The Firsts of Acts 16: We Went to Prayer-Continued

So, Paul and his friends were on their way to prayer. Something happened on the way. In the case of Paul in Acts 16, he encounters another woman. She is a slave girl. This would not have been a first for Paul as slaves were common in the world he lived in. The word translated as slave girl or bondwoman can also mean just a girl, a child of her parents. However, slaves could be treated as if they were children who needed to be smacked from time to time. So, the word slave girl does not indicate a specific age. In the thirteen times it is found in the New Testament, it is typically translated as slave girl, servant girl, maid servant, or bondwoman. The same word is used to describe Ruth in the Septuagint. (See Ruth 4:12) We know this girl in Acts 16 is a slave because she is owned by masters. (More than one.) These masters have made a lucrative business using this girl. What does she do that is so important to the masters? She has the spirit of divination. Here is one of our firsts in Acts 16. The use of the word divination is found only in Acts 16:16. It is a form of the word ‘Python’. This word was used to describe the area where the famous Oracle of Delphi could be found. This poor girl was possessed by an evil spirit. Her ability came from this spirit, and she was being used by both the spirit and her masters. What a sad situation. There is a much sadder situation, though. That is the situation that all who are outside of CHRIST are in; slaves to their Sin Master. JESUS said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” (John 8:34) The New Testament makes a clear distinction between those who are Free in CHRIST and occasionally sin, and those who are not in CHRIST and are in Bondage to Sin. Remember, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Gal 5:1

Russell Ashby