Not many of us will ever go through what Christians in communist prisons had to endure. i. The world should see (or hear) our joy in the Lord from the dungeon and ask, Whats with these people, anyway? Then we tell them. Most certainly not! As Paul later wrote to the Philippians, his aim was that with all boldness, Christ would even now, as always, be exalted in his body, whether by life or by death (Phil. 30Then he brought them out and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews in that region: Paul had Timothy circumcised, not for the sake of his salvation (Paul would never do so) but so there would be less to hinder ministry among the Jews. ii. Paul and Silas in Prison. Paul did this not for Timothys salvation or right standing with God, but so that Timothys status as a non-circumcised man from a Jewish mother would not hinder their work among the Jews and in synagogues. The only way that prison and mistreatment and a raw back do not matter is when the delight of God matters more. The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Supplemental Teaching Idea. secrets, and things to come. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 (ESV) For I delivered to you as of first impo They seized Paul and Silas: Paul and Silas were singled out not only because they were the leaders of the evangelistic group, but also by their appearance, as they were the most obviously Jewish. Acts 16:25-40 (ESV) 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At some time you will be falsely accused. ii. while Judas and Silas were to confirm them by word of mouth. All I can say here is, when you are treated wrongly, your response should be motivated by the furtherance of Gods glory and the gospel, and by the administration of Gods justice through law and government, which He has appointed for the well being of society. view of the recent decision of the council. Dive Deeper. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. 19. the place of prayer, Acts 16:13. Paul and Silas show us four aspects of a right response to wrong treatment. b. Our trials do not mean that He does not exist or that He is not loving and good. 3:1). a. Lydia was prospering in business; the guard was about to kill himself. Home . 28But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, 'Don't harm yourself: we are all here!' Paul and Silas beaten. Do we just lay down as doormats and take whatever happens passively? That leads to the last point: We dont know why, but for some reason the next morning the magistrates sent to the jailer and told him to release Paul and Silas. 15. Acts chapter 16. ", "About midnight Paul and Silas, in jail, were praying and singing hymns to God. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. ii. of the fear of death by the jailer in Acts 16 is also not strange in the African religious experience, where the fear of death God knows what He is doing when he says, No.. 37But Paul replied with this message for the magistrates: 'They have flogged us publicly, without a trial, men who are Romans, and have cast us into prison. The Preaching forbidden in Asia (Acts 16:6). "ACTS OF THE APOSTLES" Chapter Sixteen OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THIS CHAPTER 1) To trace the route of Paul . We need 2 cookies to store this setting. "About midnight Paul and Silas, in jail, were praying and singing hymns to God. But when it is true and has a supernatural origin (as opposed to clever, insightful guessing), there is no doubt that it is inspired by demons. This was a promise made specifically to the keeper of the prison. In line with that, Pauls action showed the entire city, which would have heard about this incident, the spirit of Jesus Christ. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplaced unto the rulers. He drew his sword and was about to kill himself, assuming that the prisoners had escaped. Later, there was a church in Thyatira also, and it was one of the seven churches addressed in Revelation (Revelation 2:18-29). 6. The magistrates were sufficiently humbled, and the public at large, hearing of this circumstance, must be satisfied of the innocency of the apostles. been forbidden of the Holy Ghost to speak the word in Asia.' TANSTAAFL is an acronym for the old adage, "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch," reportedly coined by Robert Heinlein. ACTSNOTE ON ACTS 16:16 A SPIRIT OF DIVINATION. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition The Lockman Foundation, Related Topics: Character of God, Faith, Suffering, Trials, Persecution, Steve served as the pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship from May, 1992 through his retirement in December, 2018. But he let their wrong go unpunished and by his actions showed that Christians are not out for personal vengeance. 4:12). TIMOTHY WORKS WITH PAUL AND SILAS, 16:1-5 Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023. , is added here by ABCE, several others, _Origen_ and We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. But, you cannot believe without hearing so they spoke unto him and to those in his house the word of the Lord. What are some practical steps toward deepening our daily joy in the Lord. And he brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? So they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 39So the magistrates came begging to Paul and Silas. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. i. Paul began this missionary journey having come from Antioch. serpent destroyed, according to Greek You can check these in your browser security settings. And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, Let those men go. So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, The magistrates have sent to let you go. This shows how repentant he was and how he followed the example of love shown by Paul and Silas. They encouraged them and departed: In Philippi, Paul and Silas left behind two notable converts: Lydia and the prison guard. Yet, Paul did not contradict his belief or the findings of the council when he had Timothy circumcised. Paul was guided by hindrance. The jailer then brought Paul and Silas up into his house, and set food before them. The article, _Possessed with a spirit, &c._] _As we went to prayer_ Or to the place of prayer, mentioned before; _a A. abs._ And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain God guides us along the way, to just the right place. AND IT CAME TO PASS, AND WE WENT TO PRA 40 Silas was almost necessary as a companion for Paul. Those who are prisoners in Satans domain of darkness are always listening to and watching the Lords people, especially in times of trial. This is how God wants our lives to be: Natural magnets drawing people to Him. i. Philippi was the place where the armies of Mark Antony and Octavian defeated Brutus and Cassius in the decisive battle of the second Roman civil war in 42 B.C. (Hughes) Because of this, many Roman soldiers retired in the area, and Philippi was proud of its Roman connection. Acts 16:1-18 Saving, Guiding, Empowering. , _as we were going to the place of prayer_ (see on The demon's shouting is . (Acts 16:35-37). We see another reason why the Spirit did not permit them to go into Bithynia. Tap the title above, next to the arrow, to go to thatpage. As Paul saw it, being a good Christian did not mean being a bad Jew. (Longenecker) The wording of Acts 16:3 implies that Paul himself performed the circumcision (he took him and circumcised him). What does Acts 16:16-40 mean? While in this instance, His will was to send a powerful earthquake and free them, it doesnt always work out that way. Acts 16:6-10 Phrygia, Bithynia, Mysia. 17She followed Paul and us, crying out, 'These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!' Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. . But it was the Holy Spirits plan to lead him there. Now therefore depart, and go in peace: If Paul and Silas were released the day after their beating, arrest, and imprisonment, why did God send the earthquake? They were physically attacked in an inhumane way. It was a strange and wonderful church they left behind in Philippi: Lydia, perhaps the slave girl, the jailer and his household, and others. FOR SALE! No number of women would compensate for the absence of even one man necessary to make up the quorum of ten. (Bruce). The accusing and abusing of Paul and Silas for it, their imprisonment, and the indignities done them (v. 19-24). i. possessed with a spirit of (f) divination met us, which brought her Hand-drawn illustrations based on sermons by Kevin DeYoung guide you through the book of Acts helping to communicate truths in a unique, compelling way. These were convenient in sizeTo claim Roman citizenship falsely was punishable by death. (Williams). She followed Paul and Silas saying, "These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation." b. a. This is salvation by grace alone, received by faith alone. Clarke's Commentary. Most certainly not! Paul and Silas looked Jewish, and Anti-Jewish sentiment lay very near the surface in pagan antiquity. (Bruce) The objection that these men were Jews is even more interesting knowing the Jewish community in Philippi was small. When we were on our way to the place of prayer.. it happened that a You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. i. Luke was a Gentile, and Timothy was only half Jewish. ), ._ Acts 16. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. A spirit pretending to divination, to tell spiritum She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This was a big step, perhaps bigger than Paul even knew. And we were staying in that city for some days. Authors Vern and Bonnie Bullough write in The care of the sick: the emergence of modern nursing, that this is seen as an aspect of following Jesus' example, since so much of his public . Peter echoes this: But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation (1 Pet. The Python was. . That, by the way, is the missing note among Christians in many places today. Acts 16:16-24. When you are treated wrongly, entrust your soul to a faithful Creator in doing what is right. But few of us know the kind of persecution experienced by those in former or present communist countries, or those in strongly Muslim countries They could more effectively preach from the story in our text than I can. was no heralding of the gospel which was to transform Europe. Demons cast out of a damsel. c. You and your household: This seems to be a specific promise for that Philippian jailer. Its still possible for a type of Macedonian Man to give an unusual call to serve God in a distant place. He also wrote to the Philippians, Do all things without grumbling or disputing (Phil. Acts 16:35-40 Magistrates. i. He was a believer. _And he came also _for _then came he, _A.V._ _and T.R. And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe. Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. They had a daily habit of mentally focusing on how great and wonderful God is, and on the many blessings that He daily heaps on His children. If our rights are violated, we dont take it sitting down. The Oxford Bible Commentary (first (paperback) ed.). One way or another, Paul and his company got the message. RV 'And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having thin A Textual Commentary On The Greek New Testament by Bruce M. Metzger, Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges Commentary, College Press Bible Study Textbook Series, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Concordant Commentary on the New Testament by A. E. Knoch, G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible, George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly, John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible, Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament (1851), Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible, Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible, Manly Luscombe Commentary on New Testament, Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611), Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible, Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible, NT Verse References in the Ante-Nicene Fathers, Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary on the NT (4 vols), Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament, Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary, Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith, Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament (4 Volume Set). 24Join these men, go through the rite of purication with them, and pay for the shaving of their heads. Hesychius defines it as (a spirit of Tertullian said, The legs feel nothing in the stocks when the heart is in heaven.. He did not talk about sacraments or even churches. _Into the_ _proseucha_: Acts 16:13, and Luke 6:12. Second, Paul was concerned about the future of the church and the gospel in Philippi. 4. Paul does with regard to Timothy. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the . And she prevailed upon us. Under Roman law and custom, guards who allowed their prisoners to escape received the penalty of their escaped prisoners. ", "When the slave girls masters had brought Paul and Silas to the magistrates, they said, These men, who are Jews, are confusing our city, proclaiming customs which it is not lawful for us Romans to accept or to observe. And the prisoners were listening to them: What a strange sound this was to the other prisoners! We simply know Paul and Silas were severely beaten. Scriptures: Acts 16:11-15. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. " 20 When the slave girl's masters had brought Paul and Silas to the magistrates, they said, 'These men, who are Jews, are confusing . Paul and Silas would not have been rejoicing in the Lord in the dungeon at midnight under these awful circumstances if it had not been a regular part of their everyday lives. The authorities were full of fear when they learned that Paul was a Roman. ACTS 16:35-40. Timothy Joins Paul and Silas. On the morning after "a great earthquake" (v. 26) strikes a city, there is much turmoil, as people assess . The words, literally, are as in the margin, a spirit of Python, or, as From the city of Thyatira: Thyatira was well known as a center for this purple dye and fabric made from it. to set aside Jewish prejudice. Acts 16:16-34 Commentary. Acts 16:19-29 Paul and Silas. They tried to make their problem go away quietly by sweeping it under the rug. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.. He fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. As this story continues through the end of chapter 16, the . 9:23), because the prisoners will be listening. prayer, R.V. The encounter with the spirit of divination: Coming to Derbe and Lystra, where he and Barnabas had been persecuted I would never have it another way. (In Our Daily Bread [2/85].). certain damsel met us_ (that is, met Paul and his three companions) A man called Timothy lived in Lystra. Yet they returned to the prison willingly to spare the jailer certain death. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. A disciple, whose mother was a Jewish Christian and father was Greek 3. He knew that by making them come and personally apologize and escort them out of prison, word would spread through the community of what had happened. Introduction. This title, it is generally said, was given to Apollo, on account of his having destroyed a monstrous serpent that . Python". The crowd rose up together against them, and the magistrates tore the clothes off Paul and Silas, and commanded them to be beaten with rods. As you know, when he later wrote to this Philippian church from a prison cell in Rome, the major theme of that letter was joy in the Lord in spite of our circumstances. Increasingly, our religious rights are being violated in the interest of so-called neutrality. Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that nude dancing was entitled to considerable legal protection as expressive behavior, but they struck down student elections permitting speech that might be used for prayer prior to high school football games. Acts 16:16-26. It seemed as if nothing would make them stop praising God. The demonic spirit knows that the presence and power of God is with the missionaries. William Carey wanted to go to Polynesia, but God sent him to India. 25But as for the Gen-tiles who . Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (Phil. The jailer then saw that all the prisoners were still there. Ephesus would come later, not now. We are next introduced to an incident which led to a decided There But to them, the lives of others were more important than their own personal freedom and comfort. EXEGESIS: THE CONTEXT: This is Paul's Second Missionary Journey (49-52 A.D.) as recorded in Acts 15:30 - 18:21. with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much In this section of Acts, Paul and Silas are arrested, beaten, and imprisoned for delivering the slave-girl from her demonic possession, and they (Paul and Si. After such a bad beating, they were put in uncomfortable conditions (fastened their feet in the stocks). An earthquake opened the prison doors and caused all the shackles to fall off. THE PRISON OF HIS PRAISES. _for _Lystra, _A.V._; Timothy _for _Timotheus, _A.V._; of a Jewess 16As we were going to prayer, it happened that a certain slave girl met us. This verse must refer to a different occ _aor. Lydias heart was gently opened; the guards heart was violently confronted. Are we out of the will of God? Being in the will of God is not a guarantee of protection from trials. This moved Paul and his missionary team from the continent of Asia to the continent of Europe; this was the first missionary endeavor to Europe. How can we know when it is right to defend ourselves and when we should simply yield our rights? Summary. Pioneer preacher J. W. McGarvey (1829-1911), commenting in his famous "Commentary on Acts" on the apostle Paul's vision of the invitation to go into Macedonia (see Acts 16), made some . It is false teaching that Christians are exempt from the common trials that come upon the entire human race: sickness, poverty, tragedies, and death. Upon learning this, the magistrates were filled with fear, because it was a grave offense to treat Roman citizens as Paul and Silas had been treated. the place where he was worshipped, (which was afterwards cal 16-18. He took them the same hour of the night, and washed their wounds, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household. John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 8:4-18. After their baptism into Christ they were filled with great joy. Acts of the Apostles - 423 pages Pdf (includes the following notes) Acts Commentary 15:36-16:10; Acts Commentary 16:11-24; Acts Commentary 16:25-40; HENRY MORRIS. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. Acts 16:40. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. c. Ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas: This hardened keeper of the prison fell down trembling. Tap a Lookup below to generate a list oflessons. _Theophylact_: thus m AS WE WENT TO PRAYER - Greek: as we were going to the proseuche, b. They charged the jailer to keep them safely. Always? Paul's Macedonian vision. c. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul: Before Lydia was converted (as demonstrated by her baptism), the Lord opened her heart. So he stood on his rights in order to protect the church and the cause of Christ in that city. Paul asks Timothy to come with him on their journey, preaching the gospel in Asia Minor. When you are wronged, entrust your soul to a faithful Creator in doing what is right. b. From 1977-1992 he was the pastor of Lake Gregory Community Church in Crestline, California. But pythona was a certain kind of snake a python. They may each have carried a copy of his professio or registration of birth, in which his Roman status would have been recorded. There are still those today who are possessed with a spirit of divination. See 2 Kings xxviii; Isaias viii. : in R.V., accusative, I have a hunch that if most of us had gone through what Paul and Silas suffered, if we were praying at midnight it would be, God, get me out of here! I cant prove it, but I also have a hunch that Paul and Silas were not praying that way. You can download/save a pdf document with all the verse by verse lessons in ActsFacts PartFour, from the middle of chapter to the endofActs. labours in that city, Lois a jewess, her daughter Eunice, and Timothy Now therefore depart, and go in peace.. Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. Then he brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? They answered, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all who were in his house. Sermon #7 . a. I wish that Paul had said, Rejoice in the Lord as a general rule. But, always? The conversion of the Jailer in Philippi Acts 16:16-40: At a place of prayer in Philippi Paul and Silas came across a girl that had a spirit of divination. Luke notes that the prisoners were listening to them (16:25). The honourable discharge of Paul and Silas by the magistrates (v. 35-40). i. The demon-possessed girl keeps bothering Paul and his group "for many days" (16:18). Presumably this was because demons gave her supernatural insight into the lives of others. That couple was in Peru to serve Jesus Christ. i. Bruce translates the phrase, It came out there and then. A. Suddenly there was a great earthquake which shook the prison to its foundations. This girl had brought her masters much gain by fortune telling. Acts 16:12. Chuck Smith Bible Commentary - Acts 2:1-47. 19Now when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas, and dragged them to the marketplace to face the rulers. (Acts 16:16-19). . Scripture commands us, Delight yourself in the Lord (Ps. Explanation - The following list includes not only commentaries but other Christian works by well known evangelical writers.Most of the resources below are newer works (written after 1970) which previously were available only for purchase in book form . Compare Mark 3:12; Luke 4:34-35. Acts 16:40, ESV: So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia.And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed. A slave On the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made: The fact that the Jews of Philippi had no synagogue and met by the river means that there were not many Jewish men in Philippi. The greatest help we can bring anyone is the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ.