What Can Prayer Do: Part Two Discernment

Acts 16:16-18 New King James Version

What Can Prayer Do?

1. Prayer can open hearts (Acts 16:14-15).

Acts 16:16-18

Acts 16:16

1. Now it happened, as we went to prayer,

a. Acts 16:13 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.

2. that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us,

a. spirit of divination = divination n. — a pagan form of foretelling or declaring secret or obscure knowledge through signs, omens, or supernatural powers.

b. Divination = python - be a fortuneteller, one possessed (enthused) by python, a spirit that communicated through the Delphic oracles[1]

i. Python - The Greek also calls her a “pythoness.” The python was the symbol of the Greek god Apollo:[2]

ii. Apollo, the Greek deity specially associated with the giving of oracles, who was worshiped as the “Pythian” god at the oracular shrine of Delphi in central Greece.[3]

3. who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling.

a. spirit of divination = fortune-telling

Acts 16:17

1. 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.”

Acts 16:18

1. And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed,

a. Annoyed - to be strongly irked or provoked at something or someone—‘to be irked, to be provoked, to become angry.[4]

2. turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.”

3. And he came out that very hour.

Why was Paul annoyed by this girl?

2. Prayer can bring discernment (Acts 16:16-18).

a. Discernment – the ability to distinguish and evaluate, distinguishing, differentiation of good and evil[5]

i. 1 Corinthians 12:10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

1. The girl was demon possessed (Acts 16:16).

a. 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.

2. The girl was distracting (Acts 16:17).

a. Cried out - to shout or cry out, with the possible implication of the unpleasant nature of the sound—‘to shout, to scream.’[6]

b. It is possible that ἀνακράζω suggests a somewhat louder and more piercing cry than κράζω.[7]

3. The girl was deceiving (Acts 16:17).

a. saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, (Acts 16:17)

i. Most High God – The title “Most High God” (ho theos ho hypsistos), while originally a Phoenician ascription for deity (ʾĒl ʿElyôn), was used by the Hebrews of Yahweh (cf. Num 24:16; Ps 78:35; Isa 14:14; Dan 3:26; 4:32; 5:18, 21; 1 Esd 2:3) and by the Greeks of Zeus [8]

b. who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” (Acts 16:17)

i. The way of salvation = a way of salvation

1. Guilt by association

3. Prayer can drive out demons (Acts 16:18).

Acts 16:18

1. And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed,

2. turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.”

a. Paul cast out the demon just as Jesus did (Luke 4:33-36).

i. Luke 4:33 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice,

ii. Luke 4:34 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

iii. Luke 4:35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.

iv. Luke 4:36 Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.”

3. And he came out that very hour.

a. Acts 16:19 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.

b. Every non-Christian is not demon possessed.

i. Acts 16:14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.

c. Occulting activities opens doors to demons.

i. Lev. 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deut. 18:11; 1 Sam. 28:3, 7; 2 Kin. 21:6; 1 Chr. 10:13; Is. 8:19[9]

[1] Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[2] Horton, S. M. (2001). Acts: A Logion Press Commentary (p. 281). Springfield, MO: Logion Press.

[3] Bruce, F. F. (1988). The Book of the Acts (p. 312). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

[4] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 762). New York: United Bible Societies.

[5] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 231). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

[6] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 398). New York: United Bible Societies.

[7] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.). New York: United Bible Societies.

[8] Longenecker, R. N. (1981). The Acts of the Apostles. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: John and Acts (Vol. 9, p. 462). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

[9] The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.