Set Free!

Leviticus 10; Leviticus 11; Leviticus 12; Acts 16
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Scripture

Acts 16

22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.

25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! 27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”

29 The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” 32 And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. 33 Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. 34 He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.

Observation

God allowed Paul and Silas to be thrown into jail so the jailor could be set free! It was the jailor that was the prisoner in that jail that night not Paul and Silas. At midnight after being beaten and placed in the darkest most inner part of the jail and having their feet placed in stocks so they couldn’t even walk around Paul and Silas began to pray and they began to sing. The other prisoners heard them singing and praying and I am sure that so did the jailor.

The whole story is amazing. When the earthquake opened up the jail why didn’t the other prisoners leave? I believe that they knew that the earthquake was God working to set Paul and Silas free, but they were wrong. It was to set the jailor free. Paul and Silas were not set free by the earthquake. They remained in jail.

Of course after the earthquake they had the opportunity to share with the jailor and his entire household and they became believers. They were all set free. After a night of preaching and baptizing and celebrating with the jailor and his family Paul and Silas returned to their jail cell.

I bet they were not placed back into the inner most part of the jail and I bet their feet were not clamped when they returned to the jail. And I believe that the other prisoners had the chance to hear about the Good News of Jesus Christ that night.

Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into a jail cell so that a jailor and his family could find a Savior. This is one of the most powerful stories in the Bible. I love it.

Application

I will share this story with someone that is in jail. I am just happening to be going to the Faulkenberg jail today to see someone. How neat is that!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I love this story. It is all about You and Your love for us. You love all of us. Those that are in prison and those that work in the prison are all loved by You just the same. I pray for the chaplains today that work in our prison systems. Give them the desires of their hearts, answer their prayers and make their plans successful.

I pray for those that are in jail that they may hear about the Good News of Jesus Christ and I pray that they be set free set free from sin and then later set free to be able to live for You and not for themselves. I pray for revival. I pray for revival in our church, in our prison systems, and in our country. You are mighty. You are powerful. You are worthy of praise.

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