Acts
9:1-19
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nd Saul, yet breathing out threatenings
and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And
desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of
this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto
Jerusalem.
3 And as
he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him
a light from heaven:[1]
4 And he
fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me?
5 And he
said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest:
it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he
trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord
said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou
must do.
7 And the
men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no
man.
8 And Saul
arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they
led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
9 And he
was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
10 And
there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the
Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
11 And the
Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and
enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he
prayeth,
12 And
hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on
him, that he might receive his sight.
13 Then
Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath
done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
14 And
here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy
name.
15 But the
Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my
name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
16 For I will
shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.
17 And
Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him
said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as
thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled
with the Holy Ghost.
18 And
immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received
sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
19 And
when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with
the disciples which were at Damascus.
1 And Saul, yet breathing out
threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the
high priest, 2 And desired of him letters
to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they
were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 3 And as he journeyed, he
came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from
heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto
him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou,
Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou
persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and
astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto
him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be
told thee what thou must do. 7 And the men which
journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. 8 And Saul arose from the
earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the
hand, and brought him into Damascus.9 And he was three days without sight,
and neither did eat nor drink. (Acts
9:1-9)
God can turn your most dreadful enemy into your most
cherished defender. God can do wonders with the open heart. If the heart is
calloused and hardened, He is able to melt it and remake it in an instant.
Saul has been the agent of hard and wicked persecution against the church. He
was a prominent figure in the stoning of Stephen, and now he continues unabated
in his bitter pursuit of the Christian Church.
And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter
against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired
of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way,
whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. Saul is as enthusiastic in his
work of persecution of Christ’s Church as he later became in its defense and
propagation. The object of his actions was not only the Christian disciples,
but Christ Himself. Now he has approached the high priest for a warrant of
letters to travel to Damascus to search out every vestige of the Church of
Christ. Little did Saul realize what would befall him on his journey?
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly
there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and
heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me? Evil men must
beware of “lights from heaven”. It puts them ill at ease. This light apparently
startled Saul so much so that he fell to the ground, and his companions with
him. (Acts 26:14)
The voice of Christ is heard by Saul: Saul, Saul, why persecutest
thou me? Only Saul of
the company heard with understanding the voice of Christ for he only was the
man called of God. (Acts 22:9) He was on the road to destroy
the lives of disciples, but to hurt the Disciples of Christ is to hurt Christ
Himself! And he trembling and astonished
said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do. It is easier to recognize the Lord’s presence when one is
afraid. Saul knows this is the Lord even if he does not know the person of
Christ. He calls him LORD.
And the Lord said, I am Jesus
whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. A man cannot fight against the powers of Heaven. Saul was
called of God long before the idea ever arose in Saul’s mind. He has resisted
from the beginning. Perhaps his enthusiasm to destroy is his weapon of
opposition to the call. How often men struggle against God’s Calling until God
places them down and out on the road so that they will finally listen. We see
that the incident has caused Saul to have a sudden change of, not only heart,
but attitude! And he trembling
and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do. He knows this is no dream as well as he
knows that this is not a Person to resist. What wilt thou have me to do? This is the main thing Saul has asked
and the main thing for each of us to ask as well.
And the Lord said unto him, Arise,
and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. Yes, to the
city where you hoped to persecute the people of God – the same city! A man may
be called to the ministry without a firm spiritual knowledge of to what he is
being called. The important point here is to answer the call and then await
further orders. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless,
hearing a voice, but seeing no man. The voice was heard but not understood
by the company.
And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were
opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into
Damascus. As an
enemy of God’s people, Saul was struck blind by the Light of Heaven. He would
not see the things of the world until his eyes were opened anew to the beauties
of Heavenly Truth. He required an escort to get about. He would become the
Apostle that would lead thousands out of darkness, but now he needs a guide
just to move about.
And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor
drink. 10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named
Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. Saul was blind in like number of days as Christ was in the
tomb. The man who would die daily to self would also suffer the darkness for
three days. Now the Lord is preparing a man to receive Saul by the name of
Ananias. The Lord calls him by name, but only once. Ananias was a man
accustomed to listening to the voice of Christ unlike Saul. So the Lord need
only pronounce his name once to gain his attention. Ananias knew the Voice and
the Person of Christ: And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
And the Lord said unto him, Arise,
and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of
Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, 12 And hath seen in a
vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he
might receive his sight. When the Lord calls us on mission, He will always require
us to travel in a straight way. Our example and impression is most important as
a testimony to the lost. The Lord provides full accounting of that which He
expects of Ananias. Saul was not sentient to the voice of the Lord and had to
await further counsel, but Ananias is a veteran disciple who knows the Lord and
understands His ways.
The cause of Ananias going to this man does not seem
reasonable to Ananias in view of Saul’s reputation for cruelty to Christians.
Why, Lord, would you have me go to this man? “Then Ananias answered, Lord, I
have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at
Jerusalem:14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all
that call on thy name.” None of this made sense to Ananias and, frequently,
the Lord calls us to a circumstance whose purpose is known only to the Lord.
Ananias never questions the Lord’s orders, but he questions if he has
understood aright.
But the Lord said unto him, Go
thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the
Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for
my name's sake. Saul is being called to a very high Office, but he will
suffer at least as badly as he has caused others to suffer in the cause of
Christ. Were these decisions made by mere men, you and I would probably have
ended Saul’s life long before the Damascus Road, but God knows the end from the
beginning and the end of Saul will be a glorious one.
And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and
putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that
appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest
receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. Poor Ananias. He is a man of courage in the Lord. For all he
knew, Saul would lash out at him and have him arrested and perhaps stoned. But
we must obey God and not take counsel of our fears. When a blind man receives
his sight again, the world seems full of light and color. But when he receives
his spiritual sight, the earth appears bland and unappealing. Heaven looms
large and beautiful! The Holy Ghost gives spiritual eyes to Saul! Now Saul
knows the Person of the Lord who appeared to him on the way was Jesus.
And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been
scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. Were it not so very solemn an event, it would almost be
humorous to observe this man, breathing out threatenings and slaughter
against the disciples of the Lord, suddenly and completely changed in his
nature, and becoming the very thing he came to destroy. This is the Lord’s
work. It is much like a plain bar of metal that has every physical property of
a magnet, except magnetism. When it is properly charged with the invisible
electromagnetic charge, it assumes the same property of that other magnet. That
is what happens when God brings us to salvation. We may appear as the old man,
but there is a new nature inside. Saul was made to see, not only physically but
spiritually. Not time to waste when we come to the Lord. We must come all the
way. Saul was immediately baptized.
And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was
Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. When a man is blind, he may
not eat the Bread of Heaven. But now Saul has his sight restored and he does
eat physical bread and also the Bread of Heaven. Instead of coming in the fires
of persecution, Saul is now sojourning with the disciples whom he would have
never thought to do only three days past. When you came to Christ, did your
vision change and did your fellowship along with it?
[1]
Can you understand the
meaning now of “He saw the light”
when used to comment on someone who finally understood?
