The Last Choice is God’s Choice

The Last Choice is God’s Choice 9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. 10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” 13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” If you were going to choose a leader who would literally change the way so many think, who would you choose? The one you liked? The most charismatic? A great communicator? God chose the one who was opposed to Christ. No, more than that — he was driven to destroy the work of Christ. He was not likeable. He was one of those authorities who thought he knew everything and held great power. He was selfishly ambitious and filled with hate. Yet that is exactly whom God chose. The leader of the opposition against Christ. The disbeliever, with energy to go and do away with Christians. That's who God chose. The man named Saul of Tarsus. He was the perfect choice — he just didn't know it. He was a Jew trained in the strictest sect, a Pharisee who believed in the resurrection, but not the resurrection of Jesus. "I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead" (Acts 23:6). He was a citizen of Rome, which granted him amazing flexibility (Acts 22:25–28). Oh, he knew the Word of God — with a veil over his eyes, blinding him to the truth (2 Corinthians 3:14–16). But he knew it well. This was the man God chose. The Road to Damascus The day began with Saul headed to Damascus, carrying letters authorizing him to arrest the followers of Christ (Acts 9:1–2). He was determined to get them. Never did he realize when he woke that morning that everything was about to change. For our Lord had another plan. He would meet Saul head on — not as a meek carpenter, but as the living God in all His glory and power. Two Men, Two Mornings What you might not realize is how closely the Lord's coming to Saul mirrors His coming to Moses. Both men started their morning the way they had planned it, without an inkling that they were about to meet God. Moses saw a bush that "was on fire it did not burn up" (Exodus 3:2). Saul saw "a light from heaven" flash around him (Acts 9:3). Both point to the burning presence of the true God. Moses met the Angel of the Lord, the preincarnate Christ, who said, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground" (Exodus 3:5). Saul fell to the ground as he encountered Christ, who said, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:4). Moses could not look at the presence of God in the fire — "Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God" (Exodus 3:6). Saul was blinded by that same presence: "For three days he was blind" (Acts 9:9). Moses was told to free his people from bondage: "So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt" (Exodus 3:10). Saul was told he would be a messenger of Christ — "This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel" (Acts 9:15). Moses went to Egypt, filled with its many gods. Saul went into the Roman and Greek world, filled with its many gods. The Same Call, A New Bondage Paul's conversion was no ordinary one. It paralleled the great Moses, who set the Israelites free from the bondage of slavery. Paul was sent to set the Gentiles free from their bondage of spiritual slavery. What about you? What mission has God called you to?