SOME BLESSINGS COME FROM STRANGE PLACES

Proclamation:

“… Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut.  While they were trying to kill him, the news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar.  He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd.  When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.”  Acts 21:30-32 (NIV)

Explanation:

This historical account of the events in the life of the Apostle Paul was recorded under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Luke, the physician and Paul’s traveling companion.  Earlier in his life, Paul had led soldiers to persecute Christians.  Now soldiers arrived just in time to save him from the Jews who were "... about to kill him ..." by beating him to death.  The soldiers did not save Paul because they knew him or liked him.  They were just trying to stop a riot because "... all Jerusalem was in an uproar." (Acts 21:31)  The soldiers were part of the Roman government which was anti-Christian.  The Roman commander arrested Paul to stop a riot.  So, in essence, Paul was saved by his enemies, the soldiers, from his enemies, the Jews.  God arranged it so that Paul's enemies, the soldiers, were a blessing to him, they saved his life.  

Application:

Paul was blessed by his enemies.  Some blessings can come from some strange places.  Our blessings may also come from some unusual places or from some unlikely people.  God can use whomever He wants to bless His people.  God can "... make your enemies your footstool ..." (Matthew 22:44)  Their intentions may have been to harm us and not to do us any favors but God can use them to be a blessing to us.  Or, as Joseph said to his brothers, "... you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good ..." (Genesis 50:20) 

God Can Turn Enemies' Curses Into Blessings

"Then Balak's anger burned against Balaam.  He struck his hands together and said to him, 'I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times.  Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely, but The LORD has kept you from being rewarded.'  Balaam answered Balak, 'Did I not tell the messengers you sent me, 'Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of The LORD, and I must say only what The LORD says'?"  Numbers 24:10-14 (NIV)

Balak, king of the Moabites, was fearful of the large number of Israelites near his country, so he sent for Balaam, an oracle, to have him put a curse upon the Israelites. (Numbers 22:5-6)  Balaam was warned in a vision not to go with the messengers to the king and not to curse the people. (Numbers 22:12)  He did not go with the messengers, so the king sent a larger group to summon him. In a vision that night God said to him "Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you."  On his way to the king the angel of The Lord blocked his path and his donkey refused three times to go forward, even after being beaten, because he saw the angel of The Lord and the sword in His hand.  After the third time, the donkey spoke to Balaam, and The Lord opened his eyes and he saw what the donkey saw. (Numbers 22:32-33)  When he had spoken to the angel of The Lord, Balaam was allowed to go to the king, but instead of cursing the people, he blessed them three times.

As Joseph said to his brothers when they sold him into slavery, you meant it for evil but God meant it for good. (Genesis 50:20)  Some of the evil plans that our enemies have in store for us, God can turn them into blessings for us.  The people of God can be unaware of the evil that was planned for them which God turned into blessings.  God can protect us from dangers seen and unseen.  (Joshua 24:17, 1 Samuel 30:23, Ezra 8:31, Psalms 5:11, Psalms 12:7, John 17:15, & 2 Thessalonians 3:3)  What He has done for others, He can do for us too.  We just need to believe and obey.

Enemies Can Be A Blessing

"In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill The Word of The LORD spoken by Jeremiah, The LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: 'This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: The LORD, The God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build a temple for Him at Jerusalem in Judah.  Anyone of His people among you, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of The LORD, The God of Israel, The God who is in Jerusalem.' "  Ezra 1:1-3 (NIV)

The prophet Ezra records that The Lord God moved on the heart of Cyrus, the king of Persia, and he released the people of Judah from captivity and allow them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.  The ten northern tribes of Israel were conquered and enslaved by the Assyrians. The two southern tribes of Judah were conquered and enslaved by the Babylonians, who were subsequently overthrown by the Persians.

God changed the heart of an enemy of His people and used him to help His people.  God can make our enemy a footstool to help take us up a little higher.  (Psalms 110:1, Luke 20:43, Acts 2:35, Hebrews 1:13, & Hebrews 10:13)  God can take the bad that people do to us and turn into a good thing.  (Genesis 50:20)  All things work together for good for them who love The Lord.  (Romans 8:28)