Lesson 10: The Lord’s Chosen Instrument (Acts 9.1-31)

The Lord promised that when His Kingdom was established, “all the nations shall flow to it” (Isaiah 2.2). While on the earth Jesus stated that “I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10.16) and commissioned His disciples to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28.19). What had not been revealed to the apostles and would come as a shock to the early saints in the Kingdom was that the Lord would choose the chief persecutor of the church as His “chosen instrument… to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9.15).

Notes From The Text

Vss. 1-9, On The Road To Damascus

• Vs. 1, see Acts 8.1-3; 22.4.
• Vs. 2,
  • Based on what Paul relates in Acts 26.11, Damascus was not the first city where Saul persecuted Christians. Damascus was the ancient capital of Syria and lay ~140 miles northeast of Jerusalem.
  • Christianity is frequently referred to as “the Way” in Acts (see Acts 19.9,23; 22.4; 24.14,22). It’s a fitting description as following Jesus is the ONLY Way to the Father (John 14.6; cf. Matthew 7.13-14).
• Vs. 3, Paul later recounts in Acts 22.6; 26.13 that the great light occurred at noon and it was brighter than the sun.
• Vs. 4, note that the Lord speaks in the present tense. To persecute His people is to persecute Him. He and His people are one (see John 15.1-6).
• Vs. 5, the Lord’s question, “is it hard for you to kick against the goads” is not found in all manuscripts. However, it is found in vs. 14. To ‘kick against the goads’ is an expression derived from the action of a stubborn ox, which would hurt only itself when it would kick against the ox goad of its master.
• Vs. 6,
  • Just as the angel appeared to Philip and not to the Ethiopian eunuch, so the message of what Saul must do would be proclaimed by another man, not by the Lord Himself.
  • Note Acts 26.16-18 which records more of the Jesus’ conversation with Saul.
• Vs. 7, some see a contradiction between this verse and Acts 22.9. However, the words for “hear” are different. They “heard” the sound, but did not understand what they “heard”. Also significant that these men saw the light, but were not blinded like Saul. Saul’s vision of the glorified Lord must have been what blinded him.
• Vs. 9, this verse describes a man whose worldview had been upended. He now understand that Jesus was in fact the Christ; what remorse he must have felt!

Vss. 10-19, Saul Finds Out What He Must Do

• Vs. 10, note the description of Ananias in Acts 22.12.
• Vs. 15, Saul had to choose whether he would believe and follow or not (note Acts 26.19). But the Lord in His foreknowledge knew what Saul’s decision would be. Furthermore, consider that the Lord’s choosing of Saul was not in regards to his salvation, but that Saul would be His instrument to carry the gospel to the Gentiles.
• Vs. 18, to get a full picture we must consider Paul’s retelling in Acts 22. There we see that Saul was commanded to “Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name” (Acts 22.16).

Vss. 20-25, Saul’s Early Work In Damascus

• Vs. 20, note the immediate effect of Saul’s conversion. He went to Damascus to persecute the saints, but instead he proclaimed Jesus to his fellow Jews. Conversion is more than being baptized for the remission of sins; conversion is giving oneself wholly to the Lord’s cause.
• Vs. 22, “The term ‘proving’ is interesting. It translates a compound Greek term which signifies ‘to bring together’. Here, it would suggest that Saul combined OT prophetic information regarding the Messiah, with historical facts about Jesus. He then argued the case that the Lord was the fulfillment of those declarations.” (Wayne Jackson)
• Vs. 23, Saul spent 3 years in Damascus and Arabia (Galatians 1.16-18). Note that the governor of Damascus was also looking to apprehend Saul (2Corinthians 11.32).

Vss. 26-31, Saul’s Return To Jerusalem

• Vs. 26, Saul’s return to Jerusalem is also recounted in Galatians 1.18-19.
• Vs. 27, Barnabas was again living up to his name, Acts 4.36-37. Barnabas would be a co-worker with Paul in future endeavors, Acts 11.25-26; 13.2-3.
• Vs. 29, these were possibly the very same Hellenistic Jews to whom Stephen had preached Jesus (see Acts 6.8-14).
• Vs. 30, note Acts 22.17-21.
• Vs. 31, compare with how the chapter began. Saul may have been “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord”, but the Lord is greater. Not only would His people continue to thrive, but the persecutor would become one of the Lord’s greatest ambassadors!

Kingdom Takeaways

1. The Kingdom Is Open To All! In his letters the apostle Paul would refer to himself as the “foremost” of sinners (1Timothy 1.15), unworthy to be called an apostle (1Corinthians 15.9) and “the very least of all the saints” (Ephesians 3.8). Yet even Saul/Paul could have his sins forgiven (Acts 22.16). Truly, God loved us even when we were His enemies! (Romans 5.8)
2. Conversion Doesn’t End At Baptism. While the Lord desired that Saul be saved from his sins, He required more from him than being baptized; the Lord called on Saul to be His “chosen instrument… to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9.15). He required this of Saul, even though it meant he would “suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9.16). Saul’s conversion required him to be fully obedient to the will of the Lord (see Acts 26.19). Likewise, our conversion requires that we walk in the good works God has prepared for His workmanship (Ephesians 2.10).