Acts9:1-6 And Saul, yet breathing out threatening 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. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus and suddenly, there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutes thou me? 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. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord what wilt thou have me do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Saul had just left the stoning of Stephen and now he was dead set on putting these disciples in their place. He was making sure that the religious rites of the day were upheld to the very letter of the law. He knew the law. He was well educated in the scriptures. He had all the qualifications to call upon the high priests and be given the ok to kill in the name of the “law”. His idea was that the disciples were preaching blasphemy and that they must be stopped in the name of God. He is viewed by the people as the defender of the church. Now he has decided that anyone who speaks like the disciples must be captured and carried before the high priests for handing down of their punishment. He is a man on a mission to defend God and the church.
Have you ever been so dead set on the way things should be or will be that you find yourself being driven by something to the extent of come hell or high water this is how it is going to be. Why is that? Because unless someone else has the courage to step up and smack you with your own ignorance, you’re going to die with it. In this scripture we see Saul having to be “smacked” by God. The very one that Saul is defending to the end is bringing him to his knees.
I found it very interesting that God would ask Saul why he was persecuting Him, as if Saul had some special ability to harm God. The all knowing, all powerful, God has been inconvenienced by a mere ant on the hill called earth? This is where I find the humor of God. Why would God ask Saul why he was persecuting Him? Think about it? He who holds life and death in the mere whim of the thought, No I think God is watching Saul and thinking that of all that I have created him for he has drank the religious cool aid and is missing what I have laid out for my people. So God “smacks” Saul blind to get his attention. We also read that God asks Saul if it is hard to kick against the pricks. Once again I see Gods sense of humor here. It’s like God has Saul in a headlock and just before lights out God smiles at Saul and says do you give yet? I was pondering on this question from God and studied it out further. The pricks that are spoken of here come from the same terminology as the word goads, just a different end of the shepherd’s staff. One end of the staff, the Goad, is the hooked end that was used to pull and stop sheep from going astray and the prick or the pointed end was used to poke or prod a sheep in the direction the shepherd wanted it to go. This is where it got my attention. In short God was speaking as Father to son when he questioned Saul. As a dad, there have been times when I have had to correct my children for things that I know they knew better. I have asked the very question why are making me have to correct you when know better. Saul had all the education of the scriptures, he came from a background of education and prominence and would have been given opportunities to gain knowledge that most others would have never had. He had all the direction of God laid out before him. Yet with all this knowledge, he still could not see the fulfillment of the scriptures. Having all this knowledge and knowing of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, he could not connect the dots. Amazing!!!!!
What really amazes me is when I look at my life I can see so many of the same situations. The very God that I say controls my future is the one I spend a lot of time telling how I’m going to do things. It’s time we take a step back and reevaluate our place. What are some things that your driving and not giving God all control. What “road to Damascus” are you on? What direction or guidance has God given you that you aren’t listening to?
The bible tells us in Romans 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
What is Gods purpose for you? Saul became known as Paul soon after this encounter with God. We know that he was probably one of the greatest examples of a teacher, preacher, prophet, evangelist or Christian in the New Testament. He was an author of much of the New Testament. So even after God dealt with Saul for his mistakes, He still chose to use him greatly for His purpose. So, don’t think for a second that you’ve messed up so bad that God can’t ever use you. Maybe He’s waiting on you to acknowledge His purpose for you!
M.U.S.C.L.E. 