Wisdom is not just a phenomenon enjoyed by believers. God who is all-wise will give wisdom, even to those who do not believe, so that His purposes will be achieved (Daniel 2:21). Today's verses follow wild accusations by the silversmiths of Ephesus that Paul's preaching would ruin their business (Acts 19:23-27). They had fomented a riot among the townspeople to get rid of the apostle and pour public scorn on his teaching, although many did not know why they were involved (Acts 19:32).

The chief official of the city had to restore order, otherwise the Roman military would be called to take charge and the local government officers risked losing their positions, or worse. So the 'city clerk' soothed the incensed crowd by affirming that they all believed that the image of Artemis (Diana) fell from heaven and Ephesus was entrusted to look after it. He implied that, as they believed Artemis was a goddess, then she could be trusted to deal with her enemies and did not need a mob to bring justice. At the same time he defended Paul and his travelling companions, Gaius and Aristarchus (Acts 19:28-29), saying that they had not directly spoken against Artemis nor taken anything from the temple.

The city clerk then appealed to the rule of law as prescribed in the Roman Empire. A riot was not a civilised way to dispense justice. If Demetrius, the silversmith who started the disturbance, had a legal problem with Paul's preaching then lawyers and magistrates could be asked to investigate and press charges if necessary. Otherwise mob rule would end up inflicting greater damage on the city than Paul's preaching could ever do. In conclusion he instructed the crowd to stop their protest and go home: which they did. Despite the falsehood that the pagan temple was the result of divine authority, and the immediate objective to quell a riot, the chief official's wisdom in defusing the angry mob meant that Paul and his team were spared further hardship and the church was not penalised. In fact the church in Ephesus proved to be a significant mission centre.

God has His way of even using unbelievers in such a way that wisdom prevails, and that the gospel has the space to grow. If God could call Cyrus the Persian King 'my shepherd' (Isaiah 44:28), He can use your government, employer or staff to conduct His business. That is why we should pray for all those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-7), that God who appointed them (Romans 13:1) will use them to His glory – even though they might not know it. So we should not despair when the world rises against the gospel and its messengers; rather we should pray and give thanks, because the Lord Jesus still has sovereign authority over everything and everyone.