Paul a Prisoner
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had been with him before the Sanhedrin council; He was with him
in the fortress; and He revealed Himself to His faithful witness in
response to the earnest prayers of the apostle for guidance. “The night
following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for
as thou hast testified of Me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness
also at Rome.”
Paul had long looked forward to visiting Rome; he greatly desired
to witness for Christ there, but had felt that his purposes were frustrated
by the enmity of the Jews. He little thought, even now, that it would
be as a prisoner that he would go.
While the Lord encouraged His servant, Paul’s enemies were ea-
gerly plotting his destruction. “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 they
were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.” Here was a
fast such as the Lord through Isaiah had condemned—a fast “for strife
and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness.”
Isaiah 58:4
.
The conspirators “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
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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.”
Instead of rebuking this cruel scheme, the priests and rulers eagerly
agreed to it. Paul had spoken the truth when he compared Ananias to
a whited sepulcher.
But God interposed to save the life of His servant. Paul’s sister’s
son, hearing of the “lying in wait” of the assassins, “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.”
Claudius Lysias received the youth kindly, and taking him aside,
asked, “What is that thou hast to tell me?” The youth replied: “The
Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul
tomorrow into the council, as though they would inquire somewhat