Here is a teaching on chapter 23 of the book of Acts. If you want to check out previous Bible studies and chapters going forward, join our group here. Once you get added into that Facebook group, you can go to the "units" tab and you'll see all of the chapters and their study guides as they are being taught.
First I want to say a quick prayer... Lord, I pray that you lift up every single person reading this right now. Please give us the knowledge and understanding to know exactly what it is that we're reading and the wisdom to implement it in our daily lives. Holy Spirit, please guide us and show us the truth. Help us to see the truth, discern the truth, know the truth, and live by the truth. Lord, please continue to lead, guide, and direct us through every aspect of our lives. I love you with every ounce of my being. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Let's pick up where we left off at the end of Chapter 22:
30 The next day, since the commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.
Acts Chapter 23:
1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day." 2 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!"
4 Those who were standing near Paul said, "You dare to insult God's high priest?"
5 Paul replied, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.' "
6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead." 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.)
9 There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. "We find nothing wrong with this man," they said. "What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" 10 The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.
11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."
So in verses 1-2 Paul spoke in front of the Sanhedrin, and the high priest ordered for the people near Paul to strike him in the mouth because he said that he had fulfilled his duty to God with good conscience. Then in verse 5, the verse here that he's quoting is from Exodus chapter 22 verse 28 and it says: "Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people." Paul didn't realize that Ananias was the high priest, but Paul knew that he did fulfill his duty with a good conscience to God so he didn't know why the priest would order for him to be struck in the mouth.
In verses 6-7 Paul had told them this to divide the crowd to get the Pharisees to side with him instead of all of them being against him. Paul knew that the Pharisees would side with him and that they would understand about the resurrection or his hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ because they also believed in resurrections, spirits, and angels, but the Sadducees didn't. In verse 11 the commander ordered Paul to be taken to the barracks because this dispute between the Pharisees and Sadducees had become so violent and he was afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces. Then in verse 11, the Lord told Paul that he now must testify about him in Rome.
12 The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty men were involved in this plot. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. 15 Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here."
16 But when the son of Paul's sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul.
17 Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him." 18 So he took him to the commander.
The Centurion said, "Paul, the prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you."
19 The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, "What is it you want to tell me?"
20 He said: "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. 21 Don't give in to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request."
22 The commander dismissed the young man and cautioned him, "Don't tell anyone that you have reported this to me."
So in verses 12-15, some Jews conspired to kill Paul and made an oath not to eat or drink until they did. These Jews had hatred in their heart and they were just so focused on wanting Paul dead instead of the good things that Paul did and wanting to know the truth about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They just wanted him dead because Paul didn't agree with what they believed in. So more than 40 of these men made an oath not to eat or drink until they killed Paul.
In verse 16 the son of Paul's sister had heard this plot of these Jews wanting to kill Paul so he told Paul. Then in verses 17-21, Paul told a Centurion that the young man had something to tell the commander. So the Centurion took the young man to the commander and this man told the commander the plans that the Jews had to kill Paul. I just want to point out here that a Centurion is a kind of soldier in the Roman army that's responsible for the command of a century or a hundred men. So that is who Paul told to take the young man to the commander was a Centurion. Then in verse 22, the commander told the young man not to let anyone know that he had told the commander this. If the Jews that were plotting to kill Paul found out about this young man talking to the commander about their plot they could also hurt the young man and they could change their plan of attack of when they were going to plot to kill Paul.
23 Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, "Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. 24 Provide mounts for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix."
25 He wrote a letter as follows:
26 Claudius Lysias,
To His Excellency, Governor Felix:
Greetings.
27 This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen. 28 I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin. 29 I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment. 30 When I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him.
31 So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. 32 The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. 33 When the Cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. 34 The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, "I will hear your case when your accusers get here." Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod's palace.
Alright so those are all the verses of chapter 23 of the book of Acts, but I'm going to discuss these verses with you guys here. So in these verses, the commander ordered for Paul to be safely taken to Caesarea at nine that night. He wrote a letter to governor Felix and told him what had happened. So the Cavalry went and took Paul to Caesarea. The commander knew that Paul was a Roman citizen, and he also knew that the things that these Jews were accusing him of didn't deserve death or imprisonment for Paul. Because these Jews were plotting to kill Paul, he knew that he had to get him out of Jerusalem. So he sent him to Caesarea so governor Felix could hear him and also hear the case that the Jews had against him.
Acts Ch 23 Study Guide
Why did Ananias order for Paul to be struck in the mouth?
In verse 6, why did Paul say that?
Why did the commander order for Paul to be taken to the barracks?
In verse 12, why did some Jews plot to kill Paul?
Why did the commander tell the young man not to let anyone know that he told him about the Jews’ plot to kill Paul?
Why did the commander order for Paul to be taken to Caesarea?
What is your biggest takeaway from this Bible study?
So that concludes this Bible study on chapter 23 of the book of Acts. Next week we are going to go over chapter 24, so make sure you stay tuned for that.
I love you guys so much.
Never forget to choose faith over fear.
-Lorena Camille (Faith Fuels My Fire)
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Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
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