Acts 23:12-22 – The Plot to Kill Paul
- “When an oath is a step too far”
- After his ingenious splitting of the Sanhedrin, Paul effectively escapes death.
- His enemies however, will not give up. They are enraged by his freedom from their clutches and so they make an oath together.
- Oaths were not looked on favorably during those times.
- At least not oaths whereby swearing or some form of personal curse was involved.
- Firstly because swearing to by God’s name was likely to break the third commandment.
- Secondly because essentially you were forcing yourself to do something that should be done anyway. Forcing yourself by the threat of a personal curse if you did not fulfill it, showed that you did not have the courage, integrity or commitment to fulfill what was right.
- These men made a fundamentally flawed oath. Probably knowing that what they were committing to was wrong, they made an oath so as to force everyone else to go through with it even if they had a change of mind brought on by their conscience.
- These men were flawed men and committing each other in this way was a sign of that.
- Oaths were so frowned upon that the Rabbis had created a system by which you could be released from your oath;
- The Sages have allowed four kinds of vows to be nullified: vows of urging, vows of exaggeration, vows made in error and vows made under duress.” Mishna N’darim
- For me this is a challenge. How secure am I in my integrity – that I will do the right thing because it is the right thing?
- How much do I need to force myself?
- Do I ever create a situation that manipulates others into committing to something we know is wrong by creating circumstances that they cannot back out of?
- Some commitments we make together are a good thing; but not when they are fear based.
- Praying that I won’t need to resort to this kind of thing but my integrity alone will help me do the right thing.
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