The beloved physician Luke wrote as Paul defended himself before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, “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. And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. 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 has spoken to him, let us not fight against God”, and in chapter twenty-three and verse ten of the book of Acts Luke shared how, “the chief captain … commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them” where we read:
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.
The verse begins, “And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, ...” Luke began with the words, “and when there arose” which means “and at the time and moment there rose up and appeared” “a great dissension” or “a massive and abundant insurrection, strife, controversy and uproar”, “the chief captain” which means “the chiliarch or Roman commander of a cohort”, “fearing” or “being cautious, aware and apprehensive” “lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them” which means “unless Paul, whose name means small or little, would be rent asunder, torn apart and dismembered”, so the following occurred. Luke shared how there was such a massive strife and controversy within the “Sanhedrin” that the “chief captain” was afraid they were going to tear “Paul” apart and dismember him, so he did the following.
The verse continues, “... commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.” Luke added the words, “commanded the soldiers” which means “ordered and directed the Roman band, warriors and guarding men” “to go down” or “to descend to where Paul was”, “and to take him by force” which means “and to seize, carry off and snatch Paul away” “from among them” or “from the Sanhedrin”, “and to bring him” which means “and to carry and lead Paul” “into the castle” or “into the barracks of the Roman soldiers which at Jerusalem were in the castle of Antonia”. Luke shared how the “chief captain” ordered Roman soldiers to seize “Paul”, lead him away from the “Sanhedrin” and carry him into the “castle” where the “barracks” for the Roman soldiers was located in Jerusalem.
When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we learn how the commotion within the “Sanhedrin” became so heated, that the “chief captain” thought the members of it would tear “Paul” apart if he left him there. He sent “Roman soldiers” to seize “Paul”, and they were to lead him to the “castle” where the barracks of the “Roman soldiers” were in Jerusalem. In other words, “Paul” was rescued from this hostile crowd, and God would continue to use “Paul” in the sharing of His gospel throughout the world. God loves people, and He uses believers in His Son Jesus to tell others about His salvation and eternal life. Those who believe and trust in Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord” will be forgiven of their sins and granted everlasting life with God. This message will not be stopped, and God is willing to rescue as many as He wills to continue sharing it with the world.
Next time Luke shares how, “the Lord stood by” Paul, 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