Jesus chose the original twelve disciples. The disciples don’t replace Judas on their own. They wisely turn to Jesus.
verse 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias.
verse 24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen
Joseph called Barsabbas: This is his Jewish name. Barsabbas means son of the sabbath, which probably means he was born on the sabbath.
Justus: This is his Gentile name. Many see this same thing in Paul originally being Saul. They see Saul as his Jewish name and Paul his gentile name. Why? Perhaps their culture also judged people too quickly.
Matthias: Nothing is known about either man. And they are not mentioned again in Scripture.
And they prayed: This is significant! Don’t read it as being something passive or something they did in passing. Read it as something that stopped them in their tracks, something they truly depended on, something they took very serious. They are now without the presence and words of Jesus. They are dependent on prayer
You, Lord, who know: This is a doctrine and a good one. God knows all things. He is all knowing. The theological term for this is Omniscient. God has total knowledge. He knows all things from the beginning of time. Nothing surprises God. Nothing is unexpected.
know the hearts of all: This is not to be seen as a fully positive statement. Our hearts are sinful, selfish, prideful, stubborn, and blind. Our hearts do have a virtuous side, but even the virtuous things we do can be done with selfish or ulterior motives. Yes, we do many good things, but we must be careful of not patting ourselves on the back.
show which one of these two you have chosen: They are seeking God’s will and God’s wisdom. The could choose on their own, but they decide not to. What can seem right to us can be quite wrong. They humbly step away from their opinions and ideas and ask Jesus to lead them. There is wisdom here.
Tim Keller taught “God will either give us what we ask or give us what we would have asked if we knew everything he knows.” The disciples know this truth. Jesus knows more about the two men than they do. The disciples trust Jesus.
The Men's Bible Reading Idea 