At the time Paul met Timothy, he was delivering the news of this decree that came out of the Acts 15 council (as they went through the cities, the delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem). ii. She didnt do this only once, but for many days (Acts 16:18). The words, literally, are as in the margin, a spirit of Python, or, as Behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy. The authorities sent word to let these men go. Years ago, in the former Soviet Union, a criminal who later got saved and became a church leader, wrote about his experience in prison: Among the general despair, while prisoners like myself were cursing ourselves, the camp, the authorities; while we opened up our veins or our stomachs, or hanged ourselves; the Christians (often with sentences of 20 to 25 years) did not despair. 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. Acts 16 Commentary; G CAMPBELL MORGAN. Three stories in the Bible help us to distinguish three kinds of belief. The more difficult reading appears to be pu,qwna (74 a A B C* D* 81 Knowing this, Paul called with a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm, for we are all here. He assured the jailer that no one had escaped. (dep.) No, in this he was simply obeying the words of Jesus, Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. VII. b. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 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 . The jailer, roused out of sleep, saw the prison doors open. CHARACTERS: Jesus, Holy S Acts 16:1. d. When they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison: After being severely beaten, Paul and Silas were imprisoned in maximum-security conditions (commanding the jailer to keep them securely the inner prison fastened their feet in the stocks). A man called Timothy lived in Lystra. "When it was day, the magistrates sent the police with this message: Release those men! The jailer reported these words to Paul: The magistrates have sent a message for your release; therefore come out now, and go in peace. But 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. Note some of the ways that Paul and Silas were mistreated. It is written in the scriptures that no one can please God without faith. i. ventriloquist (Ramsay). 19. By Dr. Philip W. McLarty. Articles, monographs and books hosted on this site by Authors with Surnames beginning with B If we add the article , see critical note: to the place of d. She begged us, saying, If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay. Immediately, Lydia set about doing good. So the first lesson is: As Peter tells his persecuted readers, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you (1 Pet. He did not discuss the spiritual terminology of the jailer. Under Roman law and custom, guards who allowed their prisoners to escape received the penalty of their escaped prisoners. Timothy lived there. Paul is accompanied by Silas (15:37-38), and they are later joined by young Mark (16:1). You can also change some of your preferences. The honourable discharge of Paul and Silas by the magistrates (v. 35-40). He did not talk about sacraments or even churches. This man was more affected by the love and grace demonstrated by Paul and Silas than by the earthquake. They were singing because their hearts were full of praise toward God and the joy of His salvation. D2 E H L P most m Verse Acts 16:16. Yet Jesus said that some demons would be more difficult to cast out than others (Matthew 17:21). a. Focus on joy in the Lord and dont forget your witness. At the time, Paul probably had no idea of the greatness of Gods purpose. Instead of cursing men, they blessed God. (Stott). Her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone: This explains why Paul and Silas were treated so badly. (temp. Their charges were vague, simply accusing Paul and Silas of being troublemakers. Yet, Paul did not contradict his belief or the findings of the council when he had Timothy circumcised. Or, as James wrote, Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance (James 1:2-3). ii. The places specially mentioned are Samaria, Azotus, Caesarea, Lydda, the Sharon valley, and Joppa. As we went to prayer Or to the place of prayer, mentioned before; a certain damsel met us (that is, met Paul and his three companions) possessed with a spirit of divination Greek, , having a spirit of Python, or Apollo. | List Timothy agrees and Paul has Timothy circumcised. Paul never specifically called the keeper of the prison to repent because he was already repenting. Because God said no to Paul these two times, we have a gospel and a Book of Acts written by Doctor Luke. Articles, monographs and books hosted on this site by Authors with Surnames beginning with O, P and Q And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. A cheerful, joyous spirit does not depend on having wonderful, trouble-free circumstances. 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. They encouraged them and departed: In Philippi, Paul and Silas left behind two notable converts: Lydia and the prison guard. He drew his sword and was about to kill himself, assuming that the prisoners had escaped. 5:11-12). Bibliografische Daten. Perhaps he even came as Pauls personal doctor. It was at least the third choice for him. The demon inside the girl kept shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved" (16:17). Her masters made a lot of money from her power. a. _ 1. All of the ambiguity that this character radiates has an . masters much gain by the giving of oracles.' At Lystra he found Clarke's Commentary. Her hospitality was touching and a wonderful example. So many professing Christians are grumbling, discontented people. Hollywood, FL. 3 Paul wanted Timothy as a companion on his journey. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. It would have been easy for Paul and Silas to escape thinking God provided another miraculous jailbreak. A SPIRIT OF DIVINATION CAST OUT 34The jailer then brought Paul and Silas up into his house, and set food before them. But he let their wrong go unpunished and by his actions showed that Christians are not out for personal vengeance. 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. . Their pure, upright life, deep faith and devotion to God, their gentleness and their wonderful manliness, became a shining example of life for thousands (in Christianity Today [6/21/74]). Always? b. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. 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. No number of women would compensate for the absence of even one man necessary to make up the quorum of ten. (Bruce). No single worker in Gods kingdom is irreplaceable. And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. There was great indignation that Roman citizens should be molested by strolling peddlers of an outlandish religion. Then he came to Derbe and Lystra: Paul (and Silas) arrived in Derbe, where he had great success on his first missionary journey (Acts 14:20-21), and in Lystra, where a crowd tried to honor Paul and Barnabas as pagan gods on the first missionary journey (Acts 14:8-20). That convicts me of my lack of joy and my grumbling over the minor irritations in my life! " Jeremiah 16:16 (KJB) On this episode of 'Rightly Dividing', we are covering a lot of ground tonight and taking your Bible questions as we do it. 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. Acts 16:40. Lit., a She was possessed by a demon, who gave I think that if they were offering any petitions mixed in with their praise, it would have been, Lord, use this situation for the greater furtherance of the gospel. Paul and Silas knew that God could have prevented them from being beaten and thrown in prison in the first place, but He did not do so. 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. convert in Europe. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes: The same jailer who had punished them now cared for Paul and Silas, caring for their wounds and he set food before them. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans. They trusted that He had another purpose in mind, and so He did, namely, the conversion of the jailer and his family. Doug Bratt. a. Sirs, what must I do be saved? And immediately he and all his family were baptized: The jailer and his family saw no reason to delay baptism; they were baptized that very night, and all this began around midnight (Acts 16:25). Better, perhaps, _to the oratory,_ or _place Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. The arrival in Europe was clearly seen by Luke as very important. Acts 16:12 And they went out, &c. The servants of Christ, being honourably cleared from every crime by this public release, left the prison quietly, and went to the house of Lydia With whom they had lodged before; and when they had seen the brethren The disciples whom they had made; they comforted them By rehearsing what God had done both for them and by them, in prison; and . We see another reason why the Spirit did not permit them to go into Bithynia. (Acts 16:35-37). But it was the Holy Spirits plan to lead him there. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself observe and guard the law. Tap the title next to the arrow to get thatdocument. b. The solution will come, as I said, when the races regard the Jewish problem as a humanitarian problem but also when the Jew does his share of understanding, love and right action. When her masters saw that their means of gain was gone they took Paul and Silas before their rulers and charged them with teaching rules of living that were unlawful. His collection of works is called Thiruvachakam. God wanted Paul and his team to go to Troas and pick up a doctor named Luke. According to the legend, AS WE WENT TO PRAYER,. 2. Acts 16:40 Parallel Verses [ See commentary ] Acts 16:40, NIV: 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. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the . Paul and Silas show us four aspects of a right response to wrong treatment. _Theophylact_: thus m AS WE WENT TO PRAYER - Greek: as we were going to the proseuche, As George Muller put it, the chief business of every day is first of all to seek to be truly at rest and happy in God (A. T. Pierson, George Muller of Bristol [Revell], p. 257). THESE MEN ARE SERVANTS. Introduction. Immediately all the doors were opened, and everyones bonds were loosed. His mother was a Jew who had become a believer in Jesus. a. Paul wanted to have him go on with him: Paul was impressed enough with Timothy to ask him to join their missionary team. certain slave-girl who had a spirit which made her able to give Oxford University Press. without expecting opposition. i. Paul began this missionary journey having come from Antioch. It is possible that they didnt have the opportunity, but it is more likely that the Holy Spirit directed them to not reveal it until a certain time. As well, the multitude and the magistrates felt free to abuse Paul and Silas because they assumed they were not Roman citizens. John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 8:4-18. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. ANGER OF THOSE WHO MADE God may ask us to lay down our rights for the good of another (in this case, for the good of the Philippian jailer). TO PRAYER; the place of prayer. Acts 16:16-24. 24Join these men, go through the rite of purication with them, and pay for the shaving of their heads. Overcoming any obstacle that is presented, they go about proclaiming to the world that Jesus died and was raised so that all could Continue reading "Commentary on Acts 16:16-34" 16-30, Ezekiel 37:21-28). When a Barnabas leaves (for whatever reason), God has a Timothy to go on with him. abs._ From the city of Derbe to Troas. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. With Paul, we should aim at doing all things for the sake of the gospel (1 Cor. She followed Paul and Silas saying, "These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation." This was a promise made specifically to the keeper of the prison. Hesychius defines it as (a spirit of A CERTAIN DAMSEL POSSESSED WITH A SPIRIT OF DIVINATION MET US. was no heralding of the gospel which was to transform Europe. No indeed! The walk to the place of prayer is made Everything else flows from that. Him, that was a disciple of Christ, Paul took to be his disciple, that he might further train him up in the knowledge and faith of Christ; he took him to be brought up for Christ. 27The jailer, roused out of sleep, saw the prison doors open. In the Roman Empire there were two very different laws: one for citizens of the Roman Empire, and one for those who were not citizens.