Acts

Chapter 23
1~~And Paul, looked the council directly in the eye, saying, "Men and brethren {fellow Jews}, I have been a citizen of good {of intrinsic value} conscience before God until this day."

{Note: This is an idiom. Paul is saying I am not guilty of anything.}

2~~And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to keep on hitting {means either a slap or fisted blow} him on the mouth.

{Note: This was against Jewish Law which also recognized the innocence of the accused until proven guilty so Paul recognized he was not going to get a fair trial here.}

3~~Then said Paul face to face to him, "For God is about to smite you . . . YOU WHITED WALL! For you judge me after the law, and command me to be smitten contrary to the standard of the law?"

{Note: To call someone a whited wall is equivalent to calling him a hypocritical or phony S.O.B. today. The city dwellings were built up on walls for protection. The excrement was dumped out of windows in the street and splashed up on the walls. When they spruced up the place, a servant would put a coat of whitewash right over the crap on the walls hence the idiom - white paint over POOP.}

4~~And they that stood by said, "Do you keep on reviling {to use a strong explanative with taking the Lord's name in vain} God's high priest?"

{Note: This man was not in his high priest garb. Paul knew he was one of the judges but not the high priest. This brings in God's Divine Institution #4 - Nationalism - respect the laws of your country. Even if the law of the land was unjust, Paul was not to also commit a wrong, so he now quits his name-calling.}

5~~Then said Paul, "I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest. For it is written {Exodus 22:28}, "You shall not speak evil of the ruler of your people."

6~~But when Paul perceived {thinking under pressure} that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he kept on shouting in the Sanhedrin {council}, "Men and brethren, I keep on being a Pharisee . . . the son of a Pharisee. Concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead, I am being judged."

{Note: Paul knew now he was not going to get a fair trial so he decided to 'divide and conquer'. The Sadducees were rationalists and only believed in what they could see and touch. The Pharisees were believers of all that was taught in the Old Testament - the seen AND unseen.}

7-8~~And when he had so communicated, there came to pass a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the court was divided 8~~(for the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit but the Pharisees cited the case {confess} for both).

{Note: The Greek word for 'Confess' here is 'homologeo' - the same word used in I John 1:9. This adds credence to the fact that when we confess our sins, it is 'to cite a case' not 'to feel sorry'. The Pharisees were 'not sorry' about the Angelic conflict or the fact that there is a resurrection! They just stated that these facts are true! The point is . . . how WE feel about the sin we confess is not the point nor is it relevant to God's forgiveness of the sin.}

9~~And there arose a great cry. And the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part stood up, and contended vehemently, saying, "We discover upon investigation {conclude} no evil in this man. But if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, and it has, let us not fight against God."

{Note: First class condition - it is true that Paul was taught directly by God and there also are teaching angels mentioned in the Old Testament.}

10~~And when there arose a great dissension, the Chiliarch, 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 fort.

{Note: The Chiliarch now knew Paul was Roman. And it was his job to enforce the law. He was not going to allow Paul to be killed by the Jews here through lawlessness.}

11~~ And the night following {the next day's night} the Lord suddenly stood by him, and said, "KEEP ON HAVING CONFIDENCE, Paul {imperative mood . . . this is a command}. For as you have protested earnestly {unusual word for testifying or witnessing} of Me in Jerusalem, so must you bear information concerning Me {witness} also at Rome."

{Note: Paul now realizes he succumbed to legalism and failed the Lord. He is also discouraged about this and all the mob activity and they sought his life! Now he may be in self-recrimination and a guilt complex. The Lord personally gives him encouragement. When we sin, confess it, FORGET IT and move on . . . this is the
principal . . . and it IS a COMMAND! }

{Note: In Jerusalem there was negative volition and not a good environment for Paul's fantastic ministry. The Lord was telling Paul that AT Rome Paul will have a great ministry. And, this is when Paul will write some of the most fantastic and doctrine filled books in the New Testament - the four prison Epistles!}

12~~And when it became day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying again and again that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

{Note: Religious unbelievers eager to prove themselves agreed to bind themselves under a curse like 'May God strike me down if I do not kill Paul'. Paul lives another 12 years or so . . . RBT wonders if any had the fortitude to starve to death or if they just broke their own oath.}

13~~And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.

14~~And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, "We have bound ourselves under a great oath, that we will taste nothing until we have slain Paul."

15~~Now therefore you with the Sanhedrin {council} signify to the Chiliarch that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though you would inquire something more accurately concerning him . . . and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.

16~~And when Paul's sister's son {nephew} heard of their ambush, he went and entered into the fort, and told Paul.

17~~Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, "Bring this young man unto the Chiliarch . . . for he has a certain thing to tell him."

18~~So he took him, and brought him to the Chiliarch, and said, "Paul, the prisoner, called me unto him, and requested me to bring this young man unto you . . . who has something to communicate to you."

19~~Then the Chiliarch took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, "What is it that you have to tell me?"

20~~And he said, "The Jews have agreed to ask you that you would bring down Paul tomorrow into the Sanhedrin {council}, as though they would inquire something of him more accurately."

21~~"But do not you yield unto them. For there lie in ambush for him more than forty men of them, who have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him {Paul}. And now are they ready, looking for an agreement from you."

22~~So the Chiliarch then let the young man depart, and commanded him, "See that you tell no man that which you have shown of these things to me."

23~~And he called unto him two centurions, saying, "Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten {70}, and spear-men two hundred, at the third hour of the night {middle of the night for secrecy}."

24~~"And provide them {the soldiers} beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the Procurator {the Chiliarch's superior - the ruler of this third class province of Rome}.

{Note: Rome had:
  1st class provinces - Senatorial provinces - run by a Proconsul.
  2nd class provinces - There were delegated provinces like Egypt
    -run by a Legatas (sic)
  3rd class province - like Judea and is headed by a Procurator.}

25-26~~And he wrote a letter after this manner, 26~~"Claudius Lysias, unto the Most Excellent Procurator {his title of authority} Felix, sends greeting."

{Note: As we learned earlier this Chiliarch purchased his Roman citizen so no 'tribe' name. In Rome four ex-slaves took power of administration and almost brought down the empire. They did manage to destroy Nero and Claudius. Felix was one of the four but got into trouble and had to get out of Rome. Judea was about as far as he could get and stay within the empire.}

27~~"This man was taken of the Jews, and would have been killed by them. Then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman."

28~~"And when I would have known the cause {an investigation} wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council."

29~~"Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or imprisonment."

30~~"And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to you, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before you what they had against him. Farewell."

31~~Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris.

32~~On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the fort.

33~~ Who, when they came to Caesarea, and delivered the epistle to the Procurator, presented Paul also before him.

34~~ And when the Procurator had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia, 35~~ he said, "I will hear you, when your accusers are also come." And he commanded him to be kept in Herod's judgment hall.

{Note: the Procurator was only interested in wealth. He represented the worst Rome had to offer. When he found Paul was from a rich province he is going to try to solicit a bribe from Paul.}

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