Acts 23:26-35 – Paul delivered to Felix, the governor

Verses 26-30 deal with the content of the letter that the commander wrote to Felix, the governor. Here we learned that the commander was Claudius Lysais.  
 

The commander shrewdly constructed facts such that they placed him in good light. He also put it in such a way that the buck was now passed to Felix. Lysais made himself seemed like the hero who came to the rescue of a Roman citizen. He however, had deliberately left out the fact that he didn’t know Paul was a Roman citizen at the time of the rescue. Paul’s citizenship only came to light when he wanted to scourge Paul. There was absolutely no attempt on his part to ascertain Paul’s citizenship.
 

He further added that what the Jews brought against Paul were matters that he knew little about. Legally, however, he did report accurately. He said, that the Jews’ charges against Paul were not worthy of a death sentence. They only had to do with religion and the matters pertaining to the Jews themselves. Lysais knew enough to say that none of the accusations brought against Paul by the Jews had any basis with the Roman law. His reason for sending Paul to him was because there was a plot to assassinate Paul. And he had instructed his accusers to bring their charges against Paul for Felix to preside.
 

Armed with a letter written by the commander, the 470-men troop at the command of Lysais, brought Paul by night to Antipatris, a town about 30 miles from Jerusalem. Then the next day, Paul was left in the hands of the horsemen to go with him to Caesarea. The rest of the foot soldiers returned to the barrack in Jerusalem. The reason could be that the most likely part where an ambush could be staged, was over.  
 

On arrival at Caesarea, they delivered Paul and the letter of the commander to Felix. And on reading the letter, the governor inquired about the province Paul came from and was duly told that he was from Cilicia. This inquiry was needful to ascertain that where Paul came from, was under his jurisdiction. When that was established, he ordered Paul to be kept in Herod’s Praetorium till his accusers had arrived for the hearing before him.  
   

The significance about this event is how God had won the battle in preserving Paul’s life through a Roman commander. The Jews’ intention was to destroy Paul, God’s intention was to preserve him.  And God is always on top of the game even in the most trying moments of our lives. Even if we are facing the intimidating and disheartening circumstances of life, God is still in control!