Acts 16:16-24
A Spirit of Divination
Read the passage
16One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination, who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling.
17This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!”
18She continued this for many days. Eventually Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And the spirit left her at that very moment.
19When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace.
20They brought them to the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into turmoil
21by promoting customs that are unlawful for us Romans to adopt or practice.”
22The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered that they be stripped and beaten with rods.
23And after striking them with many blows, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to guard them securely.
24On receiving this order, he placed them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
A slave girl follows the missionaries, announcing that they serve the Most High God and proclaim the way of salvation. Yet her situation is deeply wrong. A spirit of divination holds her, and her owners make a large income from her fortune-telling. Accurate-sounding words do not make the spirit trustworthy or the exploitation acceptable.
After many days, Paul grows aggravated. He turns and commands the spirit to leave in the name of Jesus Christ. It leaves immediately. The authority is Jesus', and the girl is released from the spirit's power. Luke does not tell us what happens to her afterward, so we should not invent the rest of her story.
We do hear what her owners do. Once they see that their income is gone, they drag Paul and Silas before the authorities. Their accusation speaks of unlawful customs and public disorder, while Luke has shown us the loss of profit behind it.
The crowd joins in, and Paul and Silas are beaten and imprisoned. Jesus' authority over the spirit is clear, even though his servants end this reading in chains. Doing his work has brought them into conflict with people who benefited from another person's suffering.
Questions
1 What was the slave girl's situation?
AnswerShe had a spirit of divination, and her owners made substantial money from the predictions attributed to her.
2 What did the spirit announce?
AnswerIt announced that Paul and Silas were servants of the Most High God who proclaimed the way of salvation, though the true message did not make the exploitation acceptable.
3 Why were her owners angry?
AnswerThey saw that their hope of making money had disappeared when the spirit left her, so they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities.
4 What happened to Paul and Silas?
AnswerThey were beaten with many blows and thrown into prison. The jailer put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in stocks.
What This Means for Us
The owners saw the loss of income where they should have seen a person freed from a spirit. That is a searching question for us: are we overlooking harm because an arrangement benefits us? If someone is being used or mistreated, we can listen, seek trustworthy help, and support their protection. A person's well-being matters more than keeping a profitable situation comfortable.
Prayer
Jesus, protect people who are being used by others. Make us alert to hidden exploitation and willing to act with courage, even when obedience costs us. Amen.