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JULY 12
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31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus and all his family were baptized. Now when
Christ, and you will be saved, you and your he had brought them into his house, he set
32
household.” Then they spoke the word of the food before them; and he rejoiced, having
Lord to him and to all who were in his house. believed in God with all his household.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night 35 And when it was day, the magistrates sent
and washed their stripes. And immediately he the officers, saying, “Let those men go.”
36 So the keeper of the prison reported these
words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have
sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and
16:27 prison doors open…about to kill go in peace.”
37
himself.Instead of waiting to face humiliation But Paul said to them, “They have beaten
and a painful execution.A Roman soldier,who us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have
let a prisoner escape, paid for his negligence thrown us into prison. And now do they put us
with his life (12:19; 27:42). out secretly? No indeed! Let them come them-
selves and get us out.”
16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. One 38 And the officers told these words to the
must believe He is who He claimed to be (John magistrates, and they were afraid when they
39
20:31) and believe in what He did (1 Cor. 15:3, heard that they were Romans. Then they came
4; Rom. 1:16). you and your household. All of and pleaded with them and brought them out,
his family,servants,and guests who could com- and asked them to depart from the city. So
40
prehend the gospel and believe heard the they went out of the prison and entered the
gospel and believed. house of Lydia; and when they had seen the
brethren, they encouraged them and departed.
DAY 11: How did Roman law affect Paul and the preaching of the gospel?
The city of Philippi, which was located 10 miles inland from Neapolis, was named for Philip II
of Macedon (the father of Alexander the Great).It was a Roman colony (Acts 16:2).Philippi became
a Roman colony in 31 B.C.,so it carried the right of freedom (it was self-governing and independent
of the provincial government),the right of exemption from tax,and the right of holding land in full
ownership.
In Acts 16:21,Paul and those with him are accused before the city magistrates as troublemakers
who “teach customs…not lawful for us…Romans.”It was technically true that Roman citizens were
not to engage in any foreign religion that had not been sanctioned by the state. But it was a false
charge that they were creating chaos. Every Roman colony had two magistrates serving as judges.
In this case, they did not uphold Roman justice: They did not investigate the charges, conduct a
proper hearing, or give Paul and Silas the chance to defend themselves. Instead, the magistrates
had them beaten with rods.This was an illegal punishment since they had not been convicted of any
crime.The officers (v.35) under the command of the magistrates administered the beating with rods
tied together in a bundle.Paul received the same punishment on two other occasions (2 Cor.11:25).
Later, when Paul told them they were “Romans”(v.37), it was a real problem.To inflict corporal
punishment on a Roman citizen was a serious crime and made more so since Paul and Barnabas did
not receive a trial.As a result,the magistrates faced the possibility of being removed from office and
having Philippi’s privileges as a Roman colony revoked.

July 12

19:1–3 Having faced possible death that was
2 Chronicles 19:1–20:37
diverted by God (18:31), Jehoshaphat was
Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah rebuked because of his alliances.The prophet
19 returned safely to his house in Jerusa- condemned the king’s alliance with God’s
lem. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer enemy, Ahab (1 Kin.22:2), yet there was mercy
2
went out to meet him, and said to King Jeho- mingled with wrath because of the king’s con-
shaphat, “Should you help the wicked and cern personally and nationally for the true
love those who hate the LORD? Therefore the worship of God.
wrath of the LORD is upon you. Nevertheless
3
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