He has paid a full ransom for his people.
….He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever.
….What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has! Psalm 111:9 NLT
Acts 23:12-22 (<<click here to read the passage)
As I began reading these verses, I just had to shake my head. Verse 12 reads,
The next morning a group of Jew got together and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. NLT
Of course, I know what happens in Paul’s story, but the utter futility of these 40 men in thinking that they will be victorious. They don’t really know God or His ultimate plan at all, but even though they don’t know it, they are fighting against God. Oh, how soon we forget lessons learned!
We are almost to the end of Acts but very close to the beginning, when Peter and the other apostles, were arrested by the Sanhedrin for proclaiming the Gospel, a wise Pharisee [Gamaliel, Saul’s (Paul’s) mentor] stopped the council from killing them by saying,
“Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. …Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” Acts 5:35, 38b-39 NIV
These 40 oath-takers starved themselves for absolutely no reason! Their goal was stopped dead in its tracks, for they were fighting against God!
A few years back, I quoted a portion of an article regarding the sovereignty of God. It’s a big concept to grasp and the definition I found did a great job of helping us understand it. Well-known pastor and author, Chip Ingram, puts it this way, “…the way I like to explain God’s sovereignty best is simply to say, ‘God is in control.’ There is absolutely nothing that happens in the universe that is outside of God’s influence and authority. As King of kings and Lord of lords, God has no limitations.” (from Christianity.com)
Paul himself, before he came into a saving relationship with Jesus, had learned that “kicking against the goads” achieved absolutely nothing! (Acts 26:14)
These 40 men, the Sanhedrin – all of them – were working so hard to have their way! But they were all doomed to fail! God. Is. Sovereign!
We have free will. We ultimately decide what we will do with our lives. We can go God’s way…or our way, but regardless, no amount of effort on our part can thwart God’s will. In this case, there is no power in numbers. Our stubbornness is exerted to no avail.
The plans of the wicked are easily sidestepped by God, as we will see as we continue our study in Acts 23.
Aug 2nd, 2022, Tues, 8:19 pm
