The Acts of the Apostles
Chapter 18
Vs. 1 Paul leaves Athens and goes to Corinth.
Vs. 2 Paul met a man and his wife recently come from Italy. The man’s name was Aquila and his wife was Priscilla. They had to leave Italy because the king of Rome said all Jews had to leave Rome.
So we see that even way back in history people hated the Jews and tried to get rid of them.
Vs. 3 Paul was a tentmaker and so were they. So they agreed to have Paul stay with them. Tentmaker sewed strips of heavy cloth into a tent. The material was then oiled to help make it waterproof.
Vs. 4 Paul went to the Jewish church every Sabbath day and talked to the people there. He told them about Jesus. He also talked to Gentile people or non-Jews about Jesus.
Vs. 5 Silas and Timothy came to Corinth to be with Paul. Paul felt the Holy Spirit was pressing him to talk more clearly to the Jews and with more power and courage to explain how Jesus was the promised Messiah, Christ.
Vs. 6 But the Jews would not receive/believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Finally Paul said I will stop talking with you Jews and I will go to the non-Jews and talk to them.
Vs. 7 He went to the house of Justus. He was a believer. His house was right next to the Jewish church. The main ruler of the Jewish church became a believer. Some other people began to believe also. They were baptized.
Vs. 8 One night in a vision/dream God spoke to Paul. He told him not to be afraid to speak out the truth. God said he would protect Paul from harm. God said that there were many people in that place who would believe. So Paul stayed there for one and half years and he preached.
Vs. 12 After that time a leader of one of the towns was against Paul and he made trouble for Paul.
Paul was called into court. He told the court that Paul was teaching the people things that were against the Jewish law.
Vs. 13-17 The governor of the Corinth area listened at first, but when he saw that it was about religious arguments of their belief he did not want to hear it. So he told them all to leave. After they left the courtroom, the crowd grabbed one of the leaders of the Jewish church and beat him.
Vs.17 -18 Paul stayed in that area for a while longer. Then he left and went to Syria. Aquila and Priscilla went with him.
Paul had shaved his head. He made a vow. This was a Nazarite vow. See Numbers 6:1-21
The purpose of the vow (promise) was to become closer to God.
To show God your devotion to Him.
There were rules for the vow.
1. They were to not to cut their hair—not the hair on their heads, or their beard.
2. They were not to drink alcohol or vinegar drinks.
3. They were not to eat grapes, or raisins—grape leaves, husk, etc. from the grape vine.
4. They were not to touch a dead human body.
This vow was taken for a time —– days, weeks, or months.
Samson was to take it for his whole life.
At the end of the time, the man would go to the temple and take an offering/sacrifice and shave his head and beard. That hair was to be burned at the temple.
Paul did this—see Acts 21:24
It seems—that when they took the vow—they shaved their head and beard. Then when the time of the vow was finished—they shaved their head again, and that hair was burned.
Usually, Jewish men did not shave their heads or beards. The Jewish men did not shave the corners of their beard—sideburns we call them—one of the rules of Moses’ law.
When men let their hair grow long—or longer than American custom now—-the beard and sideburns were all one.
When men began to cut their hair short—they also cut the “sides of their beards” —-the hair right in front of their ears–”sideburns”.
Today, some Jewish men who follow the strict rules of the Old Testament—cut the back and top of their hair short like other men, but they do not cut their sideburns—”corners of their beard”.
That makes them have long pieces of hair hang down in front of their ears at the corners of their beards—-often these men do not trim their beards either.
Their “sideburns”—”corners of their beards” grow long — like two long curls hanging down at the side of their faces.
Jewish men of old did not shave their beards. One time in the Old Testament some Jewish men were taken captive and the enemy shaved off half of their beards. This was a big embarrassment to the men.
So, as Paul travels now—to speak to Jewish people—they will know that he has taken this vow—because he has no hair or beard.
Vs. 19 They all went to the city of Ephesus. Paul went to the Jewish church there and began to tell them about Jesus.
Vs. 20-21 The people wanted Paul to stay longer and talk to them, but Paul said he had to go to Jerusalem in time for the feast/holy day. He told them he would come back again later.
Vs. 22 Paul landed at Caesarea. He went to the church there. And then he went to the church at Antioch to see how they were doing.
Vs. 23 He then went over to Galatia and Phrygia to visit with the believers there.
Vs. 24 A man named Apollos knew the scriptures very well came to Ephesus.
Vs. 25 Apollos was a very good teacher but he did not know about Jesus. He only knew about John the Baptist and what he had said.
Vs. 26 So Aquila and Priscilla took him into their home and explained to him all the things about Jesus and the Holy Spirit coming on the believers.
Vs. 27-28 Later Apollos went to Achaia. The believers in Ephesus wrote to the believers in Achaia to encourage them to listen to Apollos. Apollos was very good at understanding the scriptures and he showed the believers how Jesus was the promised Messiah.