Acts 26:1-18 Lesson 279

Acts 26:1-18
Lesson 279

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Prisoner Paul defends himself before King Agrippa.

Paul's commission (26:16-18).

The conversion of Paul.
By British artist Sir Peter Francis Lewis Bourgeois (1753-1811).

Study Tip:

Find the truth in each passage of the Bible.
Ponder how that truth is relevant to you.
Work on applying that truth into your life.

The Acts of the Apostles

The King James Bible

Acts 26:1-18
Paul before Agrippa

1 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself:

2I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews:

3 Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.

4 My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;

5 Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

6 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God, unto our fathers:

7 Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.

8 Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?

9 I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

10 Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.

11 And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.

12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,

13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.

14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;

17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Margin notes:

"Paul stretched forth the hand." (26:1) - A theatrical move designed to grab the attention of the crowd.

"I think myself happy." (26:2) - "I think I'm lucky."

"I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews." (26:3) - King Agrippa was a Jew and well versed in Jewish law and customs.  As the Roman appointed king, he served as the liaison between Rome and the Jews and had jurisdiction over the Temple treasury and all Temple affairs. He even appointed the high priests.

"After the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee." (26:5) - Paul was trained as a Pharisee. Of the four Jewish sects, the Pharisees were the strictest.

"The promise made of God, unto our fathers." (26:6) - For a sampling of God's promises, read Genesis 22:18, 26:4, Deuteronomy 18:15, Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7, Jeremiah 23:5-6, 33:14, Ezekiel 34:23, Daniel 7:13-14, Micah 5:2, Malachi 3:1, Acts 3:22-24, and Titus 2:13.

"Twelve tribes." (26:7) - There are twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28; Revelation 21:12).

"Hope to come." (26:7) - The hope of the resurrection (Philippians 3:11).

"I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth." (26:9) - Paul thought he was doing God's work when he had Christians arrested or killed, just as Jesus predicted (John 15:21; 16:2).

"Saints." (26:10) - "Christians" (1 Corinthians 1:2).

"Compelled them to blaspheme." (26:11) - Before his conversion, Paul forced Christians to renounce Jesus or be tortured.

"Strange cities." (26:11) - "Foreign cities."

"As I went to Damascus." (26:12) - Read Acts 9:1-20 for a full account of Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.

"The Hebrew tongue." (26:14) - The Jewish language was Aramaic in the first century.

"Why persecutest thou me?" (26:14) - People who oppress Christians persecute Christ. Paul persecuted Jesus by hunting down believers.  How do we persecute Jesus? "Obstinacy and self-will will always stab Jesus Christ. It may hurt no one else, but it wounds His Spirit. Whenever we are obstinate and self-willed and set upon our own ambitions, we are hurting Jesus."  ("My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio)

"It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." (26:14) - A common proverb in Paul's day. Farmers used long pointed metal poles called pricks to herd and control livestock. If cattle resisted the farmers by kicking back at the prick, they only hurt themselves. By persecuting Christians, Paul was resisting God's authority and thus, hurting himself.

"Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee." (26:17) - "Saving you from your own people (Jews), and from the Gentiles (non-Jews). Here, Paul is being commissioned to preach to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; Romans 11:13; 1 Timothy 2:7).

"To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." (26:18) - This one sentence sums up the entire New Testament and the reason Jesus was crucified.

New Living Translation

Acts 26:1-18

1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You may speak in your defense."

So Paul, gesturing with his hand, started his defense:

2 "I am fortunate, King Agrippa, that you are the one hearing my defense today against all these accusations made by the Jewish leaders,

3 for I know you are an expert on all Jewish customs and controversies. Now please listen to me patiently!

4 "As the Jewish leaders are well aware, I was given a thorough Jewish training from my earliest childhood among my own people and in Jerusalem.

5 If they would admit it, they know that I have been a member of the Pharisees, the strictest sect of our religion.

6 Now I am on trial because of my hope in the fulfillment of God's promise made to our ancestors.

7 In fact, that is why the twelve tribes of Israel zealously worship God night and day, and they share the same hope I have. Yet, Your Majesty, they accuse me for having this hope!

8 Why does it seem incredible to any of you that God can raise the dead?

9 "I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus the Nazarene.

10 Indeed, I did just that in Jerusalem. Authorized by the leading priests, I caused many believers there to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death.

11 Many times I had them punished in the synagogues to get them to curse Jesus. I was so violently opposed to them that I even chased them down in foreign cities.

12 "One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests.

13 About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions.

14 We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.'

15 "'Who are you, lord?' I asked.

"And the Lord replied, 'I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.

16 Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. You are to tell the world what you have seen and what I will show you in the future.

17 And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles

18 to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God's people, who are set apart by faith in me.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Question:

1. To open who's eyes? (26:18)

Please forward this lesson to others.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. Paul was sent by Jesus to open everyone's eyes. Paul was commissioned to tell Jew and Gentile that Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind (Isaiah 49:6), regardless of race, ethnic background, language, age, gender, or place of origin. Jesus is Lord and brings hope to the world.

Application thought for the day:

By sharing his faith with the judges and high officials, Paul set an excellent example for Christians.
Ask God to introduce you to someone who needs the Gospel in their life.

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2022 evolke

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