Acts 10:9-13 - He fell into a trance

10:9,10

God had everything under control. Cornelius did not know that God was speaking to Peter, Peter did not know that God had spoken to Cornelius. When deciding to do something of significance, or believing that God is telling us to do something, we often think of all the things that need to be in place, of all the things that could go wrong, of why doing the thing is not such a good idea after all. God has everything under control, and does not tell us absolutely everything, He tells us enough. We need to learn to trust Him, and I am, of course, speaking as much to myself as to you. Also note that Peter is carrying out a good habit in praying. The more “good” things we do, the more likely it is that God will speak directly to us.

10:11-13

There were all sorts of Jewish food laws. Many of them were in the Law (e.g. Lev 11), though more may well have been added. It was also not allowed for a Jew to enter a Gentile’s house. This was partly related to the food laws (what if the Gentile offers me food?). There may also be idols in the house, and some thought the house might be inhabited by demons. Peter was hungry, a meal was being prepared,and he fell into a trance. In the trance he saw a vision of a large sheet coming down to earth, containing all sorts of unclean animals, reptiles and birds. He then heard a voice telling him to “kill and eat”.