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Occupied by the Word

What things are you occupied with? To be occupied means to be engaged in something, or giving our attention to that thing. You may be occupied with work, family, responsibilities, or hobbies. Those are all good things to be occupied by at the appropriate times.

But in Acts 18:5 we read that the Apostle Paul was occupied by something quite noble. The verse says, "When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus."

The Greek word that is translated as occupied means to be seized, as if something has grabbed a hold of you. Paul was seized by the word, completely controlled by it. "The word" refers to the Word of God, or the gospel. Paul was completely occupied by sharing the good news of Jesus with people who did not know the truth. 

The Jews knew about Jesus, of course, but they did not believe Jesus was the Christ. Paul was able to build a systematic case for Jesus by using, you guessed it, the Word. It was only because Paul knew the Word that he was able to use verses like Genesis 3:15, that someone from the seed of the woman would crush the serpent's head; or Genesis 22, that the Father would sacrifice the Son so that the ones condemned to die could go free; or Isaiah 53, that the Suffering Servant would be pierced for our sins.

Paul was occupied by the Word. He could have been occupied by many other pursuits, but he chose to give his time and attention to Scripture--reading it, learning it, and sharing it. People often say they don't have time to read the Bible, but that usually is only because they are occupied with other things: social media, TV, or other forms of entertainment. 

Allow yourself to be occupied by the Word and you will never be disappointed. 


 

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