Acts 22:6-11 

⁶ “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.  ⁷ I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’

⁸ “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. “ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied.  ⁹ My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.

¹⁰ “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’  ¹¹ My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.

Introduction

Have you ever had an encounter with God in which He revealed Himself to you very more personally and practically? What was the occasion, incident, circumstances when you first encountered the Lord? It may have similarity but there are no two exact incidents in which the Lord revealed Himself in the same place or time. When God calls someone, He reveals Himself in a practical way.

God revealed Himself to Jacob in a dream. Dream was a common way God revealed Himself but in a very unique way to each individual. God revealed Himself to Moses through burning bush. The Lord revealed Himself when Jesus was born in human form. The Lord revealed Himself to Paul in a dramatic way.

1.  Revelation

⁶ About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.  ⁷ I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’

⁸‘Who are you,  Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied.  ⁹ My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.

Saul was the Hebrew name of Paul. The Lord revealed Himself to Paul as bright light. Paul testified that his companions saw the light. They heard but they did not understand what they heard, why? The Lord revealed Himself, and gave His instruction to Paul but not to his companions. The Lord let Paul’s companions saw the light that they may testify that Paul’s encounter with the Lord is authentic.

When Paul saw the bright light, why did he address the voice he heard as ‘Lord’? When Lord decides to reveal Himself to anyone He would also prepare the heart and mind of the person He has chosen to acknowledge His Lordship. When a believer decides to follow the Lord, it is the work of God’s grace through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit—the Holy Spirit prepares the heart.

 In Jeremiah 42:1-6, ¹Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached  ² Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. ³ Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”

⁴ “I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.”

⁵ Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. ⁶ Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.”

In Jeremiah 43:1-4, ¹ When Jeremiah had finished telling the people all the words of the Lord their God—everything the Lord had sent him to tell them— ² Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’  ³ But Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians, so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.”  ⁴ So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people disobeyed the Lord’s command to stay in the land of Judah.

The dilemma of Jeremiah is still experienced even in this generation. Humans react according to the inclination of their heart. Favorable or seemingly unfavorable, when God is at work, believers would abide accordingly. Obedience to God indicates that God’s grace is at work. Disobedience to God indicates God’s grace is not at work. Non-believers ignore and disobey the Lord’s instructions.

2.  Instruction

¹⁰ ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’  ¹¹ My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.

 Previously, Paul persecuted Christians because he assumed he was serving God. He did not have any idea that the church he persecuted was part of Christ’s body—the church. That’s why the Lord asked Paul, ‘Why do you persecute me?’

When Paul asked the Lord of what he shall do, it manifested his willing submission to Christ’s Lordship. The Lord gave Paul the initial instruction. He did not reveal all His plans at one time. He instructed Paul step by step.

Since Paul was blinded, his companions helped him. When the Lord gives instruction, He will not leave the obedient believer alone to wonder but gives someone to guide and help along the way. The Lord would reward those who help His messengers but would punish those who won’t listen to His messengers

Ebed-Melek

When Jeremiah prophesied that Jerusalem will fall into the hands of the Babylonians, some official wanted to kill Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 38:7-13, ⁷ But Ebed-Melek, a Cushite, an official in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate, ⁸ Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and said to him, ⁹ “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city.”

¹⁰ Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”

¹¹ So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. ¹² Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, ¹³ and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.

In Jeremiah 39:15-18, ¹⁵ While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him: ¹⁶ “Go and tell Ebed-Melek the Cushite, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words against this city—words concerning disaster, not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. ¹⁷ But I will rescue you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. ¹⁸ I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord.’”

The Lord did not allow Jeremiah to be killed but sent an official to help him. God did not forget Ebed-Melek who helped Jeremiah when His message through Jeremiah came to pass. Those who did not believe and those who persecuted Jeremiah fall into the wrath of God.

When God instructs us of what to do, He sure will provide all the things and helps we need to accomplish His plan. When God command us, he won’t leave us to do things on our own alone. For example: When God commands us to give, He will give us something to give. When God commands us to teach, He will equip us to be effective teachers. When God calls us to mission, He will enable and provide us the things we need to glorify His name in the mission field. God gives each believer a particular command to test if the person obeys or disobeys. Believers trust and obey. Non-believers don’t trust the Lord—they disobey and ignore God.

What is the command that God has given you? What is your testimony?

><((‘> … ><(((‘> tmec\2021 <‘)))>< … <‘))><