What Old Testament events parallel Saul's three days of blindness in Acts 9:9? Acts 9:9 in Focus “For three days he was without sight, and he neither ate nor drank.” Why Three Days? The Lord often uses a three-day span in Scripture to signal interruption, reflection, and then fresh beginning. Paul’s blindness fits that pattern, and several Old Testament moments lay the groundwork. Old Testament Parallels • Jonah in the great fish – Jonah 1:17; 2:10 – “Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” – Darkness, isolation, and helplessness precede a recommissioning to carry God’s message to Gentiles. – Like Jonah, Saul resists God, is stopped abruptly, spends three days cut off from normal life, then emerges to preach to the nations. • The plague of thick darkness – Exodus 10:21-23 – “For three days no one could see anyone else, nor did anyone leave his place; yet all the Israelites had light where they lived.” – Egypt’s blindness under judgment contrasts with God’s people who have light. – Saul, an Israelite persecuting believers, is plunged into personal “Egypt-darkness” until gospel light breaks through. • Joseph’s brothers imprisoned – Genesis 42:17-18 – “He confined them in the guardhouse for three days.” – In captivity they confront guilt and emerge with softened hearts. – Saul’s three-day confinement forces him to face his sin against the body of Christ. • Hezekiah’s healing timetable – 2 Kings 20:5 – “On the third day you will go up to the house of the LORD.” – A divinely set waiting period ends in restored life and worship, hinting at resurrection patterns mirrored in Paul’s sight restoration. • Abraham’s journey to Moriah – Genesis 22:4 – “On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.” – Three days of walking with the death sentence hanging over Isaac, then deliverance; Paul walks the same road of death to self and new life in Christ. Shared Themes – Darkness or separation imposed by God – A fixed, God-appointed pause (three days) – Honest reckoning with sin or testing of faith – Emergence into obedience, mission, or worship on the third day Bringing It Together When Saul opens his eyes on the third day (Acts 9:18), he steps into the long-established biblical rhythm: 1. Divine interruption 2. Three-day darkness or waiting 3. Deliverance and a new commission The Old Testament stories above echo forward to Acts 9, confirming once more the consistent, purposeful ways God works throughout Scripture. |
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