Note 2 at Acts 16:37: Roman law forbid any Roman citizen to be bound or beaten without having been condemned at a trial (Acts 22:25-29). No Roman could be sentenced to death without the opportunity to confront his accusers face to face (Acts 25:16). The Romans considered any injustice done to an individual citizen as an insult to all of Rome. Therefore, any Roman official who violated these laws would certainly have been punished possibly by death.

Note 3 at Acts 16:37: It is very interesting that Paul and Silas didn't inform the magistrates that they were Roman citizens before they were beaten. They could have avoided the stripes and imprisonment. On another occasion, Paul avoided a beating by revealing his citizenship. There is no explanation given as to why he didn't do the same here. However, it is evident that it actually worked out better the way it happened.

Suffice it to say, that the Lord must have led them to do it the way they did. Most people wouldn't even have been opened to the Lord leading them in a direction like that because it would have involved physical pain and personal suffering. No one will ever successfully be led of the Lord until they deal with "self."

Note 4 at Acts 16:37: This could be taken as Paul getting even with the magistrates for their treatment of Silas and him. However, that would go directly against Jesus' teachings (Mt. 5:38-48) and Paul's own teaching in Rom. 12:17-21. Therefore, Paul's motive for this could not have been vengeance.

It is possible that Paul was wanting his reputation to be cleared publicly for the sake of the gospel. The magistrates had publicly condemned them as criminals thereby slandering the gospel that they preached. A public apology would once again allow their message to go forth and even further it as their vindication would become the talk of the town.

It is also possible that Paul desired to put these rulers in their place to stop them from further harassing them or the other believers as they continued to spread the gospel. These magistrates were terrified, knowing that if Paul and Silas protested their treatment in Philippi that they could be expelled from office or even killed (see note 2 at this verse). Paul and Silas "had them over a barrel."

Paul took advantage of the situation to further the cause of Christ thereby establishing a precedent that sometimes it is all right for a Christian to exert himself and demand the rights given him by his government. This does not mean we can just disregard Jesus' instructions about turning the other cheek. It all comes down to motives. If our motive is to inflict pain on the one who has hurt us, then it would be wrong to defend ourselves. If on the other hand we bear no malice, but legitimate actions can be taken to prevent an injustice from happening again, then proceed.