18 (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. 19 And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “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.’
Verses 18 and 19 are an editorial parenthesis in which Luke explained Peter’s speech.
1:18
(Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity;
Priests took Judas’s reward money and bought a field in his name. They paid him with 30 pieces of silver, but Judas returned it to them (Mt 26:14-15; 27:3-10). Since the money was legally Judas’s, the priests purchased the field in his name.
and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out.
Judas committed suicide once his betrayal of Jesus struck home. He hung himself and fell in the Hinnom Valley near the Kidron Valley. His death was brutal and gruesome (Mt 27:3-8).
1:19
And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.)
The primary language of Jews in the first century was Aramaic. The specific location of “Akel Dama” is unknown.
1:20
“For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
Luke quoted two psalms in this verse (Acts 1:16).
‘Let his dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it’;
The first quote is from Psalm 69:25, which shows the futile field that Judas purchased with his betrayal money.
and, ‘Let another take his office.’
The second quote is from Psalm 109:9, which shows the implication of Matthias’s replacement of Judas’s apostolic role.
PRINCIPLE:
A primary agenda of Christians is to apply Scripture to experience.
APPLICATION:
There are people among the assembly of Christians who are not authentic Christians. They know the jargon, behavior patterns, and lifestyle of genuine believers, but they do not believe. Many of them accept the general values of Christianity but not its exclusive teaching. The absolute claims of Christianity are a problem to them because they believe in other presuppositions about life than biblical truth. This condition is deplorable when a pastor takes the role of a Christian leader if he does not believe in its core teaching (Mt 7:22, 23; Jn 10:28). They are wolves in sheep’s clothing.
