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“And Felix, knowing accurately the things concerning the way, adjourned them” (Acts 24:22 JND).
Here we see more “gamesmanship” taking place, this time by the Roman governor Felix. First of all, the chief captain in Jerusalem sent Paul to Caesarea, because he did not know what to do with him. Now the Roman governor there does not know what to do with him either. He knew that Paul was not guilty of any crime, yet he wanted to please the Jews. He was also very familiar with Christianity, which at that time was simply called “the way.” He ought to have released Paul, but he knew that the Jews were famous for starting riots, and he did not want another one on his hands. To avoid this, he kept on adjourning, deferring, delaying, and hoping that the problem would go away.
This has often been the world’s way, but it should not be the Christian’s way. We should always do what is right, and trust the Lord for the consequences. To delay doing what is right because of possible unpleasant consequences for ourselves is to dishonor the Lord. As we remarked yesterday, the Lord is in full control of our circumstances, and will take care of us if we follow Him.
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