The Great Escape

-July 16, 2025-

Good morning beloved, happy Wednesday,

“But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket.”

(Acts 9:23-24).

Everyone loves to hear about a great escape, especially an escape from death. There are many great escapes in the Bible. Noah, Jacob, Moses, the two Israelite spies in Jericho, Daniel and his three friends, David, Elisha, Jesus, and Peter, just to name a few.

There is a great movie from 1963, entitled “The Great Escape.” In it Allied prisoners dug a tunnel by hand through the dirt and escaped the Nazi POW camp. The story of Saul, later called Paul rivals it. It would make a great movie!!

Saul had just been saved on the road to Damascus. He spent quite a while in that city preaching, proving that Jesus is the Christ. Some loved him, but the Jews hated him, and plotted to silence him by killing him.

The Jews basically locked down the city, carefully watching it day and night. It seemed impossible for him to escape, but as we know, nothing is impossible with God. I am sure that the saints in Damascus joined in earnest prayer for Saul. The Lord gave them wisdom to devise a great plan for Saul’s escape. At night they lowered him down the wall of the city in a large basket. That had to be one large and heavy basket!

Their plan worked to perfection. God had plans for him to be a great apostle, writer, preacher, teacher, and missionary. The Lord had said to Ananias, ‘Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My sake’” (Acts 9:15-16).

How different church history would been if the Jews succeeded in their destructive plot! God protected Paul in a major way.

Let us thank the Lord we have escaped spiritual death through the death of Christ on the cross. He may have even spared us from physical death at some point or points in our lives. I know He did that for me on at least three occasions.

Have a blessed day resting in the Lord’s protection and blessing. Stay safe and healthy.

A believer is immortal until his work on earth is done.

Dean