Not surprisingly the opposition to Paul has moved from rage to conspiracy. The conspirators ask that Paul be brought before the Council again for further information when in fact they have vowed not to eat or drink until Paul is dead. A nephew of Paul somehow gets wind of this, and tips him off.

It must have been difficult for a Roman governor to understand all the complexities of a foreign people, and in particular their religious beliefs. His main task was to keep order among the populace. To be a model citizen you were expected to pay your taxes, follow the rules and stay out of trouble.

Under the supervision of the governor Felix, accusations are brought against Paul by Ananias the high priest and his followers. They have an orator named Tertullus as their spokesman. He begins by heaping praise on Felix for providing a long period of prosperity and peace.

Read Reflect Charges against Paul have been laid and Paul has responded to each charge by proclaiming his innocence. Felix takes the easy way out by awaiting the arrival of the garrison commander. The real reason he defers his judgment is to gain favour with the religious leaders. No governor wants word to get back to […]

Recently the newspapers carried the story of two Canadians who had been kidnapped in the Philippines. These men had been involved in government work and were being held for ransom by terrorists. The families of the two men pressed the Canadian government to take action in order to save their lives.

David commits himself (“I will—”) before the Lord to a full range of obedient practices. These cover:

His attitude to praising God (v 1)
Living blamelessly (v 2) …

I find it much too easy to be half-hearted in my faith. To give lip service to the truth, but want my own way in the end. Sometimes when we look at what’s happening around us and we read the Bible we think, “Yeah, but … .” The Scriptures are so ancient, it’s easy to try and convince ourselves that it doesn’t work that way anymore.