God’s Got Your Six Series

In the army we have a term – ‘I’ve got your six.’ This means I got your back. I will watch out for you. Today we are going to see as we are in the Lord’s army that He has our back.

One of the most treasured beliefs held by many people is that each person has an appointed “guardian angel” to watch over them. Although the Bible never uses the term “guardian angel,” there are examples of angels being assigned to protect human beings (Acts 12:6–10). Angels are celestial messengers that move at the speed of light to carry out God’s will (Psalm 103:20–21). In times of peril, “guardian” angels are God’s servants sent to rescue us (2 Kings 6:13–17). They involve themselves in political affairs of nations as well as the smallest concerns of children (Isaiah 37:33–36; Matthew 18:10).

Angels, specifically guardian angels, are compelled to work on our behalf. They are anxious to hear and carry out God’s Word. Their inexhaustible love for God motivates them to protect and guard what is most precious to Him, His children. It says in Psalm 91:11“For [God] orders his angels to protect you wherever you go”.

I have witnessed personally how our Great and Wonderful Holy God has come to my rescue over and over again throughout my life. I guess all my life I have been an accident waiting to happen and my Holy Loving Father has been watching over me. I am sure you can stop and think about your own lives and find incidents where He was there for you also.

In today’s study we are going to find out how the apostle Paul was manipulated to do something on the elders of Jerusalem advice. It got him into deep trouble where his very life was in jeopardy. I want you as we go through this chapter to see God’s angels help Paul.

At this point in our study we begin the remarkable account of Paul’s imprisonment, trials and treatment at the hands of men in Jerusalem and Caesarea. What follows can only really be understood by those who understood the situation in Palestine. Hyrcanus and Antipater had a century before supported Caesar when he was having a difficult time in possessing his empire and as a result the Jews were given special privileges, being looked on as allies rather than just as a conquered people. And the peculiarities of their religion were thus assured to them. Nevertheless the Jews saw themselves as God’s chosen people and could never be happy under Gentile control. Matters became worse when the failures of their rulers resulted in Judaea coming under direct Roman rule through procurators, although their ruling body the Sanhedrin continued to have authority in religious affairs, and in practice considerable control in political affairs as well because the people were more responsive to them. The wise procurator kept on good terms with the Sanhedrin if at all possible (it was easier said than done). There was an uneasy peace between the procurators and the Sanhedrin, and a love-hate relationship, and the procurators had to recognize that while they could enforce their decisions through the auxiliary legions quartered in Palestine, the people looked more to the Sanhedrin because they were Jewish and were more responsive to them. It was necessary, if peace was to be maintained and harmony achieved, that the Sanhedrin was kept in harness. On the other hand the procurators in the end were in total control, and had the armed forces which ensured it, as the Sanhedrin bitterly recognized. It was they who were responsible to Caesar for the peace of the realm.