828 THE KING’S ' BUSINESS A Prisoner in the Castle SEPTEMBER 17, 1916. LESSON X II. Acts 22:17-29. (Commit vs. 27-29). G olden T e x t : “ I will say o f the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.”—Ps. 91:2.
DA ILY BIBLE READINGS
Mon., Sept. 11—Acts 22:1-16. Tues., Sept. 12—Acts 22:17-30. (The Lesson). Wed., Sept. 13—Luke 21:10-19.
Thurs., Sept. 14—Psalm 124. Fri., Sept. IS—Gen. 39:20-23. Saf., Sept, 16—Matt. 11:1-10. Sun., Sept. 17—John 18:28-40.
EXPOSITION AND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
ing words o f verse 18. It may not be ours to have a visible manifestation o f Christ like that, but none the less He is ready to manifest Himself unto us if we meet the conditions o f such manifestation (John 14:21), and whenever we read His words as recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we should hear the living Christ utter ing them and take them as a message direct from Himself unto ourselves just as much as if He were visibly present and we saw His lips moving. What a precious and liv ing book the Bible becomes when we thus read it: W e do not need the Spirit-given trances or ecstasies now, for we have the Spirit-given words o f Christ, and the Spirit-given vision o f Christ uttering the 'words. What more do we need?“ It is not the part o f wisdom but the part of foolishness to be seeking such trances as were granted t o ' Paul. O f course, if God sees fit to give them to us, all well and good, but if not, let us be abundantly satisfied with what God has given us in His writ ten word. As Jesus stood there He said, “ Make haste, and get thee quickly out o f Jerusalem.” How strangely this must have sounded to Paul. Doubtless when he went to Jerusalem he thought that the place o f places for him to give his testimony was •in Jerusalem, for there he was well known; moreover, there he had been active and prominent as a persecuter o f Christ. Jeru salem seemed o f all places the one where
vs. 17, 18. “And it came to pass, that, when I was come again (had returned) to Jerusalem, even (and) while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; (fell into a trance,) (18) and saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee' quickly out of Jerusalem: for (because) they will not receive thy testimony ( of thee testimony) concerning me.”~ The Lord Jesus had appeared personally to Saul o f Tarsus on the road to Damascus, and here he appears to him again in Jerusalem. In that case he was in a trance or ecstasy, that is, he was in a state in which he was taken out o f himself and wholly occupied with the pres ence o f the Lord. It was while lie prayed that he fell into this trance and that Jesus appeared to him. It was also when Cor nelius was praying that the angel appeared to him (Acts 10:3, 30), and it was when Peter had gone up on to the roof and was engaged in prayer that a vision o f God’s purposes was given to him (Acts 10:9, 10). The reason why many o f us so seldom hear the voice o f the Lord speaking to us is because we are so seldom in prayer. In this vision o f Jesus Christ that was granted to Paul at this time the Lord Jesus gave him his specific commission. In the ecstatic state into which he fell at that time he not only heard a voice, he saw Jesus, he. saw His lips moving and uttering the command that followed. This is clear from the open
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