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"If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the
people; then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the
sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head . . . . . But if the
watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet . . . . . if the sword come, and
take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I
require at the watchman's hand" (Ezek. 33: 1-6).
In Acts 20: 26 the Apostle declares: "I am pure from the blood of all men", and the
ground of his confidence is expressed in the following verse:
"For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20: 27).
There are some who clutch at this statement in their endeavour to moderate the
teaching of Scripture concerning the Mystery, pointing to this passage as a proof that "all
the counsel of God" had been made known, as though this expression covered truth
which at the time of utterance had not been revealed. Those who take this view seem to
forget that Paul makes another equally important statement concerning his ministry in
Acts 26: 22:
"Saying none other things than those which the Prophet and Moses did say should come."
The "whole counsel of God", at the time of Acts 20:, was limited to the testimony of
the Law and Prophets. If there was still further truth to be revealed, truth unknown to the
O.T. scriptures, and not yet revealed to the Apostle, no one could possible blame Paul for
not making it known, and he could obviously have no responsibility in the matter.
We must conclude our survey of this important speech in our next article.
#44.
The Third Missionary Journey (19: 21 - 21: 39).
The Prison Ministry Foreshadowed (20: 17 - 38).
Final counsel, example and commendation (20: 28 - 38).
pp. 45 - 51
In his examination of the teaching of the apostle Paul, the student of the Scriptures
will have recognized that it is rare to find either believer or fellow servant exhorted to
follow a particular course, without, either in the near or remote context, the Apostle
himself being found practicing the precepts he preached. The elders of Ephesus had
witnessed this balanced exhibition of "doctrine and manner of life" (Acts 20: 17-27), with
its challenge concerning Paul's faithfulness as well as his tenderness and courage, so that
the Apostle had no hesitation in introducing his correspondingly searching exhortation
with the word "therefore".
"Take heed, therefore, unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy
Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with
His own blood" (Acts 20: 28).