Acts 16: 16-21 – Power encounter in Philippi

Verse 16 tells of another occasion where the four missionaries Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke were going to the place of prayer. On their way they encountered a girl with the spirit of divination. The Greek text refers to the spirit of divination as the spirit of Python. It was believed that this snake guarded the sacred shrine of Delphi, a place where divine oracles were supposedly given. Incidentally, the same word is used to describe the witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28:7-25) in the Greek translation of the Old Testament.

Apparently, this girl’s unusual ability was being exploited by some men who owned her, for the purpose of making money. She was their goldmine. But now this girl was somehow attracted to the ministry of Paul and his team, and kept following and giving free publicity to them. She kept proclaiming that, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.”

And for many days that girl with the spirit of divination, kept freely publicizing the ministry of the four missionaries. What she said went beyond the norm. Her ability came from a demon operating through her. And that demon was acknowledging that the power of the Lord Jesus was greater. 

Since it was the demon speaking through her, what she said annoyed Paul. He could discern that her oracle came from a demon. So he turned to her and commanded that spirit to come out of her in the name of Jesus Christ.  And instantly, the spirit left her that very moment. 

We are not told whether that girl became a believer of Christ or not. But we are told of the impact this had on the girl and the owners. With the departure of the spirit of divination from that girl, the profit of her owners also vanished. It was one thing to bring deliverance to a girl but was quite another matter when it affected her owners’ pockets. Their greed was in stark contrast to Lydia’s generosity, who opened her home to the missionaries.  

Her owners then dragged Paul and Silas to the market place to face the authorities. This was probably a place where civil cases were tried. The jail where both Paul and Silas were incarcerated later was also nearby. The “authorities” mentioned in verse 19 and the “magistrates” mentioned in verse 20 are referring to the same people who were tasked to maintain law and order.  The charges brought against Paul by the girl’s owners were carefully constructed to avoid the real issue, i.e. her deliverance and their vanished profit.

The charges brought against the missionaries were threefold. (1) That they were Jews. (2) That they were throwing the city in confusion. (3) That they were proclaiming and advocating customs that were unlawful to the Romans.  

Obviously, Paul and his men refused to be enticed into believing the demon-inspired flattery that came from the girl. They were deeply focused on their goal to share the resurrected Christ and exalt His name, not theirs. Hence, discerningly, Paul exorcised the source.

The temptation and allurement of the enemy is still to entice believers, especially leaders, into self-aggrandizement. It takes a composed mind and humility to stay faithful and submitted to Christ. But it’s rewarding. So like Paul, let’s stay faithful to the task and set our hearts and minds on pleasing and exalting Christ alone.