Acts 23:12–22 (ESV)
When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”
Now the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, “Paul the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.” The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him. But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent.” So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”
Wow. That’s really creepy—and not unlike some of the psycho things that we’ve seen in the news lately.
Last we saw, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. The Pharisees were even saying, “We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” Now there’s a conspiracy to murder Paul, presumably by the Sadducees. Where’d that come from?
This extreme escalation is puzzling. One would guess that after the Soldiers rescued Paul from the mob, they dispersed. The theological disagreement between the Pharisees and the Sadducees wasn’t settled, but that pre-dates Paul anyway. This conspiracy is about Paul, not their theological division.
There just isn’t a natural explanation for this. This kind of murderous hatred isn’t natural.
Bingo. That’s what’s going on here, and that’s what’s going on in the news.
Okay, so this is the devil’s work, but beware of a basic error. We look at something idiotic like this and think, “I could never do that.” In a way that’s true; we’re a long way from doing something that stupid.
Good, but don’t kid yourself about your ability to take the hundreds of baby steps it takes to get most of the way there. The forces of evil are far more clever than we can imagine. They know how to trick us.
Our only defense is the Lord. People who trust in their own wisdom take those baby steps without even noticing what’s happening. Depend on God and His word to keep you on the right path.
These devotionals are just one of the ways to stay connected to His word. Use others.
