Acts 16:16–24: Our Prowling and Roaring Adversary

Introduction

In the beginning of the work in Philippi, the gospel ministry seemed simple. At the gentle place of prayer, Paul and his companions discovered some worshipers of God, and one of them trusted Christ for salvation. This was clean, straightforward, and encouraging. But, not all ministry will be so simple. Upon trying to return to this place, Paul is harassed by a slave-girl oppressed by a demon. In casting out this demon, the apostles experience the wrath of the devil through the people of Philippi. This story illustrates a pattern that God’s people have experienced throughout the history of the church, in both the Old and New Testaments: Jesus’ power over demons provokes demonic rage.

Discussion Questions

1. Where was “the place of prayer” (v. 16; see Acts 16:13)? Whom had Paul and his companions met there previously (Acts 16:14)? What had characterized Lydia’s conversion (Acts 16:14–15)? Whom does Paul and his companions meet on the present trip (v. 16)? What is “divination” (v. 16)? How did people practice divination in the Old and New Testaments? How might people practice divination today? Why is divination an abomination to the Lord?

2. What characterizes her interactions with Paul and the others (v. 17)? What were her statements about the identity and mission of these missionaries calculated to do in the eyes of the others living in Philippi? Why do you think that Paul waited so long to cast out this demon from this girl (v. 18a)? What happens when Paul rebukes the unclean spirit (v. 18b)? How does this exorcism compare to the exorcisms that Jesus performed in the Gospels?

3. Why were the owners of the fortune telling girl upset with Paul and Silas (v. 19)? Why did they say that they were upset with Paul and Silas (vv. 20–21)? How do their words compare with the accusations of Haman against the Jews in the Old Testament (Esth. 3:8–9)? What do their accusations stir up the city to do against Paul and Silas (v. 22)? What does the jailer add to the mistreatment of these missionaries (vv. 23–24)?

4. Why does the devil rage against Christ and Christ’s people (Rev. 12:12)? How do we see here an example of how the devil both prowls and roars (1 Pet. 5:8)? Why must we be watchful for the harassment and violence of the devil and those influenced by him? To what degree are you aware of the prowling devil in the world? How does Jesus’ death and resurrection provide us with hope against the devil’s rage (Heb. 2:14–15)?