“At Whose feet do you sit?”

“At Whose feet do you sit?”

The Apostle Paul speaks out, toward his authentic love for God and gives tribute to his teacher, Gamaliel.

In Acts 22:3—Paul speaks.
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. At his feet I learned to follow our Jewish laws and customs very carefully.”
Paul was a Pharisee (a self righteous hypocritical person.) He was a persecutor to Christians, and so much more, in the latter part of his life. (His name was actually Saul….before his conversion on the road to Damascus, when the Lord changed him.)
But that is not what this is about. I want to look at Paul when he was only 13 years old.
What Paul learned as a thirteen year old boy stuck with him throughout the course of his life.
Paul was from Tarsus. (Ancient city in Turkey) Taurus, in Paul’s day makes me think of Grove, Oklahoma, and what I remember feeling as a child, while living there. It was at that time a small resort town, with fewer than 3,000 in population during the early 1970’s, possibly less than that, now that I think about it.
Kids from Grove would grow up only wanting to move to the “bigger city.” We would set our sites on Tulsa, as the flourishing city with wisdom (many churches) and even successful lifestyles. To a small town girl it was wonderment.
So, like Paul setting his sites for Jerusalem, he finds a Holy City. I set my sites toward Tulsa prior to sitting under the teaching of my Pastor/Daddy for many years. Paul was only 13 years old when he trekked to Jerusalem, to learn the Jewish laws. I was 23 and married, feeling like I already “knew” the law of the Lord and soon realized I didn’t. When I moved to Tulsa, I sat under the teaching of Pastor Bob Yandian, and my ‘wisdom’ grew even more as I had more attentive ears. His words, like my daddy’s still penetrate my heart. I did not know the Law of the Lord until I had to use it daily in my, then, adventurous time of my life.
Paul learned later, the Law he was taught at the feet of Gamaliel came a more suited practice when he was forced to address the “council” who wanted to kill him. Acts 21:31. Thank God, I never got into a riot about whose I was, or what I believe, though my faith was tested many times throughout my adult life. But none like Paul.
Why do I write about Paul? (That could be a very big blog, since he is one of my favorite stories.)
I am actually smitten by the person who taught Paul all the laws which accommodated him in the growing balance of his converted life. Gamaliel. We have all at some time in our life needed a Gamaliel.
I like Paul, have learned the Word, to bring balance and most of all to bring conversion to my life.
I sat at many Pastors’ feet and now I have an occasional few who sit at mine. I would only hope that one day; one would find my teaching worthy of Jesus’ glory! I only hope to do HIM justice.
Thanks Gamaliel—I am forever inspired.