God's providence is at work - Acts 23:12-22

Providence is God’s activity through his unlimited power and knowledge to fulfill his purpose for the whole creation, including human beings. “God, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness and mercy” (Westminster Confession of Faith 5.1)

In Acts 23:12-23 Luke records a group of 40 or more Jews has decided to take an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed Paul. Their plot was revealed to Paul by his nephew, thereby foiling their attempt to kill him. This highlights how God’s providence is at work, caring for and protecting Paul. God’s providence is at work in your life as well, and there is nothing that you are facing that is beyond His control.

When we last read about Paul, he was defending himself before the chief priests and the Sanhedrin. Knowing he wasn’t going to get a fair trial, Paul stated that he was a Pharisee being judged because he believed in the resurrection. This caused a division between the Sadducees and Pharisees, because the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, angels, or spirit, while the Pharisees believed in all of them. The Pharisaic scribes took Paul’s side, and a dispute erupted between the two groups. Fearing they would tear Paul apart, the commander ordered his soldiers to take him to the barracks. That night, the Lord came and stood by Paul, comforting him by saying, “be of good cheer, Paul, for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify at Rome.” This shows the providence of the Lord—He knows when to come to us and give us a word of comfort in our darkest moments.

Acts 23:12“When it was morning, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under a curse not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.”

The day after the Lord comforted Paul, a group of Jews, furious that Paul was saved by the commander, plotted to kill him. It didn’t take long for the devil to pick up where he left off and try to kill Paul again. And isn’t that just like the devil? Just when you are comforted by the Word of the Lord, the devil continues with his plans to come against you. But praise be to God, because His plans for us are far greater than the devil’s plans against us.

The Jews were so determined to kill Paul that they bound themselves under a curse, saying they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed him. The word 'curse' or 'oath' in some translations means 'anathema,' an imprecatory oath calling for divine judgment if they failed to kill Paul. This demonstrates how committed they were to killing him.

Paul hadn’t committed any civil crime to deserve death. Why were they determined to bind themselves under a curse to kill him? It was because he was sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus told his disciples, as recorded by Luke 21:17 “You will be hated by everyone because of my name,”

You and I are hated because of our witness of Jesus Christ and the devil will stop at nothing to come against us for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

How determined were the Jews in wanting to kill Paul Acts 23:13 “There were more than forty who had formed this plot.” As the old saying goes, there is strength in numbers. The Jews knew that the Roman commander would have Paul heavily guarded with his soldiers. And they were willing to ambush the soldiers, even if it meant being outnumbered and being killed; they hoped that at least one of them would be able to get to Paul and kill him.

The plot to kill Paul unfolds.

Acts 23:14–15 “These men went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves under a solemn curse that we won’t eat anything until we have killed Paul. So now you, along with the Sanhedrin, make a request to the commander that he bring him down to you as if you were going to investigate his case more thoroughly. But, before he gets near, we are ready to kill him.””

These men needed the help of the chief priests, including Ananias, and the Sanhedrin to carry out their plan to kill Paul. They told them that they had cursed themselves and would not eat or drink until they had killed Paul. They required these religious leaders to lie by asking the commander to bring Paul to them as if they needed to investigate him more thoroughly than before. This would be their chance to ambush the guards and kill Paul before he reaches you.

That is diabolical on so many levels. Because if these religious leaders truly feared God, they wouldn’t have even considered lying to help kill an innocent man. This reveals how wicked these men were and confirms that Paul was right in calling the chief priest Ananias a whitewashed wall; he and the other religious leaders were hypocrites. They were willing to violate God’s law, which says 'You shall not kill' and 'You shall not bear a false witness against your neighbor,' through their involvement in this plot to kill Paul. These religious leaders, along with more than 40 men, were being used by the devil to kill Paul so that the gospel of Jesus Christ would be stopped.

You often hear people say that the devil is busy, but I want you to know he can’t outwork the providence of God.

God’s providence is at work

Acts 23:16–18 “But the son of Paul’s sister, hearing about their ambush, came and entered the barracks and reported it to Paul. Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander, because he has something to report to him.” So he took him, brought him to the commander, and said, “The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, because he has something to tell you.””

Paul’s nephew, the son of his sister—yes, Paul has family in Jerusalem. This is the first time that the Scriptures mention Paul’s family. We are not told by Luke how Paul’s nephew heard about the Jews’ plot to kill Paul. But one thing is certain: we can see God’s providence at work. He ensured that Paul’s nephew was there at the right place and the right time to hear the Jews’ plot. This shows that no matter what you face in life, God’s providence is at work, always in the right place at the right time.

When Paul heard the report from his nephew about what the Jews were plotting against him, he called for the centurion guard and asked him to take his nephew to the commander because he had something to report. Paul, who is in custody and although he is a Roman citizen has this right, the centurion could have asked what it was that he had to report and might have ignored Paul’s request to take his nephew to the commander, but he didn’t because God’s providence is at work. So, the centurion takes the nephew to the commander and tells him that the prisoner Paul called him and asked him to bring this young man to the commander because he has something to tell him.

God’s sovereign protection vv. 19-22

Acts 23:19“The commander took him by the hand, led him aside, and inquired privately, “What is it you have to report to me?””

The commander Lysias didn’t hesitate; he took Paul’s nephew by the hand and led him aside for a private conversation. He asked, "What is it you have to report to me?" The nephew then recounts everything he had heard about the Jews' plot to kill his uncle Paul.

Acts 23:20–21““The Jews,” he said, “have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin tomorrow, as though they are going to hold a somewhat more careful inquiry about him.

Notice how the nephew pleads for Paul’s safety (.v21) Don’t let them persuade you, because there are more than forty of them lying in ambush—men who have bound themselves under a curse not to eat or drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, waiting for your consent.””

These verses clearly show that the chief priests and Sanhedrin had agreed to be part of the 40 Jews' plot to kill Paul. And vv. 20-21 also show us the boldness of Paul’s nephew. It took boldness for this young man, who could have been as young as 17, to go and report the Jews' plot to the powerful Roman commander Lysias. God’s providence was at work in this young man’s life, empowering him with boldness to reveal the Jews' plot and protecting him in the process.

Maybe you've been afraid to speak with a manager about a work situation, or perhaps you need to talk with someone who can be difficult to deal with. I want to encourage you to pray for boldness and trust that God’s providence is already at work.

Acts 23:22“So the commander dismissed the young man and instructed him, “Don’t tell anyone that you have informed me about this.””

The commander understood the severity of the Jews' plan to kill Paul. He needed to ensure that the nephew didn’t tell anyone what the Jews had planned. If this information reached the Jews, they would abandon their plan to ambush and kill Paul, and since they had bound themselves by a curse, they would simply devise a different plot. Also, by telling the nephew not to reveal the plot against Paul, the Jews wouldn’t be on the lookout to see where the commander would send Paul for his safety.

We have learned how God’s provision was at work through the powerful Roman commander and Paul’s young nephew to fulfill His purpose of protecting Paul’s life.

This is a lesson to all of us that God can use anyone — the young, the old, the rich, or the poor — even people in powerful positions to fulfill His purpose of protecting us.

God can use the plots of the enemy to fulfill his purpose in saving those whom he loves. Take Joseph, for example. His brothers wanted to kill him but decided to sell him into slavery. Joseph went from the pit to prison, then to being in charge of Pharaoh’s palace and grain distribution during the famine in Egypt. When his brothers came to buy grain and he revealed himself to them, they were afraid he would take revenge for their evil deeds, but he said to them, 'You meant it for evil against me; but God meant it for good, to save many lives.' God used Joseph’s hardships to accomplish his purpose of saving many people. The 12 brothers and their descendants formed the 12 tribes of Israel. The tribe of Judah produced 42 kings, including King David. The greatest of all from Judah’s lineage is Jesus Christ. God’s providence was at work to fulfill all His prophecies about Jesus—his coming, death, and resurrection to atone for our sins.

God’s providence is always active in our lives; nothing is outside of His control. We may not understand why we face certain difficulties, but He knew about them long before they happened, and He has arranged everything to fulfill His perfect will for your life. I have seen this in my own life over the past four years. I was allowed to work from home, then bring my mom into our home to care for her. When a change in management and company policy required everyone to return to the office, my wife urged me to retire because I was stressed over working from home and caring for my mom. I decided to retire. Then the enemy struck again, using people in the church to sell the building where we worshiped. I was worried about how we would pay the higher rent, and another church property was blocked by a former member from being rented to us. But God's providence was at work; we resumed services online. Then my wife died unexpectedly, and two months later, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Yet, through it all, God’s providence was at work. My surgery went smoothly, and she is responding remarkably well to chemotherapy. All my grief, fears, and anxieties I have laid before God, and His providence is working to comfort me. His grace and mercy continue to sustain me. I share all of this to encourage you: whatever you are facing or will face, don’t think for a moment that God has abandoned you, and neither has Jesus. Jesus said these words in John 5:17: “My Father is still working, and I am working also.” Trust in God, don’t lose faith, and remember that God’s providence is at work to care for you and protect you.