Acts 16:13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down… I. Lydia was LISTENING. Great stress is laid in the Bible on hearing. "Faith cometh by hearing." Books and readers were rare. Faith then came to the majority by hearing only. Now faith comes by reading as well as by hearing. II. Lydia listened ATTENTIVELY. Some people never apply what they hear, they leave that to the preacher. Others apply to other people, never to themselves. If you lay hold of the truth, the truth will lay hold of you. Wherefore the Holy Scriptures lay much emphasis on close attention. "Incline your ear," "hear and your soul shall live." When you feel deeply interested in a subject, you stretch the neck and incline the ear that you may catch every syllable. Without this eager attention you will not be able to clearly discern the Divine Voice. When Elijah was hiding in the cave there came a "great and strong wind," etc.; "but the Lord was not in the wind," etc. And after the fire "a voice," so still and small that Elijah was obliged to come out of the cave and listen with all his might. And what is the gospel? A storm? An earthquake? Fire? No. The "still small voice" of Divine Love. Love never speaks loud. III. She listened attentively WITH HER HEART. The mind is generally divided into intellect and heart. There are truths which appeal only to the intellect, the truths of mathematics, e.g. But religious truths must be interpreted through the heart rather than through the head. We read of the "thoughts of the heart." In creation we see the thoughts of God's intellect; in the gospel the thoughts of His heart. And to properly understand the great heart of God we must bring to the work the little heart of man. There is a class of truths which first enter the intellect and then sink into the heart; but the truths of Christianity first enter the heart and gradually rise into the intellect. IV. Lydia was listening attentively with her heart OPENED. Two things are necessary to salvation. 1. An open Bible. Paul "expounded the Kingdom of God." The prophecies were tightly closed against the spiritual perception of the disciples; but Christ "opened unto them the Scriptures," and they were astonished at the wealth of their meaning. And that is the proper function of the ministry. 2. An open heart to receive the open Bible. St. Paul was sowing good seed; but to secure a plentiful harvest it was necessary to open hearts to receive the seed. The words of the Old Testament which are oftenest quoted in the New are, "By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: for this people's heart is waxed gross," etc. They are quoted six times in the first six books of the New Testament. Why? To teach us the extreme danger of shutting our hearts against the "things spoken of Paul" and other inspired writers. Physicians often speak of "The fatty degeneration of the heart," an unhealthy accumulation of fat interfering with its vital functions, and often terminating in sudden death. And the Jews suffered from a like spiritual malady. They had lost all sensitiveness to spiritual things; and in this lamentable grossness of the heart is to be found the ultimate cause of their rejection of the Saviour. And so now "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God." "O fools, and slow of heart to believe." It is the fashion nowadays to offer graceful apologies for the infidel; but the Bible always calls him a fool. His infidelity has its origin in a closed heart. V. Lydia was listening attentively with her heart opened WIDE, that, it appears, is the literal translation, and it implies — 1. That there was a profound need. The young bird in the nest in early spring, when hunger sets in, opens its little beak wide. And when the soul becomes vividly conscious of its great need, it opens its beak as best it can — every faculty opens its mouth wide and eagerly cries to heaven for food. "A man of Macedonia stood before Paul and prayed him, saying, Come over and help us." There is in the cry a painful consciousness of deep want. Paul came; and lo! the first soul he met was wide open crying to heaven for satisfaction. 2. That the Lord had made ample provision to supply the need. He would have never opened Lydia's heart wide unless He had something to put into it. "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." I took my little children to the British Channel. They were very diligent filling their little buckets; but after filling them over and over again, the ocean still remained, ready to fill a million buckets more. And you are welcome to bring the cups of your nature and fill them to overflowing with the "Water of Life;" but after filling you over and over again, the boundless ocean of the Infinite Godhead will still remain, ready to fill millions more. VI. Lydia listened attentively with her heart opened wide BY THE LORD. This opening was — 1. Gradual. It was not a consequence of the preaching, but something prior to and simultaneous with it. Lydia was in all probability brought up in heathenism. But in common with many of the best of the age, she yearned for something more satisfying. Whilst yet in paganism, the Lord opened her heart too wide for the idols of the Gentiles to fill. She therefore embraced Judaism. The Judaism of that age, it is true, was very formal and corrupt; but Judaism at its worst was immeasurably superior to paganism at its best. And in Judaism Lydia found a kind of rest for her weary soul. But the Lord continued to work within her. She, it seems, was a widow. Mention is made of her family, and of her business, but none of her husband. Deeply feeling her loss, she often groans under the anxiety of business, and is glad when the Sabbath comes round that she may attend the Prayer Meeting by the riverside. Nevertheless she is acutely conscious of a great void, and when Paul turned and began to speak of Jesus, His tender sympathy and never failing succour, she perceived at once that He was what she needed — a Husband of the soul. The heart, before opened, was now occupied — the great void was now filled. 2. Gentle. Further on, we read of the conversion of the jailer. His conversion was the work of a brief hour; but it was a very terrible hour. But a gentler method was adopted to convert Lydia. This morning about six o'clock a great battle was fought in this neighbourhood, more important by far than either Waterloo or Sedan — a battle between the forces of Light and the powers of Darkness. But did the clash of weapons awake any of you? No; not one. The victory was won gently and silently. That is precisely the way in which Lydia was converted, it was a victory not of lightnings but of light. The prophet compares the Word of God to a hammer breaking in pieces the rock. Such was the case with the jailer. But the same prophet compares the Divine Word to fire melting the wax. This is how Lydia was converted, by warmth, not by force. It. was only right that the swarthy jailer should be hammered a little — he had hammered many in his day; but it would be a great pity to terrify the little widow. And those two methods still continue. 3. Thorough, as is evidenced by her subsequent conduct. (1) "She was baptized." Christianity was the third religion she had professed; her neighbours might bring a charge of inconsistency. But man's supreme duty is not to be consistent with himself, but consistent with his God — not to be consistent with his past, but consistent with the light which he at the time enjoys. Lydia repeatedly changed her religion; but each change was in the direction of light. (2) "She was baptized and her household." This, I believe, is the first instance in which it is recorded that the baptism of the parent was followed by the baptism of the family. Why? Because family religion is a characteristic of European as compared with Asiatic Christianity. And there is something remarkable that Christianity, on its introduction to Europe, was first offered to, and believed in by a woman, a prophecy of the subsequent career of the gospel upon our continent. "A man" first sought it, but a woman first received it. How to help the men of Macedonia? By improving and refining the women of Macedonia. (J. Cynddylan Jones, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. |
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