16:11 Therefore,
sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came
to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that
part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. 13
And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer
was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. 14
Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the
city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the
things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she
begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to
my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.
Not much to see here right? Granted there is nothing obvious
but there are a few subtle things worth noting. First of all this is the first
time in their journeys that they have gone so far "off the map" that
there aren't even enough Jews in the area to even have a synagogue. The few
believers in God gather on Sabbath by the river. So few that there were only
women.
One of those women was Lydia. She was a business woman. She
believed their message about Jesus being the long awaited Messiah. She believed
so passionately that she and her household were baptized. Clearly she was
single so that may have included her children, servants, and/or employees.
Either way she was a woman of means and insisted that Paul and his companions
stay with her, a considerable commitment.
It is also interesting to note she was originally from
Thyatira. Thyatira is in Asia Minor, the very place where they had just come
from where the Holy Spirit forbid their preaching. So they went to Macedonia
after Paul's vision and the first person they baptized was from Asia Minor. A
woman of influence. A woman who travelled. Perhaps the very person God intended
to use to open the way in Asia Minor in the future. God always has a plan that
is infinitely better than ours even if it makes no sense to us.
One last point. What a cultural difference from Jerusalem and
Judea where women were very much second class citizens. They could not own
property much less a business. They could not speak in the synagogue much less
lead worship which clearly women were doing in Philippi. God does not love us
for our cultural norms, he loves us. All of us. From every place on this globe
God wants to reach us no matter how different from other cultures we may be.
Ironically some of the cultures deemed pagan or godless have aspects and norms
much closer to God's character than the places who think themselves "His
people".
To travel with Paul through his journeys is to have our eyes
opened and minds stretched. Every subtle seemingly unimportant detail is a
window into other cultures and ways and beyond it all is a God who has one
consistent goal - to call us back to Himself.
Lydia was one of those people and He made sure to bring Paul
from Asia to Macedonia to share with her the Good News about Jesus.
If you're interested in reading more about Lydia there is an
interesting article here:
https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/all-women-bible/Lydia
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