'28' - Day 25

"Ignorance of the law excuses no man: Not that all men know the law, but because 'tis an excuse every man will plead, and no man can tell how to refute him." John Selden, English antiquarian & jurist (1584 - 1654)

As Paul appears before three "judges" in Acts 25, He knew the law. He knew the customs. He knew his rights. He knew the system. At the same time, He knew of no offense that he had committed against the Jews or the law. His detainment wasn't fair.

I know that there are a lot of criminals out that there that would say "I'm innocent" and "I didn't know that was against the law!" and "My continued detainment isn't fair!", but that really was true for Paul. Paul indeed kept the moral law of the Old Testament. He knew that the law's moral standards never change, any more than God himself does. To him, the law was holy, good and spiritual, expressing God's requirement of a righteous life. And yet, Paul did not keep the law simply because it was the law. He didn't keep it simply as a set of codes or standards by which to measure himself as being righteous.

Paul knew that a righteous life requires the POWERFUL work fo the Holy Spirit. Paul knew that successfully obeying the law was an expression of our desire to please God. The same is true for us today!