Saul's Persecution and God's Protection — Acts 9:23-31 Daily Word

After his conversion, Saul boldly proclaimed the gospel despite facing death threats from persecutors. Though initially rejected by disciples, Barnabas advocated for him, and he was accepted into the community before fleeing to Tarsus.

Saul’s Persecution and God’s Protection — Acts 9:23-31 Daily Word

[Scripture]

[23] When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, [24] but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, [25] but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. [26] And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. [27] But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. (Acts 9:23-27, ESV)

[28] So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. [29] And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. [30] And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. [31] So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. (Acts 9:28-31, ESV)

[Daily Word]

After his conversion, Saul attempted to join the disciples in Jerusalem, but they refused to accept him. At that point, Barnabas stepped forward and introduced Saul to the apostles, mediating on his behalf. Saul then went on to preach the gospel boldly, but faced with death threats, he was compelled to flee to Tarsus.

Several days passed after Saul’s conversion. In particular, (Gal 1:17-18) records that it was three years after Saul’s conversion and his time in Arabia. During his time preaching the gospel in the region of Arabia, Saul nearly faced a mortal threat. While Saul was in Arabia — specifically in the Nabataean kingdom near Damascus (2 Cor 11:32) — a governor under King Aretas sought to have him killed. (Acts 20:3-4)

This was part of Aretas’s plan to forge a political alliance with the Jews. (v. 23) The Jews kept watch over the gates of Damascus day and night in order to kill Saul.

This situation is described in (2 Cor 11:32). [32] At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, [33] but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands. (2 Cor 11:32-33, ESV) Saul escaped by night, lowering himself down the city wall of Damascus in a basket.

Luke records that the ones who helped Saul escape were “Saul’s disciples.” Having narrowly escaped Damascus with his life, Saul made his way to Jerusalem. However, the believers there still feared him and could not believe that his conversion was genuine. (v. 26) In the midst of all this, Saul was also being persecuted by the Jews. He thus faced a “threat of death” from outside the church and “rejection” from within it — suffering the very same hardships that Moses and Jesus himself had endured.

It is at this point that Barnabas steps forward and begins to mediate. (v. 27)

Barnabas took Saul and brought him to the apostles, recounting how Saul had confessed the Lord he had encountered on the road to Damascus and how he had boldly proclaimed the gospel there. This appears to conflict with the account in Gal 1:18, which states that Paul did not meet with the apostles in Jerusalem. However, this difference stems from the distinct purposes of Luke and Paul as authors. Luke’s aim is to emphasize that Paul was officially received and recognized as a member of the community of those who follow the Lord by the apostles, whereas Paul’s concern is to stress that his gospel did not come from human approval but from God himself.

Because of this, Saul was able to have fellowship with the believers and was officially recognized by the apostles as a disciple of the Lord. (28)

Saul then began to preach the gospel boldly. In particular, Saul spoke and argued with the Hellenistic Jews, (29) and as a result, he faced threats on his life. Saul was now following in the footsteps of the martyred Stephen. He was fulfilling the word the Lord had given in the vision to Ananias — that Saul would suffer for the name of Jesus.

When the believers learned that the Hellenistic Jews were plotting to kill Saul, they brought him to Caesarea, a port city, and sent him off to his hometown of Tarsus to keep him safe. Saul remained in Tarsus for approximately ten years, until Barnabas came to find him. However, according to Galatians, during this period Saul preached the gospel in Syria and Cilicia. [21] Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. [22] And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. [23] They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” [24] And they glorified God because of me. (Gal 1:21-24, ESV)

During this time, the Scripture records that the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was being built up, and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. This speaks of the spiritual growth of the church. The reason the church grew in numbers was because the people feared the Lord, and also because of the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Saul never worked alone.

He worked alongside the disciples and lived in community with brothers and sisters in the faith. And when his life was endangered while proclaiming the gospel, it was not his blood relatives but his spiritual brothers and sisters who stepped forward to protect him. The church must cherish and genuinely care for one another within the gospel. As Jesus himself commanded, we must learn to love our neighbors as ourselves. Only then, through the grace that works for good within the Lord, can we all truly enjoy lasting peace in Him.

Acts 9, Saul’s conversion, Barnabas’s intercession, growth of the early church, spiritual community

Originally published in Korean at bible2u.com