DON’T KICK
Acts 9:3-6 NKJV
As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
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.”
So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, 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.”
This was the famous Damascus road experience of Saul, who would later be known as the apostle Paul. A bright light from heaven surrounded them. And Saul and his traveling party fell to the ground. The light must have been powerful with a force behind it. The words Jesus spoke to Saul were revealing on a few levels.
Jesus asked why Saul was persecuting Him. Not why are you persecuting my church or even my family. Not why are you persecuting believers. No, Jesus asked why Saul was persecuting Him. Jesus identified with the believers so strongly that He took the attacks as personal. When Saul asked, "Who are you, Lord?” Jesus once again identified with His followers by declaring that Saul was persecuting Him. Jesus did not mince words. Jesus never spoke in hyperbole. Jesus strongly identified with those who believed in Him.
And the next phrase is actually left out of many modern translations. “It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” This was a well-known metaphor of that day. A goad was a long pole with a sharp metal point on the end. Whenever an ox was moving too slowly, a goad was used to prick them in the hindquarters. If an ox got rebellious and kicked back against the goad, it would only hurt the ox as the goad would sink deeper into their upper legs. If you were a smart ox, you did not kick against the goad. This was a proverb of the day that was used to reference someone resisting a superior power or destiny. When you resisted a higher power, a stronger power, you were only going to hurt yourself. Jesus was emphasizing to Saul that resisting Him was not going to turn out well.
Saul caught on quickly. What do you want me to do was a great question. Jesus told him to get up and go into the city, and it would be told him what to do. I heard a preacher once give a great message on going into the city. This preacher was pointing out that you have to obey the Lord on the first thing before He will tell you what is next. That’s a message for another day, but it’s a great point. It turned out well for Saul. He would go on to be an outstanding ambassador for Christ all over the known world.
APPLICATION
Jesus identifies with us. We are not separate from Him. We are the Body of Christ, and He takes that seriously. It’s still hard to kick against God’s plan and will. If the Lord is nudging you in an area, go that way. If you need help obeying, ask Him for more grace, but don’t kick against God or His plan for you. That is where things get hard. And if you are searching for direction, make sure you have done the things the Lord has instructed you to do. Often, a new direction does not come until we obey the first things. So, figuratively speaking, we all have to arise and go into the city.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to do Your will for my life. Show me if there is something I have not followed through with. I don’t want to kick against Your plan.