Daily Thought

It must have been wonderful to hear Paul’s detailed account of his missionary journeys, of which we only have a small part recorded for us. It is no wonder that those who heard it ‘glorified the Lord’, v. 20. Notice what Paul declares: it is ‘what things God had wrought’, v. 19 - Paul ascribes all the glory to Him. What a privilege to be workers together with God! Yet, we must always remember that it is His work.

The section that follows illustrates the difficulty that many Jewish believers had with leaving behind the trappings of Judaism on conversion to Christ. Yet, Paul does not argue with them over their request. As he teaches elsewhere, he is prepared to submit to them to avoid stumbling others or causing disunity amongst the believers. It is ironic, therefore, that it is as he is seeking to demonstrate his adherence to the law that he is accused by the Jews of doing the opposite, v. 28. Note that it is not the Jews of Jerusalem who cause trouble for him, but the Jews of Asia. Note, too, that the accusation that seems to have stirred up the Jews most, namely that he had brought Gentiles into the temple, thus polluting it, v. 28, was not true but merely a supposition. How often it is the case, that unfounded rumours or mere suppositions cause the most trouble and heartache for the people of God! Such is the ensuing tumult that Paul is beaten and would have been killed had the chief captain not stepped in and saved him. We see, then, the sovereign hand of God, who yet had work for Paul to do. Luke graphically describes the scene, and we can picture it as the soldiers run down into the crowd and bind him with two chains, cp. v. 11, the chief captain questions the people, and the soldiers then carry Paul up the stairs to the fortress, being harried by the riotous crowd. All this we can picture, but we cannot imagine what it must have been like for Paul to be in the middle of it, for his body to be bruised and battered, to see the savagery on the faces of the people crowding around him, trying to reach him, baying for his blood.

Would we have done what he does next? Would we have requested to speak to the people or would we have taken shelter? Yet what an opportunity is now afforded to him!