Sorry it's been so long between bible study posts .. but let's start back where we left off ..
Acts 9:1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.
"Murderous threats" uh? Saul was PO'd with the disciples... Still trying to cause trouble wherever he can. :( But God knew how to get Saul to see the light .. quite literally!
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?”
After this, Saul was blind. His companions had to lead him into the city of Damascus. He also fasted - not eating or drinking anything.
God was working ahead of him though, and prepared for a man named Ananias to come to Saul and heal him in Jesus's name.
This is what it took for Saul to become a believer. What did it take for you to believe? Or, What WILL it take?
So after Saul became a believer, he immediately started telling others about Jesus, and support the belief in Jesus in others. He wasn't trying to kill believers anymore, but he was trying help others belief. What a turn around.
And in verse 31 - we stop learning about Saul for the moment, and verse 32 moves on to what Peter was doing . . .
Peter was in the area of Lydda. The first thing we hear about this area, is that Peter heals a man named Aeneas who had been paralyzed and bedridden for 8 years.
As word of this got out, the disciples sent Peter to Joppa to see a woman named Tabitha (also called Dorcas) because she had died. She was a woman who served others, doing many good works. Her friends and many widows missed her terribly. So they wanted Peter to help. Peter went up, and even after she had died, raised her and presented her to the widows and those who had been mourning.
Now, this may be a little wise-cracking of me .. I mean, it's a great thing that she was able to live again .. , but did they want her alive just so she could serve them again? Why not let her rest in peace and they could serve each other instead of having Tabitha/Dorcas serve them? I know God had a reason - to spread the gospel and for people to believe in him, but part of me wishes she could have just rested and remained in God's presence. For isn't that where she was? Just a stray thought ..
So - what do you think of Acts Chapter 9?
1 comment:
You have some interesting thoughts in the last paragraph about Dorcas' healing. Dorcas experienced serving as joy, not drudgery. As you commented, 'her friends and many widows missed her terribly'. They didn't miss her service, they missed her!
I'm sure those brief moments dead, yet alive in the presence of her Lord were fuel to the life she returned to after her resurrection. She lived to serve, joyfully, I would hope. The garments she made were simply an extension of who Dorcas was.
That's what I think!
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