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by Sandy Shaw
In Acts 23:12 - While the risen living Lord Jesus Christ is ministering to His chosen servant, Paul, in that Jerusalem cell, something sinister was going on elsewhere. Forty men were planning a conspiracy to kill Paul. Forty men vowed that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. This is becoming even more serious.
We have to be very careful as to the vows we might ever make or take. See how easily evil can enter the hearts of men - even religious men - and even when the risen Jesus is not all that far away - and note how serious evil men can be at times.
We need to know that we can be released from silly vows, and delivered from unscriptural vows, which might have been previously taken earlier in life when we did not realise how dangerous such actions were.
There is a plot. Let's get the Roman Commander to bring Paul back down to the Courtroom. We will say we want some more accurate information. We'll make up a story - anything will do - as long as we can get our hands on him - and we'll kill him before he gets here.
But that night - there was a lot going on in Jerusalem that night - Jesus appears in the jail - forty men are meeting secretly - AND, Paul's sister's son - his nephew - heard of this plot against his uncle. He goes into the barracks - into the Antonio fortress - to inform Paul.
Paul tells one of the Centurions. The Centurion and nephew go to the Commander, and the nephew tells all. Speak about clandestine drama! It is all here in our passage.
v.22. The Commander cautioned Paul's nephew, "Don't tell anyone that you have reported this to me. Off you go." The Commander calls two Centurions, and Paul is moved north to Caesarea on the coast - that night - in the middle of the night - guarded by 470 of Rome's finest soldiers. Jesus will have his servant where He wants His servant to be. Let that minister to you deeply and positively and encourage your heart.
Children always used to ask me - "What happened to the forty men?" They either broke the vow or died. It is the same thing. The vow became a curse. That vow becomes a curse. They were bound. In a very real sense here - our tongue is like the rudder of a ship - what we say determines where we go and how we go.
Yet again we see - that people either loved this man so deeply - or detested him so much that they would bind themselves with this kind of vow.
Why does God give us all these terrible details of this rather horrible incident? Well - to warn us - to make us aware - to keep us awake and alert as to what can be going on in the world - to enable us to become spiritually sensitive - to teach us that we should be somewhat prepared for this type of behaviour to rear its ugly head. And - to show us how to handle it when it appears.
When men resist the mercy and grace and love of God, it can bring out the worst in people.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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