Psalm 119:161-168
"Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them." Psalm 119:165 KJV
This is a verse that all believers should memorize, and all believers should practice. If we will determine to love God's Word (which includes reading it, meditating on it, trying to understand and obey it!), we will not be easily offended.
This portion gives a number of blessings that come from God's word:
1) Rejoicing like one who discovers a great treasure. v. 162 If you found a buried treasure in your yard or if you struck oil or found gold, you would surely rejoice. This is how we are to feel about God's Word.
2) Praise. v. 164
3) Peace. v. 165
4) Rescue. v. 166
Acts 9:1-9
Again we meet Saul--he who was consenting to the stoning of Stephen and the one at whose feet those stone throwers laid their coats. He is still threatening imprisonment and even murder toward the believers. As he traveled toward Damascus with the full permission of the high priest to arrest any and all Christians, he saw a light from heaven and heard a voice saying, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?...I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do." The men with Saul also heard the voice but saw no one. When Saul rose, for he had fallen to the ground, he was blind. His companions led him on to Damascus. "He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink."
God was obviously working a miracle in Saul's life. I wonder how much he had been influenced by Stephen's testimony which was certainly dramatic. (See the end of Acts 7 and the beginning of Acts 8). Other believers whom he persecuted may also have had a testimony which may have helped to break down Saul's resistance to God and pave the way for his conversion. As we work our way through Acts, we will see others who were a positive force in Saul's life.
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