Acts 16:16-18 16And it happened, as we were going to the place of prayer, a certain slave girl having a spirit of divination encountered us, who brought her owners much profit by fortune-telling. 17She followed Paul and us, crying out, saying, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18And this she kept doing for many days. But becoming greatly annoyed and turning, Paul said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.
Verse 16 begins with a reference that suggests that the team had established a meeting point, possibly with Lydia and others who had come to believe. The place of prayer may have been outside the city by the river, where the women had gathered to pray. The implication is that this next story took place not long after the first scene. The group was on its way when it was confronted by a possessed slave girl. The spirit of divination in the Greek is literally a “python spirit.” The Greek word python was used to describe a dragon or serpent that guarded the Oracle of Delphi. This dragon was empowered by the god Apollo. A person who became possessed by this dragon spirit was believed to be able to tell the future when in a state of ecstasy. Oracles and prophets were part of Greco-Roman culture. They were consulted by emperors, generals, and civic leaders for all major decisions. This girl was a source of income and prestige for her master.
This slave girl was abused in two ways. Spiritually, she was in bondage to an evil spirit that controlled her and bound her will and dreams. Physically, she was enslaved to a cruel master who took advantage of her spiritual bondage and made money off her fortune-telling. She was helpless to do anything about it. The story gives no background of how she ended up in this position. Her life must have been miserable as a slave. She could have descended emotionally and spiritually because of her enslavement to the point of no return. The word for slave girl (paidiskēn) could refer to a younger person, perhaps in her teens. She may have been raised by her master and groomed to do this type of work. She was a victim of circumstances and cruelty.
The girl kept following Paul for many days. She was an evangelist by telling the truth about Paul and the others. She shouted two significant qualities that would lead people to Jesus. They were the servants of the most HIgh God, a phrase that showed their spiritual authority. The Greeks believed in many gods, with Zeus at the top of the pantheon. Those who heard the girl might think of Zeus with her words, but she meant the one and only true God, whether she understood this or not. She also proclaimed that the missionaries were speaking about the way of salvation. The statements were true but could have been easily confused by the polytheistic and syncretistic culture. It is one thing to talk about Jesus as a great teacher or prophet, but his true identity as the incarnate Son of God and only way of salvation can be lost or confused by people from polytheistic cultures.
Paul finally had enough of the girl’s pestering. He may have reacted because of the attention it was drawing or because his message was being compromised and the people were confused. He knew the girl was possessed by an evil spirit and told it to come out of the girl in the name of Jesus Christ. There is power in this name, which is above all names. When Jesus’ name is used with authority and guided by the Spirit’s direction, there is great power and victory over the forces of evil. The spirit came out of the girl, freeing her from spiritual enslavement to evil, though she was still in physical bondage to her human master.