We know that saul was binding christians and give them to authorities. And Jesus showed him that he must be a deciple of the lord instead of prosecuting his other deciples:
Acts 9:4-6
- And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
- And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
- And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Now as Saul suffered many christians for bearing the name of the Lord, here is how the Lord punished him: Acts 9:15-16
- But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he (Saul) is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
- For I will shew him how great is it to suffer for my name’s sake.
Original King James version is: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
But when I translated from Original Koin Greek version I found the Greek word “hosa” which means “How much”. As many christians suffered by Paul for bearing the name of Jesus, the Lord decided to show Paul how great/how much it is to suffer for his name’s sake. And by this punishment, the Lord chose Saul/Paul to become a great deciple and contributor to the new testament.
Even when God decided to suffer one person as a punishment for the sufferings he inflicted to other people, God turned it to a great honor and blessing for that one person. Paul is a Saint and a great deciple and one who expanded the church and ascribed considerable portions of the new testament with the grace of the Lord. God’s punishment and suffering if happens, is with purpose and for our own good. Meaningless suffering like that of Job, comes from the accusing Satan.