They Swore to Kill Paul

In this passage, we continue to see the lawlessness of the Jews. They are so confident that they are righteous and the chosen people of God, they will kill to prevent anyone from saying anything else. The Romans protecting Paul from the Jews did not make them any less desirous of his death. A group of more than forty are so certain that God will bless them in their murdering that they took an oath not to eat and drink until they have killed Paul. It was not just men of bad reputation that are involved. The chief priests and members of the Sanhedrin joined in the plot, but Paul's nephew heard of it and reported it to Paul and subsequently the commander of the Romans. The Romans, acting more righteously than the Jews, took Paul out of the fortress with a large body of men shortly after dark in order to preserve his life and to keep the peace. We need to remember how blinding sin is in order to show mercy to others and to recognize how easy it is to overlook our own sin.