Page 752 - The MacArthur Daily Bible

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JULY 21
Acts 22:1–30 Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same
hour I looked up at him. Then he said, ‘The
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“Brethren and fathers, hear my
22 defense before you now.” And when God of our fathers has chosen you that you
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they heard that he spoke to them in the He- should know His will, and see the Just One,
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brew language, they kept all the more silent. and hear the voice of His mouth. For you will
Then he said: “I am indeed a Jew, born in be His witness to all men of what you have
3
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Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at seen and heard. And now why are you wait-
the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the ing? Arise and be baptized, and wash away
strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
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toward God as you all are today. I persecuted “Now it happened, when I returned to Jeru-
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this Way to the death, binding and delivering salem and was praying in the temple, that I was
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into prisons both men and women, as also the in a trance and saw Him saying to me, ‘Make
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high priest bears me witness, and all the coun- haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for
cil of the elders, from whom I also received they will not receive your testimony concern-
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ing Me.’ So I said, ‘Lord, they know that in
every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those
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who believe on You. And when the blood of
Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was
22:3 I am indeed a Jew. A response to the standing by consenting to his death, and
false charges raised by the Asian Jews.born in guarding the clothes of those who were killing
Tarsus. Tarsus was the chief city of Cilicia. him.’ Then He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will
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brought up in this city. Paul was born among send you far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”
the Hellenistic Jews of the Diaspora, but had 22 And they listened to him until this word,
been brought up in Jerusalem.Gamaliel. That and then they raised their voices and said,
Paul had studied under the most celebrated “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he
rabbi of that day was further evidence that the 23
charges against him were absurd. fathers’ is not fit to live!” Then, as they cried out and
law. As a student of Gamaliel, Paul received tore off their clothes and threw dust into the
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extensive training both in the Old Testament air, the commander ordered him to be
law and in the rabbinic traditions.Also,though brought into the barracks, and said that he
he did not mention it to the crowd, he had
been a Pharisee. In light of all that, the charge
that Paul opposed the law was ridiculous.
22:21–23 Paul’s insistence that the Lord had
sent him to minister to the despised Gentiles
letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus was too much for the crowd. They viewed the
to bring in chains even those who were there teaching that Gentiles could be saved without
to Jerusalem to be punished. first becoming Jewish proselytes (thus granting
6 “Now it happened, as I journeyed and came them equal status with the Jewish people
near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a before God) as intolerable blasphemy.
great light from heaven shone around me.
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And I fell to the ground and heard a voice say-
ing to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting
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Me?’ So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ should be examined under scourging, so that
And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, he might know why they shouted so against
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whom you are persecuting.’ him. And as they bound him with thongs,
9 Paul said to the centurion who stood by, “Is it
“And those who were with me indeed saw
the light and were afraid, but they did not hear lawful for you to scourge a man who is a
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the voice of Him who spoke to me. So I said, Roman, and uncondemned?”
‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, 26 When the centurion heard that, he went
‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will and told the commander, saying, “Take care
be told all things which are appointed for you to what you do, for this man is a Roman.”
do.’ And since I could not see for the glory of 27 Then the commander came and said to
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that light, being led by the hand of those who him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?”
were with me, I came into Damascus. He said, “Yes.”
12 “Then a certain Ananias, a devout man 28 The commander answered, “With a large
according to the law, having a good testimony sum I obtained this citizenship.”
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with all the Jews who dwelt there, came to And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.”
me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother 29 Then immediately those who were about
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