Luke the beloved physician wrote how Paul continued to give defense for himself before a hostile Jewish crowd in Hebrew, and after doing so, the multitude, “lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air, 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. 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? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what you do: for this man is a Roman. Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, are you a Roman? He said, Yes. And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born”, and in chapter twenty-two and verse twenty-nine of the book of Acts Luke shared how, “they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman” where we read:
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.
The verse begins, “Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him:” Luke began with the words, “then straightway” which means “at that time immediately and forthwith” “they departed from him” or “the Roman soldiers left and went forth apart from Paul” “which should have examined him” which means “who were assigned and appointed to investigate Paul judicially”. Luke shared how the “Roman soldiers” who were appointed to investigate “Paul” by “scourging” departed from him straightway.
The verse goes on to say, “and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.” Luke continued with the words, “and the chief captain” which means “and the chiliarch or Roman commander of a cohort” “also was afraid” or “even so and indeed was filled with fear, put to flight and seized with alarm”, “after he knew” which means “following the time the chief captain understood, perceived and realized” “that he was a Roman” or “that he, Paul, existed as an inhabitant and citizen of Rome”, “and because he had bound him” which means “and since or on account that the chief captain tied up and fastened Paul with chains”. Luke shared how “fear” came upon the “chief captain” after he understood “Paul” was a Roman citizen whom he had “seized and arrested” with restraints.
When we meditate upon Luke's words in this verse, we learn how there was a “great fear” among not only the Roman soldiers who were commissioned to investigate “Paul” through “scourging”, but also the “chief captain” himself was “afraid”. All of these “Roman” men knew they were in violation of “Roman law” to have bound “Paul” and to condemn him to be beaten without a trial. Now that they were aware of his citizenship, they might be in trouble for doing so. God's rescue of “Paul” in this situation can be realized behind the scenes, and although “Paul” would escape this beating, he faced others in his pursuit of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. (See 2 Corinthians 11:23-28) God loves people, and He desires to have a personal relationship with everyone who believes and trusts in His Son Jesus. When they come to Him through Jesus, He will forgive their sins and grant them everlasting life. Those who violate man's law like these Romans should have fear, however, those who violate God's offer of salvation through His Son Jesus should be more afraid because the judgment for volating God's offer will last for all eternity.
Next time Luke shares, “on the morrow, … he loosed him from his bands”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
No comments:
Post a Comment