Acts 19:41

And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly. Acts 19:41

In the previous verse, the recorder noted that the city was in danger of being called into question for their unlawful assembly. With that, the chapter ends with, “And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.”

Once again, the term ecclesia is used to describe this unlawful gathering. The clerk had the right to dismiss it, and he had presented a logical, orderly case to show why it must be dismissed. Anything less would certainly have led to charges now that he had made his appeal. In this case, the entire city could be put under some type of curfew or had other restrictions placed upon it, or it could have had various privileges removed from it.

To close out the commentary on this chapter for us, Charles Ellicott notes that, “An interesting inscription of the date of Trajan, from an aqueduct at Ephesus, gives nearly all the technical terms that occur in the town-clerk’s speech, and so far confirms the accuracy of St. Luke’s report: ‘This has been dedicated by the loyal and devoted Council of the Ephesians, and the people that serve the temple (Neôkoros), Peducæus Priscinus being proconsul, by the decree of Tiberius Claudius Italicus, the town-clerk of the people.’”

Life application: There is no evidence that this unnamed person was a Christian convert. However, whether by friend or by foe, the Lord is able to ensure His people and His church will continue as they should. With the church apostatizing today, we can find comfort in this fact. 

Nothing is out of the providence of the Lord. To be assured that this is true, think of what Paul says to the church in this same city –

“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22.

The Lord is building a house, a temple, as a “dwelling place of God in the Spirit,” and He is doing it out of His redeemed. When a person wants a house built in today’s world, he will go to a builder and will tell him what he wants.

From there, the builder will go to an architect and have the designs drawn up according to the local codes. But he will also detail every item that is needed to build the house. He will note how much copper wire is needed, even the different gauges of wire for various uses. He will calculate how many bricks or cinderblocks are needed.

He will determine the thickness of the slab and how much concrete must be poured. He will know how many panes of glass are needed. If the house is in a high wind zone, the glass will have to meet certain standards. The number of tiles required for the ceiling will be noted.

In other words, every single detail of the house is planned in advance. The amount of materials is exactingly known, etc. From there, the builder will go to the local market and determine how much all of that stuff will cost. He will then calculate exactly how much time it will take to do each step of the job, planning them in a set order for maximum efficiency. He will figure out the number of manhours, the number of subcontractors and their costs, etc.

When these things are done, the plan and the costs will be laid out before the person who wants the house built. Every single detail is known.

If we can build houses with such precision that we know every detail in advance, imagine how perfectly God’s temple has been planned. Here, we are dealing with sin and fallen humans to erect a house properly. God, who is perfect in all ways, and who is of infinite understanding, will have no errors or lapses in His plan. 

Considering this, even external influences on the church and on the people of the church will have no negative impact on God’s plan. He already knows those things. Therefore, why should you worry about today? Why should you be upset about what appears to be lacking in your life? The Lord knew and allowed those things as a part of your preparation and perfecting for the time ahead. Be content that things have been figured out according to a plan set forth by the infinite wisdom of God.

Lord God, thank You that our lives are set in a way that will lead us to eternal glory, even when they seem – at times – to be falling apart around us. When it appears to be that way, we can confidently know that these things were allowed to mold us and perfect us in You. This is a great and wonderful encouragement to our souls. Thank You, O God. Amen.