Acts 22:30-23:5
English Standard
Version (ESV)
30 But on the next day, (A)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.
23 And looking intently at
the council, Paul said, “Brothers, (B)I have lived my life before God
in all good conscience up to this day.” 2 And the high priest (C)Ananias commanded those who
stood by him (D)to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him,
“God is going to strike you, you (E)whitewashed (F)wall! Are you sitting to judge
me according to the law, and yet (G)contrary to the law you (H)order me to be struck?” 4 Those who stood by said,
“Would you revile (I)God's high priest?” 5 And Paul said, (J)“I did not know, brothers, that
he was the high priest, for it is written, (K)‘You shall not speak evil of a
ruler of your people.’”
As I read this today the thing that stood out the most to me was that
Paul was reprimanded for speaking out against the chief priest. I always felt that he had every right to
speak against these men who were clearly not seeking God’s guidance in their
decisions. The way I looked at it is
that these men were doing evil, plotting against a true man of God. Yet, Paul apologizes and quotes scripture
that indicates that he was in the wrong.
Exodus 22:28 is a message God gave to Moses for His people to
follow. They were social rules that
needed to be followed to honor Him. Exodus 22:28
English
Standard Version (ESV) 28 (A)“You shall not revile God, nor (B)curse a ruler of your people.
(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2022:28&version=ESV).
Amazing, reviling God and cursing rulers are
in the same verse! Wow! As I pondered these verses I had to go back
to Jesus. What did Jesus do and say when
He went before the chief priest? The
chief priest and other leaders were looking for false witnesses to testify
against the Lord. They were definitely in
the wrong and Jesus knew it so how does He respond to them? Matthew 26:63-64
English
Standard Version (ESV) 63 (A)But Jesus remained silent. (B)And the high priest said to
him, (C)“I adjure you by (D)the living God, (E)tell us if you are (F)the Christ, (G)the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, (H)“You have said so. But I tell you, from now on (I)you will
see the Son of Man (J)seated
at the right hand of Power and (K)coming
on the clouds of heaven.” (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=.%20%20Matthew%2026:%2063-64%20&version=ESV)
Jesus remained silent.
He could have struck them all down.
He could have judged them right then and there but no, He remained
silent. When He spoke He spoke with
respect and answered the question that was placed before Him. My mother always told me that if I couldn’t
say something nice then I should not say anything at all. This is what Jesus did, He remained silent
and He answered without putting others down.
He is the example for me to follow as well.
I have found myself criticizing the leaders that God
has placed in my midst. When I disagree
I am quick to judge which is what Paul did.
But, Paul apologized for his words of rebuke towards the chief
priest. I do believe we need not be led
astray by those who are false teachers or teachers who are out for their own gain
yet we are not the judge over them. We
do not know a person’s heart only God does.
We need to be so close to our Lord that others cannot draw us away from
Him while we remain true to His desire for us to respect our leaders. I need to remember that God is in
control. He is the ultimate and final
judge. I need to remember to remain silent when I cannot say anything
good. I need to remember to respect the
decisions of those who are chosen to be leaders of my church and of my country.
That God has placed each one of them in a position for a reason. Sometimes I don’t understand why they were
chosen but they are there and they do serve a purpose even when they do not
serve Him but rather seek their own gain.
My prayer: Help
me Father to accept the decisions of our leaders in order that I can bring
glory and honor to your name. Please
Father forgive me when I have stirred up strife and caused heartbreak. Give me strength to serve you the way that
you would have me serve whether in silence or boldly speaking your Words to
those around me. Show me your ways my
LORD. As Moses prayed, I pray, “If you
are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find
favor with you. Remember that this
nation is your people.” (Exodus 33:13, NIV 1984 )
Seek Him and know His ways in order to please the
Father and be a great witness to all.
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
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