Wednesday Devo
Scripture:
Acts 23
7 This divided the council—the Pharisees against the Sadducees—8 for the Sadducees say there is no resurrection or angels or spirits, but the Pharisees believe in all of these. 9 So there was a great uproar. Some of the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees jumped up and began to argue forcefully. “We see nothing wrong with him,” they shouted. “Perhaps a spirit or an angel spoke to him.” 10 As the conflict grew more violent, the commander was afraid they would tear Paul apart. So he ordered his soldiers to go and rescue him by force and take him back to the fortress.
11 That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.”
7 This divided the council—the Pharisees against the Sadducees—8 for the Sadducees say there is no resurrection or angels or spirits, but the Pharisees believe in all of these. 9 So there was a great uproar. Some of the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees jumped up and began to argue forcefully. “We see nothing wrong with him,” they shouted. “Perhaps a spirit or an angel spoke to him.” 10 As the conflict grew more violent, the commander was afraid they would tear Paul apart. So he ordered his soldiers to go and rescue him by force and take him back to the fortress.
11 That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.”
Commentary:
23:8 The Pharisees believed in angels and spirits and in a future resurrection, though they did not accept Jesus’ resurrection; the Sadducees rejected the very idea of a resurrection as well as belief in angels and spirits. Consistent with this, the Pharisees granted that a spirit or angel might have visited Paul (v. 9), while the Sadducees rejected this possibility altogether. For more on the difference between the Pharisees and Sadducees, see article on Jewish Groups at the Time of the New Testament.
23:11 Paul’s testimony to the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem was an especially significant fulfillment of the prophecy about his life in 9:15.
23:11 Paul’s testimony to the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem was an especially significant fulfillment of the prophecy about his life in 9:15.
Questions:
- Paul does not know at this time that he will be in prison for the next four years. During these long years his only comfort would be the fact that the Lord had promised him that eventually he would get to Rome and be a witness for Jesus in the capital city of the empire. Sometimes in life, when we are struggling and we can't see God working in our situation, when we wonder where He is... in these times we must rely on the last thing He told us. We have to remind ourselves of the truth. We must cling to His Word and put our faith in His character. When you are in one of these spots, what is your first instinct? Is it to question God or His love for you? How can we increase our level of trust in Him?
- Here is a quote by Darrell Bock: “This passage is rooted in God’s providence, which moves to protect God’s children, although the means are not always known as they are here. God works behind-the-scenes here. Stephen’s martyrdom shows that providence also does not always mean physical rescue as here with Paul. Paul is assured that he will reach Rome (23:11). It is ironic that Roman justice will bring him there as a prisoner so that Paul will arrive safely and immediately be speaking to the highest levels of Roman society. It is unlikely that if Paul had journeyed as part of a missionary outreach to Rome on his own, such a high-level audience would be possible. It is one of the mysteries of God and his providence that many times we cannot see why things are happening as they are. Yet God is surely at work in ways we could not have planned for ourselves.” What stands out to you? Are there any examples from your own life?
Pray:
- That you would trust God's truth over your feelings and circumstances.
- That you would trust God's plan over your own.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
3. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Since “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin is death,” Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for my sin so I could be right with God.
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
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