Lydia & The Grace Of God
ACTS 16:11-18
In the portraits of the two women found in Acts 16:11–18, we find examples of both freedom and bondage. Lydia, the first recorded Gentile convert in Europe, was a truly liberated woman. The nameless, demon-possessed slave girl typified those enslaved to sin and Satan.
§ Named after Philip II of Macedon (the father of Alexander the Great), Philippi was the eastern terminus for the great Roman highway known as the Egnatian Way. The city was named a Roman colony by Octavian, following the battle of Actium in 31 bc.
§ The entrance of the gospel into the Roman empire: “a colony…” [16:12].
- THE DIRECTOR OF EVANGELISM
1. The Sovereignty of God
a. The Holy Spirit
Paul’s plans: “were forbidden by the Holy Ghost…” [16:6].
§ κωλυθέντες - “forbidden” [16:6], aorist passive participle, ‘to prevent, hinder’; ‘to restrain’;
§ ὑπὸ - “of” [16:6], ‘denoting immediate agent’; ‘by’;
§ ἁγίου πνεύματος - “Holy Ghost” [16:6],
§ ἐπείραζον – “assayed” [16:7], imperfect active indicative, ‘to examine’; ‘to submit another to a test’; ‘try to do something implying not succeeding’;
§ εἴασεν - “suffered” [16:7], aorist active indicative, ‘to allow, permit’;
§ Τρῳάδα - “Troas” [16:8], ‘a seaport colony on the NW coast of Asia minor’;
b. The Direction
God’s plans: “and a vision appeared to Paul in the night…” [16:9].
§ ὅραμα - “vision” [16:9], ‘that which is seen’; ‘a sight from God’;
§ ὤφθη - “appeared” [16:9], aorist passive indicative, ‘to see, perceive’;
§ Ananias: “to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said…” [9:10].
§ Peter and Cornelius: “Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean…” [10:17].
c. The Location
The location: “there stood a man…” [16:9].
§ ἀνὴρ - “man” [16:9],
§ Μακεδών - “Macedonia” [16:9], ‘country and kingdom lying north of Greece in ancient times; today, however, it is the northern part of Greece;
i. The Need
The plea: “prayed him saying, Come over…” [16:9].
§ παρακαλῶν - “prayed” [16:9], present active participle, from pará, ‘to the side of’, and kaléō, ‘to call’; ‘to ask for earnestly’; “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter…” [Joh.14:16];
§ διαβὰς - “come” [16:9], aorist active participle, ‘to step across’;
§ βοήθησον - “help” [16:9], aorist active imperative, from boé̄ , ‘a cry, exclamation’, and théō, ‘to run’. ‘To run on hearing a cry, to give assistance’; ‘to come to the aid of’;
Application
2. The Encounter
a. Missionary Approach
It was Paul’s custom in each city he visited to preach first in the synagogue. As a rabbi and a student of the greatest rabbi of the time, Gamaliel [Acts 22:3], Paul could be assured of getting a hearing there.
§ Antioch: “they came to Antioch, and went into the synagogue of the Sabbath day…” [13:14].
§ Iconium: “In Iconium they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews…” [14:1].
§ σαββάτων - “Sabbath” [16:13], ‘day of rest’; ‘seventh day if the Jewish week’;
b. Philippi
The situation in Philippi: “we went out of the city…” [16:13].
§ ἐξήλθομεν - “out of” [16:13], aorist active, from ek, ‘out’, and érchomai, ‘to go or come’;
§ ἔξω – ‘outside of’; ‘without’;
§ πύλης - “city” [16:13], ‘gate door’; ‘city gate’;
i. Location
The location: “by the riverside, where prayer was wont…” [16:13].
§ παρὰ - ‘beside’;
§ ποταμὸν - “riverside” [16:13], ‘river, stream’;
ii. Public Worship
The recognised place of worship: “where prayer was wont to be made…” [16:13].
§ προσευχὴν - “prayer” [16:13], ‘to pray(to), to ask’;
§ We best understand the term by differentiating it from the synonymous δέομαι, δέησις. The distinction is that δεῖσθαι almost always means real asking whereas προσεύχεσθαι is preferred if the fact of prayer is to be denoted with no narrower indication of its content.
§ ἐνομίζομεν - “wont” [16:13], imperfect active indicative, from nómos, ‘law, custom’; ‘do customarily’; ‘to suppose, think’;
§ εἶναι - “made” [16:13], present active infinitive, ‘to be’;
§ In Jewish law, a congregation was made up of ten men. Wherever there were ten male heads of households who could be in regular attendance, a synagogue was to be formed.
§ Failing this, a place of prayer (proseuche) under the open sky and near a river or the sea was to be arranged for.
§ A typical first-century synagogue service would have included the Shema, the Shemoneh Esreh (the liturgy of "The Eighteen Benedictions," "Blessings," or "Prayers"), a reading from the Law, a reading from one of the prophets, a free address given by any competent Jew in attendance, and a closing blessing
c. The Gospel Message
The spoken message: “we sat down and spoke unto the women…” [16:13].
§ καθίσαντες - “sat down” [16:13], aorist active participle, from katá, ‘down’, and hízō, ‘to sit’, ‘to cause to sit’.
§ Paul took the usual posture a speaker assumed in a synagogue, sitting down, to address the women: “and when he was seated, his disciples came to him, and he opened his mouth…” [Mat.5:1-2].
§ ἐλαλοῦμεν - “spoke” [16:13], ‘to talk’, in some contexts with the semantic focus on ‘telling’;
§ Paul’s message: “and Paul, as his manner was…reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, opening and alleging that Christ must suffer, and risen again form the dead…” [17:2].
§ γυναιξίν - “women” [16:13], ‘woman’ or ‘wife’;
§ συνελθούσαις - “resorted” [16:13], aorist active participle, from sún, ‘together with’ or ‘together’, and érchomai, ‘to come’;
§ A technical term for the coming together of the Christian congregation’; “Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse” [1Cor.11:17].
Application
- LYDIA’S HEART
1. Lydia - The Person
a. Lydia
The woman: “a certain woman named Lydia…” [16:14].
§ τις - “certain” [16:14], indefinite adjective, ‘someone’;
§ γυνὴ - “woman” [16:14], ‘adult female’;
§ Λυδία - “Lydia” [16:14], ‘the same as the ancient territory in which her native city of Thyatira was located’.
i. Her Background
Lydia belonged to: “of the city of Thyatira…” [16:14].
§ Θυατείρων - “Thyatira” [16:14], situated on the other side of the Aegean Sea in Asia; now known as Asiatic Turkey.
§ The Revelation: “unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things says the Son of God…” [Rev.2:18].
§ Because her home city of Thyatira was located in the Roman province of Lydia, it is possible that “Lydia” was not so much her personal name as her name in business; she may have been known as “the Lydian lady.”
ii. Her Occupation
Lydia’s occupation: “a seller of purple…” [16:14].
§ πορφυρόπωλις - “seller of purple” [16:14], ‘seller of purple fabrics’;
§ The people of Thyatira were famed for their skill in the manufacture of purple dye, extracted from the juice of the madder root.
§ Lydia had come to Philippi as a trader in that dye. There is inscriptional evidence for the existence of a guild of purple merchants in Philippi.
§ Lydia was presumably the Macedonian agent of a Thyatiran manufacturer.
iii. Her
Lydia’s business is not an incidental detail. It marks her as a person of means.
§ Purple goods were expensive and often associated with royalty; thus the business was a lucrative one.
§ Purple dye, whether made from the glands of the murex shellfish or from the roots of the madder plant, was prohibitively expensive. Purple garments were worn by royalty and the wealthy, and the selling of purple fabrics was a very profitable business.
§ That Lydia had a house large enough to accommodate the missionary team (v. 15) and the nascent church at Philippi (v. 40) indicates her wealth.
Summary
2. Lydia - The God-Fearer
a. She Worshipped
Lydia worshipped God: “who worshipped God…” [16:14].
§ σεβομένη - “worshipped” [16:14], present middle participle, ‘the stem σεβ— means originally ‘to fall back before’; ‘the bodily movement expressed an inner attitude of respect, of being impressed by something great and lofty’;
§ One of those devout Gentiles like Cornelius - “devout man” [10:2] - who believed in God but had not become a full convert to Judaism’.
b. She Listened
Lydia listened to Paul: “who worshipped God, heard us…” [16:14].
§ ἤκουεν - “heard” [16:14], imperfect active, ‘to listen to’; in the OT, has the added idea of ‘to respond to what is heard’ and ‘to obey what is heard’;
§ The imperfect of the verb points to the fact that Lydia ‘kept on listening’.
i. The Leading of God
Lydia’s seeking was the first step of her spiritual liberation. Yet she, like all sinners, did not seek God on her own until He sought her.
§ Paul: “There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God.” [Rom.3:11].
§ Jesus: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” [John 6:44].
§ Lydia’s conversion shows that God will reveal the fullness of the gospel to those whom He causes to honestly seek Him: “All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” [Joh.6:37].
Application
3. Lydia – The First Convert
a. The Grace of God > Agent in Evangelism
i. The Open Heart
The grace of God: “whose heart the Lord opened…” [16:14].
§ καρδίαν - “heart” [16:14], ‘inner self’; ‘mind, will, affections’;
§ διήνοιξεν - “opened” [16:14], aorist indicative active, from diá, ‘through’, and anoígō, ‘to open’; ‘to open what before was closed, open as the firstborn opens the womb’; ‘to open the mind, the heart’, i.e., ‘to make able and willing to understand, receive’; ‘to open up completely’;
ii. The Closed Heart
The heart is naturally closed: “eye has not seen, nor ear heard…but God has revealed them to us by his Spirit…” [1Cor.2:9-10].
§ Unwilling to accept: “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him” [1Cor.2:14].
§ Under the dominion of Satan: “in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” [2Cor.4:4].
b. The Opening of the Heart
i. Jesus
The two on the road to Emmaus: “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures…” [Luk.24:45].
§ διήνοιξεν - “opened” [24:45], aorist active indicative,
§ νοῦν - “understanding” [24:45], ‘the psychological facility of understanding, reasoning, and deciding’;
§ The original meaning of νοῦς, ‘(inner) sense directed on an object,’ embraces ‘sensation,’ ‘power of spiritual perception,’ ‘capacity for intellectual apprehension’;
§ τὰς γραφάς – “scriptures” [24:45], ‘the writings’;
ii. Paul
The commentary of Paul: “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened…” [Eph.1:18].
§ ὀφθαλμοὺς - “eyes” [1:18], ‘organ of sight’;
§ καρδίας - “understanding” [1:18], ‘inner self’; ‘mind, will, affections’;
§ πεφωτισμένους - “enlightened” [1:18], perfect passive participle, the noun is φῶς, ‘light’; ‘to shine upon’; ‘to illuminate’; ‘to make known’;
§ “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” [2Cor.4:6].
Application
The “understanding” is the controlling faculty….
§ the human heart is naturally shut
c. The Attendant Actions
i. Lydia
Lydia’s response to the message: “she attended unto the things…” [16:14].
§ προσέχειν - “attended” [16:14], present active infinitive, from prós, ‘to’, and échō, ‘to have’; ‘to have in addition, to hold the mind or the ear toward someone’, ‘to pay attention’; ‘to be alert to’; ‘to consider carefully’;
§ Ephesian elder: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock…” [20:28];
§ λαλουμένοις - “things spoken” [16:14], present passive participle, ‘to speak, talk’; in some cases with a semantic focus on ‘telling’;
ii. Emmaus
The reflection of the disciples: “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” [Luk.24:32].
§ καιομένη - “burn” [24:32], present passive participle, ‘to kindle’; ‘to ignite’;
§ Metaphorically, it has the meaning ‘to be greatly moved in the heart’.
§ The word describes an ‘expresses an uncontrollable longing to speak or pray, usually in a situation of distress; something more than mere elation or ardour’;
§ ἐν ἡμῖν - “within us” [24:32],
§ ἐλάλει - “talked” [24:32], imperfect active indicative, ‘to talk’, in some contexts with the semantic focus on ‘telling’;
§ διήνοιγεν - “opened” [24:32], imperfect active indicative, from diá, ‘through’, and anoígō, ‘to open’;
§ τὰς γραφάς - “scriptures” [24:32], ‘the writings’;
Application
When a sinner is effectually persuaded to embrace Christ, then the heart is opened for the King of glory to come in
§ The understanding is open to receive the divine light; the will opened to receive the divine law; the affections opened to receive the divine love.
§ Wherever the heart is opened by the grace of God, it will appear by a diligent attendance on, and attention to, the word of God, both for Christ’s sake, whose word it is, and for our own sakes, who are so nearly interested in it.
- LYDIA’S
1. Lydia’s Profession
Lydia’s profession: “when she was baptised, and her household…” [16:15].
§ ἐβαπτίσθη - “baptised” [16:15], aorist passive indicative, ‘to dip, sink’; ‘to show purity and initiation into Christ through repentance’; βαπτά, ‘dyed or coloured clothes’;
§ ὁ οἶκος αὐτῆς - “household” [16:15], ‘family’; ‘kin by blood or marriage including slaves’;
2. Lydia’s Home
a. The Invitation
The invitation: “she besought us…” [16:15].
§ παρεκάλεσεν - “besought” [16:15], aorist active indicative, from pará, ‘to the side of’, and kaléō, ‘to call’; ‘to ask for earnestly’; “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter…” [Joh.14:16].
i. The Church
The Church has welcomed Lydia as a true believer: “if you have judged me to be faithful…” [16:15].
§ κεκρίκατέ - “judged” [16:15], perfect active, ‘to decide, evaluate’; ‘to make a legal decision’;
§ πιστὴν - “faithful” [16:15], ‘trusting’; ‘pertaining to belief that trusts’;
ii. The Open Home
Lydia welcomes the Church into her home: “come into my house, and abide there…” [16:15].
§ εἰσελθόντες - “come” [16:15], aorist active participle, from eis, ‘in’, and érchomai, ‘to come’; ‘to go or come into, to enter’;
§ τὸν οἶκόν μου - “my house” [16:15], ‘dwelling place’;
§ μένετε - “abide” [16:15], present active imperative, ‘to remain in a place’; ‘to continue an activity or state’;
§ παρεβιάσατο - “constrained” [16:15], aorist middle indicative, from pará, to the point of, unto, implying movement toward a certain point, and biázō, ‘to force’; ‘to press, compel, coerce, persuade’; ‘to urge strongly’; ‘to persuade’;
Application
Lydia made the missionaries’ acceptance of her hospitality the test of whether they really believed she had become a believer, “Come and see for yourself if the Lord has come to rule in my life” (author’s paraphrase).
§ It was an offer they could not refuse. But she did not merely open her home to the missionaries; she allowed it to become the gathering place for the entire Christian community (v. 40).
§ Hospitality is required of all Christians (Rom. 12:13; Heb. 13:2; 1 Pet. 4:9), especially women (1 Tim. 5:10) and church leaders (Titus 1:8).
§ Lydia’s hospitality gave proof that she was a truly liberated woman (cf. John 13:35).
§ Perhaps the wealthiest member of the Philippian church, Lydia embraced the ideal of the early church, not laying claim to what was hers but freely sharing it with her sisters and brothers in Christ (4:32).