Lead:
Perhaps the most dramatic conversion event in history raises a great apologetics question.
Intro:
Did you know that in ancient Israel — and in the Ancient Near East for that matter — that monogamy was the norm (versus polygamy)? I’m not sure I ever stopped to think about it, but when I read that I realized that I probably would have imagined polygamy to be more prevalent.
One thing that prevented polygamy was simply money. I guess one wife is expensive enough! Seriously, apparently one of the reasons for polygamy was for progeny, and as you might imagine, a barren womb didn’t help out a gal’s social status.
I say that because that explains a bit of the tension that we get to as we get rolling into 1 Samuel (which, BTW, with 2 Samuel was all one book in the Hebrew bible).
With that, we turn our gaze to Acts 9 in which we read about one dramatic conversion event — and I’ll drop one little apologetics nugget on you as we do so…asking the question, “What would have had to happen for Saul to instantly go from persecuting and arresting Christians to becoming one?” It’s not likely he “just” encountered some new philosophy that he thought was better. We know Paul was probably martyred, and people don’t suffer like that for something they know to be a lie. No, he encountered something worth dying for. May we have the same conviction.
Sponsor:
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New covenant:
Passage: Acts 9
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 43
Words: ~1002
Wisdom:
Passage: none today
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses:
Words: ~
Old covenant:
Passage: 1 Samuel 1-2
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 64
Words: ~1906
Commentary:
Love you!
-Roger
ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources and resources:
(1) David S. Dockery, ed., Holman Bible Handbook (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 1992), 340.