Slave Girl set Free

Acts 16:16 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. 19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice." 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God--he and his whole household. 35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: "Release those men." 36 The jailer told Paul, "The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace." 37 But Paul said to the officers: "They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out." 38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. 39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.

Magistrate is a term used both for military commanders and for civil officers of a Greek city who were charged with administering the community finances, enforcing enactments of the council or citizen body, and in some cases, passing sentences in legal cases.[1]

What do you do when someone is hurt? Do you assist or walk away? This young girl is possessed by a demon that provides her with true information to pass on. After being followed for many days by the girl, Paul called on Jesus to bring the demon out of the girl. This angered the employer resulting in a crowd being formed. As a result, Paul and Silas were flogged and put in jail for causing a riot.

While Paul and Silas were in prison, they sang songs and offered praises to God. The other prisoners listened. The guard woke following the earthquake which is normal for this area. The guard was so afraid of the Romans that he was going to take his own life thinking the prisoners had escaped. After finding them there, he asked about Jesus. His family was baptized that night and learned about the salvation of Jesus.

This lengthy story tells us many things. The Romans were not forgiving to individuals making a mistake. The guard was sleeping when the chains fell off the prisoners. The guard would rather kill himself than let the Romans torture and kill him. The Romans were wrong in the decision to flog Paul and Silas without a hearing. Romans treat other Romans with respect. This message is about the increase in the jailers home to Christianity.

What about you? Will you pray for those being used for others' gain? Will you stand up for right regardless of the cost? We all have a purpose. What is yours?

Bibliography

“Magistrate.” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 1044-1045. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015.

[1] “Magistrate,” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 1044-1045.