Yes — Peter hesitated because Israel had been divinely separated from the Gentile nations, and he considered it unlawful for a Jew to associate with them.
God had mandated that Israel be a separated people, and Peter understood that separation as a divine command. He called it an unlawful thing for a Jew to come into the house of another nation, and he had never been convinced otherwise until God directly intervened and showed him that he should not call any man common or unclean.
Acts 10:28 — Peter states plainly that it was unlawful for a Jew to keep company or come unto one of another nation, and that God had shown him not to call any person common or unclean.
Acts 10:44 — The Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles while Peter was speaking, showing that God was now turning to the Gentile world.
Exodus 8:23 — God declared a division between His people and other peoples, establishing the separation that shaped Peter's thinking.
In Acts 10:28, Peter tells Cornelius, "Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean." This verse reveals both the barrier and the divine correction that came to Peter. Acts 10:44 records what happened while Peter was still preaching: "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word." The Gentiles at Cornelius's house received the Holy Spirit, confirming that God accepted them. Earlier, Exodus 8:23 records God's declaration, "I will put a division between my people and thy people," showing the biblical root of Israel's separateness from other nations.
Les Feldick explains that Peter's hesitation was not merely personal prejudice but grew out of almost two thousand years of God telling Israel that they were a separated people. Israel was to be a nation centered on God and His promises, and the Jews were "correct in their mentality" that they were to have nothing to do with Gentiles. God had mandated this separation, and when Israel lost it, judgment fell—as with the 23,000 Jews who died after being seduced by Moabite women. Peter himself said it was an unlawful thing for a Jew to enter the house of another nation. Les observes that God forced Peter to go to Cornelius "contrary to his own desires," and that Peter was never convinced otherwise before this. God had to apply pressure and proof, or Peter would have been "more obstinate than Jonah ever thought of being." Even after the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius's household, Peter did not immediately begin a Gentile ministry. He returned to Jerusalem without spreading the word, and Les notes that for years he and those with him said nothing about God now dealing with Gentiles on His own ground. Later, in Galatians 2, Peter still struggled to get the separation out of his system and withdrew from Gentile believers when his Jewish brethren arrived. Only God's sovereign work in opening Peter's eyes made it possible for Paul's Gentile ministry to be accepted.
Les Feldick teaches that God told Israel He would put a division between His people and the other nations. This was not a human idea but a divine mandate that stayed with Israel throughout the Old Testament. He connects this to the Abrahamic covenant: Israel was to be established in its own land with God as King, and only then could Israel evangelize the nations. So the Jews were correct in believing they were to have nothing to do with Gentiles until God's purpose for Israel was fulfilled.
Peter told Cornelius, "It is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company or to come unto a place of another nation." Les Feldick says Peter went up to Cornelius's house contrary to his own desires, and that he had never been convinced before that he should not call any man common or unclean. Even while preaching, Peter wondered why he was giving this message to Gentiles, not realizing that God was now moving to the Gentile world.
Les Feldick says that if God had not really put pressure on Peter and proved where he was supposed to go, Peter would never have gone. God directly told Peter to go with the men who came from Cornelius. While Peter was preaching, the Holy Spirit fell on all the Gentiles in the house, serving as a divine sign to convince Peter and the Jews who were with him that God was now turning to the Gentiles without requiring them to become proselytes of Israel.
Les Feldick points out that after Peter witnessed the salvation of Cornelius's household, he returned to Jerusalem with no indication that he went to Gentiles or spread the word about what God had done. Years later, when Paul was being challenged for preaching to Gentiles, Peter came to his defense, but even then, the old mindset remained. In Galatians 2, Peter had been eating with Gentile believers until Jews from Jerusalem arrived, and then he withdrew. It took a long time for the Israelites to get the separation mindset out of their system.
Divine Separation Mandate
Les Feldick shows that God Himself put a division between Israel and other nations, so Peter's hesitation was rooted in a divine command, not mere prejudice.
Peter's Unlawful Barrier
Les explains that Peter went to Cornelius contrary to his own desires and called it unlawful for a Jew to enter another nation's house, not knowing God was turning to the Gentiles.
Divine Eye-Opening
Les says God opened Peter's eyes at Cornelius's house to the fact that Gentiles could be saved by simply believing, without which Paul's ministry would never have gotten off the ground.
No Immediate Gentile Ministry
Les notes that even after Cornelius, Peter did not go to Gentiles; only years later did he defend Paul by saying God had taken the Gospel to the Gentiles through his mouth.
Peter's Own Words
Les quotes Peter's statement that it was unlawful for a Jew to keep company with another nation, and that Peter was never convinced otherwise before God showed him no man was common or unclean.
Two Thousand Years of Separation
Les explains that Israel had been told for almost two thousand years that they were different and separated, which is why Peter struggled even later in Galatians 2.
God's Pressure on Peter
Les says Peter would have been more obstinate than Jonah unless God pressured and proved to him that he was to go to Cornelius, connecting Peter's hesitation to Israel's covenant purpose.
Unused Revelation
Les observes that the Holy Spirit falling on Cornelius's household was a sign to convince the Jews, yet Peter and those with him did not tell Israel about God turning to the Gentiles for years.
Acts 10:28: And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
Peter plainly states the Jewish barrier against associating with Gentiles and the divine correction he had received.
Acts 10:44: While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
The Holy Spirit fell on Gentiles while Peter preached, proving God was accepting them directly.
Exodus 8:23: And I will put a division between my people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be.
God's declaration of a division between Israel and others became the basis for Israel's separation.
No. Les Feldick teaches that God had been telling Israel for almost two thousand years that they were His separated people. The Jews were correct in their mentality that they were to have nothing to do with Gentiles, so Peter's hesitation came from a divine mandate rather than mere bigotry.
God put direct pressure and proof on Peter, ordering him to go with the men from Cornelius. Les says Peter would never have gone otherwise. While Peter preached, the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentile listeners, confirming that God was now turning to the Gentile world.
No. Les Feldick notes that Peter returned to Jerusalem after the experience, and there is no indication that he then went to Gentiles. Years later in Acts 15, Peter defended Paul by reminding everyone that God had taken the Gospel to the Gentiles through his mouth.
Watch the Teaching: Why Did the Holy Spirit Fall BEFORE Baptism? Acts 10