Agabus

2023-05-27

Agabus was a prophet who came from Jerusalem who went to Antioch for a season. “And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea” (Acts 11:27-29).

Here, we see that he received knowledge from the Lord concerning a famine. This information came so that the church in Antioch could provide for the needs of the churches of Judaea.

Years later, this prophet came from Judaea to Caesarea to warn Paul of his arrest were he to go to Jerusalem. “And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem” (Acts 21:10-12).

Paul did not heed this advice. He was told repeatedly not to go to Jerusalem. While he was in Tyre with disciples, we read, “And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem” (Acts 21:4). The Spirit told Paul not to go, but he did anyway. We find that the Lord worked in this stubbornness regardless: “And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome” (Acts 23:11). The Lord still works things out despite our stubbornness.

Some find fault with this second prophecy of Agabus, since some say that Paul was not bound and turned over by the Jews, but by the chief captain and his men. First, we see that we do not know who bound him for sure. “Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done” (Acts 21:33). However, even if the Jews had no hand in literally binding him, they were the ones responsible for his binding. David did not literally kill Uriah the Hittite, but it is written, “Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon” (2 Samuel 12:9). The chief captain would have never had Paul bound if it were not for the Jews who assaulted him in Jerusalem. We would say the Jews bound Paul with the chains of the chief captain.

The prophet Agabus received knowledge from the Lord and faithfully delivered those messages so that the people would make wise decisions. The church of Antioch faithfully used the knowledge to help others while Paul was not as quick to receive the advice for whatever his reasoning was. Perhaps it was this: “For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:3).