The beloved physician Luke wrote as Paul was teaching until midnight in Troas, “there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted. And we went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot. And when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene. And we sailed there, and came the next day over against Chios; and the next day we arrived at Samos, and tarried at Trogyllium; and the next day we came to Miletus”, and in chapter twenty and verse sixteen of the book of Acts Luke shared how, “Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia” where we read:
For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia:
for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.
The verse begins, “For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia:” Luke began with the words, “for Paul had determined” which means “because, since and on account that Paul, whose name means small or little, preferred, resolved and decreed” “to sail by Ephesus” or “to travel past Ephesus, whose name means permitted and was a maritime city of Asia Minor, capital of Ionia and under the Romans, of proconsular Asia, situated on the Icarian Sea between Smyrna and Miletus, by sailing vessel or boat”, “because he would not spend the time” which means “since and on account that he, Paul, was not going to wear away time or procrastinate” “in Asia” or “within Asia which means orient and referred to proconsular Asia embracing Mysia, Lydia, Phrygia, and Caria, corresponding closely to Turkey today”. Luke shared how “Paul” was going to “pass by” “Ephesus” as he traveled by ship because he did not want to procrastinate by spending time in “Asia”.
The verse continues, “for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.” Luke added the words, “for he hasted” which means “because, since and on account that he, Paul, was eager, urged and speeding”, “if it were possible for him” or “whether and in case Paul was capable and able”, “to be at Jerusalem” which means “to have an appearing within the city of Jerusalem whose name means set you double peace and is the capital of Palestine” “the day of Pentecost” or “upon the sunrise to sunset time known as Pentecost which means the fiftieth day and was the second of the three great Jewish feasts, celebrated at Jerusalem yearly, the seventh week after the Passover, in grateful recognition of the completed harvest”. Luke shared how “Paul” desired to be in “Jerusalem” for the “day of Pentecost” if there was any way possible for him to be there.
When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we learn how “Paul” had desires in his travels and took routes that allowed him to “not be” in certain places. “Paul” loved “Ephesus”, and normally he would have loved to stop there. He will meet with the people from “Ephesus” in our next verse, but for now let us be mindful that “Paul” purposed to travel to “Jerusalem” by the “day of Pentecost”, and this was his main purpose and plan. God has plans for every person, and when they submit themselves to His Son Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive their sins, grant them everlasting life and guide them by His Holy Spirit toward their destinations and activities. Let all who read these words be mindful of the “natural” way that God worked in “Paul's” life and submit themselves to whatever God has planned for them as well.
Next time Luke shares how Paul, “from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church”, 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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