Acts 23:21-25
 
Acts 23:21 (KJB)
But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.
 
The young man then gives advice unto the tribune that he should in no wise give in to their request and bring Paul where he could be vulnerable. The young man then told the tribune that these forty plus men were bound by an oath of neither eating or drinking until they have killed Paul. This meant that these Jews were very serious in their desire to kill Paul because an oath was a serious matter. It was not just idle chatter by a bunch of hotheads. These men, upon hearing from the tribune that Paul would be brought to the Sanhedrin, would then place themselves in positions where they could successfully attack and kill Paul. The young man was very emphatic in his approach to the tribune, especially that this attack could happen at any time.
 
Acts 23:22 (KJB)
So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast showed these things to me.
 
The tribune then dismissed the young man and told him that he was not to tell anyone the information which he had shared with him. He also knew that young men tend to talk too much and that is why the tribune was emphatic about speaking to no one. If he did, then the Jews would only postpone and attack at another time. The tribune had believed Paul’s nephew and was about to take action in the matter. Jesus had appeared to Paul and told him that he would also be a witness in Rome, so behind all these events was the guiding hand of the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Acts 23:23 (KJB)
And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;
 
The tribune then begins to make preparations to give Paul safe passage. When the Lord Jesus told Paul that he was going to testify for Him in Rome, I don’t think Paul ever expected such an escort. The tribune was not taking any chances so he mobilized two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen. The spearmen would be proficient in the use of the spear and if any of the conspirators were in the trees, then the spearmen could pick them off before they could do any harm to Paul. The tribune knew that if Paul was killed, then he would be in trouble for not protecting him. By 9 o’clock that night, they were assembled and ready to go. Their trip was 55 miles (88 km) to Caesarea. It was about 30 miles (48 km) north of Joppa and was built by Herod the Great and contained an artificial harbor, 200 feet (61 m) wide and 60 feet (18 m) deep, which was considered pretty large for that day. Roman Governors and procurators made Caesarea their home. Archaeology has uncovered a stone there with Pilate’s name on it.
 
Acts 23:24 (KJB)
And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.
 
Horses were also brought and Paul was given a horse to ride so this way he could be brought safely to Felix the Governor. Marcus Antonius Felix was Procurator of Judaea from 52-59 A.D. Felix was a fierce and violent man who had slaughtered many Jews. Felix was also a former slave who became free by the Emperor Claudius or his mother. Tacitus, the Roman historian, stated that Claudius enjoyed cruelty and lust and wielded the power of a king with the mind of a slave.
 
Acts 23:25 (KJB)
And he wrote a letter after this manner:
 
The tribune had penned a letter of introduction to Felix because Paul could not see the Governor without some kind of information as to why he was there. It is not known how a copy of the letter was revealed to Luke but the Holy Spirit may have given Luke the words and he wrote them down. Some believe that Paul saw the letter and made a copy for Luke. The bottom line is that we will never really know but this we do know, that it is included in the sacred Scriptures for all eternity.

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