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.”

This is creepy. A holy vow to murder someone? Yikes.

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, possibly by the Sadducees. Where’d that come from?

This extreme escalation is puzzling. After the Soldiers rescued Paul from the mob, they all should have dispersed. The theological disagreement between the Pharisees and the Sadducees wasn’t settled, but that argument pre-dates Paul anyway. This conspiracy is about Paul, not some theological dispute.

There just isn’t a reasonable explanation for this. That kind of murderous hatred isn’t natural.

It must be something else.

That’s what makes this one of the scariest passages in the Bible. These guys have dedicated their lives to being serious students of God, yet they have become stooges of evil. How can that happen?

There’s no solid answer. In fact, thinking we know the answer would miss the point. This is meant as a wake-up call. These religious leaders actually got enslaved by the forces of evil. Judges 11:29-35 is a companion lesson, though that passage is about a more innocent error. In that case, the vow was coupled with prayer, and the Spirit of the LORD was upon Jephthah. Still, this vow led to grief.

These vows stand in stark contrast to Paul’s vow, which stood alone and didn’t try to manipulate things.

Never try to take command of providence.

The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies