How Did Paul And Silas Rile The Romans?

Tom:

This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment, and we’re in the book of Acts, Acts 16, and we’re going to pick up with verse 19, “And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the market place unto the rulers, [and of course, the reference here is this woman who had masters, she was into divination, she had a spirit, and supposedly impressed people with the false idea but that she could tell them the future.]

Dave:

Well she may have been revealing things about the present also that they didn’t think she could know.Of course, demons would know that.And these unscrupulous masters, their owners, the slave owners of this woman, actually, they’re making money off of her and I suppose they’re giving her a percentage.But, anyway, they don’t know how she does this and they wouldn’t care whether this was an evil spirit.But, Paul cast the evil spirit out of her and she lost her supposed supernatural powers.That’s all they’re upset about.They’re business has been ruined.

Tom:

Right.So, verse 20, “And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.”

Dave:

But, Tom, I have in my Bible, kind of drew a little square around that phrase, “being Jews.”What does that have to do with it?And, so you see anti-Semitism, way back.It’s been going on for many, many centuries.

Tom:

Well, obviously, if they were Jews who believed in their Scriptures, they didn’t participate in bringing these guys any money.They didn’t buy into this.Correct?The people who were there?

Dave:

Right.But, apparently, there weren’t any Jews in the city, it seems, because they’re blaming this on them being Jews.I guess Jews were not accepted, I don’t know, Tom.But, anyway, it sounds a little anti-Semitic, and with good reason because way back in Deuteronomy God warned His people through Moses that if they disobeyed Him they would be cast out of the land, scattered everywhere and hated and persecuted like no other people.And, of course, that came true.So, although the Jews and Israel, although they’re under God’s protection right now, woe to those who attack them, nevertheless they are at the same time under God’s judgment.And, we see just a little picture of that here.They’re troubling our city.Well, how are they troubling our city?Verse 21, “and teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.”I don’t think Paul and Silas were teaching customs.That was the very thing they were opposed to.It’s not by works of righteousness.They were teaching grace, salvation by faith through grace.

Tom:

“And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely:Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.”

Dave:

Tom, I don’t think they were in a comfortable chair with their feet in the stocks.They were lying on their backs.Their bloodied, ripped up backs from the scourging that they’ve just received.In the muck and dirt, you know, what all there was there.And, you can see the problem with a mob.You can arouse a mob.And, of course, this is what we’ve got around the world with Islam today.For example, the uproar over the Danish cartoons, and you had mobs all over the world burning down buildings, killing people, rioting, and so forth, or you had mob action there in Paris and various parts of France with the Muslims.

Tom:

I think about over in Israel where two soldiers made a wrong turn into Ramala where Arafat was.

Dave:

But Tom, they weren’t even in uniform, as I recall, they were just Jews, like this recognizing Jews.

Tom:

And they were beaten to death, the atrocity, this mob just tore them apart literally.

Dave:

They not only took them apart but they took refuge in there.They managed to get into a police station, and we have a video of them being thrown out of the second story of the police station.The police would not protect them, and they threw them down to the tender mercies of this mob.Wow!Well, this is the heart of man that we’ve been talking about, and it shows how you could whip up---Of course, Hitler was a master at that when you see some of the videos of the mob that he had in front of him by the hundreds of thousands, and he could get them aroused to do almost anything.It’s a tragedy because people---you know, you take a comfort in a mob action.It’s something, I’d really like to be violent, I’d really like to smash some windows downtown you know, and get in there and take some stuff out.But if I did it all alone they would get me.That would be breaking the law, but if we can get a whole mob together, then it’s okay, now we’re justified in this.And tragically, the media justifies what these terrorists, Muslims are doing against Israel.They blame Israel for it, and I don’t recall that they blamed Islam for the riots in Paris, never did that come out that I know of, maybe some obscure writer mentioned it, but it was finally justification for these people.Well, but they didn’t have jobs, and they would be discriminated against, and they need some more social programs for them.

Tom:

And of course the society wouldn’t let them assimilate, right?O, brother, how wrong.Dave, Paul and Silas’ reaction to this, it really grips your heart.How could they, after their backs being torn to shreds, how do they react to this?Are they bitter, are they yelling and screaming at the jailer, and this is unfair, and so on?

Dave:

They are lying on their backs with their feet up, bare backs probably.

Tom:

Well, there it is, Verse 25:“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.”

Dave:

Wow!That must have been a shock.What a testimony to the prisoners.But I rather suspect, prior to that time they were preaching the gospel to these prisoners because that was what Paul and Silas were about.They went everywhere preaching the gospel.That’s why they came to Philippi, and that’s what they were doing when they were arrested and beaten.So, I’m sure they were telling the gospel, telling the good news to the prisoners, and then they began to sing, they pray and they begin to sing praises to God.Wow!What a testimony!That must have really impressed the fellow prisoners, they’ve never seen anything like this.

Tom:

More so than what takes place next, Verse 36:“And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken:and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.”

Dave:

It’s amazing, Tom.Of course, I think they recognized the connection between these men and their praise of God and the gospel and the earthquake.Every man’s bands were loosed, but later on Paul says, Verse 28, he says:We are all here, because the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled, that was the penalty.A prisoner escaped, they killed you.Wow, that was tough in those days.“But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm:for we are all here.”Now, why would all those prisoners stay?Tom, they must have been converted.It doesn’t say that, but they had had a change of heart.They recognized something miraculous is going on, they don’t just all get up and flee.

Tom:

“Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”That’s the great question, Dave, and next week, the Lord willing, we’ll provide the answer from the Scriptures.

Dave:

Very good.