“If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Philippians 3:4-6).
Gracious God, merciful Father, keep us humble in our own sight. Please remind us that the only merit in which we can place confidence, is in the merit of Your Son and our Savior, Jesus the Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Our Scripture for today gives us a brief picture of Saul, before he became Paul. Full of himself, and not ashamed to let the world know! His pedigree, and all his other degrees, were waved as a banner for the world to see.
Perhaps this was his way of dealing with his less than attractive figure. “Onesiphorus sees Paul as ‘ “a man small of stature, with a bald head,and crooked legs, in a good state of body, with eyebrows meeting and nose somewhat hooked, full of friendliness; for now he appeared like a man, and now he had the face of an angel” ‘ ” (Cambridge.org).
Whatever the cause of his boasting, before his conversion he could not be described as anything less than overly proud!
Saturday’s devotional, and today’s, show just how far God brought Paul, to the place where Paul lies dead, and “Christ lives in [him].” Prior to his conversion, Paul found his identity in the flesh. Let us get a clearer understanding of his boast by reading it from the New Living Translation:
“I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.”
This is what gave Saul his identity. No wonder the prodding from Christ did not bring about the necessary change. It was hard for him to let go of the things that identified, or described, him. He had to be “thrown off his high horse,” literally, and religiously, until there was nothing left to do but surrender to the “Lord” that he had been evading, and get instructions of what the Lord wanted him to do!
This humbling process began with the fall. It continued with him having to go to the home of one who possibly was on his list to be taken captive. Next, he would receive help in regaining his sight. He would receive the Holy Spirit, and then be baptized, all at the hand of the followers of the “Way.”
“And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison” (Acts 22;4).
The ones he bitterly persecuted, had become his benefactors. This was the beginning of a brand new life for Saul the Persecutor, turned Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles!
More to come on the life of Paul.