And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. (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.
Every circumstance in the history of this woman is striking, and merits our attention.
First s We find a special call of Paul to Macedon; and the first reason for it, is given in the history of this woman being called to God, through the instrumentality of Paul's preaching. The Lord hath said, he will seek out his sheep, and deliver them out of all places whither they have been scattered, Ezekiel 34:12
It is further remarkable in the case of this woman's conversion, that though she was in this city of Philippi, when Paul was sent here, she was not an inhabitant of this place, but of Thyatira, a country far removed from it; for Philippi was in Europe, and Thyatira on the borders of Asia. So that the Lord must have brought her to Philippi, and then called Paul thither, to bring about the purposes of his grace. Doth the Reader ask, whether the conversion of this woman might not have been accomplished without those means, had she remained in Thyatira? I answer, Yes, without doubt, the Lord might so have wrought. But the Lord is pleased not unfrequently, to appoint otherwise; and what the Lord appoints must be right. And it is very precious when we see how the Lord, who fixeth the bounds of his people's habitations, arrangeth everything for his glory, and his people's happiness.
There is another sweet circumstance in this woman's history. Though in the eyes of the world she was a person of no great rank or character, a seller of purple only, not one dressed, as the rich man in the parable is described, in purple and fine linen, but one that moved about from place to place to get her daily bread, yet so precious in the eyes of Jesus, as one of his jewels, that a special messenger shall be sent to her to tell her words whereby she must be saved. Reader! learn from hence how valuable in the eyes of Jesus are all his redeemed ones, Luke 16:19
I pray the Reader to consider another feature respecting this woman. God the Holy Ghost hath caused her name to be handed down in the Church with honorable testimony. Had she not been precious to the Lord, neither her history, nor name would have been given. But now her name is known by thousands, and her history also, while millions of the human race, and multitudes which have made a figure also in their day and generation among the carnal and ungodly, and thought themselves persons of no small consequence, are now buried in everlasting oblivion, and are known no more. Oh the blessedness of being in Christ! Oh, the blessedness of being recorded in his book and having our names written in heaven, Philippians 4:3; Luke 10:20; Revelation 13:8; Psalms 139:16
But the principal feature to be noticed in Lydia's history, is, that the Lord opened her heart to attend to the things which were spoken by Paul. Yes. For if the Lord had not opened her heart, Paul never could. Reader! this is one of the most important points in the Gospel to be regarded. Oh! that it was well and duly considered, because in every instance it must be the same. For it is not man's preaching, but the Lord's ordering, and the opening of the heart is the Lord's work, and not man's. Did men but consider what a work is wrought when conversion-work is wrought, how different would be their views concerning the importance of salvation from what they now have of it. In every instance, all the persons of the Godhead must, and do concur. No man can come to Christ, without the drawings of the Father. And these drawings are a proof of his everlasting love, John 6:44; Jeremiah 31:3. None can open the heart but He who hath the key of David, Revelation 3:7. None but that God who moved over the face of the waters at the old creation, can cause light to spring out of darkness in the new, 2 Corinthians 4:6. So that the whole persons of Jehovah put their Almighty hand to the work in the conversion of Lydia; and the same is essential in the instance of every sinner, whom the Lord makes willing in the day of his power, Psalms 110:3. Reader! what saith your experience to this scriptural testimony? If He who opened Lydia's heart hath mercifully opened your's, you can best explain the greatness of the work, the difficulties of it, the state of your mind before it was wrought, in the dominion of sin and Satan, and the state of your heart since God was so gracious, as will render unnecessary any observations of mine upon the subject to explain. All those blessed effects which marked Lydia's conduct, will more or less manifest themselves in your life and conversation. All the Lord's faithful servants, his ordinances, his word, his sabbaths, his people, will be dear to the heart. Nothing will be judged equally valuable as Christ and his.