688 “ Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjam in, a Heb rew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.“ He was of the tribe of Benjamin as was King Saul. A zealot, full of fiery zeal. He had much occasion to glory in the flesh. In connection with the text of the lesson, study Acts, chapters 22 and 24. Get in your mind the panorama of startling pictures which are present ed. Seek to transfer them to your pupils —review the seventh chapter, which gives you the starting point of Paul’s career and the element which culminated in his conversion. 1. THE COMMISSION OF SAUL, vs. 1, 2. “And desired him letters to Damascus.” Following the stoning of Stephen, his soul seems filled with hellish hatred for the Christians. The tiger has tasted blood. The atmosphere in which he liv ed was conducive to bad blood. Breath ing in treason against God, he breathed out threatenings against the church. The picture is that of a dragon from whose nostrils flashed fire. The Jewish leaders gladly availed themselves of this splen did tool and gladly gave him papers of authority to proceed to Damascus and carry on the war against the witnesses of “The Way.” . . Caesar had given the Sanhedrin, the highest tribunal of the-Jews, the power to bring Jews from other cities to Jeru salem for trial. Damascus had probably become a center for the scattered saints. Saul’s own testimony concerning his con dition of heart and heartless work can be found in (Gal. 1:13) "For ye have heard of my conversation In tim e past In the Jews’ religion, how th at beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it.” (1 Cor. 15:9.) “ For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” He thought he was doing God service.
T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S - 2. THE CHALLENGE OF CHRIST, vs. 3, 4. “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” It was no doubt a merry party that left Jerusalem on that hundred and fifty mile ride. It had a splendid leader. Its mission bade fair to be successful. The breath. of Saul was hot against the Christians but the heart of Christ was laden with lotre for Saul. Analyze the heart of Saul. Is he med itating on the stoning of Stephen? What are these goads of God against which he is kicking? Is he suffering the stings of an-accusing conscience? Is he seeking to evade the terrors of conscience by absorption in the work of extinguishing the fires of the new sect? See what Saul has to kick against: The testimony to the truth of Christ— ' that He was the Messiah—abundantly proven. The character of these new disciples. The purpose of God as reveal ed in the Scriptures. The condemnation of his own conscience as a witness to Stephen’s death. Can we not learn from this that men under conviction will often say and do terrible things? Here we see something of the soul’s struggle with pride, passion, habits, am bitions. A Supernatural Stroke. Suddenly a new sun appears in the heavens—a light dimming the dazzling splendor of the noonday sun. Saul is startled and smit- , ten to the earth. A great light, (Acts 22 : 6 ) “ And It came to pass, that, as I made my Journey, and was come nigh to Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heav “ A t midday, O king, I saw In the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them th at Journeyed with me.” like that of (Dan. 10:16) and (Rev. 1: 16, 17) “ And he had In his right hand seven stars; and out of his mouth went a sharp en a great light round about me.” brighter than the sun, (26:13)
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