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Acts 21:27 "When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, who had seen [Paul] in the temple, stirred up all the crowd and laid hands on him".

 

Paul had returned to Jerusalem and told the elders all that God was accomplishing through his ministry, especially with the Gentiles. The elders were glad and to hear this, but advised Paul to go to the Temple and purify himself, taking four men under vow with him, hoping that the Jews in Jerusalem would see that he was still observant of the law. (Acts 21:17-28). Unfortunately, before the time of purification was through, the Jews from Asia stirred up a crowd against Paul who tried to kill him. (Acts 21:30-31). Luke tells us that the disturbance began when the seven days of Paul's purification were almost completed. So the purification, and thus the strategy of the elders, was interrupted by riotous people.

 

It is noteworthy that the seven days were not fully completed. Seven is a number of completion, when a Biblical seven-day period is interrupted, that is a sign of the devil's chaos warring against God's order. Nothing happens without God's permission, however, so even these interruptions are part of God's plan. The elders and Paul were doing what was right when they told Paul to go to the Temple for purification, and Paul was being righteous in doing so, but God did not allow it to be completed. It turned out that the interruption by the disgruntled Jews led to the intervention of the Roman tribune, and to Paul giving a speech to the murderous crowd to which they listened (until he got to the part about being sent to the Gentiles, when they became murderous again). (Acts 21:31-23:33) The Jews, and posterity, got this wonderful speech from Paul that we would not otherwise have had if the elders' plan had worked.

 

When God's lets our good plans and worthy intentions be disrupted, or not come to fruition, there is a reason for it. We have to stay with Him, not rebelling that our own ideas, as good as they seemed, did not come about, but recalibrating in the moment to stay in tune with God's will. Paul did just that, and was able to give an instructive speech to people who had been trying to murder him. If he had let his will get in the way, his ego may have lost him the opportunity that God provided to further preach His word and grow His Church.