Here God used the Roman state to protect his apostle. The state, also, is the instrument of God, and we must remember that. The powers that be are ordained of God, and God uses them -- as he did in this case to preserve the life of Paul.
As we review this account I cannot help but think of the phrase Paul uses in his second letter to the Corinthians: "struck down, but not destroyed..." (2 Corinthians 4:9b RSV).
