◄ Acts 22:10 ►
Then I asked, 'What should I do, Lord?' 'Get up and go into Damascus,' He told me. 'There you will be told all that you have been appointed to do.'
Study Bible
Then I asked, ‘What should I do, Lord?’

This phrase reflects Saul's (later Paul) immediate response to the divine encounter on the road to Damascus. It signifies a moment of submission and recognition of Jesus' authority. Saul's question echoes the humility and willingness to obey, reminiscent of Isaiah's response in Isaiah 6:8, "Here am I. Send me!" It marks a pivotal transformation from persecutor to disciple, highlighting the theme of divine calling and human response.

Act 9:6 Now get up and go into the city, and you…
Act 2:37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart…
Act 16:30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs,…”…

‘Get up and go into Damascus,’ He told me.

Damascus, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities, was a significant center for trade and culture in the ancient world. Saul's journey to Damascus, initially intended for persecution, becomes a journey of obedience and transformation. This command to "get up and go" parallels other biblical calls to action, such as Abraham's call to leave his homeland (Genesis 12:1) and Jonah's call to go to Nineveh (Jonah 1:2). It underscores the necessity of movement and obedience in the life of faith.

1Ki 19:15 Then the LORD said to him, “Go back by the way you came,…
Mat 2:20 Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother…
Act 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south…

‘There you will be told all that you have been appointed to do.’

This phrase indicates that Saul's mission is divinely orchestrated, with specific tasks prepared for him. The use of "appointed" suggests predestination and divine purpose, aligning with Ephesians 2:10, which speaks of believers being created for good works prepared in advance. It also foreshadows Saul's future role as the Apostle Paul, a chosen instrument to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15). This divine appointment emphasizes God's sovereignty and the unfolding of His redemptive plan through chosen individuals.

Act 26:16 But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared…
Jhn 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you…
1Ti 1:12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Paul (formerly Saul)
The speaker in this verse, Paul is recounting his conversion experience on the road to Damascus. He was a zealous Pharisee and persecutor of Christians before his encounter with Christ.

2. The Lord (Jesus Christ)
The divine voice speaking to Paul, instructing him on what to do next. This encounter marks a pivotal moment in Paul's life and mission.

3. Damascus
The city where Paul is instructed to go. It is significant as the place where Paul receives further revelation and begins his transformation into a key figure in the early Church.

4. Conversion Event
This verse is part of Paul's testimony about his dramatic conversion experience, which is a turning point in his life and in the spread of Christianity.
Teaching Points
Divine Direction
God provides specific guidance for our lives. Just as Paul was instructed to go to Damascus, we should seek and be open to God's direction in our own lives.

Obedience to God's Call
Immediate obedience is crucial. Paul did not hesitate to follow the Lord's instructions, demonstrating the importance of responding promptly to God's call.

Transformation through Encounter
A genuine encounter with Christ leads to transformation. Paul's life was radically changed, showing that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace.

Purpose and Mission
God has a specific purpose for each believer. Like Paul, we are appointed to fulfill a unique role in God's plan, and we should seek to understand and pursue it.

Faith in Uncertainty
Paul was told to go without knowing all the details. This teaches us to trust God even when the full picture is not clear, relying on His wisdom and timing.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Paul's question, "What should I do, Lord?" reflect a heart of submission and readiness to follow God's will? How can we cultivate a similar attitude in our daily lives?

2. In what ways does Paul's journey to Damascus symbolize a journey of faith and obedience? Can you identify a time in your life when you had to step out in faith without knowing all the details?

3. How does Paul's transformation from persecutor to apostle demonstrate the power of God's grace? Are there areas in your life where you need to experience transformation?

4. What can we learn from Paul's immediate obedience to God's instructions? How can we apply this principle of prompt obedience in our own spiritual walk?

5. How does Paul's experience on the road to Damascus connect with other biblical accounts of divine encounters and callings? What similarities and differences do you observe, and what do they teach us about God's interaction with His people?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Acts 9:3-6
This passage provides the original account of Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus, offering more detail about the encounter with the risen Christ.

Galatians 1:15-16
Paul reflects on his calling and how God set him apart from birth, emphasizing the divine purpose revealed to him.

Philippians 3:7-8
Paul speaks about the transformation in his values and priorities after encountering Christ, considering all things loss compared to knowing Him.
Sermons
Adjusted FacultiesJoseph Cook.Acts 22:10
The Great Practical QuestionDean Vaughan.Acts 22:10
The Servant's Question to His LordJ. B. Shaw, D. D.Acts 22:10
The Supreme ProblemHomilistActs 22:10
Paul and the Bigoted JewsA. F. Muir, M. A.Acts 22:1-21
Paul's Address on the StairsD. Thomas, D. D.Acts 22:1-21
Paul's DefenceJ. Clark.Acts 22:1-21
Paul's DefenceS. TimesActs 22:1-21
Paul's Defense of Himself to the PeopleR.A. Redford Acts 22:1-21
Paul's Memorable Sermon At JerusalemK. Gerok.Acts 22:1-21
Paul's Self-Defense Before the JewsE. Johnson Acts 22:1-21
Paul's Sketch of His LifeK. Gerok.Acts 22:1-21
Personal ExperienceJ. Parker, D. D.Acts 22:1-21
The Apostle's AutobiographyA. F. Schauffler.Acts 22:1-21
The Defence and Weapons of a Man of God in Troublous TimesK. Gerok.Acts 22:1-21
The Legitimacy of Self DefenceH. C. Trumbull, D. D.Acts 22:1-21
Argument and PrejudiceW. Clarkson Acts 22:1-22
The Testimony of Religious ExperienceP.C. Barker Acts 22:1-22
A Significant Voice from HeavenHomilistActs 22:6-10
Christ and SaulW. Harris.Acts 22:6-10
ConversionG. S. Bowes, B. A.Acts 22:6-10
Conversion, a Total ChangeR. Alleine.Acts 22:6-10
Jesus of NazarethS. H. Tyng, D. D. , jun.Acts 22:6-10
Saul's ConversionD. Thomas, D. D.Acts 22:6-10
The Claims of a Personal Divine RevelationR. Tuck Acts 22:6-10
The Conversion of PaulGerlach.Acts 22:6-10
The Conversion of Paul: its GenuinenessApostolic PastorActs 22:6-10
The Conversion of SaulJ. Kirk Pike.Acts 22:6-10
The Heavenly Light At DamascusK. Gerok., Caleb Morris.Acts 22:6-10
The Matchless Work of God in ConversionC. H. Spurgeon.Acts 22:6-10
The Method of ConversionT. Guthrie, D. D.Acts 22:6-10
The Sights and Sounds of LifeD. Thomas, D. D.Acts 22:6-10
People
Ananias, Gamaliel, Paul, Saul, Stephen
Places
Cilicia, Damascus, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Tarsus
Topics
Appointed, Arise, Assigned, Clear, Damascus, Rise, Risen
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Acts 22:10

     6708   predestination
     7741   missionaries, task
     8124   guidance

Acts 22:3-16

     5108   Paul, life of

Acts 22:3-21

     5944   self-defence
     8820   self-confidence

Acts 22:6-11

     6629   conversion, examples

Acts 22:6-16

     5109   Paul, apostle

Library
Rome Protects Paul
'And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the Temple, I was in a trance; 18. And saw Him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning Me. 19. And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on Thee: 20. And when the blood of Thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

Paul on his Own Conversion
'And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. 7. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why perseoutest thou Me? 8. And I answered, Who art Thou, Lord? And He said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. 9. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of Him that spake to me. 10. And I said, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

Being Easily Entreated
Not long since I saw in the report of a meeting a statement something like this: "The brethren were easily entreated, and so all personal difficulties were easily settled." One of the greatest problems that ministers meet and one that requires the most patience and wisdom is the problem of settling personal difficulties. These difficulties are often found existing between those professing to be Christians. And sometimes they are very hard to get settled. There is just one reason for this: those involved …
Charles Wesley Naylor—Heart Talks

Some Scriptures for Daily Practise.
If we seek God earnestly in the prayer of faith to help us in our daily practise of the following Scriptural texts and then put forth our best efforts, we shall find life daily growing more holy and beautiful. The beauty and enjoyment of a holy life is that it can always be improved upon. We can live in all the light that shines upon us from these texts today, but tomorrow we find them shining a little brighter and fuller light, so that we shall have to live a little more holy than we are living …
C. E. Orr—How to Live a Holy Life

What is God's Will?
"The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know His will."--ACTS xxii. 14. WE resume to-day a subject, the thread of which has been broken by the interval of a few Sabbaths--the subject of the Will of God. Already we have tried to learn two lessons:-- (1) That the end of our life is to do the will of God. (2) That this was the end of Christ's life. It will help to recall what has gone before if we compare this with another definition of the end of life with which we are all familiar. …
Henry Drummond—The Ideal Life

Beyond the Brightness of the Sun
T. P. Acts xxii. 11 I was journeying in the noontide, When His light shone o'er my road; And I saw Him in that glory-- Saw Him--Jesus, Son of God. All around, in noonday splendour, Earthly scenes lay fair and bright; But my eyes no more behold them For the glory of that light. Others in the summer sunshine Wearily may journey on, I have seen a light from heaven, Past the brightness of the sun-- Light that knows no cloud, no waning, Light wherein I see His Face, All His love's uncounted treasures, …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

Early Life the Place of Paul +The Man
STUDY I EARLY LIFE THE PLACE OF PAUL +The Man, Paul,+ judged by the influence he has exerted in the world, is one of the greatest characters in all history. He is pre-eminent not only as a missionary, but as a marvelous thinker and writer. "He was a personality of vast power, force, and individuality." There are some men who seem to be born and prepared to do a large work for the world; Paul makes the impression upon those who carefully read the record of his life that he stands first in this class …
Henry T. Sell—Bible Studies in the Life of Paul

Jerusalem to Rome
Acts 21:17-28:31 THIS JOURNEY Scripture, Acts 21:17-28:31 1. The speech before the Jewish mob in the temple (Acts 22:1-29) in which Paul tells the Jews how he was changed from a persecutor to a believer in Christ. He relates also the story of his conversion. 2. The speech before the Jewish council (Acts 22:30; 23:1-10) in which he creates confusion by raising the question of the resurrection. But the provocation was great for the high-priest had commanded that Paul be smitten …
Henry T. Sell—Bible Studies in the Life of Paul

Jesus the Guest of Martha and Mary.
(Bethany, Near Jerusalem.) ^C Luke X. 38-42. ^c 38 Now as they went on their way [he was journeying through Judæa, attended by the twelve], he entered into a certain village [It was the village of Bethany (John xi. 1), which was on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, less than two miles from Jerusalem]: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at the Lord's feet, and heard his word. [Sitting at the feet was the ancient …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

From Antioch to the Destruction of Jerusalem.
Acts 13-28 and all the rest of the New Testament except the epistles of John and Revelation. The Changed Situation. We have now come to a turning point in the whole situation. The center of work has shifted from Jerusalem to Antioch, the capital of the Greek province of Syria, the residence of the Roman governor of the province. We change from the study of the struggles of Christianity in the Jewish world to those it made among heathen people. We no longer study many and various persons and their …
Josiah Blake Tidwell—The Bible Period by Period

Divine Calls.
"And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel; Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for Thy servant heareth."--1 Samuel iii. 10. In the narrative of which these words form part, we have a remarkable instance of a Divine call, and the manner in which it is our duty to meet it. Samuel was from a child brought to the house of the Lord; and in due time he was called to a sacred office, and made a prophet. He was called, and he forthwith answered the call. God said, "Samuel, …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

Baptism, a Divinely Appointed Means of Grace.
When we inquire into the benefits and blessings which the Word of God connects with baptism, we must be careful to obtain the true sense and necessary meaning of its declarations. It is not enough to pick out an isolated passage or two, give them a sense of our own, and forthwith build on them a theory or doctrine. In this way the Holy Scriptures have been made to teach and support the gravest errors and most dangerous heresies. In this way, many persons "wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction." …
G. H. Gerberding—The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church

Third Stage of the Roman Trial. Pilate Reluctantly Sentences Him to Crucifixion.
(Friday. Toward Sunrise.) ^A Matt. XXVII. 15-30; ^B Mark XV. 6-19; ^C Luke XXIII. 13-25; ^D John XVIII. 39-XIX 16. ^a 15 Now at the feast [the passover and unleavened bread] the governor was wont { ^b used to} release unto them ^a the multitude one prisoner, whom they would. { ^b whom they asked of him.} [No one knows when or by whom this custom was introduced, but similar customs were not unknown elsewhere, both the Greeks and Romans being wont to bestow special honor upon certain occasions by releasing …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Prodigal Son.
"And he said, A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he …
William Arnot—The Parables of Our Lord

Of the Prerogatives which the Elect Shall Enjoy in Heaven.
By reason of this communion with God, the elect in heaven shall have four superexcellent prerogatives:-- 1. They shall have the kingdom of heaven for their inheritance (Matt. xxv.; 1 Pet. i. 4), and they shall be free denizens of the heavenly Jerusalem (Eph. ii. 19; Heb. xii. 22.) St. Paul, by being a free citizen of Rome (Acts xxi. 26), escaped whipping; but they who are once free citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem, shall ever be freed from the whips of eternal torments. For this freedom was bought …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

How to Make Use of Christ for Cleansing of us from Our Daily Spots.
Having spoken of the way of making use of Christ for removing the guilt of our daily transgressions, we come to speak of the way of making use of Christ, for taking away the guilt that cleaveth to the soul, through daily transgressions; "for every sin defileth the man," Matt. xv. 20; and the best are said to have their spots, and to need washing, which presupposeth filthiness and defilement, Eph. v. 27. John xiii. 8-10. Hence we are so oft called to this duty of washing and making us clean. Isa. …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

The Nature of Justification
Justification in the active sense (iustificatio, {GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH OXIA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA}) is defined by the Tridentine Council as "a translation from that state wherein man is born a child of the first Adam, to the state of grace and of the adoption of the sons of God through the second Adam, …
Joseph Pohle—Grace, Actual and Habitual

The Birth of Jesus Proclaimed by Angels to the Shepherds.
(Near Bethlehem, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke II. 8-20. ^c 8 And there were shepherds in the same country [they were in the same fields from which David had been called to tend God's Israel, or flock] abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. [When the flock is too far from the village to lead it to the fold at night, these shepherds still so abide with it in the field, even in the dead of winter.] 9 And an angel of the Lord stood by them [He stood upon the earth at their side, and did …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Lord of Glory.
1 Cor. ii:8. OUR ever blessed Lord, who died for us, to whom we belong, with whom we shall be forever, is the Lord of Glory. Thus He is called in 1 Cor. ii:8, "for had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory." Eternally He is this because He is "the express image of God, the brightness of His Glory" (Heb. i:3). He possessed Glory with the Father before the world was (John xvii:5). This Glory was beheld by the prophets, for we read that Isaiah "saw His Glory and spake of Him" …
Arno Gaebelein—The Lord of Glory

Of Baptism.
1. Baptism defined. Its primary object. This consists of three things. 1. To attest the forgiveness of sins. 2. Passages of Scripture proving the forgiveness of sins. 3. Forgiveness not only of past but also of future sins. This no encouragement to license in sin. 4 Refutation of those who share forgiveness between Baptism and Repentance. 5 Second thing in Baptism--viz. to teach that we are ingrafted into Christ for mortification and newness of life. 6. Third thing in Baptism--viz. to teach us that …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Jews Make all Ready for the War; and Simon, the Son of Gioras, Falls to Plundering.
1. And thus were the disturbances of Galilee quieted, when, upon their ceasing to prosecute their civil dissensions, they betook themselves to make preparations for the war with the Romans. Now in Jerusalem the high priest Artanus, and do as many of the men of power as were not in the interest of the Romans, both repaired the walls, and made a great many warlike instruments, insomuch that in all parts of the city darts and all sorts of armor were upon the anvil. Although the multitude of the young …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

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