SOME THOUGHTS ON SH’AUL, A.K.A. PAUL

As the story goes, Sh’aul (pronounced Sh’ool) and later known as Paul, was knocked off his horse on the road to Damascus when he was accosted by a great and blinding light which accompanied the One he was trying to save his people from, the One who turned out to be the very God of Israel.  Like Sh’aul, folks can be earnest in wanting the truth for ourselves and other people and yet be misinformed. [Our recent election hullabaloo (a very noisy and confused situation) is evidence of that.]  For one thing, though a minor matter, the bible mentions nothing about a horse.  All we know about Sh’aul at this point is that he is avidly attempting to keep Israel from what he wrongly perceives as deception by force against the believers in Yeshua. 

There were some 10,000 Jews living in Damascus at the time, but why Sh’aul, or even the High Priest back in Jerusalem who supposedly gave Sh’aul the authority, would have such authority to capture any citizens of Damascus, albeit Jews, in a city under Roman and not Jewish rule, we do not know. We do know that Jews could not bring a death sentence against anyone under Roman rule, including against their own people, which is why the priests who were hell-bent (sic) on crucifying Yeshua had to go to the Romans to have it done.  

Still, there was Sh’aul in all his enthusiastic determination to save Israel from what he feared was yet another reason for God to be angry with them for worshipping a false messiah. In the past, such other false-god worship had gotten the Jews expelled from their land at the hand of the Babylonians.  What now, he fears, with so many Jews believing this Yeshua is worthy of worship?  

As he is later telling the story to Israel’s king Agrippa, he recounts what happened: “I was on the road, and it was noon, your Majesty, when I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my traveling companions.”  We know that even as children we are told that we should not look directly at the sun or it will blind us.  This light, brighter than the sun, blinded only Sh’aul, but not those with him.  Only he saw the light because the Lord was impacting only his life, not theirs.  So only he was blinded. How terrified he must have been, not only what happened but to be blinded as well!  Wouldn’t you be? 

Though the others evidently didn’t see the light, still power that came with the Lord’s presence was evident as Sh’aul says, “We all fell to the ground.” Picture what is taking place here as they, far more than just frightened, are try to figure out what’s happening.  Sh’aul goes on to say, “Then I heard a voice saying to me, in Hebrew, ‘Sha’ul! Sha’ul! Why do you keep persecuting me? It’s hard on you to be kicking against the ox-goads!’”  

Paul responds, ‘Who are you, sir?’ and the Lord answered, ‘I am Yeshua, and you are persecuting Me!”  Can we even imagine the shock now added to Sh’aul’s already stunned mind?  What? Had he been so entirely wrong?  Was this Yeshua really the Son of God as the believers had been saying as he now realizes Yeshua is actually alive after having been dead?  He knows enough Scripture to know that it is God who alone is enshrouded in such light. Who could come to him this way, in the glory light of God but God? Could this Messiah actually even be God Himself?  His mind is reeling and Sh’aul is more than terrified.  What could be more terrifying than to realize all his good intentions for God were actually rebellion against Him?!  Could he even be afraid to breathe when the reality of it hit him?

The words Yeshua spoke go through his mind again: “Sha’ul! Sha’ul! Why do you keep persecuting me? It’s hard on you to be kicking against the ox-goads.”  He knew what an ox goad was.  An ox goad is a wooden tool, approximately eight feet long, fitted with an iron spike as a point at one end, which was used to spur oxen on as they pulled a plow or cart. When an ox was poked with a goad, its response was sometimes to kick back at it in resistance.  Naturally, kicking back at the goad was futile as the ox had no way to free himself from his yoke, not to mention painful as it would be only be further hurt in its attempt to do away with the spike.  

Sh’aul fully understood what was being said to him.  Yeshua was telling Sh’aul that his efforts to free Israel from following Him were futile. He could not stop this move of God any more than an ox in a yoke can free himself.  Now, finding out that Yeshua was indeed alive meant that he had been fighting against The Almighty Himself!  All his efforts were not only in vain but he was now clearly in danger of God’s recompense  coming against him.  He had been acting in continued resistance to God’s Messiah!  He, the Pharisee who prided himself in his efforts to protect Israel from God’s wrath was himself the one worthy of His wrath! Has any man since Adam ever been so terrified by his own mistake? But yet, look what God did with his life. 

There are two points that we can glean from this event.  First, do you see how connected we are to Yeshua?  His people being persecuted was, and still is, as if Yeshua Himself was being persecuted!  He is that close to us.  God is intimately involved in what happens in our lives.  He cares that much. We are told that He is the Head and we are His body. This is not just a metaphor. This is a spiritual reality. We are “one” with Him!

A vision I once had may give some insight. I was praying for someone when the vision began whom I then saw in the vision was headed for hell. I saw Yeshua as Judge sitting behind what looked like a judge’s bench and a throne at the same time.  I pleaded for this person’s salvation and the Lord said to me, “You speak the words” meaning of salvation and so I spoke the person’s name and declared that he would enter into heaven, rather than hell.  As I spoke I saw Yeshua’s mouth move as if He had said the words I was speaking. When we are one with Him, and speaking according to His will, He has given us the authority so that it is as if He was saying what we are declaring. He has given us that much authority to use His name!! 

When He said “You speak the words…” He didn’t mean me alone, of course. I took the “you” to be plural. He has given all authority to those who are one with Him as His body.  Please ponder this. He has given us His name to speak and declare what we know is His will.  Since He desires that all would be saved, prophesying in faith someone’s salvation seems to be what He was saying.  “ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3,4). So we know it is always His will to seek someone’s salvation. 

John who knew well what it was to live by the power of the Spirit for all the long years of his life wrote, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14, 15). This speaks of asking, not declaring, but the principle remains that we do not speak casually or without knowing His will.  Salvation is always His will but we aren’t to use His authority casually or independently.  

The second thing is to make the point that God knew Sh’aul’s heart even though he was entirely wrong. The fact is that Sh’aul loved God and loved Israel and wanted to protect her. The Lord recognized Sh’aul’s zeal for God was something He could use once he saw the truth of who Yeshua was.  This is a comforting fact. God can take our greatest mistakes and turn them – and turn us – into what will be for the good of His Kingdom.  

There is no one so lost or beyond God’s ability to transform them into someone who will be a messenger of God’s grace and truth to others.  Sh’aul may have seemed like the last person to be saved, but on the other hand, were there believers praying for him? Are there any Sh’aul’s in your life who seem like the last person you’d ever expect to be saved? Sometimes the most antagonistic person is the one who will become someone who loves much because they are forgiven much (Luke 7:47).  You have the authority to declare that they will be saved, in Yeshua’s name.  And believe it! 

P.S. Just to add one thing while we’re talking about Sh’aul, which obviously was his real name in Hebrew.  That he is later called Paul is not because he denied his Jewishness which is one of those misinformed pieces of information.  He often speaks of aspects of his Jewishness positively.  He is called Paul simply because Romans were unfamiliar with such a pronunciation but Paul or Paulus was familiar to them.  Just thought I’d mention it.  

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