Acts 26
Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.”
So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: 2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.
4 “The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee. 6 And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. 7 This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me. 8 Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
9 “I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.
12 “On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,[a] ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
15 “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’
“ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
19 “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. 20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. 21 That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. 22 But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”
24 At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.”
25 “I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. 26 The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”
28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”
29 Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”
30 The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. 31 After they left the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.”
32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
Opening Prayer
Father God, thank you for revealing Yourself and Your will to us through Your Holy Scriptures. Please clear my mind and my heart of any distractions or barriers to hearing You speak to me through Scripture. Enable me to rightly understand Your Word, and to rightly hear Your voice. Grant me a heart that is humble and teachable, willing to obey whatever You say. I ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forevermore. Amen.
Resisting God’s Will
“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (14).
To modern readers (especially those of us who don’t live on a farm), this saying is difficult to understand. What does it mean to “kick against the goads”? A goad (also known as a “cattle prod”) is a long, pointy stick that farmers use to get cattle or oxen moving, and to guide them in the direction that they should go. Of course, being repeatedly jabbed with a sharp stick is aggravating, so one can imagine stubborn oxen trying to kick the farmer who is trying to control them in this way. R.P.C. Hanson, in his commentary on Acts, noted that “kicking against the goads” was an idiom used in ancient Greek literature, which referred to the futility of “struggling against one’s destiny”1. Paul’s sermon in Acts 17 suggests he was familiar with Greek literature and culture, so he likely knew this metaphor.
In this passage, Paul recounts the story of his conversion. God had been trying to steer Paul’s life in a certain direction, but Paul kept going a different way. Even though he was familiar with all of the Messianic prophecies, Paul had so far refused to accept that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. He had been so convinced that he “ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth” (9). Paul zealously hunted down Christians—the complete opposite of what God wanted for him! Jesus said to Paul, “I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me…I am sending you to [Jews and Gentiles] to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (16-18).
Paul now had a decision to make—whether to continue doing what he had thought was God’s will, or to obey this new revelation from God. He certainly had a strong incentive to avoid this new path. God had said to Ananias, “I will show [Paul] how much he must suffer for my name” (Acts 9:16). Paul knew that to follow this new path meant being branded as a traitor by his own people. It meant being persecuted, living as a fugitive, enduring scorn and ridicule, imprisonment, and likely, death. Paul could have done what Jonah did and resisted God’s revealed calling on his life. But, being a highly educated student of God’s Word, Paul would have known that “many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21). Ultimately, Paul decided not to “kick against the goads,” but to obey the direction that God was setting for his life.
Reflection
What do you think is God’s purpose for your life—for you specifically?
Are there indicators in your life that suggest God might have something different in mind for you?
Which areas of your life—whether time, talents, treasure, or something else—are you unwilling to fully submit to God’s control?
Is there something God has been asking you to do that you’ve been resisting? Why are you resisting it? What are the potential consequences of doing what God is asking of you? What would have to happen for you to stop resisting and obey?
Closing Prayer
Lord God Almighty, You are worthy of all glory and honour and praise. You deserve all that I am and all that I have. Soften my heart where it is hard. Help me to trust in Your love, Your goodness, Your faithfulness, Your wisdom, and Your all-mighty power. Help me to obey You, no matter what it costs me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Author Bio
Harold Leung serves part-time as Minister of Music & Tech at First Alliance Church: Toronto, while also pursuing his MDiv at Wycliffe College (at the University of Toronto). In his free time, he enjoys playing board games, particularly with his wife Joanne.
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Luke and Acts taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
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