Today is Pentecost, the fiftieth day counting from the weekly Sabbath that falls during the week of Unleavened Bread.  Lev. 23:15-16, 21  ‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. 16 Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord.   21 And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

That was our first reading of the Feast of Pentecost ...meaning count fifty; or the Feast of Firstfruits or the Feast of Weeks.  The Feast of Pentecost is also detailed in Deut. 16:9-12

9 “You shall count seven weeks for yourself; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain. 10 Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you. 11 You shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your gates, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are among you, at the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. 12 And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.

We're being careful today -- we're observing these statutes.   There was a particular Feast of Pentecost, or Feast of Weeks, or Feast of Firstfruits where people were observing this statute and it's talked about in the Bible and it's particularly pertinent today.

Acts 2:1-4 (Phillips)  Then when the actual day of Pentecost came they were all assembled together. Suddenly there was a sound from heaven like the rushing of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were seated. Before their eyes appeared tongues like flames which separated off and settled above the head of each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages as the Spirit gave them power to proclaim his message.

Acts 2:37-47  (after Peter's sermon)  37 When they heard this they were cut to the quick, and they cried to Peter and the other apostles, “Men and fellow-Jews, what shall we do now?”  That's the question we all asked ourselves at some time after we first heard the truth.. "What shall we do now?"  Peter told them what to do.  38-39 Peter told them, “You must repent and every one of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that you may have your sins forgiven and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For this great promise is for you and your children—yes, and for all who are far away, for as many as the Lord our God shall call to himself!”

Verse 41-42, 47 Then those who welcomed his message were baptized, and on that day alone about three thousand souls were added to the number of disciples. They continued steadily learning the teaching of the apostles, and joined in their fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayer.  Of course, we break bread weekly here and pray on a daily basis as well as a weekly basis.   Everyone felt a deep sense of awe, while many miracles and signs took place through the apostles. All the believers shared everything in common; they sold their possessions and goods and divided the proceeds among the fellowship according to individual need.  They helped each other as it was necessary. Day after day they met by common consent in the Temple; they broke bread together in their homes, sharing meals with simple joy. They praised God continually and all the people respected them. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were finding salvation.  They were excited!  It was a great time.  It was an opportunity for them to understand the plan of God and they got to know each other by gathering together regularly and breaking bread together.

Today is the anniversary of the day that God sent his gift of the Holy Spirit to his church.  Prior to that time God gave his Holy Spirit, his power to select people through history, but on this day, the Feast of Pentecost, God's Spirit became available to those who accepted the truths of God and made the decision to follow God's ways.  Not everyone who hears the truths of God has become a follower of Jesus Christ.  Not everyone who says they believe Jesus Christ has made the choice to obey the laws of God.  Jesus Christ explains the choice to follow Him and the benefits of that choice. We usually read this during Passover.  John 14:15-18    15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.  There was an opportunity for us to get to know God.  God will send his Spirit to us if we love God and keep his commandments.

The Day of Pentecost described in Acts two when the people came together and celebrated, as they normally would have, the Feast of Weeks that we read about in Leviticus twenty-three and Deuteronomy sixteen.  God poured out his Holy Spirit on that day -- his Helper, the Spirit of Truth, his Power -- directly upon the disciples. From that time, the birth of the modern era of the church -- those who follow God's precepts, repent, are baptized and receive the Holy Spirit-- are joined into the embryonic family of God.

I suspect that every person here who's a first generation Christian can recall the details of what happened when they first heard about true Christianity.  Every one of us has a unique story that we can relate as to how we came to know the truth.  Our story is very personal to us.  We may remember the time and the place or we may remember the people involved, but each one of us has our own story.  Not everyone who's heard the truths of God has chosen to go the way of God.  The way is a journey.  The way is a direction our decisions take us because our lives are that journey and as we make choices, the consequences of those choices point us in the direction of the way.

Today, I'm going to take a look at two people in the Bible who had an opportunity to follow the teachings of God. We're going to look at how and when they resisted God and how different their lives became in their approach to the truths of God.  We're going to compare and contrast their lives and see how we can avoid the pitfalls and emulate or copy their successes.

Today's message has two titles.  You can pick either one you wish.  One title is "The Two Sauls" or you might entitle this message "Kicking Against the Pricks".

If we take a look at Saul the Roman Jew -- he was trained in the law and became a persecutor of Christians.  Books have been written about the life of this Saul who later became the apostle Paul.  Maps have been drawn to show the apostolic journeys of the apostle Paul. Many sermons and articles have been written about him and indeed even books.  Paul's letters, the epistles, are studied each year at the Ambassador Bible Center and many other places.  My purpose today is not to give an exhaustive exposition of the life and works of the apostle Paul in the next forty-five minutes. Instead, we're going to take a look at some of the known facts about this Saul who became Paul and compare and contrast him with the information that we gather from another Saul ...King Saul, who was the first king of Israel about a thousand years before Saul/Paul of the New Testament.

Saul, later called Paul was born in Tarsus of Cilicia.  They called it Anatoli, which we know today as Turkey.  At that time the Romans had established the Roman Empire and it controlled most if not all the countries near the Mediterranean.  We know some of the history of this Saul because he told us and it's recorded for us in the bible.  This is an occasion when there was a near riot, a mob situation in Jerusalem and the people there were looking to do great harm to the one called Paul, earlier called Saul.  A Roman commander came and removed Paul from that mob situation and arrested him and hauled him away.  Acts 22:27-28 Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?”

He said, “Yes.”

28 The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.”

And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.”

You could obtain Roman citizenship by paying a fee or you could obtain citizenship by reason of birth so we know that Paul was a Roman citizen because he said so. Not only was this Paul/Saul a Roman citizen, he was also a Jew.  He was born to Jewish parents and he studied the law under the noted legal teacher Gamaliel.  Acts 22:3  “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today.  Saul was a very learned man. He spoke both Greek and Hebrew.  We know this because there was an incident where Saul/Paul was about to suffer at the hands of that Jerusalem mob --when those Romans hauled him off.  Bear in mind that the Roman Empire ruled the area at that time and they also ruled Egypt.  The main language of the ruling elite of Egypt was Greek.  That was left over from the days when Alexander the Great conquered the area.

Acts 21:37-40 (YLT)  And Paul being about to be led into the castle, saith to the chief captain, `Is it permitted to me to say anything unto thee?' and he said, `Greek dost thou know?  It was a surprise that Paul knew Greek.  It's like saying, "Well, you know Greek!!"    38 art not thou, then, the Egyptian who before these days made an uprising, and did lead into the desert the four thousand men of the assassins?' The captain thought, "Aha, we've really got somebody here!"

39 And Paul said, `I, indeed, am a man, a Jew, of Tarsus of Cilicia, of no mean city a citizen; and I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.'  There's a mob who would like to do him in and yet Paul said he'd like to speak to them.  I don't know that I'd have the courage, but he did at that time.

40 And he having given him leave, Paul having stood upon the stairs, did beckon with the hand to the people, and there having been a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew dialect, saying:  Acts 22:1- 2 `Men, brethren, and fathers, hear my defense now unto you;' --

2 and they having heard that in the Hebrew dialect he was speaking to them, gave the more silence, and he saith, --

This was a very challenging time.  We know that Paul was a very learned man-- speaking in at least two languages and probably more but by his own admission Saul/Paul persecuted Christians.  Saul repeated his admission of guilt:

Acts 26:9-11   “Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.  Paul consented to the death of Stephen, the deacon who was persecuted for being a follower of Jesus Christ.  Stephen gave a sermon in Acts seven.  I won't read the whole sermon, but I will give the aftermath of it.  Stephen's sermon was rather direct and it ended with :  Acts 7:51-58  51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”  Imagine standing up in front of people who wished to do you harm and saying these words.  Can you imagine the fury of the ones who were angered by what Stephen had to say?  He stood up and spoke the truth to those in authority who resisted God.  The people heard the word of God, but they resisted.  They made noise and covered their ears so they couldn't hear more of what Stephen said concerning the truths of God.   54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, (it pricked their conscience) and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; (I've seen it in person where somebody just didn't want to hear something and all of a sudden they lapse into "la la la la la la la". They don't want to hear it because whatever it is is so offensive or so distressing to them. And we read here that that is what they literally did.) 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.(He died.)  Acts 8:1-3 Now Saul was consenting to his death.

At that time a great persecution arose against the church, which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.

3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

One of the chief resisters to the message brought by Jesus Christ, delivered by Christ's followers was Saul the Roman Jew a man who was powerful and learned; a man who chased down the followers of Christ thinking that he did God a favor by persecuting the Christians to their deaths.  But it wasn't enough to persecute the Christians only in Jerusalem.  Saul went far beyond Jerusalem. Saul explained in his own words what he did.  Acts 22:4-5   I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, 5 as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.  This is how Saul/Paul came to be traveling on the road to Damascus.  What happened on that road changed history.  Acts 9:1-5   (This is a different writer not Saul/Paul) Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”  That's the NKJV in several other translations of the Bible, it leaves out that part interestingly enough.  The KJV words it very similarly, Acts 9:5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. Young’s Literal Translation: Acts 9:5...hard for thee at the pricks to kick;'

What does it mean, 'kicking against the pricks' or the 'goads'?  Why is kicking against the pricks or goads a bad thing?  If we look back in history, at the time of the judges and the Philistines or when other enemies would conquer the people of Israel, they would institute arms control.  One in particular, as we recall the story of Samson or in fact many of the judges... when they were occupied by the Philistines or others, they instituted arms control.  Samson didn't have the weapons to fight with nor did any of the Israelites and so we know that they were under control of the Philistines.  Judges 15:11  Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this you have done to us?”  The Philistines were exacting tribute from Israel at that time.  They needed money and goods from Israel, but no metal armaments were permitted to the Israelites.  1 Sam.13: 19 Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.” 20 But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle; 21 and the charge for a sharpening was a pim (a unit of currency) for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to set the points of the goads.  In their arms control, they didn't allow the weapons... they could only allow agricultural implements and even then they wouldn't allow them to sharpen them.  The Philistines had the grinding stones and in Israel no blacksmiths were permitted in the land.

We can read of a time when Samson rose up against some of the Philistines.  Judges 15: 15 (AMP) He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out and took his hand and killed a thousand men with it. He didn't have a sword.  He didn't have other weapons, but he found a weapon or made use of that weapon.

Disarming people in order to control them is a standard action of dictators and occupying forces.  There were a hundred million or perhaps more who were killed in the twentieth century, the last century following arms control and the turning away from God.  We read about Lenin and Stalin killing twenty to forty million of their own countrymen in what became the Soviet Union and the greater Russia.  Mao Tse-Tung in China killed thirty to forty million of his own people.  Adolph Hitler killed six to seven million Jews and many more --over ten million people.  Pol Pot of Cambodia, as recorded in "The Killing Fields" booked up to seven million people that he had killed. This is not an uncommon circumstance for an occupying force or a totalitarian force to disarm the people and cause them great harm.

So at the time of the judges in Israel, iron tools for agriculture were restricted by the conquerors.

What is a prick or a goad anyway?  Jesus Christ said it's hard to kick against the pricks or hard to kick against the goads.  When you have an oxen pulling a cart, sometimes the ox doesn't want to go forward -- it wants to go backwards.  So they put a device so that sharp points would stick out of the front of the cart.  Then if the ox backed into it, it would poke its backside and if he backed up he would be stimulated to rethink his position and perhaps go forward -- certainly not back up. Because wood would so readily splinter -- because oxen can be a thousand or two thousand pounds... I have seen three thousand pound oxen that are six feet tall at the shoulders.  We don't know the size of them, but certainly, the principle is the same -- that if they backed up and felt a poking sensation they ought to go forward. Goads can also be carried by their handlers in the form of a stick.  Of course, a stick can be easily broken or not sharp and then wouldn't yield the same sensations so what they would do is put metal points on these goads -- whether they were on the carts or on the end of a stick.  So, if they backed up they would go into the goads or if they wouldn't go forward the operator or driver of the cart or the plowman would poke the oxen in the backside with a little metal-pointed goad and of course a dull one wouldn't mean much.

Those of you who have been raised with cattle as I have, know that some don't listen very well and don't go forward when you want them to.  In the beef feedlot that our family has had, we'd load the cattle out and we'd squeeze them up to get them onto the trailer and sometimes one of them would leave a foot sticking out of the trailer and just wouldn't pull it up into there.  We used a modern-day form of a goad which consisted of about five D batteries and an electric prod right onto the foot and they were very, very motivated to pull that foot up and move forward into the trailer.  It's truly remarkable.  It was the modern-day goad.  In ancient times they didn't have the batteries and electric sensations for the cattle.  There are other examples today that we use to keep people from backing up.  I used to travel a lot for a living and I would go a lot through airports all over the country and rent a car.  Car rental agencies would have several entrances, but only one exit. It was a one-way deal because little metal prongs were sticking up. If you went forward, they would bend down.  You could go in any entrance, but you could only go out one way and the prongs wouldn't stick up as long as you went forward.  This caused a real bottleneck because they were making sure you had properly rented your vehicle.

Nobody is suggesting that Saul/Paul was actually kicking against the cattle goads spoken about here or that someone was poking him with a literal one.  The term is used rhetorically, just as the oxen were kept from backing up.  Luke 17:32 (NIV) Remember Lot's wife.  This very short verse tells us it's not a good idea to back up. Don't go back.

There's another aspect about kicking against the pricks.  I was raised on a dairy farm with thirty-eight stanchions in the barn.  The cows were all head to head.  There was a common manger in the middle of them, so when we fed them grain or fed them hay, we would go down there with a wheelbarrow in the common manger and feed them grain and after the grain was done, we could feed them hay.  The cows could toss the hay back and forth from one side to the next, but their backsides were all pointing out and there would be an aisle behind them and we would bed them with straw and in the winter they had to stay in the barn most of the time.  They were only let out for exercise for about half an hour in the winter because in Minnesota, it gets cold.  The cows got used to standing a lot in the barn.   Every farm wouldn't be a dairy farm if they didn't have cats.  The cats like to find a nice warm place in the barn.  The barn is a nice warm place so the cats would live in the barn instead of outside and the cats learned that when a cow lay in the straw and the cow would get up... the cat could go curl into that spot where the cow had just laid down because cows are warmer than humans-- about 101 degrees Fahrenheit body temperature.   They learned where the warm places are like when they'll crawl upon the hood of a car.  The cats were used to being in the barn and one day I saw a rather dramatic event.  The cat was crossing underneath the cow, and as cats do the tail was swinging.  The cow was mostly standing there, but every once in a while it would move over just a little bit --pick its feet up and move over just a little.  Just standing in one place gets pretty boring.  As time and chance would have it, the cow moved over just a little bit --maybe an inch at the very time the cat was coming through and the tiny tip of the cat's tail was caught under the hoof of the cow.  The cat, having a mainline nerve ending on the end of its tail that sent signals straight to the brain, was very upset about this and didn't know what the problem was but it couldn't get away. It screamed.  I was four or five feet away watching this.  So, the cat turns around with all four claws to attack whatever horrible monster is attacking him.  The cat uses all four claws and jumps at the offending thing, which is the leg of the cow.  NOW the cow knows what's going on because now all the claws are gripping in and the claws are fully extended, so the cow begins to kick against the pricks.  The cow lifts her leg and starts shaking it woom, woom, woom, woom, woom.  The cat now has a new problem.  It's scared half to death. Before, it had a hurt tail -- probably still hurts-- and now it's hanging on for dear life so it claws in even deeper and the cow kicks away even harder.  The cat is hanging on even more until they both become exhausted and the cat flops off.  The cow found that what it was doing was unhelpful and that kicking against the pricks didn't do it any good-- it was unhelpful to solve the problem.  

Jesus Christ admonished Saul to quit kicking against the pricks.  Did He literally mean Saul/Paul should stop kicking against sharpened pointed sticks?  Of course not. He was speaking rhetorically to Saul in an analogy that Saul could clearly understand -- that if you fight against Christ that it's much like an ox backing into the goad or pricks.  It will be unsuccessful and it will hurt you.

Kicking against the pricks or against the goads means putting up resistance against what God wants.  I want to read this verse in the New Life Version that slightly rewords it.  Acts 9:4-5   He fell to the ground. Then he heard a voice say, “Saul, Saul, why are you working so hard against Me?” 5 Saul answered, “Who are You, Lord?” He said, “I am Jesus, the One Whom you are working against. You hurt yourself by trying to hurt Me.”

As a boy, I was playing in the yard with my brother.  It was summer and I was an elementary school student.  It was really too hard to hit the softball with the bat because it was so small.  I had this great idea that I would try to hit something a little easier than this small softball so I gave a basketball to my brother he could pitch to me.  That was big and I could use the bat on the basketball.  Then when he pitched the basketball to me instead of the softball, I swung that bat for all it was worth and the bat smacked into that basketball -- I did a great job, I was able to hit that... no question.  But, unfortunately for me at that age, I was unlearned in the laws of physics.  The mass and inertia of the basketball was greater than the mass and inertia of the softball bat.  When I swung the bat and connected with the basketball, I did congratulate myself on a good hit for a moment but then the bat came bouncing back and smacked me in the head.  The blow split open my eyebrow and a great deal of blood came forth and at some point I was hauled off to the doctor where I was stitched up.  Just like my mighty swing at the basketball caused the bat to bounce back and hurt me, Saul did not realize that all the effort he was doing to hurt Christians would ultimately end up hurting him.

Let's take a look at that verse in the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition which really puts some life into it. It expands the understanding.  Acts 9:4-5   And he fell to the ground. Then he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me [harassing, troubling, and molesting Me]?

5 And Saul said, Who are You, Lord? And He said, I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting. It is dangerous and it will turn out badly for you to keep kicking against the goad [to offer vain and perilous resistance].  

Let's continue on with the narrative here about Saul's experience on the road to Damascus. Acts 9:6-7 NKJV  6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”  Does that sound familiar?  Remember that earlier sermon that we heard where people said, "What should we do?"  When they come to that point where they're willing to understand and listen to God and they're attention is fully gotten they ask, "What do you want me to do?"   Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. 8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.  Certainly, that had to have made an impression upon Saul.  I've not been three days without sight nor three days without eating or drinking... well, the eating or drinking perhaps... but not without the sight.

It was after that he met with Ananias in Damascus -- one of the people Saul went there to imprison or do worse to.   Acts 9:10-12 (NKJV) 10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”

And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

11 So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.  That's interesting.  If you were blind for three days and you had nothing to eat, nothing to drink and you had limited understanding as to what in the world happened to you except you had a pretty good idea that a deity had spoken to you -- would you also be praying?  Saul did.  He was praying-- in other words, you recognized the Fellow.   12 And in a vision, he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”  We can read on through that experience what the expectations were and how Saul changed his life.  Acts 9:19-20 (NKJV)  19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. 20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.  He gained strength, but they were still suspicious of him because he had a reputation for being unkind, even to the death.

We know then that Saul was called Paul after that road- to- Damascus experience.  Acts 13:9 YLT   And Saul -- who also [is] Paul -- having been filled with the Holy Spirit, and having looked stedfastly on him, This was a time when Saul, then named Paul was dealing head-on with a magician and was able to discern that.

From that time forward, Saul then known as Paul went on to be taught by Christ He made at least three missionary journeys, wrote numerous epistles -- over a dozen, that became the books of the New Testament.  He was beaten, imprisoned, and shipwrecked.  We can read in his own words some of what happened to him when he was challenged.  We can read what Paul said about his own life.  He was challenged and in return he challenged others. 2 Cor. 11:23 Are they ministers of Christ? — I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, (he was whipped so many times, he couldn't count them.) in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. (His life was threatened often.) 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?

30 If I must boast, I will boast in the things, which concern my infirmity. (His weaknesses) 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, (He explains one of his circumstances.) desiring to arrest me; (They were watching carefully for him.) 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.  There were all these circumstances, and I suspect they weren't all detailed here -- that there were many close shaves.  He said he was near death many a time and in much peril.  The Bible doesn't later reveal the exact nature of Paul's death, but some historians believe Paul was beheaded by the Roman emperor, Nero.  Paul wrote these words knowing that the end of his life was near:  2 Tim. 4:6 6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.  Paul understood the plan of God.  He understood that the mercy and salvation offered by God not only extended to him but to all of mankind who love and follow God.  

There was another man named Saul who was also selected by God and this Saul was selected to be the first king over the nation of Israel.  This was during the period of the judges and the people of Israel were occupied by their enemies and wanted a king to deliver them. They wanted a king like other countries around them.  God warned the people through the prophet Samuel what would happen if they had a king, nevertheless, the people wanted a king anyway.  Samuel warned them that having a king would not be a good thing because previous to that they had had judges and prophets to throw off the oppression when it was bad.

1 Sam. 8:6-8-21   But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works, which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. 9 Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”  It really didn't matter which king.  It appears that any king would do this.  10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king. 11 And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. (Make them his personal servants.) 14 And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.[In other words, he will redistribute your wealth.] 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. 16 And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take a tenth of your sheep.  And you will be his servants. 18 And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”   They were making the decision, and it's going to be hard for them.  19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”  They wanted a leader.

21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the Lord. 22 So the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king.”

And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go to his city.”  He was telling them to gather by their tribes.  If we move on, we see that Samuel anointed a particular person from the tribe of Benjamin. (1 Sam. 9)  He chose a young man of the tribe of Benjamin named Saul.  He said he was handsome and he was a head taller than everyone else so that when they lined everyone up, he would be obvious... he would be a tall fellow.  He was from a small family in a small tribe.  1 Sam. 9:15-17 15 Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying, 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; (if they wanted someone to be king, God would give them a king.) for I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.”  God gave them what they wanted.  17 So when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, “There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people.”

The reason Saul was out was because there were three donkeys that his father had lost and he sent the future king Saul out to find the donkeys and he took a servant with him.  They weren't exactly the poorest family, but they were a working family.  The two of them were out looking for the donkeys.  1 Sam. 9:31 21 And Saul answered (after Samuel spoke to him) and said, “Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least (not many members) of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?”  Saul didn't see himself as being worthy of being a king or a military leader.  He was small in his own eyes.  Samuel then anointed Saul to become king and he gave Saul specific instructions as to what to do in the assumption of kingship.  1 Sam. 10:1   Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: “Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance? (his people)   After being anointed, King Saul was reluctant to secure his kingship.   He didn't loudly proclaim it saying, "Whoo, Whoo, I'm the king!"  Instead, he went home.  He was looking for donkeys and he was told to go home.  Samuel told him, "Don't worry, the donkeys have been found. They're more worried about you and where you are."

When the newly anointed King Saul got home, he talked to his uncle.  1 Sam.10:14-16  14 Then Saul’s uncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?”

So he said, “To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel.”

15 And Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me, please, what Samuel said to you.”

16 So Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him what Samuel had said.

Saul was reluctant to say anything about his anointing.  He was small in his own eyes. He simply didn't see himself as a king.  1 Sam. 10:17-20,22-27 17 Then Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah, 18 and said to the children of Israel, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.’ 19 But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us!’ Now therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.”

20 And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen.   22 Therefore they inquired of the Lord further, “Has the man come here yet?”  They couldn't find him. Saul was hiding. Vs. 20 cont'd. And the Lord answered, “There he is, hidden among the equipment.”    23 So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?”

So all the people shouted and said, “Long live the king!”

25 Then Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty (what you're supposed to do), and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. (It was time to go home.) 26 And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some rebels said, “How can this man save us?” So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.  These men didn't respect him because he didn't have the actions of what they thought a king should be like, after all he was hiding.  He just didn't seem to have that kingly demeanor to them.  Saul appears to be embarrassed and afraid of what was coming --so he hid.  He went back to his farm.

Like King Saul, do we sometimes feel reluctant to take up the calling that God has offered to us?  Are we embarrassed that God has called each of us for some special purpose?

Later in Saul's life, when there was an imminent threat of attack in one of the cities by an invading army, Saul was indignant at the thought of what they were proposing.  They said they were going to kill them all, but we'll make a deal:  If you'll choose not to fight so we don't have to lose so many people... we'll still enslave you and gouge out the right eye of every man and take all the women to ourselves and take all your stuff, but at least you'll still be alive. They sent runners out to tell all the other tribes that they were being invaded.  Saul was a bit indignant about that and didn't think that was right and he slaughtered an ox and sent pieces of it all over Israel and told them that if they didn't come to help save their brethren in this city -- this is what's going to happen to you... you will also be slaughtered.  He was speaking perhaps literally that they would be slaughtered.  Certainly figuratively, he would be unhappy.  They decisively defeated the enemy and King Saul was formally invested as king.  In First Samuel twelve, Samuel warned the people that they and the king (at this formal time when Saul assumed the kingship and serving not just as the leader of the army), that the king must follow the commandments of God and obey or the king would suffer.   Samuel made it clear, "You've got to follow God."  He didn't say to the people that they had to follow the king no matter what.  He said to the people that they had to follow God no matter what and the king has to follow God no matter what.  That's the priority.  Follow God, or you will suffer.

Back in First Samuel ten, Samuel had given Saul some specific instructions regarding sacrifices.  After Saul had been king for a couple of years, he raised a standing army of about three thousand people.  He had raised three hundred thirty thousand earlier to fight against that invading army but everybody had gone home, but he wanted to keep a standing army.  It makes you look good as a king but a standing army has to have food to eat and horses and chariots, etc. ...so, there was a lot that accompanied the standing army.  Before they would go into battle, the instructions were that they had to make sacrifices to God.  Samuel had explained that when this occurred, that Saul would have to wait seven days and then Samuel would show up and conduct the sacrifices.  King Saul got impatient when Samuel didn't show up after those expected seven days had passed, so Saul decided to usurp the position of the Levites and offer the sacrifices himself. He was worried because his standing army was deserting him.  They were leaving because they thought Saul didn't really have the support of Samuel, so we don't see God's hand behind this and 'we're not going to hang around for the slaughter.' 1 Sam. 13:13-14 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly.   You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

Unfortunately, Saul had made the decision to do his own thing.  He alienated himself from God and separated himself from being close to God. There are other stories like this... the Amalakites, etc.

James 4:7-8 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  King Saul wanted it both ways.  He wanted to be the king and do it his way, but he wanted God's blessing along the way for it.  King Saul chose to draw close to the dark side and away from God.  He chose to disobey God rather than follow God's way.  You might say that King Saul kicked against the pricks.(Acts 9:5 AMPC  It is dangerous and it will turn out badly for you to keep kicking against the goad [to offer vain and perilous resistance].)  It did turn out badly for King Saul.  He lost the authority for his kingship- another was anointed to be king in his place- and then King Saul turned further and further away from God toward the dark side, even consulting a medium.

Ultimately King Saul lost his life, wounded in battle and then killed himself to avoid the ignominious capture, torture and death from being caught by his enemy.  1 Sam. 31:  Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons. (Three sons died there.) 3 The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers.

4 Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.”  He was referring to those who were not of the tribe of Israel.  You see, they didn't always just conveniently kill the king.  They would like to display him and they would torture him and he understood that.  He was wanting to avoid that and he was hoping against hope that his armor bearer would kill him so it would save him the indignity of going through that.

But his armor bearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it.  In other words, he committed suicide. 

The Bible tells us much of the details about the lives of these two famous Israelites who bore the same name, one in the Old Testament, King Saul son of Kish, the other in the New Testament Saul of Tarsus who became the great apostle Paul to the Gentiles. Both men were of the tribe of Benjamin but in life and character, they were in marked contrast, even physically there seemed to have been interesting differences. One was tall and attractive and personable and the other in his own words was unattractive.  2 Cor. 10:1 ...who in presence am lowly among you,..  2 Cor.10: 10 “For his letters,” they say, (he was quoting others) “are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.”  That would be awkward to come up and say, "My bodily presence is weak and my speech is contemptible, that's what they think of me."  They didn't say that about King Saul.  Some of the contrasts are that one received a kingship in answer to the voice of the people.  The other was a chosen vessel to serve God.   Acts 9:15   But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.  One gained this world's possessions only to lose them.

The other one suffered the loss of all things, but gained eternal riches.  Phil. 3:  7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ..  He was willing to give up everything for the work of God.  The third contrast:  one began well, which of course was King Saul but he died a defeated man in suicide. Saul of Tarsus began badly.  He was killing and dragging off Christians to prison, men and women.  In Acts 9:1-2 He was breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord and getting letters to haul them off to prison.  But that Saul who was renamed Paul became a victor in the eternal perspective as we read about him understanding the plan of God and how he could take part in it.  The fourth contrast:  One was once a kind, humble and genial man.  We read that about King Saul, but then that King Saul grew harsh and implacable and proud in spirit.  The Saul of Tarsus who became Paul was once hateful and murderous by his own admission.  1 Tim. 1:13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.  

There are other references as well.  That man became wholly possessed of God's love and showed his concern for others.  You can read that through many of the epistles... particularly Second Corinthians five.  One of them degenerated into a fearful and hesitating person and was full of mental torment.  We read about that in 1 Samuel 14. Yet, the other Saul was bold and positive in the faith.  Rom. 1:16 1 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.  2 Timothy 1:12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.  We read some of the difficulties he had to master and the challenges he had to go through simply to survive as a believer in God's ways.  One of them was rejected by God.  The other was caught up into glory by God.  The seventh contrast:  One was the object of pity and one became the object of loving admiration.  The eighth contrast:  One fell on his own sword, a suicide and the other became an offering to the Lord.  2 Timothy 4:6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. According to our understanding of history Saul/Paul became a martyr for Christ, being killed by the sword.  The ninth contrast:  One was deliberately disobedient to God's word, which he knew and lost an earthly crown.  King Saul was given the truth, but turned his back on it.  Saul/Paul of Tarsus, once he understood the truth, chose to become obedient to the best of his ability and then gained a heavenly crown.

The lives of these two men -- these two Sauls about a thousand years apart are examples set forth for us regarding the consequences of the sin of disobedience and the blessing of wholeheartedly following God.  Which Saul do we most represent?  Which one do we most resemble?

God chose King Saul, but King Saul did not choose God.  King Saul kicked against the pricks.  Saul of the New Testament who became the apostle Paul also kicked against the pricks but he ultimately responded to the calling of God.  So the lesson from these two Sauls is to follow the instructions of God and quit kicking against the pricks.