Day 165 Bible Readings – Acts 9: 3-9 (ESV)

2 Samuel 22, 2 Samuel 23: 1-7, Acts 9: 1-31, Psalm 89: 30-37

Acts 9: 3-9 (ESV)

“Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.”

Verses 3 through 9 from Acts 9 recounts the story of Saul being confronted by Christ on the road to Damascus. It must have been a frightening experience for Saul when he heard the voice saying it was Jesus, since he was persecuting followers of Christ. Saul might have dismissed it as a hallucination because no one saw or heard the voice of Christ except him, but then he had physical evidence of what happened by his blindness. I’ve always wondered why Saul didn’t ask for a doctor right away for his blindness. Perhaps he did, but it is not recorded in Acts 9. I like the symmetry of Paul not eating for three (3) days as a kind of death, like Jesus staying in the tomb for three (3) days before his resurrection. Paul had three (3) days to think about what was happening to him, and if it was really Christ who had spoken to him.

Since Paul had been a persecutor of Jesus’ followers, he needed a “supernatural” experience for his conversion. I remember a therapist telling me that some people can get a revelation through reading a greeting card; that was not Paul’s way. He needed something more. Faith has always been a part of my life, and I often wonder how my conversion experience would have happened. I think that God appears in someone’s life when they need to be converted in whatever way is needed for that person to believe in him. Whatever way it happens, the effect afterwards will be the same. We will be eager to experience more of God. 

Day 164 Bible Readings – Acts 8: 7 (ESV)

Note: I misread the bible readings for Day 164. It was Acts 8, and not Acts 9. So I changed the post to reflect Acts 8.

2 Samuel 20-21, Acts 8, Psalm 89: 19-29

Acts 8: 7 (ESV)

“For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.”

Verse 7 from Acts 8 describes the miracles that the disciple Philip performed in Samaria. I love these descriptions of miracles in the Bible, especially the ones where the unclean spirits came out. It’s hard to know what these “unclean spirits” were, and how these people would be diagnosed in today’s world. All we know is that there was something wrong with these folks that wasn’t a physical malady and which caused them to be shunned from society. The fact that Philip was able to heal them from whatever was ailing them and that they were accepted back into society is the miracle.

I’m not sure if we have the modern equivalent of the healing of “unclean spirits”, or if we do they are never talked about openly. I’m sure physical healings are the kind of miracles that people are awed to see, but it would be fun to see and read and hear about the modern equivalent of an “unclean spirit” leaving a person.

Day 163 Bible Readings - Acts 7: 59-60 (ESV)

2 Samuel 18: 19-33, 2 Samuel 19, Acts 7: 44-60, Psalm 89: 14-18

Acts 7: 59-60 (ESV)

“And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

When I read verses 59 through 60 from Acts 7, I was reminded of how Jesus died on the cross. Stephen, like Christ, asked God to forgive the people who were stoning him. I cannot imagine being so forgiving of people who were throwing stones at me. I think remembering Stephen’s words in times when we feel we are being persecuted in any way will give us hope and remind us that we need to forgive the people who are our persecutors.  I also like that Stephen is described as falling asleep and not dying. One is reminded that Stephen will wake up in a better world after death.

Day 162 Bible Readings – Acts 7: 37- 40 (ESV)

2 Samuel 16: 15-23, 2 Samuel 17, 2 Samuel 18: 1-18, Acts 7: 20-43, Psalm 89: 9-13

Acts 7: 37- 40 (ESV)

“This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’ This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us. Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’”

In Acts 7 with verses 37 through 40, Stephen who was speaking before the Sanhedrin, reminds them that Moses said a prophet will come and the people must listen to him. But like Moses, this predicted “prophet” who is Christ will be rejected generations later by his people. Stephen argues before the Sanhedrin that the prophet that Moses predicted was Christ.

People celebrate how Moses freed the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, but we must also remember that they also rejected him when he didn’t come back from the mountain. But Moses came back down from the mountains and brought back the 10 commandments and wrote the first five books of the Torah. History repeated itself with Christ being rejected by his own people, and with his crucifixion Christ gave us a new covenant with God. Poor Stephen. He tried his best to tell the high priests that Jesus was the prophet whom Moses predicted.