Why did God put Saul of Tarsus on the dust of the Damascus road and make him a nobody?
God brought Saul of Tarsus down on the Damascus road because his high standing in Judaism made him unusable while he remained in that position. Humbled as a nobody with nothing to claim, he could then submit, trembling and astonished, asking, 'Lord, what would you have me to do?'
Les explains that Saul of Tarsus was a big man in Judaism; he profited in the Jews’ religion, meaning he was in the upper echelons. God could not use him from that position, so He put him on the dust on the road to Damascus, where he became a nobody with nothing he could claim as worthy. Trembling and astonished, Saul asked, 'Lord, what would you have me to do?' The Lord told him to arise and go into the city, where he would be told what he must do. Les notes the Lord could have told him directly, but God intended to use another person, Ananias, as the go-between. This follows the same pattern seen with Moses, who called himself a nobody, and with David rather than proud King Saul.