12 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. 13 There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. 14 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. 15 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.”
16 Now the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. 17 Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” 18 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.” 19 The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” 20 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. 21 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.” 22 So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”
23 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. 24 Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” 25 And he wrote a letter to this effect:
26 “Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. 27 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. 28 And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. 29 I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. 30 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.”
31 So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. 33 When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. 34 On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod’s praetorium.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
The Jews hated Paul so much that a group of more than forty bound themselves by an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed him. They conspired with the chief priests and elders to have Paul brought back before the council for further questioning. They guaranteed that Paul would not make it to the council. Paul’s nephew heard about the conspiracy and went to warn Paul. Paul had a centurion take the young man (probably aged twenty or thirty) to the commander. He informed the commander of the Jews’ plot to kill Paul including their oath not to eat or drink until they succeeded which highlighted their determination. The commander sent the young man off with instructions not to let anyone know he had revealed their plan to him.
The commander arranged for Paul to be escorted by a significant guard to Caesarea during the night. Caesarea would be safer for Paul than Jerusalem and he was also being moved up the chain of command, a step closer to Rome. Because the commander was passing the prisoner up to a superior, he sent with him a letter outlining the case and what had transpired up to that point. In his letter, the commander was creative with the truth in stating he rescued Paul, conveniently leaving out the part where he bound Paul, a Roman citizen, and intended to have him flogged. The importance of this document is that the commander declared Paul to be innocent. Luke, the historian, likely had a copy of the letter to be able to quote it verbatim. The soldiers dutifully carried out their orders and took Paul by night to Antipatris, a city established by Herod the Great and named in honour of his father, Antipater. With the danger out of the way, the soldiers returned to the barracks while the horsemen continued with Paul to Caesarea where he was delivered, along with the letter, to governer Felix. After reading the letter, Felix asked Paul what province he was from. When Paul told him he was from Cilicia, he had the option of sending him to the governor of that area, but Roman law didn’t require that, so he chose to hear Paul’s case when his accusers arrived. In the meantime, he had Paul guarded in Herod’s praetorium.
Trusting in God’s sovereignty isn’t the same as leaving everything to chance. Paul used information he obtained to help secure his safety even though he knew his route to Rome was going to be laced with suffering.
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Warning Against Regression: Hebrews 5-6