Acts 24:26 KJV
He hoped also that money should have been given
him of Paul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener,
and communed with him.
I have little doubt but that Paul could have bought his way out of
prison had he been so inclined.
Not that he had any large sum of income. Paul's own resources seem to
have been scarce. He existed on the gifts given by his friends or that income
he received making tents.
But Paul did have
many friends who had demonstrated a willingness to give out of their own
poverty to causes Paul believed in. Had he called upon them he could
certainly have collected enough to satisfy "bail" or to bribe Felix,
whichever the case may have been. The fact that he did not do so demonstrates:
That there is
something more important than freedom
He did not use
money to purchase freedom but argued for a free release The sacrificial
giving of God's people should be used for other things.
That God was still
sovereign in the prison
Paul trusted God
for whatever would be the outcome, not resorting to his own means.
That justice is a
prize of too great value to purchase away
A price must be
paid for righteousness. To honor avarice in the realm of government carries
great enough consequences that a person of holiness must not indulge it, even
at his own harm.
Few men are of such
great character as to sacrifice self rather than take advantage of the
sacrifice of others for self. Paul's great character is an example not often
repeated but one to which all Christians ought to aspire.
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