Acts 23:11 the Lord with Paul
Verse 11: “And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.”
During the night, following this incident, the Lord “stood by” Paul and encouraged him. Would this trip be his last, the end of the journey? No, “Be of good cheer, Paul.” He received amazing words of hope and joy, words of celebration, consolation, and inspiration:
- Matthew 9:2 …be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
- Mark 6:50 …Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.
- John 16:33 …be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
- Acts 27:25 …be of good cheer: for I believe God…
This experience strengthens Paul’s resolve. The Lord is with him. The Lord promises him that just as he had testified of him in Jerusalem, he would also testify of him in Rome. If Paul believes it “shall be even as it was told me,” he knows – despite whatever he might go through in Jerusalem, his future does not end at Jerusalem. Rome had been Paul’s focus, his goal (cf. Acts 19:21). Alexander MacLaren observes Paul’s “faithful witnessing is rewarded by further witnessing.”[1]
[1] Expositions Of Holy Scripture: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/maclaren/acts/23.htm
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