December 5, Acts 23
Do you play chess? A smart player figures out his opponent’s strategy, and employs a counter-strategy to thwart his rival’s plan. The same strategic maneuvers that win in chess are used on athletic fields and battlefields, in boardrooms and courtrooms.
For the second time in as many days, Claudius Lysias had to apply imperial force to extricate Paul from a bunch of angry Jews. The second intervention was necessary after the Roman tribune called the Sanhedrin together to find out why these people hated Paul so much.
Paul began by telling the high court he had always lived in good conscience before God. It’s not a good sign your speech is going to be well-received when your opening line gets you slapped in the mouth. Paul returned verbal fire for the hypocritical and illegal insult, and was inadvertently disrespectful to the Jewish high priest. Paul acknowledged it was not right to speak harshly against a leader. (That’s a lesson
that politicians, media and the general public should remember here in America, too.)
“Divide and Conquer” is a time-honored strategy. Paul used it to split the Sanhedrin, turning their anger on one another instead of him. With political savvy, Paul claimed his Pharisee heritage, and said he was on trial over the resurrection, the main point of controversy between Pharisees and Sadducees. The ploy worked; the council split along party lines as the Pharisees suddenly found no fault with Paul after he waved the party banner. Paul’s Roman
guardians had to remove him by force from the ensuing violence.
After the Romans rescued him, 40 men vowed not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. They either broke that vow or died of hunger or thirst, because 470 Roman soldiers formed a human shield and took Paul out of Jerusalem the same night. Soon Paul was at Caesarea before Felix, the governor. He was in Roman custody, but it was protective custody.
Paul’s life was in God’s hand. High priests and councils, tribunes and governors are God’s pawns as he accomplishes his purpose. In the midst of all the violence and threats, the Lord stood by Paul in his cell and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” God was in charge. Just as a Roman decree had
unwittingly delivered Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem for Jesus to be born where the prophets predicted, now the Roman judicial system would be Paul’s ticket to the imperial city. He didn’t have to worry about whether or how he would get there. When God says you must testify in Rome, you’re on your way.
A strategy is a good thing. Make plans, but remember you’re in God’s hands. In his sovereignty, he works through his people as well as their enemies to accomplish his purpose. This should ease our anxieties and give us confidence as we serve him.
From The Abiding Companion: A Friendly Guide for Your Journey Through the New Testament,
Copyright © 2010 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—December 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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