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. Let's turn to Acts chapter 25. This ministry meeting, we are moving along in the book of Acts. There are sometimes chapters and verses in the word of God that one wonders why they are there and what the lessons that the Lord is trying to teach us by giving us such texts to read. And it becomes part, and it is part, of the inspired word of God.

In this chapter, we have a complete chapter that is devoted to Paul testifying before Festus, the new governor that came to govern over the Roman province of Judea. As you read this chapter, you will notice there is a lot of deliberations and things that you might say that it is not so important to be placed in the scripture, in the word of God, as part of the inspired word of God.

And yet, we know very well that every word of God given to us by the inspiration of the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit, and that we are to learn something from every portion and every text that God had given to us in his word. So let me read this chapter. Please follow me. 27 verses in this chapter, and it is a continuation of Paul being in prison in Caesarea and the opposition against the Apostle Paul.

Guest (Male): Now when Festus was come into the province, after three days he ascended from Caesarea to Jerusalem. Then the high priest and the chief of the Jews informed him against Paul, and besought him, and desired favor against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him.

But Festus answered, that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself would depart shortly thither. Let them therefore, said he, which among you are able, go down with me, and accuse this man, if there be any wickedness in him.

And when he had tarried among them more than ten days, he went down unto Caesarea; and the next day sitting on the judgment seat commanded Paul to be brought. And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.

While he answered for himself, "Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended anything at all." But Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure, answered Paul, and said, "Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things before me?"

Then said Paul, "I stand at Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest. For if I be an offender, or have committed anything worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar."

Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, "Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go." And after certain days king Agrippa and Bernice came unto Caesarea to salute Festus.

And when they had been there many days, Festus declared Paul's cause unto the king, saying, "There is a certain man left in bonds by Felix: about whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him.

To whom I answered, it is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die, before that he which is accused have the accusers face to face, and have license to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him. Therefore, when they were come hither, without any delay on the morrow I sat on the judgment seat, and commanded the man to be brought forth.

Against whom when the accusers stood up, they brought none accusation of such things as I supposed: But had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one Yeshua, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.

And because I doubted of such manner of questions, I asked him whether he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these matters. But when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I might send him to Caesar."

Then Agrippa said unto Festus, "I would also hear the man myself." "To morrow," said he, "thou shalt hear him." And on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp, and was entered into the place of hearing, with the chief captains, and principal men of the city, at Festus' commandment Paul was brought forth.

And Festus said, "King Agrippa, and all men which are here present with us, ye see this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews have dealt with me, both at Jerusalem, and also here, crying that he ought not to live any longer. But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself hath appealed to Augustus, I have determined to send him.

Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, O king Agrippa, that, after examination had, I might have somewhat to write. For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him."

Gideon Levytam: This chapter, it seemed to be as I mentioned earlier that makes you wonder why does the Holy Spirit of God place this deliberation there between Festus, the new governor of the Roman province of Judea, and the leaders of Israel in the city of Yerushalayim? And then later on his deliberation and explanation to King Agrippa, who came to visit him. It makes you wonder the reason that God have placed this in the canon of scripture.

Some passages such as this we find in the Brit Hadashah, in the New Testament. Other passages such as this we find in the Tanakh, in the Old Testament, where we wonder with lists of names and lists of deliberation, and it makes you wonder the reason that God have placed it in his holy word, in the Tanakh, in the scriptures.

And so we believe and understand that everything that God had given us in his word is for profit, is for our own blessing and for our own learning. As we read it in the book of Timothy that all scriptures are given by inspiration of God and are profitable for us to learn, to grow. I just quote that verse that is found in 2 Timothy, chapter 3, and verse 16 where Paul says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

One of the things that I would like to suggest, beloved brothers and sisters, that we can see the hand of God throughout the life of Sha'ul, Paul. I mean, this man had been going from place to place and suffering for the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. This man had laid down his life for his Messiah. This man had been the mover and the shaker of things in the history of the human race.

This man was used by our blessed Lord Yeshua to give to us, to give to the human race, a lot of information concerning the body of Messiah, concerning the church of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. The mystery that was hid in God, and God revealed this to us, but he used this man by the name of Paul, by the name of Sha'ul, to give us all this information, all the epistles such as Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, and all the other scripture that had been given to us by this man that the Spirit of God used to give us the scripture, the word of God.

He is a man that suffered. He's a man that has been rejected. He's a man that experienced misunderstanding by his brethren, by false brethren, by Jewish people, by Gentile people. He suffered the whole life from the time that he became a believer in Yeshua. And here, you find him now for two years, beloved brothers and sisters, in prison in Caesarea.

Yes, it was not a dungeon like it will be in Rome. He was there in the court as we read here at Herod's judgment hall at the end of chapter 23. But for two years, this man by the name of Felix left him in Caesarea without anything done for no reason whatsoever. He left him and he said to him, if you remember at the end of chapter 24, in verse 27, "But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix' room: and Felix, willing to show the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound." That's how we ended at the end of chapter 24. For two years the Apostle Paul was left there.

For no reason whatsoever he left him, and he said to him, when I have a convenient season, I will call for you. "Paul, I don't have time right now, when I will have a convenient season, I'm going to call you, Paul." So apparently he was a wretched man, this man by the name of Felix. He was the governor of the Roman province of Judea.

So apparently, at about 60 AD, Felix was replaced by Festus, this is the new governor. Nero deposed Felix and took him back to the city of Rome. Instead of Felix, he sent this man by the name of Festus. He was the new governor of the Roman province of Judea.

A new governor comes. The old governor gone. Now as the new governor is there, he's beginning to act upon his position. So we find out in the first 12 verses of our chapter that Paul is now standing before Festus who is the new governor. We don't know much about Festus, but certain things we will find here about him that will be interesting.

The first thing we find out that Festus came, and you know when you got a new job, you starting to work very hard. You see with Festus, he didn't wait for two years like Felix did. It says here in verse one that Festus ascended from Caesarea to Jerusalem. You notice that it says, "Now when Festus was come into the province," again, that word for province is the province of Judea at then known Roman Empire. And the province of Judea, he became now the new governor. He come into the province, and after three days, it doesn't take too long, not three weeks, not three months, not three years, after three days, he ascended from Caesarea to Jerusalem.

Again, the word "ascended" speaks to us of the fact that he was going up. Again, as I mentioned many times, to go to Jerusalem, it's always upward. To going out of Jerusalem, it's always downward. And so he's ascended after three days. Can you imagine? He takes his job seriously, and he's going up to Jerusalem to deal with the leadership of Jerusalem, of the Jewish community, immediately as the new governor. So he's going up, he's ascending up to the city of Yerushalayim.

There we find out that in verses two and three, the high priests and the leaders of our people Israel, the Jewish people, began to ask him and request from him something. You see, they now want to awaken again the situation with the Apostle Paul, with Sha'ul. So it says in verses two and three, the high priest and the chief of the Jews informed him against Paul. And they besought him and desired favor against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him.

Look, two years pass by. You would think everything will die down, but apparently in those two years while the Apostle Paul was in jail in Herod's judgment hall in Caesarea, the gospel was continuing to move on. And even though the Apostle Paul was in prison, the word of God was not limited only to the Apostle Paul, but he used him. He shared the message of the gospel already in Asia Minor. He finished his three missionary journeys. In Jerusalem, in Judea, there were others from among our Jewish people who were believers. And that message of the person and the work of Yeshua the Messiah was still spread and was still mentioned all over.

The gospel was continuing to move on. And even though the Apostle Paul was in prison, the word of God was not limited only to the Apostle Paul, but he used him. He shared the message of the gospel already in Asia Minor. He finished his three missionary journeys. In Jerusalem, in Judea, there were others from among our Jewish people who were believers. And that message of the person and the work of Yeshua the Messiah was still spread and was still mentioned all over.

And heard about being strengthened in the things of Yeshua and have gone out and strengthened others and built the body of Messiah, whether it is in Israel or outside in the Roman world, in Asia Minor and elsewhere. So you can see how God used Paul, even when he was there and then in the prison, in Herod judgment hall there bound.

Well, they ask him for this favor. You know what Festus did? Festus at least was in that sense decent in that way. He responded to them and he says no, I'm not going to send Paul to Jerusalem to be judged. Caesarea is the place where he can be judged right there in Caesarea. I can sit at the judgment hall and I'll judge him.

So he said to them, "Why should I bring him to Jerusalem? You come down from Jerusalem to Caesarea. If the man is guilty and you have something to accuse him, I will be there. I will go down and I will see what he is accused of."

Now Festus, remember, it's a new job for him to become that new governor of the province of Judea. So he is being trained that it's not easy to try to understand the situation between the Jewish community and the Romans and the Jewish community among themselves. You have to learn what is going on. And so Festus also had been influenced because the next verses, six to 12, we find now Paul stands before Festus the governor.

In verse six, Festus first of all is sitting on the judgment seat. It says when he had tarried among them more than ten days, apparently he was there for more than ten days in Jerusalem, came to meet the leadership, came to show his presence there among the Jewish people, the leadership in Jerusalem. Then after those ten days, he went down into Caesarea. Again, the word "down" from Jerusalem, it is down always. And the next day he sat on the judgment seat, commanded Paul to be brought.

He sat on the judgment seat, commanded Paul to be brought forth as the judge ready to hear the accusation against Sha'ul, Paul. Apparently there were many grievous complaints against Paul by the leadership of our Jewish people. So sad to see accusation against their own brother, a Jewish believer in Yeshua.

There was no reason to accuse him. He didn't do anything wrong, but you can see it's almost like a family story. I mean the church today, non-Jewish people who read this text, they read an internal conflict among our own people, the Jewish people. Some were Sadducees, some were Pharisees, some were Messianic or followers of the Nazarene. And so you can see that here is this man sitting at the judgment seat. And in verse seven, when he was come, this is the Apostle Paul, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about and laid many grievous complaints and accusation against Paul which they could not prove. They accused him of so many things, but there was no proof because he haven't done any of the things they were accusing him of.

You can understand if you're accused because of wrong things that you have done. You are guilty, and if somebody accuse you, you will ask for mercy and forgiveness, and maybe they will have grace enough to forgive you. But this was more than just that.

In the whole world in which we live in, brothers and sisters, how many individuals have been accused wrongfully? Some by their own family, by their own friends, by their own nation, by their own people have been accused for no reason at all because they did not have anything to prove of the wrong deeds that they claim that he had done.

So in verse eight, of course, Paul is responding there to Festus, the governor of the province of Judea. He answered in verse eight for himself and he says, notice three times the word "neither" or "nor" are mentioned. "Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar have I offended anything at all."

I haven't done three things, he said. I didn't speak against the law of our Jewish people. I didn't speak against the temple. I did not speak against Caesar. I haven't done that. I have not offended in all these things at all, he said to Festus as he was accused there before him in Caesarea. He had not been guilty in that which he is accused of.

So in verse nine, Festus's words to Paul, and you know here you can see that Festus, the new governor, now learned that you cannot be 100% fair. You're going to try to please people. And you can see the failure of Festus here because it says in verse nine, "Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure, he answered Paul and said, 'Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things before me?'"

In other words, he was saying that if Paul will be willing not to be judged here in that judgment hall in Caesarea, but all the way back in Jerusalem, then I'm going to be the one that is going to judge you. But Paul knew very well that this was not what was going to happen, and Paul knew that.

Paul knew that the moment he is going to be sent to the city of Jerusalem, there he will not be judged anymore as a Roman citizen. Of course he is Jewish, he's an Israeli, he's a Hebrew, but yet he was a Roman citizen. And he used this situation.