9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
13:9
Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him
Luke identified “Saul” as the same person as “Paul,” his Roman name. This is the first time Luke in Acts called him by Paul. He used his Jewish name, Saul, when with Jews. From this point forward, Luke called Saul Paul in the book of Acts, except for passages that hark back to Paul’s conversion. Also, from this passage forward, Luke listed Paul before Barnabas, putting him in the lead of the mission team (Acts 13:42, 46).
From this point on the mission trip forward, Paul displaced Barnabas as the lead team member. We no longer read Barnabas and Saul but Paul and Barnabas. Paul probably carried both names of Saul and Paul before this point, but he used Paul now because it was a Roman name.
As Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit, he intently stared at Bar-Jesus or Elymas.
13:10
and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
Paul condemned Bar-Jesus for not believing the word of God, the faith that Barnabas and Paul preached. The apostle asked this man a rhetorical question about perverting what God had to say. “Bar-Jesus” means son of the savior, but Paul called him the “son of the devil.” Paul accused Bar-Jesus of being the son of the devil.
The word “deceit” means a snare. Bar-Jesus’ method was to deceive others by setting a snare for unbelief. This verse is the only occasion where the Greek word for “fraud” occurs. Bar-Jesus was a fraud in God’s eyes. The occult is dangerous to the Christian faith because it perverts its essence.
13:11
And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you,
The hand of the Lord’s judgment came upon Bar-Jesus because he perverted God’s word. He could not escape God’s punishment with impunity.
and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”
The particular judgment on Bar-Jesus was temporary physical blindness. His physical blindness was representative of his spiritual blindness.
And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
Bar-Jesus became immediately blind, asking for someone to guide him by the hand. This event is the first recorded miracle by Paul.
13:12
Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
When Sergius Paulus saw the judgment that fell upon Bar-Jesus, he believed in the teaching of the word of God.
PRINCIPLE:
Satanic opposition always arises when people faithfully proclaim the Word of God.
APPLICATION:
The most essential qualification of Christian leaders is fidelity to God, especially faithfulness to the Word of God. A leader unfaithful to God and His Word is like a foot out of joint or a broken tooth (Prov 25:19).
