Lessons From Acts – Lesson 39
Let’s jump right in an pick up where we left off. Paul was being beat to death. The Roman soldiers come and stop it, they let Paul speak, he gives his testimony and not one person believes.
Instead they all cry out that it is not fit that Paul should live.
Act 22:22 And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.
Act 22:23 And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,
Act 22:24 The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.
Act 22:25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?
Act 22:26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.
Act 22:27 Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.
Act 22:28 And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.
Act 22:29 Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
This is here to document just how hard the Romans were. This is the beat, whip, and scourge first and ask questions later approach. This was not tie up and whip because the prisoner would not answer questions.
Instead this is the approach of tie up and whip even before you ask the questions.
It seems that this is the default approach for all those who are not Romans. This helps understand what went on before back at Ephesus when the whole town was in an uproar and what stopped it was when one of their own reminded them that they were in danger from the Romans about this uproar.
The Romans would dish out punishment and ask questions later.
In Paul’s case they stop and do not whip him when they find out that he is a Roman. But it does not let Paul off the hook. Paul is still at the center of this uproar and Romans would not tolerate that.
So the Soldier in charge needs to get to the bottom of it and stop it from getting out of hand. If he did not then he would have to give an answer to his bosses. So he arranges a meeting with the leaders of the Jews.
Act 22:30 On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.
Act 23:1 And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.
Act 23:2 And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.
Paul only gets the first sentence out and the high priest commands that they smite Paul on the mouth. Not only is that showing that they will not listen, but that they do not even want to hear the words out of Paul’s mouth.
Paul knows the law of God and points out that their command to hit him is contrary to God’s law.
Act 23:3 Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?
Act 23:4 And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest?
Act 23:5 Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.
Act 23:6 But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.
The Sadducees and the Pharisees were not friends. They did not get along very well at all. But they saw Paul as a common enemy. And so they put their fighting between themselves on hold so they could both go after Paul.
It is the old common the enemy of my enemy is my friend. We see in the Bible that this is nothing new. It has been going on for thousands of years. One of the most recent examples in the news is the Muslims and the socialists and gays and communists and white liberal women are joining in New York to get a radical Muslim elected as mayor.
The radical promises protection from ICE and that he will tax the rich and go against Trump and conservatives.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend seldom works out or ends well for those who join their enemy for a common cause. If that radical Muslim gets elected, he will turn on those enemies who joined with him to get him elected.
Paul knows all too well the argument between the Sadducees and Pharisees. After all Paul was a Pharisee. Paul also knows that they will not listen to him because it was ordered that Paul be hit in the mouth after speaking only one sentence.
So Paul quickly gets out one more sentence that cuts right to the heart of the fight between the Sadducees and Pharisees.
Act 23:7 And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided.
Act 23:8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.
Act 23:9 And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.
Right here God documents in His precious word how fragile the alliances are between the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The enemy that you joined to go after a common enemy can and will turn on you in a heartbeat.
It immediately erupts into violence and chaos. Paul has to be rescued once again.
Act 23:10 And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.
Act 23:11 And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
Paul got off track, went to Jerusalem even though God tried to stop him. Paul made a huge mistake and did a ceremony that went against the Word of God.
Before this people would listen when Paul gave his testimony. Not all would believe. But some would. Even at Mars hill in Athens the Bible says that a few believed.
Paul has a great powerful history of telling his testimony. Now Paul gives the same testimony and nothing. Not even one would listen. This is just one of the places where the Bible shows that it is not the words alone that does the work.
Paul said the same testimony. It worked before, not now. Why? It is God that actually has to do the work. Yes it is critical and absolutely necessary that some man give out the word of God, but those words alone is not enough.
God must be working. God must pre prepare the hearts to hear. God must bring the conviction. God must open the eyes.
Paul’s testimony worked greatly over and over again. Everywhere Paul went up to this point. And that is because God was working. Not now. Zero.
This can be more than unsettling. It would be greatly discouraging. Even depressing.
God of course knows this. And God still loves Paul and still has plans for Paul. So God tells Paul that he will be used again. But it is not now. It is in Rome. And we know Paul starts to get used again on the trip to Rome.
Act 23:11 And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
God did not say good job or I am glad you testified in Jerusalem. This is not a pat on the back. It is simply encouragement that Paul has a future of doing God’s will again in Rome.
Paul did wrong with the ceremony. But Paul was back doing right and testifying right in Jerusalem before that crowd. And God says Paul must give that witness in Rome.
But God can’t really use Paul yet. Paul is going to need some time to think about what he did and to think about what it is like to give the same words that worked over and over again but not now. Paul needs to experience those same words not working at all.
And Paul will get to experience that several times. Years later Paul will write
Eph_5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
That is what James and the others did to Paul with that ceremony.
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Col 2:20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
Col 2:21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
Col 2:22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
About ordinances Paul writes touch not taste not handle not. Let no man deceive you with that stuff, let no man judge you with that stuff and don’t touch it, don’t taste it, and don’t handle it.
But it is going to take some sitting on the bench time to get Paul there. God knows what He is doing. He gave Paul a chance to get there the easy way, but since in this instance it is going to take the hard way God will do it that way.
God will use the wrong that these evil men do and God will turn it to good by doing a work in Paul so that one day Paul will strongly write touch not taste not handle not.
Since the alliance between the Sadducees and Pharisees fell apart and did not accomplish getting Paul killed. Others take their hate and join together with others of like mind and take an oath to murder Paul.
Act 23:12 And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.
Act 23:13 And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.
Act 23:14 And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.
This really is a warning of just how bad hate is. This is showing how far down the wrong path hate will take you. More than 40 men hated Paul so much that they bound themselves under a great curse to not eat until they murdered Paul.
And these men are religious men who claim to follow God.
And this is showing that when you fall into hate that you cannot think correctly. Not eating and not drinking ends in death. You can go a while not eating if you have water. But with neither you will not last long.
Did they think about what this would do to their families? Did they think of all the things their death would affect? Their businesses, friends, and others that they help. No.
And we see that hate can lead to great arrogance. Their arrogance and pride told them that they could not fail. Hate blinds your thinking and your reasoning.
Hate has a way of blinding you to the point that you can’t see. Someone could hold the truth up before you in letters a foot tall and you still cannot see it. I mean hate has a way of totally blinding you.
This is also true today. One example is what we call it TDS. Trump Derangement Syndrome. When someone lets hate take over their reason and blind them like these over 40 men did then facts do not matter. Truth does not matter.
To them eating food does not even matter. All that matters is the hate.
This is here in the Bible to show us the destructive nature of hate. Not eating food hurts your body. Understand I am not talking about skipping a meal or two. Your body was designed by God and built to do that now and then.
These men entered a curse not to eat. That is destructive. That only hurts them. Not eating hurts their bodies and not Paul’s body.
Here is another truth. Hate hurts you and not the person you hate.
And here is another truth. People who are consumed by hate this way will always be able to find those who agree with and support their hate.
They tell the chief priests and elders of their hate and those religious leaders are ok with it and even support it. And even enter into the plot. And when people consumed with hate find others who will listen and agree then they are even bolder and believe even more that their hate is justified.
This is the same today. Hate filled liberals will just seek out others that agree and it emboldens them to continue on their hate filled destructive to themselves course.
The chief priests tell those 40 men that they will arrange it that tomorrow Paul will come before them again and for them to be ready to murder Paul.
Act 23:15 Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.
Men can strive and fight against God’s plans but God will always win. And often God shows His great power by using small things. God has one young man to be in the right place at the right time to hear this brief conversation.
Act 23:16 And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.
Act 23:17 Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him.
Act 23:18 So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee.
Act 23:19 Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me?
Act 23:20 And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would enquire somewhat of him more perfectly.
Act 23:21 But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.
Act 23:22 So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me.
So in the middle of the night the chief captain sends Paul to the governor.
Act 23:23 And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;
Act 23:24 And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.
Act 23:25 And he wrote a letter after this manner:
Act 23:26 Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth greeting.
Act 23:27 This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.
Act 23:28 And when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council:
Act 23:29 Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.
Act 23:30 And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell.
Act 23:31 Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris.
Act 23:32 On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle:
Act 23:33 Who, when they came to Caesarea, and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him.
Act 23:34 And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia;
Act 23:35 I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod’s judgment hall.
Those 40 men never got Paul. They never even had a chance to go after him.
This clearly is teaching that hate is never actually fulfilled. It only destroys and hurts. And God made their hate come to nothing.
Even if some man hates and kills the object of his hate, it is always hollow. Empty of any real victory. And the hate is not fulfilled and does not end. Even if the object of the hate is dead the hate has a way to remain. Hate is really evil.
We never hear about those over 40 men again. They either had to keep hurting themselves in their hate and not eat or drink until they died. As long as they held onto their obsession with hate they would just hurt themselves more and more.
That is what hate does. It hurts the one hating. Or they had to endure breaking of their religious oath that they openly told the priests about and endure the shame of not keeping their oath. That was their 2 choices. We never learn which one they chose.
I have said this before. Hate is ugly. It is ugly, it is ugly. On every level hate is ugly, hurtful and destructive. This section of scripture is a warning to us to never let hate take root in our hearts.
Hate will take you to destructive places that you never thought you would go. Before Paul showed up those men would have never thought that they would not eat or drink until they murdered someone. Hate takes your reason, Hate causes you to not be able to think, Hate is destructive and hate will blind you so that you can’t see properly.
Hate needs to be feared and avoided at all costs.
Ecc_7:9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Heb_12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;