Intro to Acts 25:13-26:32

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/10/2018 10:24 AM

 

My Worship Time                                            Focus:  Intro to Acts 25:13-26:32

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                   Reference: Acts 25:13-26:32

 

          Message of the verses:  In today’s SD I do not plan on quoting all of the verses that are in this section as there are a couple of pages of them.  I have mentioned many times in our study of Acts that there is not a lot of doctrine in the book of Acts, but mostly narrative of what happened to Jesus in the first chapter, the beginning of the church in chapter two and then the first half was mostly about Peter as the church began in Jerusalem.  The last half has been about Paul as we saw his conversion in chapter nine and then we looked at his three missionary journeys to show the beginning of the church age for the Gentiles.  After that he came to Jerusalem, was arrested, spent two years in Caesarea under house arrest and now we saw in our last SD that he appeals to Caesar.  The rest of the book of Acts speaks of his trip to Rome along with a short section of what happened to him while in Rome.  There is only speculation as to what Paul did after he was set free in Rome due to lack of any witnesses to come and present their case.  Some think he went on a fourth missionary trip, and then later arrested and was eventually killed for his faith in Christ in Rome later on.  His life was very difficult for sure as he actually fulfilled what Christ said would happen to Him right after he was first became a born-again believer in Jesus Christ.

 

          John MacArthur has a short introduction to these rather lengthy verses which I will quote and then we will begin to look at the different sections found in his outline.  This section covers the last 13 verses in chapter 25 and then the entire 32 verses of chapter 26.  MacArthur entitles this section “Paul on Trial Phase Three:  Before Agrippa.”

 

          “Paul’s appeal of his case to the emperor (25:11) had resolved a difficult impasse for Festus.  Like his predecessor, Felix, he knew Paul was innocent of the charges leveled against him by the Jewish leaders.  But to release the apostle would anger those leaders and possibly provoke riots among the Jews.  Seeking above all to keep peace in Judea, Felix and Festus realized they needed the Jewish leaders’ cooperation.

 

          “Felix’s solution was to avoid making a decision, instead allowing Paul to languish in prison for two years (24:22-27).  Inheriting Paul’s case from Felix, Fistula attempted to compromise by placing the Jewish authorities.  He proposed a hearing in Jerusalem, promising Paul he would preside over it (25:9).  Realizing that he would not get a fair hearing under any circumstances, Paul exercised his right as a Roman citizen to appeal his case to the emperor.

 

          “That appeal, though resolving an impasse, presented Festus with a fresh difficulty.  As governor he was required to send a report along with Paul to Rome, detailing the charges against him.  But in Paul’s case, those charges were theological and general in nature.  Festus, only two weeks into his term as governor was unfamiliar with the nuances of Jewish theology.  Since he did not understand the charges (cf. vv. 18-19), he could not write a coherent report explaining them to the emperor.  Fortunately, aid arrived in person of Herod Agrippa.”  We will begin, Lord willing, tomorrow to look at 25:13-22 under the heading of “The Consultation Regarding Pau’s Testimony.” 

 

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “The land of the Philistines” (Judges 16:30).

 

Today’s Bible question:  “Who died being eaten by dogs after being thrown out a window?”

 

Answer in our next SD.

 

9/10/2018 11:21 AM