What was the Lord doing through Ananias concerning Saul?
The Lord was speaking through Ananias, a believing Jew in Damascus, concerning Saul, who would shortly come into his acquaintanceship. Ananias knew Saul as the chief persecutor with authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on the Lord's name. So the Lord used Ananias to address Saul's coming.
Les explains that the Lord was speaking through Ananias, a believing Jew in Damascus, concerning Saul, who would shortly come into his acquaintanceship. Ananias answered, saying he had heard by many how much evil Saul had done to the saints at Jerusalem, and that in Damascus he had authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on the Lord's name. Les reminds us that Saul was the chief persecutor, determined to stamp out anybody who had embraced Jesus of Nazareth as Israel's Messiah. Les also notes that the major mentality of most Jews even today is the same as Saul of Tarsus: they still think Jesus was an imposter and a blasphemer, and that to do away with the name of Jesus from amongst Israel is doing their God a favor. He shares an anecdote about an Evangelical and an old Jewish Rabbi arguing the point of Jesus' Messiahship, where the Rabbi insisted Jesus had never been there.
More Questions
What did the Lord tell Ananias about Paul suffering for His name's sake in Acts 9?
Paul suffered far more for the sake of the gospel than we realize, and this was in fulfillment of the Lord's word to Ananias in Acts 9 that Paul was chosen to go to the Gentiles and would suffer for His name's sake.
Who was Ananias in Damascus and what was his role in relation to Saul?
Ananias was a believing Jew in Damascus, and the Lord spoke through him concerning Saul, who would shortly come into his acquaintance.
What did God commission Saul to be in Acts 9?
In Acts 9, instead of Israel going out to the nations with the Gospel, God commissioned Saul to be the Apostle of the Gentiles.