281 “Surely there is a mine for silver,
and a place for gold which they refine. 2 Iron is taken out of the earth,
and copper is smelted out of the ore. 3 Man sets an end to darkness,
and searches out, to the furthest bound,
the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness. 4 He breaks open a shaft away from where people live.
They are forgotten by the foot.
They hang far from men, they swing back and forth. 5 As for the earth, out of it comes bread;
Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire. 6 Sapphires come from its rocks.
It has dust of gold. 7 That path no bird of prey knows,
neither has the falcon’s eye seen it. 8 The proud animals have not trodden it,
nor has the fierce lion passed by there. 9 He puts forth his hand on the flinty rock,
and he overturns the mountains by the roots. 10 He cuts out channels among the rocks.
His eye sees every precious thing. 11 He binds the streams that they don’t trickle.
The thing that is hidden he brings forth to light. 12 “But where shall wisdom be found?
Where is the place of understanding? 13 Man doesn’t know its price;
Neither is it found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, ‘It isn’t in me.’
The sea says, ‘It isn’t with me.’ 15 It can’t be gotten for gold,
neither shall silver be weighed for its price. 16 It can’t be valued with the gold of Ophir,
with the precious onyx, or the sapphire [1]. 17 Gold and glass can’t equal it,
neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. 18 No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal.
Yes, the price of wisdom is above rubies. 19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it,
Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
20 Whence then comes wisdom?
Where is the place of understanding? 21 Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living,
and kept close from the birds of the sky. 22 Destruction and Death say,
‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’ 23 “God understands its way,
and he knows its place. 24 For he looks to the ends of the earth,
and sees under the whole sky. 25 He establishes the force of the wind.
Yes, he measures out the waters by measure. 26 When he made a decree for the rain,
and a way for the lightning of the thunder; 27 then he saw it, and declared it.
He established it, yes, and searched it out. 28 To man he said,
‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom.
To depart from evil is understanding.’”
291 Job again took up his parable, and said, 2 “Oh that I were as in the months of old,
as in the days when God watched over me; 3 when his lamp shone on my head,
and by his light I walked through darkness, 4 as I was in the ripeness of my days,
when the friendship of God was in my tent, 5 when the Almighty was yet with me,
and my children were around me, 6 when my steps were washed with butter,
and the rock poured out streams of oil for me,
7 when I went forth to the city gate,
when I prepared my seat in the street. 8 The young men saw me and hid themselves.
The aged rose up and stood. 9 The princes refrained from talking,
and laid their hand on their mouth. 10 The voice of the nobles was hushed,
and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth. 11 For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me;
and when the eye saw me, it commended me: 12 Because I delivered the poor who cried,
and the fatherless also, who had none to help him, 13 the blessing of him who was ready to perish came on me,
and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. 14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me.
My justice was as a robe and a diadem. 15 I was eyes to the blind,
and feet to the lame. 16 I was a father to the needy.
The cause of him who I didn’t know, I searched out. 17 I broke the jaws of the unrighteous,
and plucked the prey out of his teeth.
18 Then I said, ‘I shall die in my own house,
I shall number my days as the sand. 19 My root is spread out to the waters.
The dew lies all night on my branch. 20 My glory is fresh in me.
My bow is renewed in my hand.’ 21 “Men listened to me, waited,
and kept silence for my counsel. 22 After my words they didn’t speak again.
My speech fell on them. 23 They waited for me as for the rain.
Their mouths drank as with the spring rain. 24 I smiled on them when they had no confidence.
They didn’t reject the light of my face. 25 I chose out their way, and sat as chief.
I lived as a king in the army,
as one who comforts the mourners.
131 Now in the assembly that was at Antioch there were some prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they served the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Separate Barnabas and Saul for me, for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia. From there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they were at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. They had also John as their attendant. 6 When they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar Jesus, 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of understanding. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn aside the proconsul from the faith. 9 But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him, 10 and said, “Full of all deceit and all cunning, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11 Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is on you, and you will be blind, not seeing the sun for a season!”
Immediately a mist and darkness fell on him. He went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
13 Now Paul and his company set sail from Paphos, and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John departed from them and returned to Jerusalem.
14 But they, passing on from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia. They went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down. 15 After the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, speak.” 16 Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people [2] chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they stayed as aliens in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm, he led them out of it. 18 For a period of about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19 When he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land for an inheritance, for about four hundred fifty years. 20 After these things he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Afterward they asked for a king, and God gave to them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 When he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, to whom he also testified, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 From this man’s seed, God has brought salvation [3] to Israel according to his promise, 24 before his coming, when John had first preached the baptism of repentance to Israel. [4] 25 As John was fulfilling his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. But behold, one comes after me the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
(Read Acts 13:1-3)
What an assemblage was here! In these names we see that the Lord raises up instruments for his work, from various places and stations in life; and zeal for his glory induces men to give up flattering connexions and prospects to promote his cause. It is by the Spirit of Christ that his ministers are made both able and willing for his service, and taken from other cares that would hinder in it. Christ's ministers are to be employed in Christ's work, and, under the Spirit's guidance, to act for the glory of God the Father. They are separated to take pains, and not to take state. A blessing upon Barnabas and Saul in their present undertaking was sought for, and that they might be filled with the Holy Ghost in their work. Whatever means are used, or rules observed, the Holy Ghost alone can fit ministers for their important work, and call them to it.
(Read Acts 13:4-13)
Satan is in a special manner busy with great men and men in power, to keep them from being religious, for their example will influence many. Saul is here for the first time called Paul, and never after Saul. Saul was his name as he was a Hebrew; Paul was his name as he was a citizen of Rome. Under the direct influence of the Holy Ghost, he gave Elymas his true character, but not in passion. A fulness of deceit and mischief together, make a man indeed a child of the devil. And those who are enemies to the doctrine of Jesus, are enemies to all righteousness; for in it all righteousness is fulfilled. The ways of the Lord Jesus are the only right ways to heaven and happiness. There are many who not only wander from these ways themselves, but set others against these ways. They commonly are so hardened, that they will not cease to do evil. The proconsul was astonished at the force of the doctrine upon his own heart and conscience, and at the power of God by which it was confirmed. The doctrine of Christ astonishes; and the more we know of it, the more reason we shall see to wonder at it. Those who put their hand to the plough and look back, are not fit for the kingdom of God. Those who are not prepared to face opposition, and to endure hardship, are not fitted for the work of the ministry.
(Read Acts 13:14-31)
When we come together to worship God, we must do it, not only by prayer and praise, but by the reading and hearing of the word of God. The bare reading of the Scriptures in public assemblies is not enough; they should be expounded, and the people exhorted out of them. This is helping people in doing that which is necessary to make the word profitable, to apply it to themselves. Every thing is touched upon in this sermon, which might best prevail with Jews to receive and embrace Christ as the promised Messiah. And every view, however short or faint, of the Lord's dealings with his church, reminds us of his mercy and long-suffering, and of man's ingratitude and perverseness. Paul passes from David to the Son of David, and shows that this Jesus is his promised Seed; a Saviour to do that for them, which the judges of old could not do, to save them from their sins, their worst enemies. When the apostles preached Christ as the Saviour, they were so far from concealing his death, that they always preached Christ crucified. Our complete separation from sin, is represented by our being buried with Christ. But he rose again from the dead, and saw no corruption: this was the great truth to be preached.
