Day 243: Acts 13:4–12

“You son of the Devil, full of all deceit and all fraud, enemy of all righteousness! Won’t you ever stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord?” (v. 10).

Next we pack our bags and join Paul on his first missionary journey! You’ll soon see that the apostle’s life was anything but boring. His many experiences will prove that living and moving in the center of God’s will does not mean we avoid opposition. To the contrary, we often meet challenges because of our choice to follow God! Being a sold-out servant of Jesus Christ requires courage, but—praise His name—He who requires it also supplies it. Throughout this book we have the privilege of learning from the example of a man who knew opposition intimately. His key to victory was knowing the One in charge far more intimately.

Indeed, Saul met some interesting characters in his travels! He got no farther than his second stop when he met a man I’m sure he never forgot. His name was Bar-Jesus (or Elymas). He was the attendant to Sergius Paulus, the proconsul or governor of Cyprus.

Bar-Jesus committed a serious offense against both his supervisor and the kingdom of God. “The proconsul . . . summoned Barnabas and Saul and desired to hear God’s message” (Acts 13:7 hcsb). Bar-Jesus did everything he could to oppose them and keep the proconsul from believing. The apostle rebuked the sorcerer, and God struck him blind.

Here we read that Saul was also called Paul! What a relief! I have tried to refer to him by the name used in whatever Scriptures we were studying. But we are least familiar with his Hebrew name, Saul, and most familiar with his Roman name, Paul. The Scriptures call him Paul from this point on, and so will we.

Paul called Bar-Jesus a “son of the Devil” (Acts 13:10 hcsb). He was actually using a play on words because the name Bar-Jesus in Aramaic means “son of Jesus.” In effect, Paul was saying, “You’re no son of Jesus. You’re a son of the devil!” He not only meant the term to be taken figuratively; he meant it literally, as I hope you will see. The three descriptions given in Scripture (v. 10) support Paul’s accusation against him. Consider how the following phrases Paul used apply to Elymas as well as to Satan:

• Full of deceit. The Greek word means “bait, metaphorically and generally fraud, guile, deceit.” Remember, Bar-Jesus or Elymas was a sorcerer, which meant he was a magus, or presumed wise man, who “specialized in the study of astrology and enchantment.”

• Full of trickery. The word is often used for theft achieved through “wicked schemes or plots.”

• Perverted the right ways of the Lord. The word means “to turn or twist throughout; to distort, pervert, seduce, mislead; to turn away.”

So Paul’s accusation that Bar-Jesus was a “son of the Devil” was quite appropriate. You can imagine Paul came up against the schemes of the enemy many times as he sought to do the will of God. As we study his life, we too can learn to identify the works of darkness and be equipped to stand against them.

Acts 13:11 records the first miracle we see God perform through the apostle Paul. He struck Bar-Jesus blind. Satan is powerful, but he is no match for the Son of God. The proconsul “believed and was astonished at the teaching about the Lord” (Acts 13:12 hcsb). This Greek definition is a favorite. The word “astonished” or “amazed” is the Greek word ekplesso, which means “amazed” only in the sense of knocking one out of his senses. I can’t count the times God has knocked me out of my senses through something He has taught me about Himself.

God wants to amaze us with the wisdom of His Word. He wants to blow our minds and widen our vision! He wants to show us how relevant He is. How can we do our part so He can do His? Serguis Paulus, the proconsul, revealed to us a marvelous link. Ultimately he was “astonished at the teaching about the Lord” (v. 12) because he “desired to hear God’s message” (v. 7 hcsb). He was ready to receive, and God honored the desire of his heart! Let’s learn to pray like the psalmist who said, “Open my eyes so that I may see wonderful things in Your law” (Ps. 119:18 hcsb). He may just blow our minds.

Think of times you’ve picked up your Bible and were interrupted, distracted. How often when you attend a worship service are you distracted while preparing to go, on the way, or at the service? Does your annoyance become anger directed at a child, spouse, or friend? Our anger needs to be directed at the source. When you desire to study God’s Word, Satan will do everything to distract. Ask the Holy Spirit to empower you to recognize the source of your distractions and to channel your anger where it belongs—toward the evil one.