He regards every human being so that each should treat his fellow man as one of the Lord's instrumentalities for accomplishing His work in the earth.
This way of bringing people together through human messengers means believers must come into closest connection with God and with one another in love. They must unify and love one another, and deal honestly, justly, gently, truly, and righteously with one another. They are not to tear one another down or to reform themselves by pointing at another's wrongs. Every talent and every branch of the work, including medical missionary work and the gospel, are to be bound together inseparable as a united whole, with the windows opened heavenward.
In every age God works in this way, bringing honest-hearted people into connection with those who can best reach their individual needs. He uses servants with different special knowledge and training for different classes of inquirers, some workers adapted to help one class and others trained differently to help another class. As He worked for Cornelius, so He works for devout standard-bearers in every age and in every sphere whose lives are a clear, pure testimony for truth and righteousness. They obtain a knowledge of God as Cornelius did, through the visitation of angels from heaven, and that they may obtain advanced light God places them in connection with men of superior knowledge regarding His Word, preparing the way for true, pure men, including men of nobility and influence, to stand for God in integrity.
Call to Seek and Reach
Those who have only little light and few privileges but live up to what they have will receive more light and advance with it when truth is presented as the Spirit leads. All who love and fear God will be enlightened even though they do not yet know all the truth, for God teaches every true believer and breaks down prejudice through the planning of heavenly messengers. Those who hold to their own ideas and will not yield cannot be used by the Lord, who passes them by and takes those willing to walk in His ways.
Cornelius stands as an example of people in influential positions whom God sees and would connect with the church, including men of nobility, influence, stewardship, and responsibility. Such men may fear God and follow principles of righteousness though not fully informed, having sympathies with God's people but held by threads binding them to the world and lacking the moral courage to take their stand with the lowly ones. They need special care and determined effort to reach them, and God prepares the way for these true, pure standard-bearers by visitation of angels and by placing them in connection with men of superior knowledge of His Word that they may obtain advanced light. When converted through the Holy Spirit they can use their influence and resources to share the gospel with others, take the place of those given Bible truth who disappointed the Saviour, and stand for God in true integrity to conquer falsehood and testify by purity and nobility of character to the power of unadulterated principles.
Servants of God should place themselves in readiness to make earnest, devoted, determined personal efforts for the many like Cornelius in the world and for souls in the churches who are much nearer the kingdom than is supposed. Their work is to bring to the full light of truth those walking in all the light they have received, since Gentiles serving God with sincere, earnest purpose serve Him as acceptably as Jews. They can take courage that heavenly agencies are ready to cooperate with human agencies and that angels guide them to many precious jewels in this dark world of sin. Those who fear and glorify God can thus be brought into connection with disciples and become faithful workers for the truth.
The conversion of Cornelius and his household was only the firstfruits of a harvest to be gathered from the world, and from that household a widespread work of grace was carried on in a heathen city. The lesson is to make earnest, devoted, determined efforts for honest souls seeking light like Cornelius, such as those in the Women's Christian Temperance Union, that those seeking light might be gathered out even from among those bitterly opposed to the message. Heaven is much nearer to the Christian engaged in soul-saving than many suppose, and God's regard for every human being teaches each to treat his fellow man as one of the Lord's instrumentalities for accomplishing His work in the earth. Peter's visit to a Roman centurion shows that God directs people to serve those needing divine help and guidance even when the assignment is not their own choice, for Peter undertook the duty with reluctance at every step as an exception by divine revelation and the result was a great surprise to him.
While Peter was still preaching Christ to attentive hearers in Cornelius's house, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard, and the Jewish believers with Peter heard the Gentile converts speaking real foreign languages they themselves did not know and magnifying and praising God. The manifestation was the same as on the day of Pentecost, with the same power, light and glory resting on uncircumcised Gentiles as on circumcised Jews. Their speech was proof that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also, with the same gift as had been given to Jewish believers at the beginning. This equal outpouring proves that in heaven there is no respect of persons, that God accepted the Gentiles and purified their hearts by faith just as He cleansed the Jews, removing the ceremonial distinction of circumcision and uncircumcision and granting to Gentiles also repentance unto life on perfect equality without the yoke of the ceremonial law. On this evidence Peter at once called for and commanded their baptism in water in the name of the Lord, since the descent of the Spirit did not replace baptism, and their conversion as the first of importance among the Gentiles marked the opening of the gospel beyond the Jewish people to all the world.
Setting in Cornelius House
While Peter was still preaching Christ — his life, miracles, betrayal, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and work in heaven as man's representative and advocate to plead for sinners — to attentive hearers with hearts prepared and charmed by truth in Cornelius's house, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word and interrupted the discourse. The fall came while Peter spoke the words of life to Cornelius and those gathered with him, coming upon every listener. It was Peter's own heart glowing as he preached Jesus in his life, ministry, miracles, betrayal, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and heavenly work.
Cornelius was a sincere, devout, God-fearing Roman officer in a high position of stewardship and responsibility who lived according to the light he had received. He followed principles of righteousness though not fully informed in regard to truth, living in piety, prayer, and almsgiving, longing and praying for light from heaven. God guided such a sincere man to greater light and into the church, sending him a message from heaven and directing Peter to visit him to give further light. He needed the fulfillment of the promise of the Messiah in Jesus Christ, and received Christ gladly when He was revealed. Men like him have sympathies toward God's people but are held by threads binding them to the world and lack moral courage to take their stand, so they need special care; yet God prepares the way for these true, pure men, including men of nobility and influence, to obtain advanced light through angelic visitation placed in connection with men of superior knowledge of His Word.
Peter undertook the duty laid on him by divine command to visit Cornelius with reluctance at every step. He defended it not on general principles but as an exception done because of divine revelation. The result was a great surprise to him. God taught those mentioned in the chapter by vision, showing them what they should speak, and the showing was repeated again and again, providing a pattern for receiving guidance about what to speak. Visions serve to comfort God's people and to correct those who stray from Bible truth, not to establish a new rule of faith.
Speaking in Tongues
Those who received the Spirit in Cornelius's house spoke with tongues and magnified God. Their speaking was praise and glorifying of God, the magnifying of His name by Cornelius and his household when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them. This speech in tongues was the outward demonstration that convinced the Jewish believers who had come with Peter that the gift had been given to the Gentiles also.
The tongues thus given are real foreign languages, which the speakers themselves do not understand but which native hearers understand. They are given to bear God's message, including warning of coming calamity. The same tongue may be given to two or three or four believers, who then hold an orderly conversation with each waiting until the other is through.
The manifestation in the Gentile home was the same as on the day of Pentecost. It came with the same power as upon the Jewish believers, so that the same light and glory reflected upon uncircumcised Gentiles as had shone upon circumcised Jews. It was known by miraculous speech and praise to God, showing that God had accepted the Gentiles and did not regard them as inferior because uncircumcised.
Spirit Given to Gentiles
The tongues and magnifying of God heard in Cornelius's house were the proof that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. What the Jewish believers who came with Peter heard showed them that God had given the Gentiles the same gift as had been given to the Jewish believers at the beginning. On that evidence Peter concluded they should be baptized, asking who could forbid water to those who had received the Holy Spirit as well as the Jewish believers had.
The outpouring astonished the believing Jews of the circumcision who came with Peter, recalling what had happened at Pentecost. Even with this manifestation of God's power it was hard for them to believe that God would send His Holy Spirit to the uncircumcised. So contention arose in the church at Jerusalem over Peter's course, and he had to go to Jerusalem and rehearse his experience before the leaders would believe.
Their reception proves that in heaven there is no respect of persons, and that Jew and Gentile are alike precious in God's sight. God accepted the Gentiles and did not regard them as inferior because they were uncircumcised, but acknowledges those who fear Him and work righteousness. He put no difference between Jew and Gentile, purifying Gentile hearts by faith and cleansing them from all uncleanness through the blood of Jesus Christ just as He cleansed the Jews.
The equal outpouring with the same power, light and glory reflected upon uncircumcised Gentiles as upon circumcised Jews proves God removed the ceremonial distinction of circumcision and uncircumcision and no longer counts Gentiles as unclean. He granted to Gentiles also repentance unto life. Gentile believers who accepted the gospel were to be regarded as on perfect equality with the Jewish disciples, without the necessity of observing the rite of circumcision or having the yoke of the ceremonial law imposed upon them. This silenced Jewish surprise, offense and censure and destroyed prejudice and exclusiveness, and the settlement that circumcision must not be imposed was a decision on which the prosperity and even the existence of the Christian church depended.
The event gave evidence that Peter was to be a messenger to the Gentiles and that the gospel was to be carried to all the world. It shows God tearing down the middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile and breaking down prejudice and exclusion, making those who had been strangers and foreigners fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household. Although Christ's death had already broken down the barrier between Jews and Gentiles, prejudice among the apostles still kept Gentiles from the privileges of the gospel, and Cornelius's conversion as the first of importance among the Gentiles began to overcome that barrier.
Baptism Still Commanded
The Spirit fell while Christ — His life, miracles, betrayal, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and work in heaven as man's representative and advocate — was being preached to attentive, prepared hearers in Cornelius's house, interrupting the discourse. The Jewish believers who came with Peter heard them speak with tongues and magnify and praise and glorify God, and this was proof that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also, with the same gift as upon the Jewish believers at the beginning and as at Pentecost. On this evidence Peter at once asked who could forbid water to those who had received the Holy Spirit as well as the Jewish believers had, and called for and commanded their baptism in water in the name of Jesus Christ, in the name of the Lord.
The descent of the Spirit was not an equivalent for baptism and did not replace it. Faith, repentance, and baptism remain the requisite steps in conversion in all cases. By them the true church is united in one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
Gospel Opened Worldwide
The hearing of Gentiles speaking with tongues and magnifying God belongs to the first conversion of importance among the Gentiles, that of Cornelius and his household, which was only the firstfruits of a harvest to be gathered in from the world. It marks the opening of the gospel beyond the Jewish people and its spread to the world, and the beginning of an entirely new phase of the work of the church. The door that many Jewish converts had closed against the Gentiles was now thrown open, so that Gentile believers who accepted the gospel were to be regarded as on perfect equality with the Jewish disciples without the necessity of circumcision. Although Christ's death had broken down the barrier between Jews and Gentiles, prejudice still kept Gentiles from the privileges of the gospel until this conversion began to overcome that barrier in fulfillment of God's plan to bring the gospel to the Gentiles.
From that home and household a widespread work of grace was carried on in a heathen city. Their conversion became the beginning of a wider work among the Gentiles, with Cornelius standing as an example of persons in influential positions who, when converted through the Holy Spirit, can use influence and resources to share the gospel with others. The discourse in his house was interrupted while Peter was still preaching Christ, and the firstfruits thus gathered pointed to the much larger ingathering to follow.
The event was part of Peter's pioneering work in breaking through longstanding barriers to teach the heathen world. The equal outpouring of the Spirit with the same power, light and glory upon uncircumcised Gentiles as upon circumcised Jews settled that Gentile converts must not be regarded as inferior and must not have circumcision and the yoke of the ceremonial law imposed upon them. That settlement was a decision on which the prosperity and even the existence of the Christian church depended.
God Works Through Messengers
The gospel was not preached to Cornelius by the angel who visited him, but by men sent to Joppa to bring Peter to his house. God knew exactly where Peter was, lodging with Simon the tanner, and by the angel told Cornelius every particular about where to find him. The angel could have given the message directly, but that is not God's way of working. His plan was for chosen human messengers to bring the gospel to those needing it, so that Gentiles would be connected with the gospel, and the work was to be done by God's power, not by human wisdom. The light He had imparted to Peter had to be imparted by Peter to Cornelius and all his family, so that Cornelius and Peter must become acquainted in gospel missionary work, heaven and earth would be joined, and His church must connect together.
The record reveals the simplicity of the Lord's plans for advancing His work and the readiness of heavenly agencies to cooperate with human agencies. Heaven is much nearer to the Christian engaged in soul-saving than many suppose. Ministering angels pass through the churches noting faithfulness in individual duty. God knows every person by name, just where they live, the spirit they possess, and every act of life, as He knew Cornelius as He knew Abraham, and He regards every human being so that each should treat his fellow man as one of the Lord's instrumentalities for accomplishing His work in the earth.
This way of bringing people together through human messengers means believers must come into closest connection with God and with one another in love. They must unify and love one another, and deal honestly, justly, gently, truly, and righteously with one another. They are not to tear one another down or to reform themselves by pointing at another's wrongs. Every talent and every branch of the work, including medical missionary work and the gospel, are to be bound together inseparable as a united whole, with the windows opened heavenward.
In every age God works in this way, bringing honest-hearted people into connection with those who can best reach their individual needs. He uses servants with different special knowledge and training for different classes of inquirers, some workers adapted to help one class and others trained differently to help another class. As He worked for Cornelius, so He works for devout standard-bearers in every age and in every sphere whose lives are a clear, pure testimony for truth and righteousness. They obtain a knowledge of God as Cornelius did, through the visitation of angels from heaven, and that they may obtain advanced light God places them in connection with men of superior knowledge regarding His Word, preparing the way for true, pure men, including men of nobility and influence, to stand for God in integrity.
Call to Seek and Reach
Those who have only little light and few privileges but live up to what they have will receive more light and advance with it when truth is presented as the Spirit leads. All who love and fear God will be enlightened even though they do not yet know all the truth, for God teaches every true believer and breaks down prejudice through the planning of heavenly messengers. Those who hold to their own ideas and will not yield cannot be used by the Lord, who passes them by and takes those willing to walk in His ways.
Cornelius stands as an example of people in influential positions whom God sees and would connect with the church, including men of nobility, influence, stewardship, and responsibility. Such men may fear God and follow principles of righteousness though not fully informed, having sympathies with God's people but held by threads binding them to the world and lacking the moral courage to take their stand with the lowly ones. They need special care and determined effort to reach them, and God prepares the way for these true, pure standard-bearers by visitation of angels and by placing them in connection with men of superior knowledge of His Word that they may obtain advanced light. When converted through the Holy Spirit they can use their influence and resources to share the gospel with others, take the place of those given Bible truth who disappointed the Saviour, and stand for God in true integrity to conquer falsehood and testify by purity and nobility of character to the power of unadulterated principles.
Servants of God should place themselves in readiness to make earnest, devoted, determined personal efforts for the many like Cornelius in the world and for souls in the churches who are much nearer the kingdom than is supposed. Their work is to bring to the full light of truth those walking in all the light they have received, since Gentiles serving God with sincere, earnest purpose serve Him as acceptably as Jews. They can take courage that heavenly agencies are ready to cooperate with human agencies and that angels guide them to many precious jewels in this dark world of sin. Those who fear and glorify God can thus be brought into connection with disciples and become faithful workers for the truth.
The conversion of Cornelius and his household was only the firstfruits of a harvest to be gathered from the world, and from that household a widespread work of grace was carried on in a heathen city. The lesson is to make earnest, devoted, determined efforts for honest souls seeking light like Cornelius, such as those in the Women's Christian Temperance Union, that those seeking light might be gathered out even from among those bitterly opposed to the message. Heaven is much nearer to the Christian engaged in soul-saving than many suppose, and God's regard for every human being teaches each to treat his fellow man as one of the Lord's instrumentalities for accomplishing His work in the earth. Peter's visit to a Roman centurion shows that God directs people to serve those needing divine help and guidance even when the assignment is not their own choice, for Peter undertook the duty with reluctance at every step as an exception by divine revelation and the result was a great surprise to him.