Go! Because This Man Is My Chosen Vessel For Bearing My Name In The Sight of Both Gentiles and Kings, and The Children of Israel - Acts 9-10

This section with Paul and Peter shows them being hit with just a total reversal of their former ways, yet not at the same time. Everything is confirmed, yet overturned dramatically. The old ways finish their role, and all promises find their "yes" in the person of Jesus. The implications of Jesus replacing and fulfilling what Torah couldn't do begin to be shown as God's Spirit is more and more freely given.

I can't imagine the mind-job Saul must've had on the way to Damascus. A glory appears to him, and he gets his chance to see at least a glimpse of the glory of the Lord he had perhaps meditated on and imagined countless times, and it turns out to be the face of Jesus, whom he's persecuting by persecuting Jesus' "body" (all Christians). Just try to image all the stories and Psalms and prophecies swirling in his mind and as they come together in a way that's obvious, yet unexpected. And very soon the man who kept the Torah as zealous as anyone and sought to destroy those who "defiled" it is transformed, in a way only the gracious God can do, into God's chosen instrument for sharing the Torah's fulfillment with those who never even knew of it! Does God have a sense of humor? An overly passionate ends-justify-the-means fanatical super-orthodox ultra-nationalistic Pharisee will bring the good news to the nations? God can work with anyone, and that's part of the point! This reminds me that someday I’ll stand before Jesus and go, "Oh…”

Something interesting struck me as I read about Ananias. Here we have a bit of biblical Inception, a vision in a vision. Ananias has a vision in which he's told about Saul having a vision of Ananias coming...a bit of a neat mind-bender.

Why Are the Nations Restless, and the People Muttering in Vain? - Psalm 2

The first two Psalms form such a fitting introduction to the whole series of Psalms. Psalm 1, of course, deals with your attitude toward God’s Word. This Psalm deals with your attitude towards God’s Anointed One, which is, of course, the meaning of the word Messiah and Christ (which come from Hebrew and Greek, respectively). Certain important and God-chosen figures in Israel such as prophets, priests, and kings were anointed when they were installed into office. Anointing meant having oil like olive oil poured over your head. This is akin to how for much of world history kings were crowned, or how knights in England are knighted with a sword by the queen (right?).

With the Psalms especially, it’s important for Christians to keep the different “Acts” of the Bible’s purposes in mind (see my page “About the Bible”). What I mean is, to understand them fully, you need to first ponder what it meant for the original audience. Only then can you fully appreciate and properly apply to the current time of the renewed covenant, and to Jesus the Messiah/Christ/Anointed One.