Comfort In Times of Trial
February 26, 2022
Commentary
Paul had been assaulted by the mob, threatened with scourging by the Romans, and bullied by the high priest. It was evident to him there was no chance that he would receive a fair trial in a court headed by such a man as Ananias. If he said, “I am a Christian,” and made his defense along that line, he could expect to be shouted down. It seems that in desperation he acted politically, rather than spiritually, which later he may have regretted (24:21). He knew that the council was made up of both Pharisees and Sadducees. Since the Sadducees denied the resurrection and the Pharisees believed in it, he identified himself as a Pharisee, and immediately the two parties began to squabble (v. 6).
There is no strife so bitter as party politics fueled by religious animosity.Paul had stated that his position on the Resurrection was in agreement with the Pharisees, but not the Sadducees (vv. 7-8). This clever tactic divided the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees took Paul’s part and demanded his acquittal (v. 9). In a moment the two parties were at each other’s throats, and Paul could stand back and see the result of his words.
We see Paul was in more danger in the midst of the Jews than he was in a Roman prison, and the captain had to rescue Paul by force or he would have been killed (v. 10). It would be very natural for Paul to become depressed, fearful, and discouraged by all this. Perhaps he was wondering what good had been done by his coming to Jerusalem. The next night the Lord Himself drew near to Paul to comfort and encourage him, and also to assure him that he would go to Rome (v. 11). Whoever is against us, we need not fear, if the Lord stand by us. It is the will of Christ, that his servants who are faithful, should be always cheerful.
Application
I have had some trials and discouragement in this life but nothing compared to what Paul went through. Lord, help me to always have a good attitude when trials come my way.
Acts 23:6– 11 (NET)
6 Then when Paul noticed that part of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, he shouted out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead!” 7 When he said this, an argument began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) 9 There was a great commotion, and some experts in the law from the party of the Pharisees stood up and protested strongly, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 When the argument became so great the commanding officer feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, he ordered the detachment to go down, take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks.
11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Have courage, for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”
Illustration: Some Trials Can Be Avoided
While assembling their new water bed, my sister Betty and her husband, Everett, realized they would need a hose. Everett dashed to the hardware store and bought one. They attached it to the bed, ran it through the apartment to the kitchen tap and left to wait for the bed to fill. About an hour later they checked on its progress. That’s when they discovered Everett had bought a sprinkler hose. (Reader’s Digest, March, 1993, p. 123).