{"id":2139,"date":"2020-04-07T12:32:20","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T20:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=2139"},"modified":"2020-04-07T12:32:49","modified_gmt":"2020-04-07T20:32:49","slug":"devotion-acts-2612-18-he-did-it-for-paul-he-does-it-for-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=2139","title":{"rendered":"Devotion Acts 26:12-18 He Did It For Paul, He Does It For Us"},"content":{"rendered":"

Acts 26:12-14<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0\u201cOn one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.<\/i><\/span>\u00a013\u00a0About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions.<\/span>\u00a014\u00a0We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice\u00a0saying to me in Aramaic,\u00a0<\/span>\u2018Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.<\/i><\/span>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Paul is continuing his testimony of how he was called to Jesus and why he preached and taught what he did.<\/p>\n

Paul had received his authority to persecute the followers of Christ not only from the high priest, but here he states \u201cpriests.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0In\u00a0Acts 22:5<\/b>\u00a0Paul\u2019s testimony is that the high priest and the council is where he got his authority.\u00a0\u00a0We can understand that the Jewish leaders supported what he did and gave him authority to do it as they signed off on his persecution of the Church.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions.<\/i><\/span>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0It was noon when Paul had his \u201ccome to Jesus\u201d moment.\u00a0\u00a0Or rather, when he was confronted by Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0It is important to note that this event happened at noon when the sun was shining its brightest.<\/p>\n

He saw a light and he identifies it as coming from Heaven.\u00a0\u00a0Let\u2019s believe that it was coming from Heaven, but for the more skeptical, we can agree that it was coming from a point in the sky and that he could not see the origin of the light.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0So in the midday brightly shining Middle Eastern sun a light that was immensely brighter than the sun was suddenly surrounding Paul. Definitely a supernatural event!<\/p>\n

We must remember that Paul was not alone.\u00a0\u00a0Paul had witnesses.\u00a0\u00a0These witnesses could verify his story or contradict it.\u00a0\u00a0None of them are ever recorded as contradicting Paul\u2019s testimony.\u00a0\u00a0It is interesting that people who have lived hundreds of years, or thousands of years, find themselves ready to challenge what happened when those who were there did not.\u00a0\u00a0They are a fine example of hubris.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice\u00a0saying to me in Aramaic,\u00a0<\/i><\/span>\u2018Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.\u2019<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Scholars think the word Aramaic could also mean Hebrew.\u00a0\u00a0If in Aramaic, then the language is expressing a Hebrew dialect of Aramaic.\u00a0\u00a0What we do know is that the Lord was speaking in a language for Paul to recognize as Hebraic in language or dialect and therefore Paul would know that he was listening to a Hebrew.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus asked Paul \u201cWhy do you persecute me<\/i>?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Jesus did not ask Paul (Saul) why he was persecuting the church, Jesus asked why Paul was persecuting Him.\u00a0\u00a0The truth is, when someone is persecuting God\u2019s people, it is God whom ultimately is being opposed.\u00a0\u00a0(Matthew 18:6-7<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0Family we are loved by God and zealously watched over by Him.\u00a0\u00a0Praise God!\u00a0\u00a0We should feel, and more importantly know, that we are safe in His care!<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019s statement about kicking against the goads is referring to how cattle are moved along.\u00a0\u00a0A goad is a long spear like instrument that is to keep oxen from stopping too soon, or to keep them from veering off.\u00a0\u00a0It was (is) a way to keep them going and to keep them along the chosen path.\u00a0\u00a0Therefore the Lord\u2019s statement is likely a very pointed statement to the work that the Lord was already doing in His life.\u00a0\u00a0It has been thought that Paul, at that point, was already suffering from a guilty conscience.\u00a0\u00a0We remember that he pointed out that he was at the murder of the saint Stephen, whose face, at the time of his stoning shone like an angel. Stephen had unbelievably asked God to forgive his murderers.\u00a0\u00a0This had to have impacted Paul.\u00a0\u00a0He certainly never forgot it. (Acts 22:20)<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

So two lines of thought concerning that point in Paul\u2019s life when the Damascus encounter with Jesus occurred.\u00a0\u00a0Paul was already under conviction.\u00a0\u00a0His conscious was guilty and bothering him.\u00a0\u00a0It can be contended that the murdering of Stephen, and the other killings were weighing him down.\u00a0\u00a0He likely was wondering if what he was doing was really the will of God.\u00a0\u00a0We know that God is fully able to bring about His will.\u00a0\u00a0He had a purpose for Paul.\u00a0\u00a0He is omniscient and so He knew Paul\u2019s heart and that Paul would come to him.\u00a0\u00a0Paul belonged to God and so he was foreknown and predestined by God.\u00a0\u00a0(Romans 8:29, 11:2<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0In stepping in, God did not violate the free will of Paul, instead, the Lord acted on the innermost desires of Paul to be right with God and to fully serve Him.\u00a0\u00a0Sure, Paul was on the wrong path, but weren\u2019t we all?\u00a0\u00a0The Lord answered the need in Paul\u2019s heart and revealed Himself to Paul in answer to Paul\u2019s prayers to know and serve God and in fulfillment of the will of God.\u00a0\u00a0We, or course, understand that God is able to do that and no-one, not anyone else can do that like God can.\u00a0\u00a0Praise God!\u00a0\u00a0So if we realize we have gotten off path, we know that God is fully able to restore us to a right one.\u00a0\u00a0He did it for Paul and He\u2019ll do it for us.\u00a0\u00a0That\u2019s who He is, He is Savior and Lord!\u00a0\u00a0Oh, praise God!<\/span><\/p>\n

P<\/b><\/span>salm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/p>\n

Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.<\/p>\n

Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; and what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God.<\/p>\n

Numbers 6:24-26<\/b>\u00a0\u201cThe\u00a0Lord\u00a0bless you and keep you; 25\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0turn His face\u00a0toward you and give you peace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Acts 26:12-14\u00a0–\u00a0\u201cOn one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.\u00a013\u00a0About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions.\u00a014\u00a0We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice\u00a0saying…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[82,101,94,1874,17,10],"class_list":["post-2139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-acts","tag-matthew","tag-micah","tag-numbers","tag-psalm","tag-romans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2139"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2139\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2140,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2139\/revisions\/2140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}