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Acts 23:19-35  I Came With an Army and Rescued Him

[Study Aired September 17, 2023]

Act 23:19  Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me?
Act 23:20  And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would enquire somewhat of him more perfectly.
Act 23:21  But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.
Act 23:22  So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me.
Act 23:23  And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;
Act 23:24  And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.
Act 23:25  And he wrote a letter after this manner:
Act 23:26  Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth greeting.
Act 23:27  This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.
Act 23:28  And when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council:
Act 23:29  Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.
Act 23:30  And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell.
Act 23:31  Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris.
Act 23:32  On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle:
Act 23:33  Who, when they came to Caesarea, and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him.
Act 23:34  And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia;
Act 23:35  I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod’s judgment hall.

In our last study we read how Paul’s sister’s son heard “above forty men” who were conspiring to kill Paul the next day after he had given witness to the Jerusalem Sanhedrin. Here is what they said to “the chief priests and the elders:

Act 23:14  And they [the “above forty” 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.
Act 23:15  Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring [Paul] down unto you to morrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.
Act 23:16  And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.
Act 23:17  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.
Act 23:18  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.

In this study we will witness just how important we are to our Lord and how He spares no expense to keep us safe as we serve Him. It was the Lord Himself who gave Paul’s nephew the opportunity to overhear this conspiracy of “over forty men” who wanted to murder his uncle Paul, and the Lord is the person who gave this young man the desire to help ‘uncle Paul’ and save his life from those murderers. It appears outwardly that the chief captain, Claudius Lysias, was also given a fondness for the apostle Paul, but the Truth once again is that it was Christ who considered the apostle Paul to be the apple of His eye. Any fondness or sympathy the chief captain may have had for Paul was also a work of the Lord who ‘rules in the kingdoms of men’ and who is ‘working all things after the counsel of His own will’:

Dan 4:17  This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Act 23:19  Then the chief captain took [Paul’s nephew] by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me?
Act 23:20  And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would enquire somewhat of him more perfectly.
Act 23:21  But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.
Act 23:22  So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me.

Here now is a story which reveals how very much the Lord spares no expense in providing for the safety and protection of those whom He loves:

Act 23:23  And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;
Act 23:24  And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.

“Bring him safe unto Felix the Governor” by 200 footmen, 70 horsemen, and 200 spearmen! That is a total of 470 men to deliver the apple of the Lord’s eye safely to Felix the governor. The Lord uses the ‘ten horns on the beast’, signifying the secular powers of this earth, to protect His people from the religious powers of Babylon who want to destroy anyone who tells the Truth about all their false doctrines. The scriptures reveal that any time the great harlot comes into a conflict with the secular powers of the state, in the end the harlot will always come out on the short end of the stick and will at the appointed time be destroyed by the secular powers of the beast:

Rev 17:12  And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast [signifying the secular political leaders of this world].
Rev 17:13  These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Rev 17:14  These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Rev 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Rev 17:16  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
Rev 17:17  For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

This story of a conspiracy by more than forty men, who signify the great harlot, to destroy and kill the Lord’s elect, but being saved from physical death is an example of the hatred the beast has towards the great harlot who rules over the kings of this world.

Act 23:25  And he wrote a letter after this manner:
Act 23:26  Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth greeting.
Act 23:27  This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman.

While it is true that the chief captain, Claudius Lysias, was made aware of Paul’s Roman citizenship, it was only after he first rescued Paul that he was made aware of that fact. Claudias Lysias was given the commission to keep the peace in Jerusalem, and he welcomed the opportunity to exercise his power over the Jews, just as the “ten horns” welcome the opportunity to hate the whore and make her desolate and naked, and eat her flesh and burn her with fire:

Rev 17:16  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

Here is a link which demonstrates the Biblical and spiritual significance of the number ‘ten’:

Spiritual Significance of the Number Ten

Here are just a few of the verses in scripture which demonstrate that the word ‘horn’ or ‘horns’ signifies power and strength – 1Sa 2:10, 2Sa 22:3, Lam 2:3, Psa 18:2.

Claudius Lysias glosses over the fact that when he first rescued Paul, he had no idea Paul was a Roman citizen and was preparing to “examine him by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him” (Act 22:14). Claudius Lysias had no intention of incriminating himself in binding a Roman citizen before giving him a trial.

Act 23:28  And when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council:
Act 23:29  Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.
Act 23:30  And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell.
Act 23:31  Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris.

Here is what John Gill tells us about the distance from Jerusalem to Antipatris:

“and brought him by night to Antipatris: they set out from Jerusalem at the third hour, or about nine o’clock at night, and travelled all night, and by break of day came to Antipatris; a city which lay in the road from Jerusalem to Caesarea… It was forty two miles from Jerusalem.” (End Quote)

Act 23:32  On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle:

The two hundred soldiers and the two hundred spearmen, who were all on foot, went back to Jerusalem after bringing Paul two-thirds of the way to Caesarea. There was no longer any danger from the Jews in Jerusalem at that point. Nevertheless, the seventy horsemen still accompanied Paul to Caesarea to be delivered safely to the governor, Felix.

Act 23:33  Who, when they came to Caesarea, and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him.

The Lord provided 470 men to escort the apple of His eye for two-thirds of the journey to Caesarea, which is 42 miles from Jerusalem to Antipatris. According to Gill, here is what was involved in traveling all the way from Jerusalem to Caesarea, north west of Jerusalem on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea:

“the way from Jerusalem to Caesarea lay through Nicopolis, Lydda, Antipatris, and Betthar; from Jerusalem to Nicopolis, according to the old Jerusalem Itinerary, were twenty two miles; from thence to Lydda, ten miles; and from Lydda to Antipatris ten more (which make forty two miles, as before observed); and from Antipatris to Betthar ten miles, and from thence to Caesarea, sixteen more: so that when the apostle was at Antipatris, he had twenty six miles more to go to Caesarea; and hence it appears, that the length of the journey from Jerusalem to Caesarea was sixty-eight miles;” (End Quote)

Act 23:34  And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia;
Act 23:35  I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod’s judgment hall.

As we will see in the next chapter of Acts, Paul had great liberty within ‘Herod’s judgment hall.’ The centurion who was guarding Paul was ordered to permit any of his acquaintances to minister to and come visit him:

Act 24:22  And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.
Act 24:23  And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him.

The Lord always provides protection for His elect. They may indeed be required to go into the dungeons of Egypt, go through the Red Sea, the fiery furnace, the lion’s den, and through the burden of carrying the cross of Christ, but He never has, and He never will forsake His elect:

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Heb 13:5  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

There is one requirement for having this protection, and that requirement is to be willing to forfeit this life rather than to disobey the Lord. If we are given the grace to put obedience to the words of Christ above saving our physical life, then the Lord will protect us in this age and give us spiritual life in the age to come. Christ Himself gives us this promise:

Mat 19:27  Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
Mat 19:28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Mat 19:29  And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Mat 19:30  But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Peter wanted to know what kind of deal he was making with Christ by ‘forsaking all to follow Him.’ Here is Mark’s account of Christ’s response to Peter’s question:

Mar 10:28  Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
Mar 10:29  And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,
Mar 10:30  But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world [Greek: ‘aion’, age] to come eternal life.
Mar 10:31  But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.

Christ was very clear about just how dedicated we must be in His service:

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

God is not mocked by half-hearted worship. If our worship is “with [our] whole heart” His provision and protection is abundant, as this story of Paul’s protection against the church of his day demonstrates. If we are ‘wholehearted’, then that is a work He is doing in us, but that work is accomplished only through many admonitions, tribulations and chastening. The Lord’s protection and blessing always has this one caveat:

Deu 11:13  And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
Deu 11:14  That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.

Deu 15:5  Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day.
Deu 15:6  For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.

Deu 28:1  And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
Deu 28:2  And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

2Ch 6:38 If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name:

Psa 119:2  Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

Paul’s service to the Lord was “with the whole heart”, and the Lord made even his enemies to be at peace with him:

Pro 16:7  When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Paul had spent “many days” at the home of Philip in Caesarea just before going up to Jerusalem:

Act 21:8  And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.

Act 21:10  And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.

“Certain disciples of Caesarea” went up to Jerusalem with Paul:

Act 21:16  There went with us also certain of the disciples of Caesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge.
Act 21:17  And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.

Without a doubt there were many members of the church at Caesarea who ministered to Paul’s needs, and comforted and encouraged him while he was “kept in Herod’s judgment hall” for over two years.

Act 24:23  And he [Felix the governor] commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him.
Act 24:27  But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.

The Lord has given Paul a two-year rest from the traveling and preaching, and from the accompanying persecutions, beatings and “much tribulation” he had constantly endured from the beginning of his ministry at Damascus. The Lord gave Paul favor in the eyes of every Roman ruler under whose custody he was placed by the Lord. The chief captain, Claudius Lysias, the governor of Judea; Felix, who will be replaced by Festus; and even King Agrippa and his wife, Bernice, are all made to treat Paul very well. Not only does Paul get to continue to meet with his friends and acquaintances, but he also is given the privilege and the opportunity to witness to his Roman custodians.

Shortly after he was apprehended by the Jews who ‘went about to kill him’, Paul had been told by the Lord that he would witness for Christ in Rome also, just as he had done in Jerusalem:

Act 23:11  And 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.

That promise was no doubt of great comfort to Paul as he waited to see how the Lord would make that happen. In chapter 24 we will see Paul defend himself once again before Ananias the high priest with the elders who travel all the way down to Caesarea to once again falsely accuse Paul of the same blatant lie saying Paul was guilty of “profaning the temple”. This time it will be before Felix, the Roman governor of Judea.

We are witnessing the Lord “coming with an army and rescuing [us]”, His ambassadors to this earth. It is all intended to give each of us hope of His faithful loving guidance and protection over our own lives as ‘sheep among wolves’ in this dark world.

Luk 21:11  And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Luk 21:12  But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.
Luk 21:13  And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Luk 21:14  Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
Luk 21:15  For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

When we acknowledge our transgressions and serve the Lord humbly with our whole heart, the Lord is well pleased with us, and He will protect us and prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies (Psa 23:5), as Paul’s experience demonstrates for us.