Holy Scriptures and Israel

Guest (Female): Shalom. Holy Scriptures and Israel is a ministry designed to share with the Jewish people the good news of the Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah, and to instruct Christians on the Jewish roots of their faith. And now, teaching God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective, here is Gideon Levytam.

Gideon Levytam: Shabbat shalom everyone. Let us please turn to the book of Acts. We're going to read today in Acts 23:12-35. The theme of this passage is the conspiracy to kill the apostle Paul. And so listen to the verses and please follow with me.

Guest (Male): Verse 12. And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. And there were more than 40 which had made this conspiracy.

And they came to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul. Now therefore, ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you tomorrow, as though ye would inquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him."

And when Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle and told Paul. Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him and said, "Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him."

So he took him and brought him to the chief captain and said, "Paul the prisoner called me unto him and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee." Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately and asked him, "What is that thou hast to tell me?"

And he said, "The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldst bring down Paul tomorrow into the council, as though they would inquire somewhat of him more perfectly. But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than 40 men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee."

So the chief captain then let the young man depart and charged him, "See thou tell no man that thou hast showed these things to me." And he called unto him two centurions, saying, "Make ready 200 soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen 200, at the third hour of the night; and provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on and bring him safe unto Felix the governor."

And he wrote a letter after this manner: "Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth greeting. This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.

And when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council: whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds. And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell."

Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him and returned to the castle: who, when they came to Caesarea and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him.

And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia; "I will hear thee," said he, "when thine accusers are also come." And he commanded him to be kept in Herod's judgment hall.

Gideon Levytam: This is the end of the reading of the 23rd chapter of the book of Acts. Interesting passage, brothers and sisters, because this passage really does not give us so much doctrine, does not give us so much teaching of something profound. But what it does show us, beloved brothers and sisters, is how the Lord is preserving his servant who is in the middle of a terrible situation.

How the Lord is helping his own servant, namely the apostle Paul, and delivers him away from those who seek to kill him. You remember when we read about the history of our people, Israel? How God had promised to Israel, our nation, that he would go with them in every situation, in various trials, in various problems in the life of the nation?

And he promised to them that he would watch over them, and he would protect them, and he would bring them through various situations in their history, the nation of Israel. Some verses come to mind that we find, for example, in Isaiah chapter 43 when God said to Jacob and to Israel: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with thee; when you go through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee."

"When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior. I gave Egypt for thy ransom, and Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life."

"Fear not," God said to Israel in Isaiah 43 and verse five, "for I am with thee. I will bring thy seed from the east, and I will gather them from the west. I will say to the north, give up; and to the south, keep not back. Bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth," and so on.

And God made many promises to his nation Israel, but he also made many promises to individuals who were serving him and living for him. In the case of the apostle Paul, you remember the last verse in our study together in chapter 23, that was verse 11? The last verse we spoke about in our last ministry meeting.

It was the Lord Yeshua the Messiah that appears in a special night vision to the apostle Paul. And he says to him, and if you look back in verse 11 of Acts chapter 23, he says: "Be of good cheer, Paul, for as you have testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome."

The Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah, had made a promise to Shaul, to Paul, in order that he will have this encouragement. He is saying to him, "Be of good cheer, I'm going to take care of you. I will encourage you, I will support you, I will preserve you, Shaul, Paul. So just like you witnessed for me in Jerusalem, you will also witness for me in the city of Rome."

But he didn't say that it will be easy. He didn't say that it will be without trial and without opposition. In fact, he already said to him one time—and I please would like you to just for a moment turn with me back to Acts 9—and you will see what the Lord of glory, the Messiah Yeshua, said to Shaul when he became a believer.

In verse 15 and 16, he says: "Go thy way: for he"—speaking to Ananias to say to Shaul, Paul—"for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel." And look what he says in verse 16: "For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake."

You know, Paul, Shaul was chosen as a vessel to serve the Lord. But even when he was elected and Hananyah came to him to tell him what he was going to be elected for, the Lord made sure to tell Hananyah that Paul was chosen to be a vessel but that he will suffer for the name of Yeshua HaMashiach. He will suffer for the name of the Messiah.

So how many a times, beloved brothers and sisters, the apostle Paul have experienced persecutions and sufferings? And in many times he even endangered his own life. One of those times that we see of him being in danger of losing his life, being killed, is right here in chapter 23 and verses 12 to 35.

In those verses, we see first of all the plan of those who wanted to kill him. And then we see how his relative, his nephew, reported of this conspiracy. And then we find out how the chief captain gave a plan to deliver him out of those who wanted to kill Paul. And finally, we find the letter that the chief captain is writing to the governor Felix in Caesarea. And at the end of the chapter, we find out the deliverance of Paul and the arrival to Caesarea.

Those five things that we have here in this latter part of Acts chapter 23. So let's begin first of all with the plan to kill Paul by his very own brethren. Now, you notice that, beloved brothers and sisters, that the reason that the Jewish people wanted to kill this Jewish man by the name of Paul, Shaul, is because, as far as they were concerned, he was introducing something that was not the way of God.

Now, we know very well that what Paul was introducing and teaching was definitely the ways of God. It was the way of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who promised that once upon a time the Messiah will come and he will die for the sin of this world and he will be rejected. That was promised by the God of Israel long before the church was born.

These promises of the coming of the Messiah was given to our forefathers many years. But in time when it actually happened and the Messiah came, lived, died, was resurrected and ascended, the nation did not accept him. So now they also do not accept those that follow the Messiah Yeshua.

You remember what Yeshua said? And I also want to point out to that, in the Gospel of John in chapter 16, in the first three verses, the disciples of Yeshua heard this message from the Lord Jesus who said to them, John 16 verses 1-3: "These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you because they have not known the Father, nor me."

That was hard word that Yeshua the Messiah told his Jewish disciples, his followers in the city of Jerusalem who loved the nation of Israel, who were part of the nation. But he already warned them that because of their faith in him, they will be rejected. By the way, you notice that in John 16, when Yeshua mentioned it to the disciples, it was long before he died.

Long before the church was born. He was already preparing the disciples for the time that will come for the church age in which he knew—maybe they did not know immediately—that they will be rejected because they followed after him. And so they could identify with him. "Whosoever going to kill you will think that he does God a service."

And he spoke of course about his own people, the nation. Because Israel, even up until today, when they reject us as believers in Yeshua, they think that they're doing God a service. They think that those of us who are Jewish like Paul, like Peter, like James, like Jude, and like many others, including ourselves who are Jewish believers, they think that we have deviated from the word of God. We have deviated from the promises to our fathers.

They don't understand that the opposite have really happened. And that we have actually accepted what the Tanakh speaks of concerning the Messiah, and that by believing in Yeshua, we really submitted to what God had spoken in his word. And that they need to consider the person and the claims of Yeshua the Messiah.

So Paul, though he was not one of those disciples that Yeshua spoke to in John 16—though he was one of those people who persecuted the believers—now his turn is coming. And now the fulfillment of what was promised to him came to pass, that they will seek to kill him and that he will suffer many things for the name of Yeshua the Messiah.

So here is the plan to kill Paul in verses 12 to 15 of Acts chapter 23. "And when it was day, certain of the Jews..." Now notice, it is the Jewish people, meaning that this was a story that have existed within the nation of Israel. Paul was Jewish and the religious leader was Jewish. Paul as far as they're concerned have gone astray, they're going to deal with this false teaching as far as they're concerned, wrongfully of course.

When the day came, certain of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. In other words, you know they made a vow, if you will. It says here the word they bound themselves under a curse. The word here for a curse come from the Greek word *anathema*, and *anathema* means simply devoted to destruction.

What they really say, they made a vow, they made as it says here they bound themselves under *anathema* saying: "We have to deal with this thing that this man is teaching." And therefore they sought to slay him. And so they say: "We are not going to eat anything, neither we will drink anything until we have killed Paul." This is verse 12.

And in verse 13, we see who were those that made this conspiracy and how many of them. It says in verse 13 that there were more than 40 which had made this conspiracy. Now conspiracy, it is a plan, they had a plan. The plan was they are going to deal with this man by the name of Paul and they are going to kill him, they are not going to eat, they are not going to drink until they are going to kill him.

Now by the way, this happened almost 2,000 years ago. But over church history, this kind of thing have happened to many believers among the Gentile world. And many lost their lives among the nations of the world, whether it is in Africa, whether it is in communism Russia, whether it is in China. Many believers because their faith in Yeshua the Messiah were killed and lost their life by their own countrymen because they made a decision to follow the Lord.

Many lost their life. In this case of course it happened in first century because everything began from Judea, from Jerusalem and then went to the rest of the world. And here is a Jewish man is being accused by his own Jewish brethren because of his faith in the Messiah. So they made this decision. The plan was to kill him by 40 persons who vowed and made a promise not to eat, not to drink anything until they would kill this man by the name of Paul.

Now he was a threatening to them because of what he taught. He was teaching that the Messiah have come. They did not accept Jesus, that Yeshua was the Messiah. He taught that sins can be forgiven to anyone who would believe in the person of Yeshua the Messiah. They were still under the law. They did not accept the fact that the Messiah have come.

There was a two conflicting messages, if you will. The one was speaking about the waiting for the Messiah and the Messiah haven't come. The other was saying the Messiah have come and Yeshua is his name, and the price that he paid for our sin was his death, burial, and resurrection.

And so here is the ones that were bounding themselves with this purpose to kill the apostle Paul. In verse 14 and verse 15, we see the conspirators, how they share their ambitions with the leaders of Israel. There were 40 of them. They may be Jewish people who came from the diaspora, from Asia Minor, who heard and knew what Paul was sharing, the message of the gospel already in his three missionary journeys. And they came to Jerusalem, they wanted to worship in Jerusalem in temple.

And here now they have a conspiracy against him. And notice what they're doing, they're trying to involve the whole council, the whole Sanhedrin on that plan. And so in verse 14, the conspirators share their ambitions with the leaders of Israel. It says they came to the chief priests and the elders and they said to them: "We have bound ourselves under a great curse, under a great *anathema*, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul."

So they share it with the leaders. They say to the leaders, the chief priests and the elders, that they want them to speak to the whole council and that they together with the council, the Sanhedrin, they will come about and fulfill their ambition to kill the apostle Paul.

And so in verse 15, we find out the conspirators' plan itself. Look at their plan. They said in verse 15: "Now therefore you"—this is the leaders—"you with the council signify," or make a sign, to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you tomorrow as though ye would inquire something more perfectly concerning him; and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him."

So you know what these 40 people said? They said to the elders of Israel: "You know what? You call the captain, tell him to bring Paul as if you're going to ask him some question. And bring him this time not that you're going to the castle, but bring him out of the castle into the temple compound where the council is gathering in some of the sections there. And have Paul in our midst and say to the chief captain that you want to inquire of Paul more perfectly concerning what he believe or what he is doing and what he is saying."

"And then we can be sure," he says "we, when he come near, are ready to get up and kill him." What a plan to kill the apostle Paul. Now can you imagine, brothers and sisters, you know it's sad that in religion—whether it is our own people, the Jewish people historically, or whether it is Christianity or Christendom, or whether it is all sorts of religious groups around the world, all names that we can give today to many religious groups—it is amazing how you can worship God, praise God, go to temple if you will or go to church meeting, and at the same time plan to murder.

It seems to be like a contradiction. Instead of committing things to God, you are making a plan to kill someone by making a vow to do something that God is strictly command not to do. You remember one of the commandment that we have in the book of Exodus? "Thou shalt not murder. Lo tirzach."

And yet here's a plan, and the plan to do it with the religious leaders. And we don't have to talk about what happened over the generations, whether it is in church history with the leaders of the time in the dark ages and what happened in the name of God or the name of Yeshua, and what happened in the name of other religion whether it is Islam or Hinduism and so on, which we don't even have any ideas.

But in the name of religion, when God is not really submitted to, things have happened and we fail in it so much. And here the plan. You know, usually when you say I'm going to fast, I'm not going to eat and not going to drink is because I have a burden for somebody.

You know, sometimes we say: "I'm so concerned about the salvation of someone, or because of my family, or because of the situation in certain country. I'm going to eliminate necessary thing for my body in order to be so devoted to prayer and fasting that something that God will give an answer."

But here it seems to be the opposite. "I will not eat, I will not drink, and then I'll kill." It's not: "I will pray for him, I will ask God to restore him." But no, it's exactly the opposite. And again I want to mention, while it is the context here is what happened historically to the apostle Paul among his own Jewish brethren, these things has not to point to because it happened everywhere in church history, in other history of many other religion. It happened the very same thing. That just show us the nature that man has in sin. David said: "In sin did my mother conceive me." And all of us, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

And so here in the first verses 12, 13, 14, 15, the plan to kill Paul. But then look what happened, how God intervenes. And even though we don't see necessarily God speaking from heaven, but we see how things are working behind the scene. And here we find out that Paul's sister's son is reporting the conspiracy to Paul.

Guest (Female): You have been listening to Holy Scriptures and Israel with Gideon Levytam. Gideon teaches God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective. For more information about this ministry, write to Holy Scriptures and Israel, Box 1411, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, L0S 1J0, or visit our website at holyscripturesandisrael.com.

You are also invited to Gideon's weekly Bible teaching on Fridays at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. and Saturdays at 1 p.m. at Willowdale Christian Assembly Hall, 28 Martin Ross Avenue in Toronto. Holy Scriptures and Israel is made possible by your prayers and financial support. If you would like to support the program, visit holyscripturesandisrael.com. God bless you. Shalom, shalom.