Acts 16:16-18
We’re not told much about the girl who had the demon that allowed her to prophesy. We are not told her age or how she came to be in her condition, nor what became of her after she was set free. But what we do know is she was powerful. She had a spirit of divination, which was likely associated with Apollo, the god of prophecy. The word “divination” is from the word that gives us the English word “python”. At some point, perhaps, a girl believed that involvement with the demon or fortune-telling was an attractive good thing. But once in the coils of a python escape is all but impossible. When anyone, even a disciple, opens themselves up to the power of the demonic, they can find themselves bound and moving to deeper levels of darkness. To dabble with spiritism is forbidden for anyone who would know God.
She was a profitable slave who made a great deal of money for her owners by “fortune-telling”. This word is used in the Greek Old Testament to describe lying prophets. The lying prophets would spin enough truth in with deception to keep their patrons coming back for more. Motivated by fear and believing that the gods and the universe were a cruel place, the pagans rushed to anyone who might warn them about or help them manipulate the future. As disciples we do see that the world can be a cruel place, but we also know that Jesus has overcome the world. We do not need to attempt to manipulate the future because in each present moment, the Lord Jesus is the victor, and nothing in or out of time can defeat His good plan for us.
Why was Paul so annoyed by the slave girl’s proclamation? First, Paul understood that the demonic always has an evil agenda. What the demon said was true, but there was an evil intent behind it, and unchecked, the demon would turn the proclamation of this good news to evil. Second, consider the duels that have been fought to the death when an evil man has taken the liberty with a name and reputation of a good woman. The word of salvation is too holy for the profane mouth of a demon to speak. Finally, the Gospel is not advanced by a sideshow. The carnival chaos of this demon harangue would draw a crowd but would not make disciples. What about the girl? With her powers gone, did she try to regain them? Did she become a disciple? The Scriptures are silent on this, and that tells us all that we actually need to know.
“Lord, give me the wisdom and will to never dabble with the powers of darkness, no matter what the purpose. AMEN
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