Are Your Students Intelligent? The I.Q. Question and The Case Of Sergius Paulus

Presumably, you desire homeschooling in order better to manage the educational environment of your students. We want wise children, and wiser adults, who are intelligent. But the question of measuring intelligence has always been a sticky one for the world of "Enlightenment" thinkers.

Since the times of the Renaissance and before, various cultural and scholastic standards used to determine one's level of intelligence, competence, or other kinds of "skills of the mind" have prevailed. True education engenders more than intelligence (wisdom requires intelligence), but never LESS.

So -- seeing that I am always on about the Bible having the answers we need (which it does, and this explains why I say this so often) -- we must ask here, which of all these standardized evaluations for intelligence ought we to look to for guidance?

Here is our related text for the day. Acts 13 offers some great insights here. We shall scrutinize verses 5-12:

And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister. And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus [Son of Jesus]: Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.

But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him. And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

Here, we learn a fascinating lesson about contrasting notions of "intelligence," represented on the one hand, by Sergius Paulus, and on the other hand by his assistant (most likely a counselor), Elymas the sorcerer.

Now it was the custom of rulers in the ancient world to seek men of subtilty or intelligence, often called "wise men," whom they chose as faithful counselors to help them most wisely carry out their tasks of ruling. Sergius Paulus obviously represents a Latin name. He is a Roman ruler, probably a Prefect or Consul -- similar to Pontius Pilate but with a smaller jurisdiction.

Sergius Paulus, recognizing certain insights (and perhaps power) that Elymas had, opted to hire him for the services associated with consulting (today we would call him a "consultant"). No one in this text disputes his extraordinary abilities. In fact, Paul confesses that Elymas is "full of all subtility," which is also a fair description of the serpent in the garden.

This is not wisdom, but a kind of penetrating intelligence, which Sergius Paulus had hired him for. Paulus is himself introduced as "a prudent man." The first thing we learn about him, other than the fact of where he rules, is that he is quite intelligent, and hires very intelligent staff to help him. Paulus is not called "subtle," but prudent, which other translations simply render "an intelligent man."

Why does Elymas oppose Paul and Barnabas? The simple answer, of course, is that he is a "child of the devil," the ordinary condition of unregenerate people, but a label specially reserved in the Bible for those who act in ways which the Lord hates (See Proverbs 6:16-19 - these six things the Lord hates, yea these seven are an abomination unto Him). This is the stereotypical "son of Belial" rendered in the KJV as "child of the Devil."

But even different sons of Belial have different motives for the mischief they make. We know which is the primary problem of Elymas -- the pride of knowledge. We know this from the fact that he either characteristically prophesies in the Name of the Lord about future events which do not come to pass, or else treats the prophecy of Scripture as referring ultimately to someone other than the Lord Jesus. The latter is probably since Acts 13:1 names the "prophets AND teachers" by a hendiadic construction -- i.e. the "teachers of prophecy" or "prophetic teachers" at the Church of Antioch. Paul and Barabbas (son-of-Abbas) were two such men. Elymas was the antithetical counterpart [rival] to these true sons of Jesus.

He is JEWISH, like the apostolic men, but is a false prophet, rather than a true one. Now all apostles were prophets, and Barnabbas, though not an apostle, was a prophet also. The Holy Spirit uniquely chose them to encounter Elymas. Like them, Elymas knows the Scriptures. This means, he also knows that the false prophet who leads one away from the Lord is worthy of death according to the law of the Lord. But Elymas does not operate as a Jewish Rabbi or teacher. He sees himself as having a broader cultural understanding than this. He is somewhat like that Magoi (wise men) of the earlier Gospel narratives, but is not regenerate as they were.

When Paul begins his sermon (just below in Acts 13, he begins with the deliverance of the people from Egypt, wherein the magicians of pharaoh opposed Moses, the man of God, who did works of power like the apostles. Each did so for 40 years. Elymas can be best seen as a type of "Egyptian magos," which culture was also reknowned for a certain type of "wisdom." For its says of Solomon that his wisdom surpassed even the wisdom of Egypt. These magicians are not named who opposed Moses and Aaron, but many have suggested that the two persons named by Jude actually identify them as "Jannes and Jambres." This is very plausible. You could add Elymas bar-Jesus to the list.

The subtility of Elymas is a kind of wide range of knowledge on topics many know little or nothing about -- all subtility -- gives this away. But he is not prudent. He opposes the holy Gospel of Christ for the sake of his own academic "reputation," which the Lord is about to ruin. He seeks a monopoly on knowledge, and on the allegiance of Sergius Paulus, viewing this allegiance as a way to "get ahead" (personal ambition).

This was commonplace in the ancient world, somewhat like the way people today might wish to be associated with a movie star personality. Very few knew a Roman ruler personally. If you did, you were "somebody" among your friends. Elymas was not about to have his source of prestige "cut on in" by outsiders.

The son of belial in the Proverbs has "haughty eyes." This is the biggest problem Elymas has, other than the fact that he IS a son of Belial and opposes the primary representatives of Jesus Christ on earth without knowing it. Here, his subtility has faltered altogether, and profits him nothing. In fact, it gets him a special -- personal -- attack from on high, that comes with a stinging rebuke -- which had to be terribly humiliating as well as frightening. God "opposed the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:10).

Paulus, on the other hand, shows the marks of grace. First, he welcomes the apostolic entourage -- shows the charity and hospitality the Bible expects of rulers. He SENT for Paul and Barnabas [Bar-Nabas was not his birth name, but means "son-of-encouragment" and was given him by the early Christians] to hear the source of controversy -- the word of the Lord -- among the Jewish people where they had visited. Doubtless, he already knew something of the row, and wish to hear for himself what these men had to say.

He was at the very least, doing his duty as a ruler to know what sorts of things were likely to transpire under his watch. He had the duty and right to know what these taught. He was prudent, and was performing his duty with care (diligent and competent).

Elymas had clearly encountered one or more of the saints in the past who preached the Gospel and was sternly opposed by Elymas, though we do not know which saints or ministers, or where he did this. But Paul knew him by reputation already -- enemy of righteousness, who PERVERTS the way of the Lord. This means that Elymas had been teaching on the topic and probably had a following -- a following AWAY from the Lord, which gave an interpretation of the Scripture which was Jewish, it was prophetic, and it saw the Scripture as NOT being fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth.

Ironically, Elymas has the full name "Elymas Son of Jesus" (Bar-Jesus is simply Jewish for this). Jesus, or in Hebrew, "Joshua," was a very common first name, and Elymas had a father with this name. This gives a striking contrast from "son of Jesus" (which describes Paul and Bar-Nabas) to "son of the Devil." This was deliberate on the part of the Holy Spirit as a sharp contrast between the reputation of Elymas [He was nothing like Joshua in the Bible], and what he really was -- enemy of righteousness [i.e. of the Christian message] and perverter of Scripture, which teaches "the right ways of the Lord."

Elymas is the opposer of Paul and Bar-Nabas (like Moses and Aaron). Paul and Barnabas were SENT BY GOD to a Roman ruler. We have seen this showdown before in Egypt (as it were), a contest of miraculous power. And the result is similar too. In the Exodus, the nations round about were filled with fear when they heard what God had done to Egypt, and the word of God prospered. The conclusion of Paul's visit is likewise said thus (Acts 13:49), "And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region."

Obviously, Elymas was a primary obstacle -- with his teachings and power, and he was of some reputation in the region. Therefore, the Holy Spirit specifically targeted him to remove the obstacle to the Gospel, and also Sergius Paulus, whose conversion made it much easier for the gospel to prosper in his jurisdiction (with his approval rather than opposition). Later, we learn that Paulus, and as many others as were ordained to eternal life believed and were saved.

What became of Elymas in the end we do not know, since his blinding was a temporary judgment only, and the powerful rebuke of the Lord may have in fact converted him. It did not kill him, as with Ananias and Sapphira. But it seems in fact to resemble in some ways Paul's own conversion experience, wherein he was blinded on the road to Emmaus. This may signal that Elymas too, by the grace of God ended up among the saints. We cannot say for sure, but the parallel is worth noting.

Now the Lord -- the Holy Spirit -- blinded him to show outwardly his true inward condition. If the blind lead the blind, will not BOTH fall into the pit. Here, "both" would have meant Elymas and Sergius Paulus. But the Lord had other plans. The phrase, saying, "for that is what his name means by interpretation" simply points out that "Elymas" means "Sorcerer," and is probably an Aramaic variant. (For in Greek, you say it, "pharmakos.").

Thus, the primary difference between the two is plain enough. While Sergius Paulus SENT for the preachers of righteousness, Elymas OPPOSED righteousness, opposed the Christians, and perverted the Scripture, while using it to make it prophesy something other than Christ. Elymas a "wise man" encounters the true wise men, and is blinded, whereas Sergius Paulus has his eyes opened. The effect of the Word and Spirit in their midst is diametrically opposite. The one is hardened and blinded, while the other is "amazed at the doctrine of the Lord."

This is the final reference in the immediate context to Sergius Paulus, and thus forms a link - like book ends - to his introduction as "a prudent man." In other words, He is prudent BECAUSE he recognized the Word of the Lord and its teachings for what they were -- the word of THE LORD of the Scriptures -- the God of the Bible. And he understood that Paul and Barnabbas were God's appointed representatives. For he specifically SENT FOR them to hear them preach.

While the very knowledgeable (but mischievous) Elymas is blinded and left unable to see, Paulus has his life forever changed -- enlightened. The word "astonished" carries the sense of "overtaken with awe," not merely "pleasantly surprised." The context confirms this. The contrast between Elymas and Paulus has Elymas FILLED with ALL mischief, which by contrast implies that Paulus was FILLED with ALL amazement at the doctrine of the Lord.

While Paulus sent for the teachers of, and loved this doctrine, Elymas perverted it.

Therefore, the man who is filled with amazement at the Word of the Lord, and its doctrines -- who truly sees it for what it is (and this requires awe as a proper response), and holds it as highly prized because it presents the very words of the Most High, whose wisdom is beyond all wise men, this is the man -- a man like Sergius Paulus -- of whom the Lord says, "He is a prudent man."

Because of what it is, the Word of the Lord has power -- to blind and harden, or else to enlighten and save. This is not like anything else one reads or hears. Paulus knew that. He saw it first hand. Now what he had at first perhaps only admired, he held in exceedingly high regard. And God regarded him a wise man, thus it stands written in God's eternal Word, "Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man."

Are you intelligent? The intelligent teacher will learn from this lesson of Scripture: It is far better to inculcate in your students a deep and abiding awe of the Word of the Lord and its doctrines than to help them merely acquire a wide range of facts. The biblical framework enables a student who understands it well to acquire knowledge ably and more quickly than those with no self-conscious worldview. This gives him or her a great educational advantage, and explains in part why Daniel's friends - after being given a thorough training in Babylon's college, were found of the king ten times better in their answers than his own wise men.

They too were intelligent (prudent) men. The Babylonian "wise men" were jealous of them -- especially of Daniel - just as was Elymas of the apostolic men.

The Babylonians and Elymas doubtless had all subtilty. Elymas knew the education of the Romans, the Jews and probably the Babylonians and other cultures. But Paulus was the one commended by the Lord. So were Daniel and his friends.

For each was astonished at the doctrine of the Lord, and held the law of God in the highest regard. God's response befits the description "Lex Talionis," calling Daniel "O man, highly esteemed of God" three times, and of Sergius Paulus, "an intelligent man."

The SAT or ACT scores of your students will come along well enough if you train them intelligently. Their study guides are quite useful and can add subtility to the wisdom of your students -- minus the evolutionary nonsense in the, er, "science" sections.

You can buy a decent education in many respects. But wisdom is from the Lord. And the fear of the Lord -- scriptural astonishment -- is the beginning of wisdom.