To put it differently, the account of Sauls conversion in Acts 9 is but the first of three accounts, the other two coming from the lips of Paul himself. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 137 The Way is a designation for the new movement used several times in Acts 9:19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22; cf. 150 It is interesting to ponder the identity of these disciples of Saul. Start your free trial today! Later it was the seat of administration of an Assyrian province. Who told Saul to go to the house of Judas on Straight Street? Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: The law will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations (Isaiah 51:4). It is evident in the way he was saved. Many are the plans in a mans heart, But the counsel of the LORD, it will stand (Proverbs 19:21). 2The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed three of his sonsJonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua. 34Peter said to him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. While on his way to Damascus to further persecute Christians, Saul had a dramatic encounter with Jesus Christ that completely transformed his life. Rather than attempt to pacify Ananias or to alleviate his apprehension, God went on to tell him that Saul would not only be a brother, but he would be His instrument for bringing the gospel to Gentiles too. Do not gloat over me, my enemy! His conversion was the beginning of a life-long process of maturing and growth in the Lord. 141 Compare this voice with that in John 12:29. Jesus dealt with Nicodemus (John 3) very differently from the Samaritan woman (John 4). 7The men traveling with him stood there speechless. 5:3-4). So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. No, I worked harder than all of themyet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of Gods grace given me through the working of his power. Many were slaughtered on the slopes of Mount Gilboa. More than that, he had a deep dislike and hostility toward Christians before his conversion. 6So Saul died with his three sons. According to the accounts in the Bible, a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around Saul, causing him to fall to the ground. Just as Saul was stopped short by his blindness, so was Bar-Jesus. Your merchants were the worlds great men. 33There he found a paralyzed man named Aeneas, who had been lying on a mat for eight years. 8They raised Saul up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he could not see anything. 35All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon(AV) saw him and turned to the Lord. In the end, God Himself will provide the illumination so that the sun and the stars will not be needed for this function: The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted (Isaiah 30:26). Then they proclaimed the good news of Sauls death in their pagan temple and to the people throughout the land of Philistia. 42This became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1:12-14). The question must be asked as to whether or not Sauls conversion has a more general application and relevance. 6So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and his troops all died together that same day. (13) As Stephens death, instigated (or at least assisted) by Saul, resulted in an intense and widespread persecution of the churches in Jerusalem and elsewhere, so Sauls conversion seems to have been directly related to the return of peace (cf. But beyond this, his conversion totally changed the remainder of his life. OR WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you (Deuteronomy 28:28-29). For God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all (Romans 11:25-32). 11All the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. 11But when the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all their mighty warriors traveled through the night to Beth-shan and took the bodies of Saul and his sons down from the wall. For it was the Fathers good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him (Colossians 1:13-19). The men of Israel ran away from the Philistines, and were killed on Mount Gilboa. It was, of course, Ananias who instructed Saul to be baptized, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16). 9Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lords disciples. Paul the Apostle - Wikipedia Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way,137 both men and women,138 he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him,(AK) and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. (5) There is a good deal of emphasis on the results of Sauls conversion. As at Damascus, Saul eventually had to leave the city of Jerusalem to save his life. How much better to petition God to save those whom we are concerned about, a God who desires all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). That our Lords contemporaries believed the Messiah to be in some special sense the son of God is rendered probable by the wording of the high priests question to him at his trial: `Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One? (Mark 14:61 par. BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. 20 Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. To him be honor and might forever. Thus, persecuting the church was persecuting Jesus Christ. by the sin of Adam. 35All those who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. I believe that as Luke portrays Saul in Acts, it is as a prototype, a picture of Israel. 8When the Philistines came the next day to take what had belonged to the dead, they found Saul and his sons dead on Mount Gilboa. We are given a little insight from the account in Acts 12 when Peter was imprisoned and it appeared he would soon be executed, as James had already been, and as we would infer Herod purposed to do with Peter (Acts 12:1-4). Sauls consultation with the medium along with his rebellious and disobedient lifestyle resulted in severe punishment of his and his familys death and nations defeat in the war. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:6-7; cf. The first words of the Lord Jesus to Saul were intended to teach him the inseparable unity between Christ and His church. God chose Saul and had his destiny planned, before He saved him. Pauls language in Acts 26:11 seems to mean that Damascus is merely one of other `foreign cities to which he carried the persecution. A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1930), III, p. 114. 7When the Israelites on the other side of the Jezreel Valley and beyond the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their towns and fled. I was inclined to think that most of us, experientially, are called to faith in Christ only to gradually learn Gods will for our life, progressively revealed to us as we walk in Him. He had asked a woman who spoke with spirits what he should do. Ananias was used as Gods instrument in the conversion of Saul, but even he had to be pushed to go to Saul. I can believe the saints who gathered to pray would have prayed for the protection of the church in Damascus and for the safety of individual saints, especially the leaders and the most visible Christians. He summed up life in this one word: For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). He was, indeed, Stephens replacement. 28 And he was with them moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. The day before Saul went to Ramah, Samuel the seer (roe), who was depicted by the Deuteronomic historian as a prophet (navi ), received notice from Yahweh that Saul was the man chosen to reign over Israel. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to his death (Philippians 3:7-10). 37About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. One cannot help but wonder if it did not send chills up and down Pauls spine when he cast the spell of blindness on the Jewish false prophet, Bar-Jesus: And when they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord (1 Corinthians 15:8-11). . The answer is that Sauls name was also Paul. It was only with the exit of Saul from the Holy Land, back to his native land (Tarsus), that peace once again returned. Flourished: c.1100 BCE - c.1000 BCE See all related content Saul, Hebrew Shaul, (flourished 11th century bce, Israel), first king of Israel (c. 10211000 bce Immediately after the burnt offering had been completed, Samuel appeared (perhaps waiting for such an opportunity to reassert his leading position) and castigated Saul for overstepping the boundaries of his princely prerogativeseven though Saul had been more than patient. The man selected to become the first monarchical ruler of Israel was Saul, son of Kish, a wealthy Benjamite landowner. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. Paul the Apostle. also 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 11:32-33; cf. Impatient men forget that God is not bound by time. WebSo Saul took his own sword and fell on it. Saul was also blinded, which identified him with the blindness of the nation Israel of which the Old Testament prophets wrote (see above). There is no more appropriate conclusion to our message than the words of the apostle Paul, which immediately follow those above, and which aptly express the response of the Christian to the wisdom, the grace, and the sovereignty of the God who has saved us, and who works all things together for His glory and for the good of His chosen ones: Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! The longer I study Sauls conversion, the more convinced I am that his conversion is typical. Who Was Saul in the Bible? First King of Israel - Christianity In spite of this, we are not told here that Saul did receive the Holy Spirit or what happened when he did. WebDeath. 40Peter sent them all out of the room;(BC) then he got down on his knees(BD) and prayed. When one looks at all the references to this event, it was, in fact, a personal appearance of the risen, glorified Jesus to Saul (cf. 2 David said to Achish, "Very well, you shall know what your servant can do." [d] She was always doing good deeds and acts of charity. (8) The salvation of Saul made him a vital part of Christs body, the church. The Bible recounts that before an important battle with the Philistines, Saul visited a witch to ask about his fate. While Paul may not have brought about the execution of all those whom he arrested, including women as well as men (verse 2), verse 1 strongly suggests that this was his desire and ambition. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! It was surely fear (reverence), among other things, which prompted this. 25But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall. Who has saved us and called us to a holy lifenot because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. Proving (sunbibazon). 151 The doctrine of total depravity is that every person, every man, woman, and child, has been affected (infected?) For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? Over and over in his epistles, Paul spoke of salvation in terms of radical change. When God spoke to Ananias commanding him to go to the house where Saul was staying, he was to receive him as a brother; and he was told that he was called to suffer as Gods chosen vessel to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles, kings, and to his fellow-Israelites. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. It was Gods initiative all the way. Just as Saul was called to a live of suffering, so Peter tells his readers that they too, like all saints, are called to suffer for His name: To this {suffering} you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21). Amen (1 Timothy 6:16). What a shock these words must have been to Saul, who up to this point, seems to have prided himself for his faithfulness to Judaism! The custom of dual names was common in those days. Now, during Davids reign, God was punishing Israel. Throughout his life and ministry Paul marveled at the grace of God shown to him and to other sinners. Web23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. The early reign of Saul and his confrontations with Samuel until the last judges death is the subject of chapters 1315. 18Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again. 28, p. 185. It was a city in the days of Abraham, and at the time of the Israelite monarchy it was the capital of the most important Aramaean kingdom. 41He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. In 1 Samuel 13, a large force of Philistines assembled to fight against Sauls armies. The Israelites quaked in fear. When Samuel failed to show up at the appointed time, Saul panicked and offered the sacrifice to the Lord himself, in direct disobedience of the laws of Moses. Samuel rebuked him in 1 Samuel 13:13-14. The message of the gospel, to be sure, is always the same, but the approach is not. Israel was called of God and set apart to proclaim the way of salvation to the Gentiles. The saints (9:32, 41; 26:10; cf. (I) 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness (John 12:46). What Happened To Saul Samuels farewell address, a Deuteronomic reworking of the later source, recapitulates the history of the Israelite tribes from the time of the patriarch Jacob through the period of the judges and forcefully presents the conservative view that the request for a monarchy will bring about adversity to Israel. I can believe someone might have prayed that Saul be waylaid, or terminated, in some divine act or providential accident (act of God). also 16:17; 18:25-26). He constantly defended the gospel against those who would diminish grace and seek to pollute it with works. (B) He went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus,(C) so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way,(D) whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. In chapter 10, verses 1727, generally accepted as part of the later source, the Deuteronomic historians views are depictedSaul was chosen by lot at Mizpah. Luke 3:22), it expressed his unique relationship and fellowship with the Father. Ibid. 1:16f. At midday you will grope about like a blind man in the dark. The importance of Sauls conversion can hardly be overestimated. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. Saul could only be persecuting Jesus through the members of His body, the church. Sauls baptism followed, accompanied by his profession of faith, his calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16). Saul was not aware, until after our Lords words, that the One who had interrupted his journey was Jesus, and that Jesus was, indeed, the Messiah, the LORD, but he was certain, at this point, that whoever this One was, He was the LORD. 31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and, going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase. The Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias!, 11The Lord told him, Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. 21 Were you a slave when you were called? (Read 1 Samuel 28-2 Samuel 2 with your students, or read the following story as a summary.) Imagine for a moment that this is the week of Sauls arrival at Damascus.129 By this time Saul has gained a reputation as the ringleader of the movement to make Christianity extinct. The passage which we are studying can be divided into these major segments: We will begin this lesson by making some general observations concerning this account of Sauls conversion,134 after which we will examine the sequence of events leading up to Sauls conversion, the events surrounding his conversion, and the consequences of his conversion as depicted by Luke. Who was Ananias in the Bible 27 But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. No doubt God had used Ananias to serve as Sauls first Barnabas. Just as Barnabas would vouch for Saul with the apostles in Jerusalem, so Ananias, a highly respected Jewish Christian, would vouch for Saul here. The armies of the Philistines poured into the Valley of Jezreel. 21:29 (30); John 5:7; 12:21; 20:15; and should be so in John 9:36. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! The words which Ananias spoke to Saul indicate he was also to lay hands on him so that he would receive the Holy Spirit (9:17). There is surely a connection between Saul and persecution, and Saul and peace. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?, He replied, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. The last four chapters of I Samuel depict the final futile effort of Saul to retain control of his throne and thwart the Philistines: Saul attempted to receive advice from the spirit of the dead Samuel through the necromancer (sometimes called the witch or medium) of Endor, even though he had earlier banned such practices in his realm. Christianity was described as putting off the old and putting on the new (Colossians 3). In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:3-6). In our text Ananias was instructed to go to Saul and to lay hands on him so that he might receive his sight (9:12). Did he still not realize who the Lord was? He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent (Psalm 104:2). There are no exceptions in this all of Romans 3:23, as Paul indicated in these Old Testament words, cited just before: THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE (Romans 3:10b-12). Turning toward the dead woman, he said, Tabitha, get up.(BE) She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Ananias is not only surprised by his commission; he is resistant to it, at least initially. The details of what was said and done when Ananias arrived are fuzzy. 30When the brothers[c] learned about this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. The same grace which was shown to Saul in his salvation is shown to all whom God calls to Himself: 8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. 7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 1:6-7). To Him be the glory forever. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. Everyone is born in sin, and every part of their being is affected by sin (intellect, emotions, and will). get to know the Bible better! Saul proclaimed Jesus to be the Son of God (9:20), a designation understood to refer to Israels awaited Messiah.149. His disciples150 lowered him in a basket, from the window of a room which was in the wall of the city (9:25). Those who know themselves sinners, and who call upon Jesus for salvation, are saved: For WHOSOEVER WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED (Romans 10:13, citing Joel 2:32). also 2:14-17; 3:12-18; 4:1-18; 5:17-21; 6:13--7:1; Galatians 1:13-17; cf. It may well be a call to live transformed lives in the same circumstances in which we were found. in 1971. For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:17-18; cf. All those of his house died together. 131 . Just as Saul had opposed those who believed, so Bar-Jesus opposed the proconsuls conversion. . The baptism of Saul was his testimony to the change which had taken place. Michal, daughter of Saul: Midrash (1) There is considerable emphasis given to Sauls conversion in the Book of Acts. Sauls conversion was to play a crucial role in the expansion of the gospel. Grace is not only the basis for ones salvation, but also for ones spiritual walk and service: As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude (Colossians 2:6-7). 2 Corinthians 4:14; cf. This divine illumination is that miracle which God performs within a lost, blinded, dead soul, so as to bring about salvation: 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. This method of argument Paul continued to use with the Jews (Acts 17:3). 12So all the powerful soldiers went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons. I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. At least we can say that no one had enough faith to believe it, even as Peter stood at the door, knocking to get in (12:12-17). (E) 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice(F) say to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied. The man selected to become the first monarchical ruler of Israel was Saul, son of Kish, a wealthy Benjamite landowner. New Living Translation (NLT). When and why was Sauls name changed to Paul? Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. Those who fought with the bow found him, and hurt him with an arrow. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world (John 1:4-5, 7-9). It is hardly likely that at this stage Saul recognized Jesus as Lord, though he does so greet him in 22:10 `What shall I do, Lord? A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1930), III, pp. 9 Why was Saul offering sacrifice wrong? gain access to 50+ premium resources to enhance your study of Scripture. . But his armor bearer was afraid and would not do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5 When his armor bearer realized that Saul was dead, he fell on his own sword and died beside the king. 6 So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and his troops all died together that same day. 16Indeed, I will show him how much he must suffer for my name., 17Ananias left and entered the house. Perhaps Ananias called a meeting of the church to discuss how they would deal with Sauls arrival. This light would thus have been very bright indeed. also Isaiah 64:6). (3) Sauls salvation was personal. And yet, even in opposing God, he furthered Gods purposes; he was instrumental in the evangelization of the Gentiles (Acts 8:1, 4; 11:19-21). As applied to our Lord, then, the title `Son of God marks him out as the true representative of the Israel of God and as Gods anointed king; but it is no merely official title. Jesus was LORD and not a false prophet! It is impossible to overestimate the worth to the student of Christianity of this event from every angle because we have in Pauls Epistles his own emphasis on the actual appearance of Jesus to him as the fact that changed his whole life (1 Cor. They wanted to keep Gods blessings to themselves. Samuel, still a charismatic and political power of great consequence, received from Yahweh the message that he was to go to Bethlehem to anoint a new ruler. Other biblical scholars have argued that the name of Goliath may have been inserted for an unnamed Philistine warrior killed by David apparently while he was armour bearer to Saul and was unrecognized by Saul, thus indicating the reworking of more than one source by the Deuteronomic historian. Saul - Wikipedia 6 And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. It is one of the few accounts of a conversion which is described with some detail (although this detail is much less than we would prefer). 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of Gods choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Endured Despite Disappointments Here, Saul was only told that it was Jesus whom he saw, who was speaking to him, and whom he was persecuting. He was a man of great respect and influence, and thus he realized that his actions would have broad ramifications. Saul issued a request for volunteers, who gathered together for battle but awaited the performance of the sacrifice before the battle by Samuel. For Paul, the method of proclaiming the gospel must be consistent with the message itself, and so it was. Saul did not agree with his teacher, Gamaliel, on how the Christians should be dealt with, however. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. 15 These, then, are the things you should teach. The common characteristics of conversion are those on which I would like to focus in the conversion of Saul. This blindness was only removed by faith in Christ, a miracle brought about by divine action: In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see (Isaiah 29:18). It is a miraculous, dramatic reversal, first of ones beliefs, and then of ones behavior. 21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, says the Lord. 7All the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that the army had run away and that Saul and his sons were dead. The voice from heaven did not call out, Have you ever heard of the four spiritual laws?152 Ananias was sent to Saul only. 9For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.