Gamaliel advised the council to leave the apostles alone and not fight against God.
He told the religious leaders to refrain from these men and let them alone, reasoning that if their work was merely human it would fail on its own. But if the work was from God, the council could not overthrow it without being found fighting against God.
Acts 5:38-39 — This is the passage where Gamaliel directly gives his counsel to the council about the apostles.
When Peter and the apostles were brought before the council in Acts 5, the religious leaders were cut to the heart and took counsel to slay them (Acts 5:33). A Pharisee named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law who was respected by all the people, had the apostles put outside for a little while. Then he warned the council, "Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men" (Acts 5:35). Gamaliel reminded them of previous movements that had arisen and come to nothing, then gave his advice: "And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God" (Acts 5:38-39). The council agreed with him, called the apostles, beat them, commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go (Acts 5:40).
In the available clips, Les Feldick does not comment on Gamaliel by name, but he teaches the surrounding Acts 5 context in which Gamaliel's counsel was given. He emphasizes that the apostles' release from prison was a supernatural angelic intervention, and that the council had to respond to something they could not explain (Clip 2). Les also shows that the religious leaders were cut to the heart when they heard Peter, and that the Spirit was working even on those leaders (Clip 0). Les explains that Peter's message in Acts 5 was the same message Zacharias announced in Luke 1: Christ had come to give Israel remission of sins and to be their King, if they would only repent of having killed their Messiah (Clip 0). He further stresses that God, in His benevolence, kept offering Israel the opportunity to repent and receive the King and the Kingdom through Peter and the eleven apostles in the early chapters of Acts (Clip 4).
The apostles had been supernaturally released from prison by an angel, and the council did not know what to do. Les points out that the high priest confronted them about teaching in the name of Jesus, and that the dispute was over that name rather than over a full explanation of His death, burial, and resurrection (Clip 2).
Les explains that Peter's message was the same as Zacharias' prophecy: salvation was being offered to Israel, along with remission of sins and the arrival of the Messiah-King. The call was for the nation to repent of killing their Messiah, and if they did, God's intended purposes could still unfold (Clip 0).
Les says that even after the nation of Israel rejected Jesus and cried out for His crucifixion, God returned in grace through Peter and the eleven apostles. He was still giving Israel the opportunity to repent of the horrible sin of crucifying their King and to receive the King and the Kingdom if they would believe (Clip 4).
The biblical account says the council agreed with Gamaliel. They did not kill the apostles, but they called them, beat them, commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go (Acts 5:40). So while they followed Gamaliel's immediate advice to refrain from killing them, they still did not fully leave them alone.
Council Cut to the Heart
Les describes the religious leaders being cut to the heart when they heard Peter, and shows that Peter was offering Israel remission of sins and the Kingdom through repentance.
Why Paul's Gospel to Gentiles Is Different From Peter's
Verse 28, And he was with them, coming in and going out at Jerusalem. And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians. Now these are not Gentiles, remember. Remember your terminology? A Grecian was a non-Palestine Jew. They were Jews who were citizens of other nations, not Palestine. And so he disputed against the Grecians.
Apostles Before the Council
Les explains the supernatural angelic release of the apostles and the high priest's questioning about teaching in the name of Jesus, setting the scene for the council's dilemma.
Why Paul's Gospel to Gentiles Is Different From Peter's
That if these Jewish believers at Jerusalem would have succeeded in putting Paul down and stopping his ministry among the Gentiles, which is what they really wanted to do, what would have happened to our chances for salvation? We wouldn't have any. And that's exactly what he's saying. He withstood all this pressure that the Gentiles might continue to receive this Gospel of grace.
Israel's Ongoing Opportunity
Les shows that in early Acts God continued to give Israel the opportunity to repent and receive the King and Kingdom despite their earlier rejection of Christ.
The Hidden Wisdom of God — 1 Corinthians 2:6-9 Explained
Well logically from the human standpoint, there old Saul was now up there in Damascus, and the Lord has just totally made him his own, has brought him off his high horse of Judaism. What would have been the logical thing to do? Well go back to Jerusalem, and look up Peter, James and John, and say, hey fellas, you were with the Lord for three years, fill me in.
What Is Paul's Gospel? 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Explained Verse by Verse
I verily thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth, that is, during His earthly ministry, of course, which thing I also did in Jerusalem. And many of the saints did I shut up in prison. Now, the saints he's talking about, of course, were just simply Jewish believers who had followed Christ in His earthly ministry.
What Does the Bible Really Say About Obeying Government?
Now as I was thinking about this getting ready, do you remember when Paul was called before the religious leaders in Israel? Go back with me a minute to Acts chapter 23. Here Paul is up before the great religious leaders of his day, and they're giving him a bad time. Do you think Paul just stood there like a milk toast? No he didn't. He fired back, and I think once in a while we have to.
Acts 5:33: When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.
This verse records the council's angry response that immediately precedes Gamaliel's intervention.
Acts 5:38-39: And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.
These verses contain Gamaliel's exact advice to the council regarding the apostles.
Acts 5:40: And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
This verse shows how the council responded to Gamaliel's counsel.
Gamaliel told the council to refrain from the apostles and let them alone. He argued that if the work was of men it would fail on its own, but if it was of God, the council could not overthrow it without fighting against God (Acts 5:38-39).
They agreed not to kill the apostles, but they still had them beaten and commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus before releasing them (Acts 5:40). So they accepted the immediate counsel but did not leave the apostles completely untouched.
The available clips do not show Les discussing Gamaliel by name. However, he teaches the surrounding Acts 5 context, including the supernatural prison release, the council's response, and Peter's continued offer of repentance and the Kingdom to Israel.
Watch the Teaching: Why Repentance Was Offered to Israel — Acts 5 Explained