Conspiracy

Acts 23:12-22

¹²When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

¹³There were more than forty who made this conspiracy.

¹⁴They 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.

¹⁵Now 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.”

¹⁶Now the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.

¹⁷Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.”

¹⁸So 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.”

¹⁹The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”

²⁰And 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.

²¹But 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.”

²²So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”

²³Then 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.

²⁴Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor.”

I have to admit that sometimes the stories in the Bible make me laugh. Just imagine these 40 guys who have taken an oath that they won’t eat or drink until they have killed Paul. And now Paul has slipped through their fingers under an armed guard of almost 500 men. Now what are you gonna do? You promised not to eat or drink anything until you had killed him. That’s a tough task at this point. Yup, it makes me laugh. I’ve always wondered how they got out of that oath because they are certainly not responsible for Paul’s death, which happens several months (even a few years) later. Actually, this oath probably meant nothing to these men and breaking it would not injure their “faith”. In all likelihood they were more like hired assassins than they were men of God. The taking of an oath is a dicey business and is probably best left alone for the most part. We are far too fallible to be taking oaths – especially to God. Breaking them seems to come easily to us.

Paul has also clearly won at least the respect of the tribune who willingly protects his life in a dramatic way. These actions speak loudly to the character of Paul who hasn’t made an enemy among the Gentiles. He leaves Jerusalem under the armed guard he on his way to Rome which is his ultimate goal. It will take him some time to get there but he gets to witness to numerous people, mostly government officials, along the way. God uses even the dumb ideas that we come up with sometimes to further His Kingdom. While I would rather not be standing in the dumb idea line I suppose I have given God more than my share with which to work. But He is gracious and creative, often turning my foolishness into His wisdom. For that I am grateful.

In the next few days we will follow Paul into Rome. He will meet with various governmental leaders along the way and eventually arrive in Rome to share the Gospel at the highest levels of government. For now, God is protecting his life so that his voice can carry God’s message. When God promised him he would be a witness to the Gentiles, He wasn’t kidding.