And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him:
After many days preaching boldly in Damascus that Jesus is the Son of God, Paul faced a plot by the Jews and their leaders to kill him to silence him. They watched the city gates day and night to cut off his escape, but he learned of their purpose and was let down over the wall in a basket at night by the disciples, so their plan failed. God preserved him by commissioning angels to guard one who would not fight for himself, so he could continue his mission and suffer for Jesus' name. They turned to force because they could not answer or withstand the wisdom of his unanswerable arguments from prophecy, making assassination the only argument left to a sinking cause. Behind their counsel Satan himself stirred up determined men with intense hatred like that shown against Jesus, warning that unconverted men will again be used to persecute when the converting power of God is lacking.
Setting and Deliverance
After many days were fulfilled, the man who had come to Damascus to arrest the followers of Jesus was himself preaching Jesus as Messiah and Son of God and bringing new believers into the faith, following his conversion and early preaching there and his return from Arabia. During those many days he labored in the synagogues of Damascus maintaining that Jesus was the Son of God and preaching boldly in Jesus' name, and as he labored his faith grew stronger and his zeal increased in the face of fierce opposition. By this he became a prominent and effective opponent of the cause he had once served. In narrative order this comes before Peter's work at Lydda and at nearby Joppa, where Dorcas lived as a worthy disciple greatly beloved for good deeds, whose life was filled with acts of kindness, who knew who needed comfortable clothing and who needed sympathy and freely ministered to the poor and sorrowful, whose skilful fingers were more active than her tongue.
After that period the Jews in Damascus, and especially their leaders, consulted together and plotted to kill Paul, deciding that putting him to death was the way to stop him. His bold proclamation of Jesus, the miracles done in Jesus' name, and crowds turning from their traditions and recognizing the rulers' guilt in Jesus' death had angered them and turned their surprise at his wonderful conversion and subsequent labors into intense hatred, and his life became endangered so that he could not remain long in Damascus. The danger was immediate, for they vigilantly guarded and watched the city gates day and night to cut off his escape and to kill him when he left Damascus.
Paul was made acquainted with their purpose to kill him. The disciples, praying to God in anxiety with little sleep, devised a way for the chosen apostle to escape. They let him down from a window and lowered him over the city wall in a basket at night, so he escaped from Damascus in this humiliating manner and their plan failed. God knew of the plot and commissioned angels to guard Paul and fight on the ground for one who would not fight for himself, preserving him so his enemies could not do him harm and he could continue his mission and suffer for Jesus' name.
Motives and Spiritual Lessons
The plot to kill him arose because the Jews could not answer or withstand the wisdom of his arguments. He confounded them from prophecy and set forth in clear and unanswerable argument that Christ is the resurrection and the life to all who would believe. Turning to force as their remaining means of silencing him, the only argument left to a sinking cause, they counseled together to silence his voice by force and decided to assassinate him.
Their hostility also followed his bold proclamation and its effect on the people, including miracles done in Jesus' name and crowds turning from their traditions and recognizing the rulers' guilt in Jesus' death. After they recovered from surprise at his wonderful conversion and subsequent labors, they resolutely turned from the overwhelming evidence brought to bear in favor of the doctrine of Christ. Their astonishment at his conversion changed into intense hatred like the hatred they had manifested against Jesus, whom they had likewise opposed.
Paul spoke his faith with assurance and certainty because God had revealed knowledge of the Word to him in heavenly vision in the tremendous step of acknowledging Christ as the Son of God. Such satanic opposition is the best evidence that his work was of the Lord. Truth bore away the victory.
Behind the plot Satan as general stirred up determined men with hatred against Paul to take counsel to kill him. Saul himself shows how an unconverted man is used by Satan to hunt up souls to be persecuted, and warns that unless the converting power of God comes to the soul the same satanic use will happen again. The whole chapter is a lesson that some who are not converted will work with all their power to persecute, as did the satanic agencies in Christ's day who crucified Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God. History is to be repeated, for Lucifer's act to exalt himself becomes a power he exercises upon just such men, and such men will have to be dealt with in present and future experience.
After many days preaching boldly in Damascus that Jesus is the Son of God, Paul faced a plot by the Jews and their leaders to kill him to silence him. They watched the city gates day and night to cut off his escape, but he learned of their purpose and was let down over the wall in a basket at night by the disciples, so their plan failed. God preserved him by commissioning angels to guard one who would not fight for himself, so he could continue his mission and suffer for Jesus' name. They turned to force because they could not answer or withstand the wisdom of his unanswerable arguments from prophecy, making assassination the only argument left to a sinking cause. Behind their counsel Satan himself stirred up determined men with intense hatred like that shown against Jesus, warning that unconverted men will again be used to persecute when the converting power of God is lacking.
Setting and Deliverance
After many days were fulfilled, the man who had come to Damascus to arrest the followers of Jesus was himself preaching Jesus as Messiah and Son of God and bringing new believers into the faith, following his conversion and early preaching there and his return from Arabia. During those many days he labored in the synagogues of Damascus maintaining that Jesus was the Son of God and preaching boldly in Jesus' name, and as he labored his faith grew stronger and his zeal increased in the face of fierce opposition. By this he became a prominent and effective opponent of the cause he had once served. In narrative order this comes before Peter's work at Lydda and at nearby Joppa, where Dorcas lived as a worthy disciple greatly beloved for good deeds, whose life was filled with acts of kindness, who knew who needed comfortable clothing and who needed sympathy and freely ministered to the poor and sorrowful, whose skilful fingers were more active than her tongue.
After that period the Jews in Damascus, and especially their leaders, consulted together and plotted to kill Paul, deciding that putting him to death was the way to stop him. His bold proclamation of Jesus, the miracles done in Jesus' name, and crowds turning from their traditions and recognizing the rulers' guilt in Jesus' death had angered them and turned their surprise at his wonderful conversion and subsequent labors into intense hatred, and his life became endangered so that he could not remain long in Damascus. The danger was immediate, for they vigilantly guarded and watched the city gates day and night to cut off his escape and to kill him when he left Damascus.
Paul was made acquainted with their purpose to kill him. The disciples, praying to God in anxiety with little sleep, devised a way for the chosen apostle to escape. They let him down from a window and lowered him over the city wall in a basket at night, so he escaped from Damascus in this humiliating manner and their plan failed. God knew of the plot and commissioned angels to guard Paul and fight on the ground for one who would not fight for himself, preserving him so his enemies could not do him harm and he could continue his mission and suffer for Jesus' name.
Motives and Spiritual Lessons
The plot to kill him arose because the Jews could not answer or withstand the wisdom of his arguments. He confounded them from prophecy and set forth in clear and unanswerable argument that Christ is the resurrection and the life to all who would believe. Turning to force as their remaining means of silencing him, the only argument left to a sinking cause, they counseled together to silence his voice by force and decided to assassinate him.
Their hostility also followed his bold proclamation and its effect on the people, including miracles done in Jesus' name and crowds turning from their traditions and recognizing the rulers' guilt in Jesus' death. After they recovered from surprise at his wonderful conversion and subsequent labors, they resolutely turned from the overwhelming evidence brought to bear in favor of the doctrine of Christ. Their astonishment at his conversion changed into intense hatred like the hatred they had manifested against Jesus, whom they had likewise opposed.
Paul spoke his faith with assurance and certainty because God had revealed knowledge of the Word to him in heavenly vision in the tremendous step of acknowledging Christ as the Son of God. Such satanic opposition is the best evidence that his work was of the Lord. Truth bore away the victory.
Behind the plot Satan as general stirred up determined men with hatred against Paul to take counsel to kill him. Saul himself shows how an unconverted man is used by Satan to hunt up souls to be persecuted, and warns that unless the converting power of God comes to the soul the same satanic use will happen again. The whole chapter is a lesson that some who are not converted will work with all their power to persecute, as did the satanic agencies in Christ's day who crucified Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God. History is to be repeated, for Lucifer's act to exalt himself becomes a power he exercises upon just such men, and such men will have to be dealt with in present and future experience.