Acts 16:16-18 – Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.
“Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future.” The preceding translation is from the NIV. The KJV translates the verse “And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us” and is probably a stronger translation. The girl who had this spirit was likely a younger girl and she was also likely a slave.
The stronger KJV seems more specific and appropriate in stating the girl had a spirit of divination. The word translated “divination” is the transliterated word from python. Strong’s Concordance explains it this way “in Greek mythology the name of the Pythian serpent or dragon that dwelt in the region of Pytho at the foot of Parnassus in Phocis, and was said to have guarded the oracle of Delphi and been slain by Apollo.” This verse clearly is referring to an evil spirit which gave the girl the ability to see the future. It refers to a belief in myth the people believed in. The verse does not say that the girl was thought to be able to predict the future, but it states that she definitely did. This was not a mental condition or an illness, but a demon possessed girl.
“She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.” Perhaps some may think that this spirit was not so evil, so what if the she was making money for some people. That is a wrong position. The girl was possessed by evil and that is the point. It is evil to take advantage of her dilemma for one’s profit. It is similar to a pimp taking advantage of a drug-addicted juvenile to make money for himself. Horrible and evil! Someone who is in the clutches of evil needs to be helped, not taken advantage of.
God clearly condemns divination (Deuteronomy 18:10). In 1 Samuel 15:23 it is called a spirit of rebellion (against God). Without being exhaustive about this, it is certain that divination is a sin that was a cause of Israel to be exiled (2 Kings 17:17). It is vile that men were using a demon abused girl to make money for themselves!
“She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”” At first reading the question may come “Okay, what is so bad about that? After all, isn’t what she was saying the truth?” But we must remember that we are warned against false prophets who are wolves disguised as sheep. They are not what they appear to be but rather are ferocious beasts with the intent on devouring the sheep. So whether then, or in our present day, there are demons who will say that “Jesus is Lord,” but all to gain one’s confidence to deceive them to perdition. There are cults who call themselves Christians who say they follow Jesus but the Jesus they follow is not the true Jesus. They pervert the Word and follow a road of danger in which they are lost and need to get off of or they will perish. They want Christians to let their guard down and also begin to follow their evil road. Guard against this error by knowing the Word and by being led by the Holy Spirit. Guard against those who want to deceive (Galatians 1:6-9, Jude 1:12-13, Jude 1:17-19).
“She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.” We don’t know why Paul did not immediately cast the demon from the girl. Perhaps he was waiting on the timing of God? We don’t know why, but eventually He did cast the demon from the girl. So for those who refuse the supernatural and discount that there was a demon and prefer to believe that she was mentally ill, well then either a demon was supernaturally cast out or she was supernaturally healed. Either way, the Lord supernaturally delivered her. The verse states that Paul finally cast it out because Paul became so annoyed by her following him and loudly calling out. Was she interrupting when he was speaking? Was she distracting the people who would listen? It even has been proposed that like the verse about the wolves dressed as sheep she was trying to appear as a believer with the goal of gaining their trust and then later deceiving them. We cannot say for certain, perhaps he just tired of her.
Paul did not speak to the girl when he turned his focus on her possession, but he spoke to the demon within her. He commanded the spirit out “In the name of Jesus Christ.” Paul knew that he himself had no power that the demon would obey. However they are compelled to obey Jesus. Sometimes it is hard to understand why a name would have power. But the name of Jesus is not an ordinary name, it is the name of the Son of God who has already defeated all the evil powers. The demon obeyed because it cannot resist either Jesus or His name.
Family, we have no power, in and of ourselves, to defeat evil. It is only as we are redeemed by Christ that we are able to defeat evil. And then, it is not us that does, it is Christ within us that does. If any person could defeat evil without Jesus, if evil could be overcome without Jesus, then Jesus died for nothing. But Jesus did not die for nothing. He died because only God could save man from the evil that entrapped him. And Jesus did! We have victory because Jesus has allowed us to share in His victory. We need not fear evil because Jesus defeated evil and we belong to Jesus (John 16:33). Praise God who loves us so! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”