Note 5 at Ac 21:32: It was certainly not Paul's time to die, as can be seen by the Lord's later appearance to him and the instruction that he was to also bear witness of Jesus in Rome (Ac 23:11). Therefore, the Lord had to deliver Paul from this attempt to kill him.

There were a number of times when Jesus just supernaturally walked through the midst of His persecutors (Lu 4:30; Joh 7:30, and 8:59), and this could have happened with Paul. Yet in this case, the Lord used the Roman military to protect Paul. In Lystra and Derbe, the Lord didn't deliver Paul from stoning, but rather He supernaturally raised him up after the mob had left him for dead (see note 3 at Ac 14:20). We can be assured of the Lord's protection, but we cannot be sure of the method He will use.