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Main Idea

God’s providence will always prevail.

[opening story] – Elisha’s prayer – 2 Kings 6:8-17

Providence – God’s divine care of the world in His guidance of human history and affairs toward the achievement of his purpose.

Proverbs 19:21 – “Many are the plans in the mind of man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”

Elisha’s confidence in God is the same confidence Paul has and the same we can have.

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Passage

Acts 23:12–15 ESV

When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

The evil plot of the Jews

40 men banded together for an oath.

The oath was to refrain from eating or drinking until Paul was dead.

They plotted with the chief priests and elders of the Sanhedrin. Evil always gives an open invitation.

Their plot is a lot like what you see on cop shows, where the bad guys’ leader is captured and held in the heart of the police precinct, and they devise a plan to break in (whether by stealth or brute force) and rescue their leader.

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They planned to ask the Commander for another meeting with Paul, and while Paul was en route to the meeting, they would ambush the group and murder Paul.

Don’t you find it deeply ironic that these men, who accused Paul of breaking the law, are now blatantly breaking the 6th commandment not to murder?

Look at how the “chosen people of God” act and represent their King. They:

•       band together and recruit others at higher levels of leadership

•       plot

•       conspire

•       accuse

•       seize

•       ambush

•       bind themselves to an oath with a curse (the word ‘oath’ is anathema)

•       are murderous

They act in the complete opposite way that their own law prescribes! They are image-bearers (in that they are human and ‘God’s chosen people,’ yet they look nothing like Him.

Passage

Acts 23:16–22 ESV

Now the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, “Paul the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.” The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him. But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent.” So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”

The intervention of Paul’s nephew

This is the only mention of Paul’s family in scripture.

Somehow, his nephew hears the plot to murder his uncle, so he’s allowed into the barracks to tell Paul.

Paul instructs his nephew to inform the Commander.

Isn’t it amazing how God can use anything and anyone at His disposal to carry out His will? God isn’t mentioned a single time in this passage, yet His fingerprints are everywhere. The Jews developed a solid plan. The Romans would not have seen the ambush coming. They had the proper motivation: kill Paul or die of hunger and thirst. And yet, despite their best-laid plans, God thwarted their plans with the inquisitive ear of a single teenage boy. This is God’s first act of providence. Until God accomplishes His plan, Paul might as well be immortal. God’s providence will always prevail.

Informing the Commander

So, the boy does what he’s told. He is brought to the Commander, who acts gently and graciously toward him.

The boy explained the plot and the oath, warning the Commander that they “are ready and waiting.”

The Commander listens intently and acts accordingly.

As we’ve seen before, there are severe consequences for any Roman soldier who lets something happen to his prisoner. Perhaps the Commander took this threat seriously to keep his men safe. Possibly, he summoned the pride of protecting an uncondemned Roman citizen. Maybe he knew immediately that it was a credible threat because of how violent the Jewish people and their leaders had been. Maybe he just hated the thought that they were trying to pull the wool over his eyes. I’m sure it was probably a mixture of all of them.

In another act of compassion and protection over the boy, the Commander warns him not to say a word of this to anyone and sends him away.

We’ll unpack his character more in just a bit. For now, let’s continue.

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Passage

Acts 23:23–32 ESV

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.

The Commander prepares his men

The Jewish zealots were not the only ones getting ready. The Commander was probably thinking, “Do you think you’re going to outsmart me? I don’t think so!” And he immediately commanded his people to get ready.

In a stunning display of Roman protection, 472 men were dispatched to protect Paul against the Jewish plot.

• 2 Centurions
• 200 soldiers (100 under each centurion)
• 200 spearmen
• 70 horsemen

And they left under cover of darkness of night – at 9 pm. This Commander was not playing. He had a plot of his own: Do what it takes to protect one of their own, to provide safe travel, and bring him to safety.

The entourage travels 35 miles to Antipatris (somewhat 1/2 to Caesarea), putting enough distance between Paul and the plotters to keep him safe and allowing the soldiers to return home to Jerusalem but keeping the horsemen to guard Paul the rest of the way.

This is the second act of God’s providence on Paul’s behalf. Throughout history, God has used gentile rulers to accomplish his rule. Cyrus would be a great example. He was the man prophesied about in Isa. 44:28-45:1, which came to pass during the time of Ezra with a decree to allow the captured Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild it. Here, God uses the Commander of the Roman army, a gentile warrior in command of 1,000 soldiers, to protect Paul so that he can travel to Rome as God has decreed.

As opposed to the Jews, who were supposed to represent the values and morals of God’s kingdom, Claudius lived them out. He:

•       readied his soldiers to protect Paul

•       provided for Paul

•       rescued Paul multiple times

•       desired to know and understand the situation

•       learned by observing

•       listened patiently and almost compassionately to Paul’s nephew

•       Delivered Paul safety from harm by getting him out of the city

•       Requested help from another influential leader.

God’s providence will always prevail.

And, as an exhortation to God’s people, you should never let an unbeliever outdo you in representing God’s character.

The letter to Felix

Who is Felix? He was governor of Judea from 52-58 AD, appointed by Emperor Claudius himself, serving between Pontius Pilate and Porcius Festus. He was married to Herod Agrippa II’s sister, which gave him political power, though he was a former slave. While this may seem like an empowering rags-to-riches story, he was not known to be a great political power. In fact, a Roman historian named Tacitus, writing about Felix, said he “occupied the office of a king while having the mind of a slave, saturated with cruelty and lust.” It seems that he is not too different from Ananias.

Claudius writes to Felix in this letter to give him a heads-up. Here are some important aspects of this letter that we should recognize:

1.     Claudius is a Roman official who wants to look good to his superiors. Did you notice how he conveniently left out the part where he nearly scourged a Roman citizen?

2.     Describe the protection he gave a Roman citizen. This would have made him look good to his superior, but it also sets the standard and expectation for Paul’s safety after he is transferred from Claudius’ care.

3.     Most importantly, his words claimed Paul’s innocence. Neither Paul (nor the Christian message) was a threat to Rome, nor were they breaking Roman law. This was just an angry tiff over Jewish theology, nothing more.

This is the third act of God’s providence. Not only did Claudius Lysias garner the strength of his army to guard Paul, but he also wrote an official letter explaining Paul’s innocence to the Judean Governor, which would have carried much weight. God’s providence will always prevail.

Passage

Acts 23:33–35 ESV

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.

Felix’s response

Once Claudius’ men took Paul to Caesarea by night via Antipatris, they presented Paul and Claudius’ letter to Felix.

He asked where Paul was from, ensuring this was in his jurisdiction.

He accepted the terms and agreed to hear Paul’s trial.

He commanded his men to guard Paul in Herod’s praetorium (Governor’s headquarters) to keep Paul safe.

Takeaway

We’ve already talked about how we should take our roles as ambassadors seriously. Remember, when Peter said that we were a holy nation and royal priesthood, he was quoting from the Old Testament. Israel failed at representing God as we have just seen. We cannot. We must be about the business of constantly checking our actions against scripture and aligning accordingly.

But, there is another takeaway for us today. We all want God to work in our lives through visions, dreams, signs, and wonders. When we are in a difficult spot, we want to see him show up visibly, right? But most of the time, God works through normal circumstances and ordinary people to accomplish His will. As a result, we miss it because of our false expectations. We don’t see His hand at work, and we get frustrated. Let me encourage you to look for God’s work in your life in the everyday rhythms and occurrences. His hand is at work there as much as it is in a miraculous healing.

Jesus warned Paul in advance of his pending afflictions. He stood beside him, reminding him to take courage. He filled Paul with the Spirit and decreed that he would testify in Rome. And when a murderous mob formed and vowed under the curse of an oath to kill him, God used a teenage boy and a pagan commander to accomplish His will. Nothing will thwart the plan and purposes of God. His providence will always prevail.

So today, my encouragement to you is: praise God for His divine interference, in whatever form it takes, and know that, as Al Mohler says:

Acts 13–28 for You Claudius’ Appeal to Felix

The road of God’s providence may contain much difficulty, but we walk along it with God. The path of discipleship will come with pangs and sorrow, trials and suffering—but it is a glorious way that leads to the celestial city of God…