And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead.
Acts 20:9
Paul arrived in Troas in Act 20:6 with the intention of staying only a week. Obviously the saints there had a strong desire for the word of God preached by the apostle because as they gathered on the first day of the week, Paul was still preaching at midnight! (v. 7) This text is a clear indication of how the hunger a congregation has for the truth will have a positive affect upon the one God has called to preach the word among them. God promises in Mat 5:6 that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled! It was no doubt a blessed time of communion and worship as the saints gathered in this city, but in the midst of that sweet fellowship, tragedy occurred in v. 9 as a young man suddenly fell to his death. Why would God interrupt such a time of praise with disaster?
Before we continue with this account, let’s contrast this text with 2Sa 6 where David was planning to bring the ark from Baale Judah to Jerusalem. The ark had ended up there after being taken by the Philistines during the reign of Saul. This time was to be a joyous one, a time of worship and praise as the ark was brought to the capital city of Israel. The move was accompanied by much fanfare. V. 5 says, “And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals. What a celebration it must have been until v. 7 when God killed Uzzah! The commandment of the Lord was that the ark of the covenant was to be carried by the Kohathites on wooden poles every time it was moved. David, however, had decided to carry the ark on an ox cart, an idea that we first see being practiced by the heathen Philistines! (2Sa 6:3 cmp 1Sa 6:7) Also, when the Kohathites carried the ark, they were not permitted to touch the ark itself under penalty of death! (Exo 25:12-14, Num 4:15, Num 7:9) But, when the oxen pulling David’s cart stumbled, Uzzah reached out to steady the ark and bore the punishment of his sin. Again, a time of celebration and worship was stopped cold in its tracks. The result was that David was afraid and wondered if the ark would ever come to Jerusalem. (2Sa 6:9) Because of disobedience to the Lord’s command, this day ended in despair and defeat instead of rejoicing and worship.
We fast forward now back to our text in Act 20. Similar to 2Sa 6, worship had been interrupted by sudden death, but that’s where the similarities ended. Instead of our account ending in defeat, it concluded with victory! In v. 10, the young man that fell to his death was resurrected, and without missing a beat, Paul and those gathered there enjoyed communion and more of the teaching of the word of God until daybreak. (v. 11) The conclusion of the whole matter was that the people “were not a little comforted,” i.e. they were comforted a whole lot! We asked at the beginning, “Why would God interrupt such a time of praise with disaster?” Now we see why? Because God was going to elevate their praise and worship by miraculous healing this young man! So, why did this tragedy result in comfort when Uzzah’s death resulted in fear and despair? The answer is simple. One group was worshipping God in order while the other was out of order. One gathering was walking in obedience and the other in disobedience.
The apostle Paul wrote a lengthy letter reprimanding the Corinthian church because it was in a mess. The instruction he gave them in 1Co 14:40 summed up the problem: “Let all things be done decently and in order.” We cannot expect God to bless our worship when we worship Him contrary to His instruction! David had patterned his transportation for the ark after the ungodly example of an idolatrous nation. Sadly, much of the practices that go on week after week in houses of worship today originate from the example of the ungodly rather than the instruction of the word of God. I read an article many years ago entitled “Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats”. I’ve never forgotten it. Given today’s culture, I thought it a timely word, even though it was written in the 1800s! (I found the article online here if you’d like to read it: http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/amusement.htm) The point is that there is nothing new under the sun. Satan is using the same traps today that he did in years gone by. He would have us remove Christ as the object of our worship and instead put the emphasis upon man. I pray we would return to biblically-based worship which honors the Lord and focuses upon His word. When we diligently seek Him and walk in obedience as they did in Troas, worship will be so strong that even death can’t interrupt it! The Lord is ready to bless us when our hearts are fully fixed on Him: “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” (2Ch 16:9)
Jamie