And having passed through Phrygia and the Galatian country, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia,
Paul is midway through a second journey. He crosses inland country in what is now Turkey, and the obvious next step is the rich province of Asia on the coast. Instead the Holy Spirit stops him. That raises two questions: who decides where the work goes, and how does a servant know when God says no?
The verse names who gave the order. It did not come from a sponsor, a committee, or a senior colleague:
Take, for example, Acts 16. In verse 6, Paul and his fellow-reapers were "forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia." In the next verse we read, "They attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them." No archbishop, missionary board, or self-styled "general" was directing their movements. It was THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST. In Acts 13, when Paul and his companions set out to preach, we read that they were "sent out by the Holy Spirit." Evangelists, pastors, and teachers are the Lord's servants, and only He has any right to direct or command them.
Paul already had orders to preach everywhere. That did not make the choice of where and when his own to settle:
The broad commission is to "go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." That in no way sets aside the need to be subject to God about the way it is carried out. His own interest in the work is so great that He cannot leave the questions of time and place — or any other matter in a work so precious — to chance, or to the judgment of men, which can fail. Even an apostle needed this, and always did. Everyone who would have success in his work must take every doubtful point into God's presence for guidance. They pass through Phrygia and Galatia, where we later hear of disciples who are largely, if not entirely, the fruit of their work at this time.
The verse does not say how the Spirit forbade them, and commentators differ. One writer takes it as an inward check they felt rather than words they heard:
They had Asia on their mind, but they felt no freedom to go. There was no joy, no sense of the Spirit's guidance. So they had to wait until it was clear. They did not wait long, and God's larger purpose was soon revealed.
Another writer sees a direct ban in one case, and something gentler in the other:
When they reached Mysia, Bithynia lay to the north or north-east, and Asia to the south. He would have gone in both directions, if he had been allowed. In the first case the Holy Spirit forbade him outright. In the second the Spirit did not let him go, which seems to show a less direct kind of guidance, working more through circumstances.
The ban says nothing against the people of Asia. The refusal was about timing:
He knew all hearts, and He alone can use any mouth for God's glory. So the Holy Spirit forbade them to speak the word in Asia now. Those who believe in man may show their real unbelief in God by finding fault with this ban. Those whose confidence is in His grace will admire His care: He led them to the right place of testimony then, and He worked later in the very place He now forbade.
Two shut doors left only one road, and it ran to the coast:
They could turn neither to the right hand nor to the left, so they travelled on to Troas. It was God's purpose that Paul and his company should find their proper sphere of service at that time in Europe, not in Asia. The plan of the work and its development were both of the Holy Spirit. And when they reached Troas, Paul understood why God had turned him from his own purpose, and how wise that was.
Why would a faithful worker need to be stopped?
So it is very important to remember that it is no different in the work of the Lord. There the worker is always in danger of being guided by fair appearances, or of following what pleases his own mind, or perhaps the suggestions of others whom he respects.
- Directed — the Holy Spirit Himself steered the workers. No board, office or human leader stood over them.
- Detailed — orders to preach everywhere do not settle where and when. Those questions still go to God.
- Denied — God refused Asia for now, and later worked in the very place He had closed. A shut door is not a verdict on the field.
- Diverted — blocked on the right and the left, they walked on to Troas, and only there did the reason appear: Europe.
- Dependent — even an apostle could be pulled along by fair appearances or by advice he respected. That is why the Spirit checked him.
having come down to Mysia, they attempted to go to Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them;
Paul and his companions reach the edge of Mysia and turn north with a plan of their own. For the second time in two verses the Spirit stops them — so what kind of "no" was this, and why the new name for the One who gave it?
Some older English Bibles read only "the Spirit" here. The better text names Him more fully.
There is no doubt at all about the true reading of the last clause of Acts 16:7. It is: "the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them." The Revised Version, or any recent translation, will show the English reader this. The phrase is unusual. We do well to ask why verse 6 calls Him "the Holy Spirit" and verse 7 calls Him "the Spirit of Jesus." … The title seems meant to remind us of the truly evangelistic heart of the Lord Jesus when He was on earth.
One answer looks at how Jesus Himself lived on earth.
Christ lived in unwavering devotion to the will of God. He was obedient in all that He did and all that He said: "Behold, I have come to do your will, O God." Everything in His life pleased God. Everything was under God's direction, subject to the Spirit's guidance. We read of Him led by the Spirit, driven by the Spirit. There was no self-will, nothing of self in His walk. So how fitting this character of the Spirit is for the apostle Paul — the Spirit of Jesus directing him in his service here.
They had good reason to choose Bithynia. The refusal still overruled them.
They attempted to go on into Bithynia. We know from 1 Peter 1:1 that scattered Jewish believers were living there, as well as in Galatia and the province of Asia. But this was not now the mind of the Lord for His service. To those who value Scripture, the evidence here is as plain as possible: the Spirit acted personally to correct even the apostle's proposed movements.
A wide commission does not settle where and when.
They came to Mysia and planned to go into Bithynia. This was not God's leading, though we are not told why: the Spirit of God stopped them. The apostles had been told to "go into all the world and proclaim the gospel." Yet they could not take this command as a permit to go wherever and whenever they wanted. They still had to depend on God's leading, though they were willing enough to go anywhere in the world.
The wording changes between verse 6 and verse 7.
The Lord guides His servants in different ways. The word translated "forbidden" in the first phrase could also be translated "prevent," "hinder" or "keep from." Perhaps circumstances hindered them, and they understood that this was from the Lord. In the second case they seem to have got the clear impression that the Spirit was saying "no" to their plans. And they were obedient. Clear guidance about where not to go still left them without an answer about where they should go.
One writer ranks such leading below knowing God's mind in communion.
Even for the apostle, the command not to go into Bithynia was not the highest sort of guidance by the Spirit. It was blessed guidance, yet not the highest an apostle knew. It was more like reining in a horse or a mule, and not so much knowing God's mind in communion.
The block was not bad luck or bad timing, and its purpose soon showed.
Here we have the Spirit hindering. This is not a hindrance of circumstances, but a clear prohibition, made known plainly… The reason for it soon becomes clear. A fresh start was coming: the gospel was to go into Europe. The next chapters give us the wonderful history of that journey from Troas to Philippi and the cities of Greece. Later on Paul did a great work in Ephesus; now the Spirit hinders and forbids so that they may go further.
The same hand still moves workers across the map today.
The Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of Jesus, closed doors in the East to lead the servants of Christ west to Europe. … Today the Spirit of Jesus leads preachers of the Word to India, China, Africa and the islands of far off seas.
- The name. The better reading is "the Spirit of Jesus." The name points to the obedient Man who was always led, never self-willed.
- The correction. Bithynia was a sensible target, with believers already scattered there. Even so, the Spirit overruled an apostle's plan.
- The limit. "Go into all the world" is a commission, not a permit; where and when still wait on the Lord's leading.
- The method. Verse 6 reads like a hindrance, verse 7 like a plain "no." Guidance comes in more than one form, and a bare refusal, though blessed, is not the highest kind.
- The map. Doors shut in the east opened the way to Troas and Europe. The refusal was redirection — and the Spirit still sends workers this way today.
and having passed by Mysia they descended to Troas.
The journey in Acts 16 has been a series of shut doors: no preaching in Asia, no entry into Bithynia. Verse 8 records what is left: a road past Mysia, ending at a harbour town. No destination, no explanation.
Paul had a plan, and twice the Spirit blocked it. One writer asks why, and points to where the answer came.
But why these checks and diversions from the Apostle's purpose? Certainly the work in Galatia might have seemed reason enough for not letting him enter the Roman province of Asia at that time. But why was the way to Bithynia closed when they were so near to it? The question stayed unanswered until they passed by Mysia and came down to Troas. There Paul learned by a vision at night that they were to go to Europe.
Another writer draws the positive side: the stops themselves were guidance.
Paul was stopped in his journeys through Asia, as we are told here, and "forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia." The Spirit of God is so fully regarded as the directing person in the church… So in various ways, divine guidance was never missing.
Troas was not a random halt. One writer notes what its harbour opened up.
They reached the town of Troas, "the port for embarkation for any country to which the Holy Spirit might send them."… Its harbour was good. Much of the traffic between the continents of Europe and Asia flowed in and out of it.
The closed door in Bithynia was not God's last word about Bithynia.
Paul intended to go to some other parts of Asia, such as Bithynia, to preach the gospel, but the Spirit of God closed every door in that land. It was not that the Lord did not care for those in darkness in Bithynia. We know from 1 Peter 1:1 that He sent the gospel to that land by some other messenger. But now the time had come when Europe, as well as Asia, was to have the gospel, and the Lord chose His servant Paul to preach it there.
One writer finds a clue in two words of this verse: "came down."
They "came down" to Troas, which implies that Luke, the writer, was there at the time. There seems no doubt that God arranged this so that Luke could be there and travel with them to Philippi. Luke clearly stayed in Philippi when Paul and Silas left. But Luke says nothing of his own work.
At Troas the leading took a different form. One writer points out what that required of Paul.
When they arrived in Mysia they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So they passed by Mysia and came to Troas. There Paul had a vision in a dream. This was not the open direction of the Spirit. Understanding what it meant was left to spiritual intelligence.
The same writer applies this to everyone who works for the Lord.
It is very important to remember that it is no different in the work of the Lord. There the worker is always in danger of being guided by fair appearances, or of following what pleases his own mind, or maybe the suggestions of others whom he respects… The work is His, and He alone is able to direct it in gracious wisdom and power. We are at best only His workmen in that work.
- Stopped. Two refusals — Asia, then Bithynia — left one road open, and it ran to the coast.
- Stranded, on purpose. Troas was the port ships sailed from to anywhere. The place of waiting was the place of launching.
- Not abandoned. God closed Bithynia to Paul, not to the gospel; another messenger carried it there later.
- Joined. At Troas Luke was there to travel with them — the closed doors gathered the company God meant to send.
- Explained last. The reason came after the obedience. The vision at Troas answered why the doors had closed.
And a vision appeared to Paul in the night There was a certain Macedonian man, standing and beseeching him, and saying, Pass over into Macedonia and help us.
The Holy Spirit had blocked Paul twice, first from Asia and then from Bithynia, and he reached Troas with no obvious road left. Then, at night, a stranger appears and pleads, and the whole direction of the gospel's spread turns on it.
The blocked routes only made sense once the vision came.
But why these checks and diversions from the Apostle's purpose? The work in Galatia might well seem reason enough for keeping him out of the Roman province of Asia at that time. But why was the way to Bithynia barred when they were so near to it? That question stayed unanswered. Then they passed by Mysia and came down to Troas. There a vision at night told Paul that they were to go to Europe.
Only a narrow strip of water separated Paul from Europe. The direction he was given was not one he had been planning.
Look at Mysia on your map. You will find it close to the Dardanelles, the narrow strip of water that separates Asia from Europe. In the vision a man of Macedonia begged him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Now we see why the Holy Spirit checked Paul from moving in other directions. Here was the solution to all his perplexity. Paul might never have thought of leaving Asia and going into Europe.
The plea itself is the heart of the verse. What the man says reveals his condition.
God sends him a vision in the night: he sees a man of Macedonia beckoning to him and saying, "Come over and help us." Nothing could be plainer than this: here was a man who felt his need. "Come over and help us" is the language of a needy man.
The crossing that followed was quick. The same writer sets it beside the slower return trip years later.
God gives him a fair wind. He gets across in a day and a half. When he comes back later, the same trip takes him five days. The Lord loves to send the gospel to sinners, and I think the Holy Spirit delights to record God's readiness to meet the needy soul. There was a hungry heart in Macedonia, a needy sinner. God arranges everything so that His messenger reaches that needy one quickly with the gospel of His grace.
Should we wait for a vision before making a decision? One commentator answers plainly.
Someone may say that we can hardly expect a vision to settle our doubts in the end. So we seem to be left without the comfort this passage might give us. But neither did the apostle expect, or generally receive, a vision to guide him. It is not given to any man to walk habitually in such open light. It would not really encourage faith, which has to do with the unseen and not the seen. And perhaps the record here serves a good purpose. It stops us expecting one fixed method of assurance, and it throws us on Him to meet us in whatever way He pleases.
Paul alone received the vision, though the whole team needed direction.
So the Lord helped His servant in a positive way. They all needed direction for their work, but Paul alone saw the vision. It was a favour often shown him, and of the highest kind, which no creature has a right to expect… God never fails us in present difficulties. It is we who fail in waiting and counting on Him. And His written word, our main guide, is now complete, as it was not then… The apostle's vision impressed them all at once, and they turned their eyes and steps toward Macedonia.
The vision showed a man. The first meeting in Macedonia looked nothing like it.
Then they reached Philippi. By the small river Gangites they had their first chance to speak. We wonder if Paul looked for the man he had seen in his vision. There was no man present. A company of women had gathered at the place where people met for prayer. Lydia of Thyatira is the first convert of Europe… And it was the Lord who opened her heart.
- Closed — Asia and Bithynia were shut, and the reason stayed hidden until Troas. The blocked road was part of the guidance.
- Called — Paul might never have thought of leaving Asia for Europe. The call opened a continent he had not aimed at.
- Cry — "Come over to Macedonia and help us" is the speech of a man who knows he is needy. That cry brought the gospel into Europe for the first time.
- Crossing — a fair wind carried them over in a day and a half, faster than the return trip. God hurries His messenger toward a hungry heart.
- Converts — Paul looked for a man and found praying women. Lydia became the first convert of Europe, and the Lord opened her heart.
And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go forth to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to announce to them the glad tidings.
The verse turns a night vision into a decision: Paul and his companions weigh what they have seen and act on it. No voice gives an order. They draw a conclusion, and on that conclusion the gospel changes continents.
The vision came without an explanation attached. What settled its meaning was the state of the man who received it.
Paul lived in the things of God. So he read the vision as his mission, by the knowledge he had of both the thoughts of God and the needs of men. He crossed over at once into Macedonia.
Only Paul saw the vision, yet the verse says "we" concluded. One writer also points out which name for God the verse uses.
Alone with God, in the silent hours of the night, the apostle received what we may call fresh marching orders. Now he could understand why he had been turned away from entering Bithynia... He told his companions what he had seen and heard. They all agreed it was a call from God to cross the sea and visit that country. For we read: "concluding that God" (not "the Lord") "had called us to preach the gospel to them."
The Spirit had already stopped them twice from preaching. The vision explained why.
It is good that the Holy Spirit can guide His servants where they are to work. He can also forbid and hinder them if they try to go where they are not sent... At Troas Paul may have been in great perplexity, unsure before the Lord where he should go. There he had a vision, a God-given vision... We now see why the Holy Spirit checked Paul from moving in other directions. Here was the solution to all his perplexity. Paul might never have thought of leaving Asia and going into Europe.
Their speed says something about how these men lived.
Happy servants! They were not tangled up with the affairs of this life. They were free and ready to set out at the Lord's bidding. They sailed at once, with a fair wind, for the opposite shore.
Up to this verse the account has said "they."
But it is worth noticing that the language is "we", not "they" as before. Luke thus modestly but unmistakably lets us see that he joined the apostle's company at Troas. From this point the inspired writer was a personal witness. That is surely no small matter. But some hold that his account now takes on a higher character, and no error in principle could be deeper. Not so: inspiration rules out all question of degrees of certainty or of authority. It is equally of God, whether the writer saw what he wrote or not.
The obvious objection is that visions do not come to us.
But neither did the apostle expect, nor generally receive, a vision to guide him. It is not given to any man to walk habitually in such open light. It would not really encourage faith, which has to do with the unseen and not the seen. And perhaps the record here may do us good. It keeps us from expecting any one method of assurance. It casts us on Him to meet us in whatever way He pleases... No doubt the man of Macedonia appeals to what is, or should be, always the driving force in us. Weighing one need against another will have its place in settling the matter for us. So will weighing what the Lord has been leading up to in His ways.
The names in this story sit on two different continents.
Until this time the apostle Paul had only preached the gospel in Asia. Remember that Jerusalem and Antioch and most of the other places mentioned in the Bible are in Asia. Philippi and Rome and Corinth and such places are in Europe... It was not that the Lord did not care for those in darkness in Bithynia... but now the time had come when Europe, as well as Asia, was to have the gospel.
- Hindered. The two closed doors were not failure. The Spirit was steering these men toward a continent Paul might never have chosen.
- Shown. The vision came at night to one man. He told the others, and all agreed it was God's call. He did not keep the guidance to himself.
- Concluded. God gave no audible order. They drew the conclusion. A mind living in the things of God read the sign, weighing God's thoughts and human need.
- Immediate. Nothing held them back. They sailed at once, with no gap between knowing and obeying.
- Enlarged. From that one conclusion the gospel crossed from Asia to Europe. Luke joined here and wrote from then on as an eyewitness. That makes the account no more inspired than what went before.