Yes — Israel saw miracle after miracle, but they did not comprehend the power of God behind them.
Les Feldick teaches that the miraculous was so common in Israel's experience — from Egypt to the Red Sea to Mount Sinai — that it made little lasting impression. When the lame man was healed at the temple in Acts 3, the people knew who he was, but they responded with wonder and amazement instead of recognition that the power of God, the same power that was in Christ, was at work.
Exodus 19:4 — God reminds Israel that they had personally seen what He did to the Egyptians, establishing that the miracles were visible and undeniable.
Acts 7:25 — Stephen says of the Israelites that they did not understand God's deliverance through Moses, a direct statement of their failure to comprehend.
Acts 3:9-10 — The people saw the healed lame man and knew who he was, yet responded only with wonder and amazement.
1 Corinthians 1:22 — Paul states that Jews require a sign, which Les connects to Israel's need for constant miraculous proof.
The Old Testament records that Israel repeatedly saw God's supernatural power. In Exodus 19:4, God Himself reminds the people, 'Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians.' The miracles were not hidden; they were public, visible demonstrations of God's power over Egypt and over creation. Yet the New Testament shows the same people failing to understand. In Acts 7:25, Stephen speaks of Moses' first attempt to help Israel: 'For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.' Israel did not comprehend that God was delivering them through Moses. Later, after Peter and John healed the lame man at the Beautiful gate of the temple, Acts 3:9-10 says the people saw him walking and praising God, knew he was the same man who had begged for alms, and were 'filled with wonder and amazement.' The Scriptures record their amazement, not their understanding of the divine power behind the miracle.
Les teaches that the supernatural was a constant part of Israel's experience. From the rod becoming a serpent before Moses and the Israelites, to the plagues in Egypt, the Red Sea crossing, the cloud by day, the pillar of fire by night, and the events at Mount Sinai, Israel saw miracle after miracle. As he puts it, 'they have just seen miracle after miracle after miracle' — and yet, on the borders of the Promised Land, they still failed to respond in faith. Les also points out that, in 1 Corinthians, Paul says the Jew requires a sign. Because the miraculous was commonplace, Israel's constant demand for signs made the supernatural ordinary to them. When Christ came, He spent three years performing signs and miracles to prove to the Jews who He was, but even after His resurrection, the people at the temple were filled with wonder and amazement rather than recognizing the power of God. Les says 'memories are short.' They should have been able to 'put two and two together' and realized that Peter and John were doing what their Master had done. In Stephen's sermon in Acts 7, Les sees the same pattern: Moses supposed Israel would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but 'they understood not.' This parallels how the nation did not comprehend Christ when He came. Few did, but most did not. For Les, the root of Israel's failure was a lack of spiritual understanding — they saw the signs but did not grasp what the signs meant.
Les lists a remarkable series of supernatural events in Israel's history: the miraculous exodus from Egypt, the removal of the taskmasters, walking through the Red Sea on dry ground, the cloud by day, the pillar of fire by night, the thunder and lightning and fire on Mount Sinai, and the plague that killed 21,000 people which God stopped in mercy. 'They have just seen miracle after miracle after miracle,' Les says. Yet at Kadesh-Barnea, on the borders of the Promised Land, they still did not believe God would drive out the Canaanites.
Les explains that according to 1 Corinthians, the Jew required a sign. It was part of their nature to need constant visible proof of God. 'The miraculous was commonplace.' He points to Elijah's altar on Mount Carmel as one example of the many supernatural events woven through Israel's history. Because signs were so common, they did not always make the intended impression.
Les says the reason is stated again and again: Jesus performed miracle after miracle to prove to the Jew that He was who He said He was. The book of John records seven miraculous signs, and each one carried a 'trainload of truth' for the nation of Israel. The signs were given to produce belief, but the nation as a whole never comprehended His identity.
Stephen reminds Israel that when Moses first tried to deliver his brethren, he supposed that they would have understood how that God, by his hand, that is by using Moses, would deliver them out of Egypt. But the rest of the verse says, 'They understood not.' Les draws a direct parallel: Christ came to the nation the first time and presented Himself as Messiah and King, but they never comprehended who He was. Precious few did.
In Acts 3, the man who had sat for alms at the Beautiful gate was healed in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He walked, leaped, and praised God in the temple. The people knew he was the same man, and they were 'filled with wonder and amazement.' Les points out that this was not long after Christ's earthly ministry; they should have recognized that these disciples were doing what their Master had done. 'Memories are short,' he says. They saw the miracle but did not comprehend the power behind it.
Les contrasts Israel's need for signs with the position of believers today: 'You and I today do not need a manifestation of the miraculous in order to believe and trust what God has said.' Israel, on the other hand, had to constantly see the very proof of God. This contrast helps explain why they did not comprehend the miracles — they depended on visible signs rather than faith.
The Healing of the Lame Man at the Temple
Les introduces the Acts 3 account of Peter and John healing the lame man as they entered the temple to pray.
Israel Required Signs
Les explains that because the Jew required a sign, the miraculous was commonplace to Israel, so the people did not respond in faith as believers today do.
Signs Produced Temporary Belief
Les shows that when Moses performed signs before Israel, the people believed because they saw the signs, but this pattern did not produce lasting comprehension — it points to why Jesus used miracles to prove His identity.
God Constantly Performed Miracles
Les emphasizes that the God of Israel is constantly performing the miraculous, and he cites Exodus 19:4 where God points Israel back to what they saw done to the Egyptians.
Miracle After Miracle at Kadesh-Barnea
Les lists the many miracles Israel experienced in the 13 months before Kadesh-Barnea, yet they still came to the border of the Promised Land without faith.
Signs Prove God's Supernatural Power
Les repeats that signs throughout Israel's history, and the seven signs in John, were given to prove that God was working and that Jesus was who He claimed to be.
They Understood Not
Les draws from Stephen's sermon that Moses supposed Israel would understand God was delivering them by his hand, but they understood not — the same failure Israel had with Christ.
Short Memories at the Temple
Les says the people who witnessed the lame man's healing should have recognized the power of God at work through Jesus' disciples, but their memories were short and they remained amazed.
Exodus 19:4: Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
God reminds Israel that they had personally witnessed His miracles against Egypt, showing that the miracles were not hidden from them.
Acts 7:25: For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.
Stephen states plainly that Israel did not understand that God was delivering them through Moses — the same failure later repeated with Christ.
Acts 3:8-10: And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God: And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.
The people recognized the healed man and saw the miracle, but their response was amazement rather than comprehension of God's power.
1 Corinthians 1:22: For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
Paul's statement that the Jews require a sign is the foundation for Les's explanation of Israel's constant demand for supernatural proof.
Yes. Acts 3:10 says they knew he was the one who sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple. They saw him walking, leaping, and praising God, but instead of recognizing the power of God, they were filled with wonder and amazement.
Les says that because the Jew required a sign, the miraculous became commonplace in Israel's experience. When the supernatural is routine, it loses its intended effect. Israel saw miracle after miracle — in Egypt, at the Red Sea, at Mount Sinai, and during Christ's ministry — and yet it did not produce lasting comprehension.
No. He explicitly says, 'You and I today do not need a manifestation of the miraculous in order to believe and trust what God has said.' He contrasts that with Israel, which required visible signs.
Les says the purpose was to prove to those Jews who He really was. The miracle after miracle in Christ's earthly ministry, including the seven recorded signs in John, were meant to show Israel that He was their Messiah and King.
Watch the Teaching: What Peter Really Preached in Acts 3 — Israel's Call to Repent