Paul Transferred to Caesarea
23 Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, "Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen[b] to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. 24 Provide mounts for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix." 25 He wrote a letter as follows: 26Claudius Lysias, To His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings. 27 This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen. 28 I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin. 29 I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment. 30 When I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him. 31 So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. 32 The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. 33 When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. 34 The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, "I will hear your case when your accusers get here." Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod's palace.
As we can see, God continues to protect Paul as he was on his way to be taken to Governor Felix. I'm amazed by the type of protection that is provided for Paul. 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen and 200 spearmen were sent out to guard Paul so that he would not be killed by the Jews. I believe this speaks volumes of God's love and faithfulness for those that act in obedience. As God is guiding Paul throughout this entire journey, Paul also had to act in faith and trust God. Paul is instructed to do things that are life-threatening, but it doesn't stop him from obeying.
Everyday God is guiding our lives, but do we act in obedience, faith, and/or trust? There may be certain areas in our life that we intentionally avoid due to fear or bitterness...but knowing that God is with us hopefully will encourage us to overcome our own feelings and act in the type of faith that only comes from God.
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3 comments:
thank you esther for a very insightful reflection today. paul was constantly under attack and subject to countless threats throughout the book of acts because the message of salvation that he preached was so dangerous and threatening to the unbelieving mind. it "threatened" their old sinful patterns of thinking and living and forced them to confront the reality of God's righteous anger against their sin.
i think we are equally "threatened" in a sense by this same message today. we are reluctant to change our old sinful ways. the best "defense" against such an unyielding force as the gospel is to receive it at "arms length"--to never engage in it too fully lest we be completely taken in. but in the end, it is in our best interests to be "assaulted" and "overtaken" by God's grace. whatever demands it may make of us, it is our salvation.
Thank you, Esther for your insights on Today's passage. We can definitely see God's hand that protects Paul from the wicked. We see many cases where God uses different ways to bring out the rescue missions for His servant. But we do wander why God put Paul in the situation in the first place. Paul is a missionary who can't afford to waste any time in sharing gospel and building up churches. Having him arrested and going through the trials only pulled him out of doing God's work. Then why God allowed this thing happen to Paul? I don't know. One thing I know is that I don't think Paul wasn't bitter toward God. Every situation he was in he believed that God had plan and propose. Trusting God completely with any circumstances knowing that God is in control and there is absolutely nothing that we need neither to fear about nor to be anxious, that's the kind of faith I desire to hold. How about you?
Thanks Esther!
You very right about the way God protected Paul from facing the wrath of the Jews. Paul's security detail could have rivaled that of a king. It shocking to read the hostility the Jews held towards Paul and Christians in general. It makes you question the root or the source of their hatred for Christ. I mean was it their rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah that makes them angry. We all know it's ultimately their sin, but there must have been a lot of hatred and malice towards Paul, an apostle of Christ; therefore hatred and malice towards Christ. What is it about Christianity that triggers such a violent outburst from the Jews, I simply don't understand. Is Christianity that offensive to them? Is it that offensive to the rest of the world?
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