And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, (28) Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. (29) (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) (30) And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut. (31) And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. (32) Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul. (33) Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done. (34) And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle. (35) And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people. (36) For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him. (37) And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek? (38) Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers? (39) But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. (40) And when he had given him license, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,
I do not think it necessary to detain the Reader, with any particular observations, on this history. The sacred Writer hath given it to the Church, in a very interesting Manner, as is here recorded, and it can need no comment to explain. But, taking it altogether, in one collected point of view, I would beg the Reader to remark with me, how very graciously the Lord was watching over his faithful servant the whole time, to screen him from the death one class of enemies intended for him, and from the scourging about to be laid upon him by another. The sight of the Roman captain terrified the Jews, who were about to kill Paul. And, after this, (as the next Chapter relates, Acts 22:26) the Centurion was frightened, who at the command of the Roman Captain had bound Paul in readiness for scourging, when he found Paul was a Roman. And these things were connected with a third preventing providence, namely, Paul being permitted to speak to the people; and thereby not only gaining time to rescue the Apostle from their violence at that moment, but affording an opportunity of relating his wonderful conversion, under the Roman authority, thus protecting his person, before his countrymen the Jews. All these are very striking circumstances in proof, how the Lord Jesus watched over his servant, in so critical a season: and though permitting the Apostle, for wise purposes, to be so sharply exercised! yet still overruling the whole, as should ultimately promote the Lord's glory, and Paul's welfare.
Reader! it is blessed to observe, how astonishingly at times, the Lord manifests the sovereignty of his power, in the deliverance of his people. When the enemy seems to triumph with an high hand, and all hope for the moment seems to be gone; how suddenly, and unexpectedly, the Lord then appears for them, and displays his strength, in creature weakness. We have numberless examples of the kind in Holy Writ. Jacob's distress concerning his brother: Genesis 32:1. The Church: Exodus 3:1. The three children in Babylon: Daniel 3:1. But perhaps none more striking, and suited to this of the Apostle, than what is recorded of Israel, in the times of the Kings. It is said, that the Lord saw the affliction of Israel that it was very bitter, for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel. And the Lord said, that he would not blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: So he gave them a gracious, and unlooked for deliverance, by the hand of an unworthy instrument, even Jeroboam, the son of Joash, 2 Kings 14:26-27. And thus was it with Paul. The Jews on one hand, and the Roman power on the other; all foes to Paul. But, when the Lord works for his people, he works beyond all creature strength, against all creature probabilities, and against all expectation of human foresight, or contrivance. And, whether the Apostle alluded to this instance, or to any other, I will not determine; but certain it is, he had in view circumstances so particularly trying, that in his apprehension, all expected deliverance was over from human attempts, when he said: We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves; but in God, which raiseth the dead, 2 Corinthians 1:9. And, blessings of every kind are doubly sweet, when the Lord's hand in the appointment is discernible, and the Lord's power is manifested in creature weakness, Genesis 22:14; Zechariah 14:7.