Acts 24:7
But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands,
But Lysias the commander
The mention of "Lysias the commander" refers to Claudius Lysias, a Roman tribune who played a significant role in the events surrounding Paul's arrest and subsequent trials. The Greek term for "commander" is "chiliarchos," indicating a leader of a thousand soldiers, which underscores the authority and responsibility Lysias held. Historically, Lysias is known for his decisive actions in protecting Paul from the Jewish mob in Jerusalem, as recorded in Acts 21:31-33. His intervention highlights the providential care of God in using even Roman authorities to fulfill His purposes for Paul.

came with great force
The phrase "came with great force" emphasizes the urgency and authority with which Lysias acted. The Greek word for "force" is "dynamis," often translated as power or strength. This suggests not only the physical might of the Roman soldiers but also the authoritative power of the Roman Empire. In a broader scriptural context, this reflects the theme of God's sovereignty, where He orchestrates events and uses earthly powers to accomplish His divine will, as seen throughout the narrative of Acts.

and took him out of our hands
The action of Lysias "took him out of our hands" signifies a forceful removal, indicating the tension and conflict between the Jewish leaders and the Roman authorities. The Greek verb "harpazo" is used here, which means to seize or snatch away. This word is also used in other New Testament contexts to describe sudden and decisive actions, such as the rapture of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:17). In this context, it underscores the protective intervention of God through Lysias, ensuring Paul's safety and the continuation of his mission. Historically, this intervention prevented the Jewish leaders from executing their plans against Paul, demonstrating God's control over the situation.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Lysias
A Roman commander (also known as Claudius Lysias) who played a crucial role in protecting Paul from a Jewish mob in Jerusalem. His intervention is a key event in the account of Paul's trials.

2. Paul
The apostle who is the central figure in this passage. He is being accused by Jewish leaders and is under Roman protection due to the intervention of Lysias.

3. Jewish Leaders
They are accusing Paul and seeking to have him punished. Their opposition to Paul is a recurring theme in the Acts of the Apostles.

4. Jerusalem
The city where Paul was initially seized by the Jewish leaders, leading to the intervention by Lysias.

5. Roman Authority
Represented by Lysias, the Roman authority plays a protective role for Paul, ensuring his right to a fair trial.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty in Protection
God's providence is evident in the protection of Paul through Roman authorities. This reminds us that God can use secular powers to accomplish His purposes.

The Role of Authority
Authorities are instituted by God for order and protection. Believers should respect and pray for those in authority, recognizing their role in God's plan.

Courage in Adversity
Paul's courage in the face of false accusations and threats is an example for believers to stand firm in their faith, trusting in God's protection.

The Importance of Legal Rights
Paul’s appeal to his rights as a Roman citizen teaches us the importance of understanding and utilizing legal rights to further the Gospel.

Faithfulness in Witness
Despite opposition, Paul remains faithful in his witness. Believers are encouraged to remain steadfast in sharing the Gospel, regardless of circumstances.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the intervention of Lysias in Acts 24:7 demonstrate God's sovereignty in Paul's life, and how can we see God's hand in our own circumstances?

2. In what ways does the role of Roman authority in protecting Paul align with the teaching in Romans 13 about the purpose of government?

3. How can Paul's example of courage and faithfulness in adversity inspire us to stand firm in our own trials?

4. What are some practical ways we can respect and pray for those in authority, as seen in the role of Lysias in Paul's protection?

5. How can understanding and utilizing our legal rights, as Paul did, be a tool for advancing the Gospel in today's world?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Acts 21:31-33
This passage describes the initial intervention of Lysias when Paul was seized by the mob in Jerusalem, providing context for Acts 24:7.

Acts 23:10
Highlights another instance where Lysias intervenes to protect Paul, showing the consistent role of Roman authority in safeguarding Paul.

Romans 13:1-4
Discusses the role of governing authorities as servants of God, which can be related to Lysias's role in protecting Paul.
Eloquence PervertedSt. AugustineActs 24:1-9
Eloquence True and FalseJ. Dick, D. D.Acts 24:1-9
Lawyers Without a Perception of JusticeActs 24:1-9
Orators and PreachersR. Besser, D. D.Acts 24:1-9
Paul and Tertullus: or False Eloquence and TrueK. Gerok.Acts 24:1-9
Paul Before FelixD. Thomas, D. D.Acts 24:1-9
Paul MisunderstoodJ. Parker, D. D.Acts 24:1-9
Sanguinary OratorsScientific IllustrationsActs 24:1-9
The Governor's CourtR.A. Redford Acts 24:1-9
The Opening Statement of a Prosecuting, CounselActs 24:1-9
The Speech of TertullusC. Chapman, M. A.Acts 24:1-9
Malice, Innocence, and PowerW. Clarkson Acts 24:1-23, 26, 27
People
Ananias, Drusilla, Felix, Festus, Paul, Tertullus
Places
Asia, Caesarea, Jerusalem
Topics
Along, Captain, Chief, Chiliarch, Commander, Force, Hands, Lysias, Violence
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Acts 24:1-9

     5201   accusation
     7505   Jews, the

Acts 24:1-23

     5593   trial

Acts 24:5-9

     5951   slander
     8751   false witness

Acts 24:5-12

     5936   riots

Library
Paul and Felix
ACTS xxiv. 25. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. This is a well-known text, on which many a sermon has been preached, and with good reason, for it is an important text. It tells us of a man who, like too many men in all times, trembled when he heard the truth about his wicked life, but did not therefore repent and mend; and a very serious lesson we may
Charles Kingsley—Discipline and Other Sermons

Felix Before Paul
A Sermon to the Young 'And as Paul reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.' --ACTS xxiv. 25. Felix and his brother had been favourite slaves of the Emperor, and so had won great power at court. At the date of this incident he had been for some five or six years the procurator of the Roman province of Judaea; and how he used his power the historian Tacitus tells us
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

Paul Before Felix
'Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself: 11. Because that thou mayest understand, that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship. 12. And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city: 13. Neither can they prove the things
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

A Loyal Tribute
[Footnote: Preached on the occasion of the Jubilee of Queen Victoria.] '...Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence, 3. We accept it always ... with all thankfulness.'--ACTS xxiv. 2-3. These words were addressed by a professional flatterer to one of the worst of the many bad Roman governors of Syria. The speaker knew that he was lying, the listeners knew that the eulogium was undeserved; and among all the crowd of bystanders
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

The Resurrection of the Dead
There are very few Christians who believe the resurrection of the dead. You may be surprised to hear that, but I should not wonder if I discovered that you yourself have doubts on the subject. By the resurrection of the dead is meant something very different from the immortality of the soul: that, every Christian believes, and therein is only on a level with the heathen, who believes it too. The light of nature is sufficient to tell us that the soul is immortal, so that the infidel who doubts it
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 2: 1856

Paul's Sermon Before Felix
We might stay a little while and dilate on this thought, and show you how, in all ages, this has been the truth, that the power of the gospel has been eminently proved in its influence over men's hearts, proving the truth of that utterance of Paul, when he said, that neither tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword, shall separate them from the love of God, which is in Jesus Christ their Lord. But instead of so doing, I invite you to contemplate the text
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

Saurin -- Paul Before Felix and Drusilla
Jacques Saurin, the famous French Protestant preacher of the seventeenth century, was born at Nismes in 1677. He studied at Geneva and was appointed to the Walloon Church in London in 1701. The scene of his great life work was, however, the Hague, where he settled in 1705. He has been compared with Bossuet, tho he never attained the graceful style and subtilty which characterize the "Eagle of Meaux." The story is told of the famous scholar Le Clerc that he long refused to hear Saurin preach, on the
Grenville Kleiser—The world's great sermons, Volume 3

The Awakened Sinner Urged to Immediate Consideration and Cautioned against Delay.
1. Sinners, when awakened, inclined to dismiss convictions for the present.--2. An immediate regard to religion urged.--3. From the excellence and pleasure of the thing itself.--4. From the uncertainty of that future time on which sinners presume, compared with the sad consequences of being cut off in sin.--5. From the immutability of God's present demands.--6. From the tendency which delay has to make a compliance with these demands more difficult than it is at present.--7. From. the danger of God's
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul

The Epistles of the Captivity.
During his confinement in Rome, from a.d. 61 to 63, while waiting the issue of his trial on the charge of being "a mover of insurrections among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5), the aged apostle composed four Epistles, to the Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon, and Philippians. He thus turned the prison into a pulpit, sent inspiration and comfort to his distant congregations, and rendered a greater service to future ages than he could have
Philip Schaff—History of the Christian Church, Volume I

Of Presbyters who are Corrected by their Own Bishops. ...
Of presbyters who are corrected by their own bishops. Alypius the bishop, a legate of the province of Numidia, said: Nor should this be passed over; if by chance any presbyter when corrected by his bishop, inflamed by self-conceit or pride, has thought fit to offer sacrifices to God separately [from the authority of the bishop] or has believed it right to erect another altar, contrary to ecclesiastical faith and discipline, such should not get off with impunity. Valentine, of the primatial see
Philip Schaff—The Seven Ecumenical Councils

A Plot Detected
'And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they bad killed Paul. 13. And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy. 14. And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul. 15. Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to-morrow, as
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

The Witness of Our Own Spirit
"This is our rejoicing, the testimony of out conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world." 2 Cor. 1:12 1. Such is the voice of every true believer in Christ, so long as he abides in faith and love. "He that followeth me," saith our Lord, "walketh not in darkness:" And while he hath the light, he rejoiceth therein. As he hath "received the Lord Jesus Christ," so he walketh in him; and while he walketh
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

The Parables Exemplified in the Early History of the Church.
"To Him shall prayer unceasing And daily vows ascend; His Kingdom still increasing, A Kingdom without end." We have seen that our Lord described in His Parables the general character and nature of "The Kingdom of Heaven." Consequently, if the Church established by the Apostles under the guidance of the Holy Ghost is "The Kingdom of Heaven," it will necessarily be found to agree with the description thus given. Let us therefore now consider how far the history of the Church, in the Acts of the Apostles
Edward Burbidge—The Kingdom of Heaven; What is it?

Christian Perfection
"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect." Phil. 3:12. 1. There is scarce any expression in Holy Writ which has given more offence than this. The word perfect is what many cannot bear. The very sound of it is an abomination to them. And whosoever preaches perfection (as the phrase is,) that is, asserts that it is attainable in this life, runs great hazard of being accounted by them worse than a heathen man or a publican. 2. And hence some have advised, wholly to lay aside
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

"Now the End of the Commandment," &C.
1 Tim. i. 5.--"Now the end of the commandment," &c. We come now, as was proposed, to observe, Thirdly,(474) That faith unfeigned is the only thing which gives the answer of a good conscience towards God. Conscience, in general, is nothing else but a practical knowledge of the rule a man should walk by, and of himself in reference to that rule. It is the laying down a man's state, and condition, and actions beside the rule of God's word, or the principles of nature's light. It is the chief piece
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Baptist's Inquiry and Jesus' Discourse Suggested Thereby.
(Galilee.) ^A Matt. XI. 2-30; ^C Luke VII. 18-35. ^c 18 And the disciples of John told him of all these things. ^a 2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent by his disciples ^c 19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them unto the Lord [John had been cast into prison about December, a.d. 27, and it was now after the Passover, possibly in May or June, a.d. 28. Herod Antipas had cast John into prison because John had reproved him for taking his brother's wife.
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Verbal Inspiration
Not only does the Bible claim to be a Divine revelation but it also asserts that its original manuscripts were written "not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth" (I Cor. 2:13). The Bible nowhere claims to have been written by inspired men--as a matter of fact some of them were very defective characters--Balaam for example--but it insists that the words they uttered and recorded were God's words. Inspiration has not to do with the minds of the writers (for many
Arthur W. Pink—The Divine Inspiration of the Bible

Of the Power of Making Laws. The Cruelty of the Pope and his Adherents, in this Respect, in Tyrannically Oppressing and Destroying Souls.
1. The power of the Church in enacting laws. This made a source of human traditions. Impiety of these traditions. 2. Many of the Papistical traditions not only difficult, but impossible to be observed. 3. That the question may be more conveniently explained, nature of conscience must be defined. 4. Definition of conscience explained. Examples in illustration of the definition. 5. Paul's doctrine of submission to magistrates for conscience sake, gives no countenance to the Popish doctrine of the obligation
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Quirinius the Governor of Syria
WE come now to the last serious difficulty in Luke's account of the "First Enrollment". He says that it occurred while Quirinius was administering Syria. The famous administration of Syria by Quirinius lasted from about AD. 6 to 9; and during that time occurred the" Great Enrollment" and valuation of property in Palestine. [94] Obviously the incidents described by Luke are irreconcilable with that date. There was found near Tibur (Tivoli) in AD. 1764 a fragment of marble with part of an inscription,
Sir William Mitchell Ramsay—Was Christ Born in Bethlehem?

Truth Hidden when not Sought After.
"They shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."--2 Tim. iv. 4. From these words of the blessed Apostle, written shortly before he suffered martyrdom, we learn, that there is such a thing as religious truth, and therefore there is such a thing as religious error. We learn that religious truth is one--and therefore that all views of religion but one are wrong. And we learn, moreover, that so it was to be (for his words are a prophecy) that professed Christians,
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

Jerusalem to Rome
Acts 21:17-28:31 THIS JOURNEY Scripture, Acts 21:17-28:31 1. The speech before the Jewish mob in the temple (Acts 22:1-29) in which Paul tells the Jews how he was changed from a persecutor to a believer in Christ. He relates also the story of his conversion. 2. The speech before the Jewish council (Acts 22:30; 23:1-10) in which he creates confusion by raising the question of the resurrection. But the provocation was great for the high-priest had commanded that Paul be smitten
Henry T. Sell—Bible Studies in the Life of Paul

From Antioch to the Destruction of Jerusalem.
Acts 13-28 and all the rest of the New Testament except the epistles of John and Revelation. The Changed Situation. We have now come to a turning point in the whole situation. The center of work has shifted from Jerusalem to Antioch, the capital of the Greek province of Syria, the residence of the Roman governor of the province. We change from the study of the struggles of Christianity in the Jewish world to those it made among heathen people. We no longer study many and various persons and their
Josiah Blake Tidwell—The Bible Period by Period

Of Christian Liberty.
1. Connection of this chapter with the previous one on Justification. A true knowledge of Christian liberty useful and necessary. 1. It purifies the conscience. 2. It checks licentiousness. 3. It maintains the merits of Christ, the truth of the Gospel, and the peace of the soul. 2. This liberty consists of three parts. First, Believers renouncing the righteousness of the law, look only to Christ. Objection. Answer, distinguishing between Legal and Evangelical righteousness. 3. This first part clearly
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

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