22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten.
Paul did not assert his rights! He was a Roman citizen, and as such, it was not lawful for him to be beaten without having first been found guilty in a trial. But Paul did not assert his rights. This sounds so foreign to our American ears. We are a people who push for our ‘rights’ every day. We have a whole class of people whose only job is to protect or infringe on someone’s rights. Lawyers spend their days finding ways to uphold their client’s rights or impinge on the rights of others. Paul and Silas chose to forgo their rights. This meant they were beaten. Not a very pleasant alternative to not being beaten. I would choose not being beaten, how about you? But these two must have known that this too was part of God’s plan. They must have been listening to the Holy Spirit’s promptings and trusting in His direction. That can be very hard to do when persecution comes. Too many in this country give in too quickly to ‘political correctness’ instead of standing up for the Truth. The Gospel carries a price. For Paul and Silas it meant enduring a beating that was unjust. Later that day they are in jail praying and singing! Even a beating can’t keep worshipers from worshipping. And you can count on a crowd to do the wrong thing! This crowd just joins in on the attack of Paul and Silas. I bet most had no idea what was going on. Sounds a lot like many of the out of control crowds in our times! About the only crowd that really knows what they are up against is the Running of the Bulls. They all know they might end up with a horn placed in a very uncomfortable place, and yet they chose to be in that crowd. The next day some in this same crowd are listening to Paul and Silas preach. What a difference 24 hours makes.
The Arnold Journey 