Luke the beloved physician wrote how Paul began to give defense for himself before a hostile Jewish crowd in Hebrew by saying, “I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as you all are this day. And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. As also the high priest does bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished”, and in chapter twenty-two and verse six of the book of Acts Luke shared how Paul told how, “suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me” where we read:
And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come near unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
The verse begins, “And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come near unto Damascus about noon, ...” Luke began with the words, “and it came to pass” which means “and it happened and occurred”, “that, as I made my journey” or “that during the time when I, Paul, departed, traversed and traveled”, “and was come near unto Damascus” which means “and arose and approached close in proximity to the city of Damascus whose name means silent is the sackcloth weaver and was one of the most ancient and most important cities of Syria lying in a most lovely and fertile plain at the eastern base of the Antilibanus” “about noon” or “around mid-day or noon of the day”. Luke shared how “Paul” told the Jewish crowd that as he traveled and was close to the city of “Damascus” the following happened to him.
The verse continues, “... suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.” Luke added the words, “suddenly there shone from heaven” which means “unexpectedly there flashed, enveloped and surrounded from the vaulted expanse of the sky where clouds and tempests gather” “a great light” or “a large, massive and abundant brightness” “round about me” which means “surrounding Paul”. Luke shared how “Paul” said a “brilliant light” from the sky began to shine all around him.
When we meditate upon Luke's words in this verse, we see how “Paul” relayed his story about seeing the “brilliant light” from the sky as he traveled toward “Damascus” to arrest the Christians there. We were first introduced to this story in Acts chapter nine, but this Jewish crowd was not aware of what changed “Paul's” mind concerning “salvation” through Jesus Christ. God gave “Paul” a personal experience that altered his beliefs, and those who carefully study this occurrence in his life should notice the impact it had upon him and that God desires to forgive the sins and grant everlasting life to anyone who believes and trusts in His Son Jesus as their “Savior and Lord”.
Next time Luke shares how Paul says he, “heard a voice saying … Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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