INTRODUCTION
When the Lord Jesus first spoke to Saul of Tarsus, He said, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads" (Acts 26:14).
Saul was persecuting the church of Christ and violating the advice of his own mentor Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), who said in Acts 5:38-39:
38"So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; 39but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God."
Saul was both fighting against God and kicking against the goads that God used to direct man.
A goad is a sharp pole or stick used to prod animals and cause them to move.
Like a stubborn animal that refuses to move while being continuously prodded with a goad, Saul had resisted the power of God and tried to counteract it. He had started a fight he could not win.
As in the case of Saul, it is hard for anyone to kick against the goads that the Lord uses.
Those who choose to resist Christ and fight against Him are bound for failure. If they continue this fight, then they will suffer the greatest loss possible, the loss of their souls for eternity.
Mercifully, God makes this fight hard on those who attempt it. His goads sharply prod sinners to change their course and move in compliance with His will for their own salvation.
THE GOADS OF GOD
The word of God is the sharpest goad of all.
Nothing prods us more sharply than God's word, for Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
Those who honestly receive God's word often react like the Jews on Pentecost who "were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brethren, what shall we do?'" (Acts 2:37).
Teachers of the word of God must wisely use it as a goad to motivate their hearers as Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 suggests:
10The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly. 11The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd.
Whether we are giving the word of God or receiving it, let us consider how the word of God must act as a goad.
God's word calls upon us to change and take action. It prods us in order to motivate us and move us in anticipation of judgment. Consider Paul's words in Acts 17:30-31:
30"Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."
When Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, He said that the Spirit "will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment" (John 16:8). He now does this by the word He delivered (1Cor. 2:6-16), and this conviction motivates us to act.
It is hard to kick against the goad of God's word. Its force is irresistible, for it will accomplish God's will, and it will be the standard of God's judgment (Isa. 55:10-11; John 12:48; Heb. 4:12).
Evidence within the world goads man into belief in God and compliance with His will.
The evidence of God in the world is inescapable. Consider Romans 1:18-20:
18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
Even when the word of God was unknown to certain people and nations, He continued to prove Himself to them as Paul said in Acts 14:16-17:
16"In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; 17and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness."
This evidence provoked man to "seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us" (Acts 17:27).
It is hard to kick against the goad of this evidence, for it is within ourselves and all around us. Not even the theory of evolution has been able to explain away the evidence of God in the world, for "every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God" (Heb. 3:4).
The conscience serves as a goad to prod man when he commits a violation.
The conscience is the part of man's heart and soul that distinguishes between what is morally good and what is evil. It prompts man to do good and to shun evil. It also provokes man when he is guilty of evil so that he seeks repentance and amends.
Consider Romans 2:14-16, where Paul showed that the Gentiles' conscience enforced a law within their hearts:
14For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, 16on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.
Conscience is not a perfect guide, for it can be trained in error or even seared to the point of insensitivity (1Tim. 4:2). However, it is a God-given instrument that imparts guilt whenever it is violated (Rom. 14:23).
It is hard to kick against the goad of the conscience, for it is an ever present reminder of our sins and our accountability before God. Even in the final judgment, it will stand as a witness of our deeds, whether they were good or evil.
The natural consequences of sin are a goad to bring us to repentance.
One of the first principles of nature is that like begets like (Gen. 1:11-12, 24-25). This is also a spiritual principle as Scripture states in Galatians 6:7-9:
7Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
As a result of this principle, the way of a sinner is hard. While a sinner often enjoys the temporary pleasures of the world, he will suffer hardship in the long run and his sin will find him out (Num. 32:23). Indeed, he will reap the due penalty of his error (Rom. 1:27).
The Proverbs testify to this truth again and again. Consider a few verses that present a contrast between the blessed ways of the righteous and the hard ways of sinners:
Proverbs 3:33 -- The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
Proverbs 10:25 -- When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation.
Proverbs 11:27 -- He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, but he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.
Proverbs 14:22 -- Will they not go astray who devise evil? But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
Proverbs 17:13 -- He who returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.
Proverbs 22:8 -- He who sows iniquity will reap vanity, and the rod of his fury will perish.
It is hard to kick against the goad of sin's hardship. Such hardship is proof of a loving God prodding sinners to move away from their error and to come back to Him.
CONCLUSION
At the peak of his sin, Saul could no longer kick against the goads. He submitted to the Lord's will and changed his course from that of the chief opponent of the gospel to that of the gospel's first advocate.
Do you feel the goads prodding you? Do not resist or ignore God's appeals, but recognize them as the efforts of your Father who loves you and seeks the best for you. "Be reconciled to God" (2Cor. 5:20).