THE SPREADING IN ASIA MINOR AND EUROPE THROUGH THE MINISTRY OF PAUL AND HIS COMPANIONS (23)
Read and pray: "About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them." (Acts 16:25)
PAUL'S CONCESSION AND HIS LIBERATION
It is very difficult to believe that Paul purified himself, entered the temple, and waited for the priest to make the offerings. He did this after writing the Epistles to the Galatians and Romans, books written shortly before he went to Jerusalem.
Although it is hard to believe that he followed the words of James and the elders, it is a fact that he joined the Nazarenes and entered the temple with them. As we will see in a later message, there was an uproar against Paul (21:27-23:15), and he was seized by the Jews in Jerusalem (21:27-30). Regarding this, we read in Acts 21:27-28: "When the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing Paul in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, crying out: 'Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against the people, against the law, and against this place; and besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.'" This uproar happened "when the seven days were almost ended," that is, on the seventh day.
Humanly speaking, Paul's intention in going to the temple was to avoid problems. In fact, his going to the temple with the four Nazarenes caused him many problems. Suppose he had decided not to go to the temple, but simply stay with the brothers in the house of Mnason, where he and his companions were supposed to stay in Jerusalem. Suppose he had also said to the brothers: "I don't care about the temple, because God no longer cares about it. Brothers, didn’t the Lord Jesus tell us that God has abandoned the temple? I am practicing the word of the Lord in our case. The priesthood and all sacrifices have also passed. Therefore, I cannot go back to the temple to participate in the offerings and the priesthood. Brothers, I would like to stay here and have fellowship with you." Wouldn't the situation have been very different if he had decided not to go to the temple and instead spent the time in fellowship with the brothers? Surely, the situation would have been very different.
In Acts 21, Paul was making compromises. He was the author of the Epistles to the Galatians and Romans; however, shortly after they were written, he took the step described in this chapter. Taking this step was a great concession on his part.
According to Acts 21:26-27, Paul was in the temple waiting for the days of purification to be fulfilled. He had to remain in the temple until the priest came to offer sacrifices for him and the other four. How did he manage to stay in the temple all that time? Do you think he was happy? Do you think he was full of joy praising the Lord? He was able to praise the Lord in prison in Philippi (16:23-25). But do you think he could praise the Lord in the temple in Jerusalem? Apparently, the temple was a much better place than prison. However, that prison in Philippi had actually become a holy place, even heaven, for him, while the temple in Jerusalem was a prison.
Indeed, he had been imprisoned there in the temple, unable to free himself. In this situation, he had fallen into a trap. Although Paul had been imprisoned in the temple, the Lord had a way to free him from this prison. The Lord used the Jews to carry out this liberation. Specifically, He used the riot caused by the Jews to take Paul out of the temple. On one hand, Paul was now in greater difficulty; on the other, he was liberated—not only from the temple but also from the mixture in Jerusalem, which was condemned by God: the mixture of the grace of the New Testament with the law of the Old Testament. In His sovereignty, the Lord protected His faithful servant from this terrible mixture.
Enjoy more: Hymn 267
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