Recall from yesterday that Paul was in a Roman prison, and the guard had called the Jewish leaders together to explain why Paul should be punished. In Acts 23, Paul is allowed to tell the Jewish leaders more about himself and to answer their questions. Paul and the chief priest got off to a bad start when Paul told him he was being hypocritical. However, Paul did not know the man was the chief priest, so he apologized for unknowingly speaking “evil of the ruler of your people” (Exodus 22:28).
There’s another lesson: Apologize to others when you realize you have treated them unkindly or disrespectfully!
As Paul listened (remember what we learned earlier about listening from James 1:19?) to the Jewish leaders talk among themselves, he realized even they didn’t agree on everything. Paul shouted in the middle of their conversation that he was a Pharisee just like some of the leaders, and that got the Sadducees arguing with the Pharisees to the point that the Pharisees took Paul’s side and said he had done nothing wrong.
In all this commotion, the Roman guard had him taken down to a jail cell to protect Paul from being injured in case a fight broke out among the Jewish leaders! The next night, probably as Paul wondered what would happen to him, Jesus spoke to him, told him not to worry, reassured him, and encouraged him (v. 11).
While all that was going on inside the prison, there was a group of particularly evil Jews outside that were planning to capture and kill Paul. They secretly arranged with the Jewish leaders to move Paul to a different location so they would have an opportunity to capture him. When the Roman guards learned of their scheme, they had Paul taken under heavy guard to the governor, Felix.
The lesson? Even in the worst of times, God is always there beside those who believe in Him.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for preserving Your word after all these years, and for showing us through the lives of other believers how You help us through the darkest times – when we are scared, lonely, mistreated, and when others say things about us that are untrue. Help us to learn from Paul and his faith in God. Amen