Acts 23:23-35

                                                                 Acts 23:23-35

Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night. Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” And he wrote a letter to this effect: “Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen. And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.” So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's praetorium.

We already know that Paul will make it to Rome on the Word of the Lord that Paul was given.  However, we don’t know the path he will take to get there.  God has a plan to both keep Paul safe and use him along the path to further His kingdom.  God uses our journeys to plant seeds of the kingdom along the way that we may never see sprout or know of their existence.  We can learn from the steps on Paul’s path.

 

PROTECTION: It is interesting to note that Paul’s life was prolonged by the Roman government that eventually ended up taking his life.  The Jews are plotting to kill Paul so the Romans dedicate 200 soldiers and horses to safely transport him to Caesarea where he can be kept more safely outside of Jerusalem.  God’s promise to protect Paul all the way to Rome is starting to take place.  We can always trust in God’s protection.  We may not have the same promises as Paul concerning making it to a certain place but that does not make God’s protection over us any different.  We will never face anything that is out of God’s control.

 

PRESENTATION: Besides providing physical protection to Paul, the council in Jerusalem presents Paul and what he was able to ascertain about him to the governor.  His summary is very interesting to observe.  He recognizes that the problems the Jews have with Paul is only about Jewish law and has nothing to do with Roman laws.  He basically declares his innocence by saying that he is not worth of death or even imprisonment.  This is a surprising testimony from a completely secular authority.  God can provide help to us from any number of places. 

 

PROCRASTINATION: When the governor receives Paul and reads the letter, he could have simply said he didn’t want to mess with this, believed the counsel’s evaluation and set Paul free.  Instead, he decides to wait for Paul’s accusers to arrive and have an opportunity to hear their side of the story.  It is important to hear both sides of a story before making judgments.  However, since a lower court had already determined innocence, it would have been completely acceptable to simply release Paul.  Certainly, the governor had a fear of causing further unrest and didn’t want to risk a riot.  Power and the fear of man will often prevent us from doing the right thing.

 

APPLICATION: Trust and rest in God’s projection even when it is coming from and unexpected source.  Be prepared to face injustice in this world because of the cause of Christ.  Don’t allow a desire for power and status or the fear of man prevent you from doing what you know is right.  

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