The Confidence of Providence | Acts 22:22-23:35
God uses seven different circumstances to accomplish his good purpose during Paul’s imprisonment in Jerusalem: (1) injustice; (2) birth; (3) conscience; (4) background; (5) opposition; (6) family; and (7) politics. This sermon is part 2 of “Unhindered,” Bryan Craddock’s verse-by-verse sermon series on Acts 21-28.
In the late 14th century, an amazing tapestry was woven in Paris with six panels that were 78 feet wide and 20 feet high. The artist spent four years designing it and another five years working with weavers to complete it. It portrayed 90 scenes from the Apocalypse, the book of Revelation, which seems to have been on many people’s minds because they had suffered through the Black Death and were in the midst of the Hundred Years’ War. It must have felt as if the world was falling apart.
The message of Revelation and of that tapestry, however, is that even in our worst times of distress, God is still accomplishing his good purpose. History is his giant tapestry, and he is sovereignly working out his grand design. But his control extends beyond the outline of the story. He is involved in the details, guiding all the circumstances of our lives.
In Romans 8:28, the Apostle Paul expresses his confidence in God’s providence by saying,
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
It may have only been a few weeks after writing to the Romans that Paul’s faith is put to the test. According to Acts 21, he is attacked by zealous Jews in the temple and then arrested by Roman authorities. So, how do you maintain confidence in God through experiences like that? We look to biblical examples to strengthen our faith, and in Acts 22:22-23:35 we see how God uses seven different circumstances to accomplish his good purpose during Paul’s imprisonment in Jerusalem.
I think that Luke wrote Acts 21-28 to show us how Paul was able to live an unhindered life throughout his imprisonment, so that we can do the same. We have already seen in chapters 21 and 22 that he drew upon the power of fellowship and found freedom in God’s truth. Living an unhindered life also requires confidence in the providence of God.
So, as we explore how God used Paul’s circumstances, I encourage you to reflect on your own life. Are you trusting God in your circumstances? The first example may be one of the hardest.
Injustice
Some artists use a technique called anamorphosis. You often see it in chalk drawings on the ground in public spaces. They create the illusion of three-dimensional depth, but there’s a catch. It only looks right from one point of view. If you stand anywhere else, it appears to be a distorted mess.
I think God’s providence often works that way. A situation arises that does not just appear bad. It is undeniably wrong. But from the right point of view, usually long afterward, you can see that God used that injustice to accomplish his good purpose.
The classic example is the story that begins in Genesis 37. Joseph’s jealous brothers fake his death and sell him into slavery. He is taken to Egypt where his situation goes from bad to worse. Imagine the bitter sense of betrayal that he must have felt!
But another situation arises through which Joseph is exalted to a position of great authority. He leads Egypt through a time of famine and even provides for his own family. Genesis 50:20 tells us that in hindsight he can say to his brothers,
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
Joseph’s perspective on God’s providence does not excuse injustice. He is clear that his brothers’ motives were evil. But he comes to see that even through their evil deed, God was accomplishing his good purpose.
Now in Acts 22:22-24, Paul experiences injustice at the beginning of a string of circumstances. But God’s good purpose is immediately evident. Paul has just shared his testimony with the crowd. But when he mentions that God sent him to take the gospel to the Gentiles, Luke tells us,
Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live." And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this.
Paul has not done anything wrong. He is obeying both Jewish and Roman law. But this Jewish mob wants to kill him. So, the Roman tribune decides to torture him for information. That’s not good, and we will see in a moment that another circumstance keeps it from happening. But even at this point in the story, we can acknowledge that the injustice of arrest and possible torture prevents Paul from being killed. That may not seem like a great blessing, but it’s a start!
Even when someone is unjustly killed, the Lord is still accomplishing his good purpose. That is the story of the gospel, isn’t it? God uses the injustice committed against Jesus to atone for our sins. Just a few weeks after it happened, Peter was already proclaiming that God’s providence was at work. Acts 2:23 tells us that he said to the Jews in Jerusalem,
this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
Here again, those Jewish leaders are responsible for their unjust actions, yet God still accomplishes his perfect plan through them. He is sovereign, and that means that we can face any injustice in our lives with confidence. We may not see his purpose immediately as in Paul’s case. It might require decades as with Joseph. It might not even make sense until we stand in eternity, but we can be confident that God is at work through those painful experiences. The next circumstance for Paul shows that he has also been working in our lives from the very beginning.
Birth
Some moments in life are so powerful that they push all other thoughts aside. That was my experience when my children were born. I wasn’t thinking about my next meal. I wasn’t contemplating where they might go to school, where they might work, or whom they might marry. I was just absorbed in meeting this new little human.
God’s perspective is different. His plan and purpose are at work in every detail surrounding a child’s birth. The Lord made this clear to the Prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah 1:4-5 says,
Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
Now I don’t see any indication in Scripture that we should all expect to receive a personal revelation from God like this about his purpose for us. Jeremiah fills a unique role as God’s spokesman before, during, and after the fall of Jerusalem. But we can say that our sovereign God has a purpose and plan for each of us that includes our spiritual destiny.
Paul celebrates God’s saving purpose in the lives of individuals in Ephesians 1:3-6 by saying,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
God does not reveal a list of whom he chose before the foundation of the world. No one can say, “I’m not on the list.” Nor is there any reason to worry about whether he has chosen you. God’s predestination becomes clear in hindsight after you believe and begin to grow in your faith.
Now I think the story of Paul’s imprisonment suggests that God’s plan for our birth goes beyond his overarching purpose of salvation and calling to other details of life. The unjust threat of torture protected Paul from being killed, and here the circumstances of his birth protect him from being tortured. Acts 22:25-29 says,
But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?" When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, "What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen." So the tribune came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" And he said, "Yes." The tribune answered, "I bought this citizenship for a large sum." Paul said, "But I am a citizen by birth." So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.
Roman citizenship was not openly sold. The tribune probably bribed a Roman official to get it. But Paul inherited citizenship from his family. We do not know how they acquired it. It may have had something to do with how they ended up in Tarsus. Perhaps they went there for their tentmaking business, served the Roman army, and received citizenship as a reward. However it happened, God was providentially at work before Paul’s birth. His citizenship protects him from being tortured in Jerusalem.
You might not think much about the circumstances of your birth, or there may be challenges that you face every day because of it. Either way you can be confident that the providence of God was at work through those details to accomplish his good purpose. You may not see what that is, but you can still be confident in his good purpose. We also need to pay attention to a more immediate circumstance.
Conscience
Most cars today have a “check engine” light. But it’s hard to know how serious it is. Should you pull over right away? Should you head to your mechanic as soon as possible? Or can you put it off until it’s convenient to get it checked out? Sometimes the only reason for the warning is that a sensor is not working. Nothing is wrong other than your ability to know that something is wrong!
We run into a similar problem with our conscience. You might assume that God speaks to us and guides us through our conscience. But that is not necessarily the case. In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul says that our consciences can become weak so that they are overly sensitive. On the other hand, he also says in 1 Timothy 4:2 that a person’s conscience can become seared so that it is numb to the truth. So, as God providentially leads us through different circumstances, we must humbly bring our conscience into alignment with the truth.
In Acts 22:30-23:5, Luke shows us both the confidence that Paul experiences in having a clear conscience and the way he responds when he needs to make an adjustment. He continues speaking of the Roman tribune and says,
But on the next day, desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them. And looking intently at the council, Paul said, "Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day." And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?" Those who stood by said, "Would you revile God's high priest?" And Paul said, "I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"
Ananias serves as high priest from AD 47-59. Paul is engaged in ministry elsewhere during that time, so when they meet here around 58 he is unacquainted with him. He probably calls him a whitewashed wall in response to his hypocrisy, and he is not wrong. The historian Josephus says that Ananias would send servants to collect tithes from people threshing their wheat. Any who refused to give were beaten. Ananias is also known for collaborating with the Romans, so Jewish revolutionaries kill him eight years after this meeting.
As Paul stands before Ananias, he is confident and unashamed because his conscience is clear. But when he learns that Ananias is the high priest, that changes. He realizes that his response did not show the respect that should be given to the office of high priest. So, he humbly corrects himself.
How could Paul’s conscience be clear after all that he had done to persecute Christians? Thankfully, our consciences are cleansed through faith in Christ. Hebrews 9:13-14 says,
For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Faith in Christ sets us free from the guilt of our past. But we must then stay teachable, acknowledging the times when our conscience is misinformed and correcting it. In 1 Timothy 1:5, Paul says,
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
Are you confident that your conscience is good and clear? Have you been cleansed through faith in Christ? If so, trust the Lord and stay teachable. That advice also applies to a fourth circumstance.
Background
The best chefs are creative. They don’t make a dish the same way every time. They use different techniques and add surprising ingredients. The recipe might sound strange or even repulsive. But the result could be a one-of-a-kind culinary masterpiece.
God is the master chef who providentially selects all the ingredients in our lives. Every part of your background adds a distinct flavor that makes you his one-of-a-kind culinary masterpiece. None of us are the right dish for every palate or occasion. But you can be confident that God has a purpose for the unique recipe that makes you who you are.
One of the potentially off-putting ingredients in the Apostle Paul’s life was his background as a Pharisee. In addition to the Scriptures, the Pharisees believed in a body of oral traditions that were supposedly passed down from the time of Moses. They condemned Jesus for not following their extra-biblical rules, but he argued that their obsession with traditional minutia masked their disobedience to the heart of God’s commands (Matt 15:1-9).
That conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees probably inspired Paul’s initial hostility toward Christians. After his conversion, it required a complete change in his thinking about obedience as he describes in Philippians 3. On the other hand, Acts 23:6-9 shows us an occasion where Paul’s background as a Pharisee becomes the perfect asset. Luke tells us,
Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial." And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees' party stood up and contended sharply, "We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?"
So, aside from the problems that Jesus pointed out, the Pharisaic belief in resurrection was on the right track. They were not ready to concede that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to Paul, but knowing his background made them a bit more open to considering his claims. On a practical level, it also divided the Jewish council so that they were not unified in opposition to Paul.
There may be ingredients in your background that you would change if you could, things that are hard to overcome. Will you trust that they are part of God’s plan? Believe in the wisdom of our sovereign God. That leads us to a fifth circumstance.
Opposition
Starting a fire is not easy on a windy day. The flame gets blown out before it really starts to burn. But once a spark catches, the same movement of air can fan it into a blaze.
The same thing can happen with opposition. It can quench a person’s fire for the Lord before it gets started. But in his providence, God also uses opposition to cause believers to grow and to spread the gospel. We see this principle at work in Paul’s persecution of the church prior to his conversion. Acts 8:4 says that those who were scattered went about preaching the word. As a result, people in Samaria were saved and the church began to fulfill the mission Jesus gave them.
In Acts 22:17-21, Paul testified that after his conversion, the Lord used opposition to send him to the Gentiles. But he still needed reassurance at times, and that seems to be the case after his appearance before the Jewish council. Acts 23:10-11 tells us,
And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks. The following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome."
Paul planned to go to Rome but probably not in the way that God was orchestrating. It was not clear at this point, but he would be taken there as a prisoner. So, more opposition was needed to bring that about. Verses 12-15 say,
When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near."
This conspiracy is what prompts the tribune to send Paul to Caesarea where he stays until he is sent to Rome. But two other circumstances combine with this opposition to bring that about. The next one leads us into another part of Paul’s life that we do not know much about.
Family
Every tree has roots hidden beneath the surface of the ground. But at a glance, you cannot tell how strong or deep they are. Do they support and nourish its growth? Have they been cut off? You may not find out until a big storm hits.
It can be the same with our family connections. They are part of our identity and growth, but how will they respond when we go through the storm? They might surprise you. Whether good or bad, we can be confident that God is at work in and through those relationships.
We already considered the example of Joseph and his brothers. Though they betrayed him, his belief in God’s sovereignty enabled him to show them mercy and to provide for them. Acts 23:16-22 introduces us to the nephew of the Apostle Paul. Luke tells us,
Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. Paul called one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him." So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, "Paul the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you." The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, "What is it that you have to tell me?" And he said, "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him. But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent." So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, "Tell no one that you have informed me of these things."
We don’t know what Paul’s family thought about his faith in Jesus. It could be a divinely orchestrated coincidence that Paul’s nephew learned of this conspiracy. But another possibility is that his family members were still committed Pharisees. Perhaps the conspirators thought of them as insiders who would guard the secret. Obviously, Paul’s nephew still felt a connection with him.
It is easy to assume that you have your family all figured out. But you may not know what God is doing beneath the surface. John 3:8 tells us that Jesus described the work of the Spirit by saying,
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
Don’t doubt the Lord’s sovereign ability to change hearts. Trust him to work in your family to accomplish his good purpose. That leads us to one more circumstance.
Politics
When powerful ocean currents collide, the choppy seas are unpredictable and treacherous. They are difficult to navigate. Those who attempt to pass through can be tossed around, thrown off course, or even swamped by the waves.
In our fallen world, politics can seem just as chaotic. But throughout the Scriptures we repeatedly see God’s sovereign control over the world’s superpowers: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Rome. He uses them to accomplish his purpose while still holding them responsible for their unrighteous deeds. Proverbs 21:1 tells us,
The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.
There is also a clash of strong political currents in the Apostle Paul’s story. The Roman tribune does not see the conspiracy to kill Paul as a personal matter. It is a threat against his control over Jerusalem and an act of rebellion against Roman rule. So, Paul gets swept along by these waves as the power of a Roman army cohort is deployed to protect him. Acts 23:23-35 refers to the tribune and says,
Then he called two of the centurions and said, "Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night. Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor." And he wrote a letter to this effect: "Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen. And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him." So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, he said, "I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive." And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's praetorium.
So, does this mean that Rome is pro-Christian? Certainly not! Six years later, the Roman Emperor Nero initiates an intense persecution of Christians in Rome as convenient scapegoats for a terrible fire. Even in Paul’s situation, we will see that this political clash will leave him stuck in Caesarea for a long time. But he is safe, and the Lord will even give him amazing evangelistic opportunities there.
Political currents are just as fraught today, so it’s wise to steer clear whenever we can. But no matter who wins or loses, whether it helps us or hurts us, we can trust that the Lord is in control.
__________
We can approach all of life with confidence in the providence of God. He is at work in every circumstance: the injustices that we suffer, the details of our birth, the promptings of our conscience, the ingredients of our background, the opposition we face, the hearts of our family, and the chaotic politics of our world.
Will you trust him? If you have never done so before, I invite you to start now. Believe in the existence of a sovereign God who sent his Son to save you from your sin. If you want to learn more about who he is, I encourage you to read Romans 8.
Perhaps you believe, but you are looking elsewhere for confidence. Would you renew your faith in the Lord today? Believe in his power, wisdom, goodness, and love. Find your confidence in him and encourage others to trust him too. May we walk by faith!
Reflect
What circumstance in your life is the biggest test of your confidence in God’s providence? Why?
Which circumstance in Paul’s life most encourages you to trust God? How so?
How should we use biblical teaching about God’s providence to encourage others? What cautions should we consider in doing so?