WEDNESDAY January 10, 2024
A Formed Conspiracy
And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy.
Acts 23:12-13
The Jews did not stop their persecution of Paul! More than forty men were determined to end his life! They hated him! They vowed not to eat or drink until the deed was done:
They [the band of Jews] came to the chief priests and elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul. Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near” (Acts 23:14-15).
These wicked men were planning a lethal conspiracy. What would happen? Would they succeed in killing Paul? When you read of their evil plans, whose words do you believe––God who promised to protect Paul or the words of those determined to kill him? We believe the Lord, of course!
In a moment, we shall see how God will again move to rescue Paul. He would not use an angel, as He did when He rescued Peter from prison in Acts 12:5-10. He would use a young boy, Paul’s nephew, and once again the commander of the Roman garrison.
During Peter’s deliverance, he was encouraged and said: “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people” (Acts 12:11). Paul would also be encouraged to see God at work in his deliverance. The expectation of the Jews was to see Paul killed, but he would be removed from the area and sent to Felix the governor.
But God is the God of the waves and the billows, and they are still His when they come over us; and again and again we have proved that the overwhelming thing does not overwhelm. Once more by His interposition deliverance came. We were cast down, but not destroyed.
~Amy Carmichael~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
