Dr Paul Allen

  So was Paul really the world’s worst sinner?” Paul said, The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:15–16) So the claim really does seem to mean foremost among all sinners, not just a little group, because he is comparing himself with all those whom Christ came to save. He says, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” and among that group, “I am the foremost.” That’s all sinners — at least all at that time. Foremost Sinner? The Greek word behind the English word “foremost” is prōtos, which simply means “first.” I’m first. It’s used 155 times in the New Testament, almost always meaning first temporally. Well, Paul doesn’t mean that. He doesn’t mean temporally, as if there were no...

Ever had a lightbulb moment? Well, I keep coming across a “sticky” misconception that God (specifically, Jesus) changed the name of an important figure we now typically refer to as “Saint Paul.” In a recent sermon, I heard: “Just like Saul, the persecutor can become Paul, the apostle, God is gracious to us.” On an exam, one of my brightest students wrote: “It is Saul, who is re-named as Paul, who is the primary messenger of the gospel.” A church member asked me, “Wait, you mean Jesus didn’t change Saul’s name to Paul on the Damascus Road?” The problem is that such a view, however common, isn’t accurate. I hate to ruin the fun. Popular But Unbiblical I’m unclear on the origins of this idea—though some industrious person has no doubt studied it—but it seems this Saul-renamed-Paul notion is a clever re-reading of an Old Testament storyline onto that of the great apostle. As is well known, God prominently changed the names of two Old Testament patriarchs: Abram to Abraham (Gen. 17:5) and J...

The circumstances in which David wrote these words were anything but good (1 Samuel 19). When David cried out — “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! — it was despite what he was suffering, not because he was being flooded with blessings. He was resolved, no matter what came, no matter how hard life got, no matter who betrayed or assaulted him, “I will bless the Lord at all times.” Anything but Good David had not yet been crowned king (2 Samuel 5). He was being ruthlessly hunted by the current king of Israel, a man of incredible power and resources (and even more jealousy and anger). As the crowds sang, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7), Saul’s blood boiled and gave birth to a craving to kill the prized son of Jesse. Saul sent men after David to kill him, but they loved David (1 Samuel 19:1). So, in a moment of rage, he launched his own spear at the young man (19:10). David narrowly escapes and flees. If the enemy at home ...

The question presupposes that there are only two options—that he was talking to the real Samuel or to a demon. The Philistines threatened war in the Jezreel Valley. Out of fear Saul sought a word from the LORD. Ironically, Saul, who had once despised the LORD’S will (14:18–19; 15:26), could not discover it now that he desperately needed it (compare 28:16). When God refused to answer Saul through legitimate means, Saul sought a spiritual medium (28:1–7). By deceiving the witch at Endor, Saul convinced her to bring Samuel from the dead. Much to her surprise, the appearance was a genuine one, and by it, she discovered Saul’s true identity. God intervened in an unprecedented way and actually sent Samuel to prophesy Saul’s judgment (compare 15:27–29). Samuel condemned Saul to death because he “did not obey the LORD” (28:18). So great was Saul’s despondency that he could not continue. At the urging of Saul’s men and the sorceress, he took food to strengthen himself for his travel (28:...

Despite popular belief, Saul did not become Paul on the road to Damascus. Those are simply two versions of the same name: Saul the Hebrew version, Paul the Roman. However, what did change when Christ appeared to Paul—and it’s perhaps the most overlooked part of the story— was Paul’s eschatology. In Paul’s encounter with Christ, he saw the end breaking into the present. Paul, his vision was nothing less than “a day of the Lord.” What is “a day of the Lord”? “Day of the Lord” terminology is grounded in the Old Testament. A day of the Lord is an event when he comes in righteous and merciful judgment. While the prophets referred to many “days of the Lord,” in their near future, these all foreshadowed one climactic and final “Day.” Historic and localized events in Israel’s history such as famine, war, and exile all predicted the ultimate Day. In this climactic Day of the Lord, he will visit the world to vindicate his people, judge the nations, and establish his kingdom of peace (e.g....

So Saul established his sovereignty over Israel , and fought against all his enemies on every side (1 Sam. 14:47a). In the concluding verses of 1 Samuel 14, we find a summary of Saul’s reign, or at least of his early years as king. Interestingly, the general tone of this summation is positive. Despite the fact that Samuel has told Saul he will not have a dynasty because of his unlawful sacrifice (13:9–14), Saul seems devoted to his duties as the commander of the armies of Israel. He “establishes his sovereignty over Israel,” we are told, meaning he draws the tribes of Israel together into a national unit capable of standing up to (or at least harassing) the other powers around the region. Furthermore, he builds Israel’s army by scouting out and drafting “any strong man or any valiant man,” just as Samuel had said the king would do (8:11). And Saul leads Israel in battle against many of its hostile neighbors, including Moab , Ammon, Edom, Zobah , Amalek , and, above all, the...

But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and Worthless, that they utterly destroyed (1 Sam. 15:9). We come now to one of the pivotal chapters of 1 Samuel . Here, Saul’s true nature is decisively revealed, which leads to his rejection as king and sets the stage for the rise of God ’s choice for the throne. It begins when Samuel comes to Saul for the first time since Saul offered his unlawful sacrifice and Samuel pronounced God’s judgment upon him (13:9–15). Naturally, he comes with a message for Saul from God. Lest Saul in anger reject him before he can speak his message, Samuel begins by reminding Saul that he was the one who anointed Saul as king. He is pointing out that he is God’s instrument, and Saul therefore should listen well to his words. The message is straightforward—God desires to punish the Amalekites for ambushing t...

Apparition of the spirit of Samuel to Saul, by Salvator Rosa, 1668. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Moving on after a person, a hope, or a dream has died can be one of the most difficult challenges of life. It certainly was for Samuel. The prophet Samuel believed that God had chosen Saul as king, but Saul failed God and His people (1 Sam 15:10–35). Now God was ready to select a new king, but Samuel was dragging his feet. Moving forward meant readjusting his expectations about the future and about God’s work in general. God called him out on his hesitancy: “How long will you mourn about Saul? I have rejected him from king over Israel ! Fill up your horn with oil and go” (1 Sam 16:1). Samuel had to learn that things rarely play out the way we think they will. We inevitably end up on a different path than we planned—whether because of our own actions or because God’s route turns in a direction we never anticipated. The key is recognizing the changes when they occur and preparing oursel...

Telamonian Aias is preparing to commit suicide. Reproducing illustration of an antique Greek black-figure amphora (colour litho), depiction by Exekias (530-525 BC) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Death by suicide claims the lives of more than twenty thousand people every year in the United States alone. Our awareness of its frequency is probably less than accurate simply because the obituary often reads, “She died at home,” or, “He died while on a business trip.” But hushing up the means cannot obscure the fact that thousands of people—believers and unbelievers alike—take their own lives. The Bible has some sobering things to say that are pertinent to suicide. SUICIDE BREAKS THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD The sanctity of human life is paramount in the sixth commandment, “ Thou shalt not kill ” (Ex. 20:13). Murder is condemned, and elsewhere in the law every act that endangers human life is condemned, whether the act arise from carelessness ( Deut. 22:8), wantonness (Lev. 19:14), hatred...

Samuel_reproving_Saul (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Did Samuel make a mistake? Was Samuel human like everyone else? ( 1 Samuel 9–11; 13; 15-17).  Do you feel for Saul. He started well but finished badly. According to 1 Samuel 9:2, he was “An impressive young man without equal.” After Saul has been briefly introduced, we immediately start into the story of how Saul and Samuel meet. In verse 9, we are given some parenthetical background information. “Before time in Israel ,” it tells us, “when a man went to enquire of God , thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was before time called a Seer.” The picture we have in 1 Samuel 9–10 is of a good and modest man (compare verse 1 of chapter 9 with verse 21 in the same chapter) who has the wisdom to keep his mouth shut (1 Samuel 10:14–16) and the good sense to at least try avoiding the limelight (1 Samuel 10:21–22). But whether he likes it or not, he’s going to be king, and he’ll hav...