John Calvin Commentary Acts 11:28

"And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be a great famine over all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius." — Acts 11:28 (ASV)

He signified by the Spirit. Luke plainly expresses that the Spirit of God was the author of this prophecy, so that we may know that it was not a conjecture derived from the stars or some other natural causes; and furthermore, that Agabus did not act like a philosopher in the human way, but uttered what God had appointed by the secret inspiration of the Spirit.

Famine may indeed sometimes be foretold from the arrangement of the stars, but there is no certainty in such predictions. This is both because of opposing influences and also, especially, because God governs earthly things at His pleasure, far differently than can be inferred from the stars, so that He may lead people away from the perverse observation of stars.

And although these predictions have their place, the prophecies of the Spirit far exceed them.

But it seems that the prediction of the famine was unlucky (of evil omen) and undesirable. For to what end was it for people to be made miserable before their time by having the unhappy event foretold?

I answer that there are many reasons why it is beneficial for people to be warned beforehand when God’s judgments hang over their heads and punishments are due for their sins. While I omit other reasons common among the prophets, several important ones are as follows:

• Because people are granted a space in which to repent, so that those who have provoked His wrath against themselves may prevent God’s judgment.
• Because the faithful are instructed in time to arm themselves with patience.
• Because the obstinate wickedness of wicked people is convicted.
• Because both good and evil people learn that miseries do not come by chance but are punishments with which God punishes the sins of the world.
• Because those who took great delight in their vices are awakened by this means from their sleep and sluggishness.

The benefit of this particular prophecy is evident from the text, because the people of Antioch were thereby spurred on to relieve their fellow believers who were in misery.

Which happened under Claudius. Suetonius also makes mention of this famine. He says that crusts or shards were thrown at Claudius’s head in the middle of the marketplace, and that Claudius was so terribly afraid of stoning that he took particular care afterward, throughout his whole life, to make provision for food.

And Josephus, in his Fifteenth Book of Antiquity, says that Judea was severely afflicted by scarcity because of continual drought.