Priscilla's Page By
Marilyn LaStrape *Editor's Note*
Lydia: Eager to Serve
By Bonnie
Rushmore
Character Study
Acts 16:12-15
Lydia was a
business woman whose vocation brought her
to the town of Philippi. Her hometown of Thyatira was 250 miles away.
“A seller
of purple” is an indication that Lydia was a wealthy woman whose
business was
thriving. The color of purple was reserved for those who were in places
of high
authority or rich. Lydia must have been an outstanding woman who had
daily
dealings with the rich and famous.
Thyatira was
located 42 miles from the Aegean Sea, 37
miles north of Sardis and 47 miles northwest of Pergamum along the
Lycus River
(“Thyatira”). These three cities are mentioned in address to the seven
churches
in Asia by John in the Book of Revelation (1:11). Thyatira was known
for its
great trade guilds (unions) to which every crafter must belong in order
to be
successful. These guilds included bakers, potters, tanners, weavers,
robe
makers, coppersmiths and dyers. The International Standard Bible
Encyclopaedia makes the following observation about the city of
Thyatira:
Thyatira
was
specially noted for the trade guilds which were
probably more completely organized there than in any other ancient
city. Every
artisan belonged to a guild, and every guild, which was an incorporated
organization, possessed property in its own name, made contracts for
great
constructions, and wielded a wide influence. Powerful among them was
the guild
of coppersmiths; another was the guild of the dyers…
The color
purple is a bright, deep reddish-blue and is
sometimes called Turkish Red. The dye was gleaned from one of two
sources. The
most common source was from shellfish; the other source was from the
madder
root. The shellfish secretes a slimy substance from its gland, which
when
exposed to sunlight passes through shades of yellow and green before
settling
into the purple color (New Unger’s). Nelson’s Illustrated
Bible
Dictionary makes this observation: “A total of 250,000 mollusks was
required to make one ounce of the dye, which partly accounts for its
great
price.” The second source for the purple dye is from the root of the
madder
plant. “Madder is a perennial herb with
leaves in whorls of 4-5 or more at the nodes…” (“Thyatira”).
Regardless of
the source for the purple dye, Thyatira
was famous for its outstanding purple cloth. “The waters of Thyatira
are said
to be so well adapted for dyeing that in no place can the scarlet cloth
out of
which fezes [cone shaped hats, BSR] are made be so brilliantly or so
permanently
dyed as here” (New Unger’s).
The city of
Philippi was one of the cities located
along the main route between Asia and the west, nestled among the
mountains ten
miles from the Aegean Sea in the country of Macedonia (New Unger’s).
It
was a Roman colony, and as such “made up largely of Roman citizens and
located
at strategic points throughout the empire, which enjoyed special
privileges,
such as self-government, freedom from imperial taxation, and the same
rights as
citizens in Italy. Such a city was a little Rome far from the
motherland” (Wycliffe).
Apparently, the city of Philippi
had very few Jewish males living within its gates as it did not have a
synagogue; ten, adult Jewish males were necessary to form a synagogue.
For this
reason the apostle Paul found women gathered at the riverside to pray.
It was a
common practice to have a designated place for Jews to gather, usually
by the
side of a river, when a synagogue was not available. A simple enclosure
was
built of stone, with seats and no roof, often built in a grove of trees
in a
suitable place for worship (Barnes’)
Lydia was not
a Jew by birth, but had at sometime
accepted the Jewish faith by becoming a proselyte. (Commentaries
commonly
ascribe Gentile ancestry to Lydia owing to the choice of words in Greek
identifying her as a ‘worshipper of God.’) Thus, on the Sabbath day
Lydia was
gathered with the other Jews of Philippi to worship God. She is the
only
individual named of those gathered on that Sabbath day to worship.
There is no
indication that any male Jews were present.
The majority
of the citizens in Philippi were
Gentiles, none worshippers of the one true God. The Sabbath day was not
a day
of rest to the Gentile world. Work went on as normal; shops were open
to sell
their merchandise. Lydia choose to close her business to worship God on
the
Sabbath day, possibly losing sales for that day.
As was Paul’s
custom, on the Sabbath day he went to
the place of worship in search of honest hearts willing to listen to
the Gospel
of Christ. Paul found such a woman in Lydia. The Scriptures state she
“…heard
us…” (Acts 16:14). The “hearing” was not simply listening to an audible
noise.
Lydia’s hearing consisted of her listening to the words spoken,
understanding what was taught and applying the teaching to her life.
Acts 16:14
goes on to say “whose heart the Lord
opened…” God did not miraculously open Lydia’s heart to the words of
Paul as
some suppose. Rather, the preaching of the Gospel opened her heart to
accept
the Gospel just as the Jews on the day of Pentecost were pricked in the
heart
when they heard Peter preach the first recorded Gospel sermon (Acts
2:37). As a
proselyte Jew, Lydia knew the teachings of the Old Testament and was
well aware
of the prophecies concerning Christ and his church. Thus, with her
knowledge of
the Old Law, she readily accepted Paul’s teachings on the church.
Luke further
records in Acts 16:14 “that she attended
unto the things which were spoken of Paul.” After hearing the words of
Paul and
understanding what he was teaching, Lydia took the next step by
accepting the
truths being taught. Lydia’s actions on that Sabbath day followed the
natural
course of any honest and sincere heart. She heard the words, she
understood the
words and she acted accordingly.
Lydia’s action
is outlined in verse 15. “And when she
was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have
judged me
to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And
she
constrained us.” Although the words Paul spoke are not recorded for us,
we know
that a part of Paul’s teachings included baptism. The Scriptures record
Lydia
and her household were baptized. Thus, Lydia became the first Christian
convert
in Europe.
Lydia did not
sit back and relax once she accepted the
Gospel. She put her newfound faith to work. Remember the last part of
verse 15
says, “If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my
house, and
abide there. And she constrained us.” Lydia was so thankful for Paul
and his
companions that she offered them a place to stay while in Philippi. The
hospitality offered by Lydia included a place to sleep, meals and the
other
necessity one would need when traveling far from home. Notice this was
not a
mild offer, but a begging plea to be of service to God in her newfound
religion. Not only did Lydia persuade Paul and his three companions to
stay
with her while in Philippi, she opened her home to those that were
converted.
Acts 16:40 states that when Paul and Silas “…went out of the prison,
and
entered into the house of Lydia and when they had seen the brethren,
they
comforted them, and departed.” Christians were gathered at Lydia’s
home,
probably praying for Paul and Silas’s safety.
Applicable Principles
Lydia was a worshipper of God.
Lydia was a Gentile by birth. At
sometime in her life she
became acquainted with the one true God. With this knowledge, she
became a
proselyte Jew serving and worshipping God under the Old Law. When she
was
taught the Gospel, she became a Christian and worshipped God according
to the
New Law.
Christians of the first century
gathered daily for
prayer, fellowship and teaching (Acts 2:42-47; 5:42). At Troas, Paul
preached
until midnight to the Christians gathered there (Acts 20:7). The writer
of
Hebrews admonished Christians to not forsake the assembly of the saints
(Hebrews 10:24-31). God commands that we worship him on the first day
of the
week. To be like Lydia, a true worshipper of God (John 4:23-24), one
should
desire to worship God at every opportunity.
Are you like Lydia? Are you a
worshipper of God? Do
you seize every opportunity to worship God? Do you long to spend time
with
Christians or do you prefer to spend time with worldly individuals? Do
you
worship God with a desire to learn more or because it is a command?
Let us follow the example of Lydia and
strive to
worship God with an honest and sincere heart at every opportunity.
Lydia had an honest heart.
Lydia readily listened to the words of
Paul. Paul did
not have to convince Lydia to believe in God. She was a worshipper of
God.
Lydia worshipped God under the Old Law. Now there is a better law, the
Gospel
of Christ (Hebrews 10:1-10). Lydia “attended unto the things which were
spoken”
(Acts 16:14). She reasoned within her heart to verify the truth. Once
she
realized the truthfulness of the words spoken, she acted accordingly.
Are you like Lydia? Do you have an
honest heart? Do
you readily listen to the Words of God, then “attend to them”? Do you
concentrate on the lesson you hear? Do you apply those lessons to your
life?
Let us follow the example of Lydia by
eagerly
listening to lessons from God’s Word then apply those lessons to our
lives.
Lydia immediately corrected her life to conform to God’s will.
From the Scriptures we learn of at
least two occasions
on which Lydia made course corrections to better serve God. The time of
the
first is unknown; however, we know that she became a proselyte Jew
sometime
before her encounter with the apostle Paul in Philippi. The second
occasion is
outlined for us in Acts 16:14-15. Here we learn that as soon as Lydia
understood
the words of Paul she corrected her life to conform to God’s will. She
was
immersed (baptism is immersion, Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12) in water
to wash
away her sins. From all indication, Lydia was an honest person. She
worshipped
God, but being an honest person and worshipping God was not enough.
Lydia had
to submit her will to God’s will in baptism. Lydia did this as soon as
she
understood the necessity to do so.
Are you like Lydia? Do you immediately
make changes in
your life when you understand that your actions are contrary to God’s
will?
Have you washed your sins away through baptism? If yes, do you make
changes in
your life as soon as you understand the necessity to do so?
Let us follow the example of Lydia by
making course
corrections in our lives without hesitation.
God was more important to Lydia than her business.
The Sabbath day was a normal business
day in Philippi.
Lydia chose to close her business to worship God on the Sabbath. She
probably
lost sales on the Sabbath. Furthermore, once she obeyed the Gospel, she
placed
herself at odds with the guild for dyers. This would hinder her
association
with various individuals, possibly limiting her sales as well.
Are you like Lydia? Do you forgo the
extra hours at
work so that you can worship God at the appointed times? Do you “go
along to
get along” so that you can get that promotion or do you let others know
that
you do not appreciate their crude language, inappropriate jokes and
immoral
behavior? Can the people with whom you work know that you are a
Christian by
the way you talk and act at work?
Let us follow the example of Lydia and
put God before
our jobs.
Lydia was the kind of person that could influence others for
good.
Acts 16:15 states that Lydia and her
household were
baptized. One of the requirements for baptism is to understand why one
is
baptized. Lydia’s household was baptized because each individual
understood he
or she was lost in sin and that baptism into Christ washed away that
sin.
Lydia’s character was such that those who knew her understood she would
not
encourage them to do something inappropriate or unnecessary. She always
had
their best interest at heart.
Are you like Lydia? Do you have a good
influence on
others? Can your actions lead others to Christ or will it lead them
into the
ways of the world? We must remember we are being watched by our peers
and by
younger individuals looking for role models. What kind of role model
are you?
Let us follow the example of Lydia and
be a role model
for Christ, leading lost souls to heaven (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Upon obeying the Gospel, Lydia immediately began to serve God.
Lydia began to serve God immediately
after her
baptism. She offered Paul, Silas, Luke and Timothy a place to live
while in
Philippi. This was not a polite offer, hoping they would decline. She
begged
them to lodge with her, which gave Paul and his companions a base of
operation
while preaching Christ in Philippi. This also afforded Lydia
opportunities to
learn more about Christ and his church. As more individuals were
baptized,
Lydia opened her home as a gathering place for Christians. The church
at
Philippi may have used Lydia’s home as its place of worship.
Are you a Lydia? Do you offer
hospitality? Do you open
your home to others for Bible study and prayer?
Let
us follow the example of Lydia and use our
homes to glorify God by reaching out with hospitality.
Works
Cited
Barnes’ Notes. CD-ROM. Seattle: Biblesoft,
1997.
International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia.
CD-ROM.
Seattle: Biblesoft, 1996.
Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary.
CD-ROM. Nashville:
Nelson, 1986.
New Unger’s Bible Dictionary. CD-ROM.
Chicago: Moody P.,
1988.
“Thyatira” Holy Land Photos. 28 Mar. 2007
<https://holylandphotos.org/browse.asp?s= 1,3,7,20,82>.
Wycliffe
Bible Commentary.
CD-ROM. Chicago: Moody P., 1962.
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