Thursday: Transfer to Caesarea
Upset with the fact that they had not yet gotten rid of Paul by legal means, a group decided to orchestrate a plan through which they would ambush and kill him on their own.
Read Acts 23:12-17. What was their plan, and how was it thwarted? What does this teach us about how passionate people can be for causes that are wrong?
Image © Providence Collection from GoodSalt.com
That more than forty Jews conspired together against Paul and bound themselves with an oath reveals how much hatred the apostle had aroused in Jerusalem. Luke does not give us the identity of these men, but they were extremists willing to do whatever it took to protect the Jewish faith from its alleged traitors and enemies. Such a level of religious fanaticism, coupled with a revolutionary and nationalistic fervor, was not uncommon in first-century Judea and its environs.
In some providential way, however, the news about the plot reached the ears of Paul’s nephew. It is somewhat disappointing that we know almost nothing about Paul’s family, but apparently he and his sister had been brought up in Jerusalem (Acts 22:3), where she married and had at least one son. Anyway, Paul’s nephew—the diminutive neaniskos (Acts 23:18, Acts 23:22) and the fact that he was taken “by the hand (Acts 23:19) imply he was still a teenager—was able to visit him in the fortress and tell him the story.
Read Acts 23:26-30. What message did commander Lysias send governor Felix about Paul?
The letter provided Felix with a fair report of the situation. In addition, it shows how Paul was benefited by his Roman citizenship. The Roman law fully protected its citizens, who had the right, for example, to have a legal trial, in which they could appear before the court and defend themselves (Acts 25:16), and the right to appeal to the emperor in case of an unfair trial (Acts 25:10-11).
Irrespective of Felix’s reputation, he treated Paul in the proper legal manner. After a preliminary interrogation, he ordered him to be kept under guard until the accusers arrived.
| Think about God’s providence in Paul’s life. How often have you humbly acknowledged God’s providence in your own life despite the trials and suffering you might have gone through? |
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They had arrested Paul for violating the command desecrating the sanctuary.
The council leaders are ready to lie and murder without investigating the crime.
It is no accident the son of Paul's sister's son happened to hear about the ambush.
Paul is escorted with armed guards to Caesarea.
What an amazing God we serve.
He can protect you in the prison or outside of the prison.
How have you experienced the protection of God in spite of your circumstances?
God is a GOD of miracles, we have to compare Him to none. He can send His messengers to give us His message as to what Paul's nephew did to Paul himself.
God Loves us....we have to love Him in return by doing what is worthy as Jesus always orders.
Paul having long been a teacher and preacher of the gospel by this time, is a victim of zealous opposition from Jews. They wanted his life ended. Paul earnestly by the power of the Spirit of God gave them an opportunity to accept salvation thru Christ. The same opportunity was given him when he was zealous in the wrong direction against the people of God.
Paul’s conversion is a witness against the Jews and all who oppose and persecute God’s people , because he repented of his ideas that led to hatred and accepted forgiveness and transformation which they refused.