28 When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
29 The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.
30 And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him.
…
35 After quieting the crowd, the town clerk *said, “Men of Ephesus, what man is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from heaven?
36 So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash.
37 For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.
38 So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against any man, the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another.
39 But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly.
40 For indeed we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no real cause for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering.”
41 After saying this he dismissed the assembly.”
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There is a great contrast between this Scripture for today and yesterday’s Scripture.
In yesterday’s Scripture, “God was performing extraordinary miracles”. In today’s Scripture, God’s name is not even mentioned.
In yesterday’s Scripture, the miracles were being done “by the hands of Paul” and Paul was honored. In today’s Scripture, Paul was on the side lines, and there was not much mentioned about what he was doing.
In yesterday’s Scripture, “the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.” In today’s Scripture, there was much opposition to the word of the Lord, and the focus was on the words of a pagan town clerk.
The lesson to be learned from today’s Scripture is that it is not unusual for mountain-top experiences to be followed by desert and disturbing experiences. We need to remember those mountain-top experiences and draw strength from our memory of them, focus on God, and trust God. To put it simply, we need to have faith.
Even though God seems to be quiet and behind the scenes, and all that we see is man and chaos, we need to remember that God is still sovereign, still active, and still in total control working all things for our good.
God can even use the pagan town clerks in our lives for His purpose. God can get us through the deserts and disturbances of our lives without our leader being the key figure. God wants us to trust Him, not solely rely on the “Pauls” of our lives. “For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men? What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:4-7. The Scripture for today (and the chapter of Acts 19) concludes with a description of the action of the pagan town clerk. “After saying this he dismissed the assembly.”
“5 Thus says the LORD,
“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes flesh his strength,
And whose heart turns away from the LORD.
6 “For he will be like a bush in the desert
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A land of salt without inhabitant.
7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD
And whose trust is the LORD.
8 “For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.” Jeremiah 17:5-8.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 