And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, and brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them (Acts 16:19-22)
That which provoked them was, that, the damsel being restored to herself, her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, v. 19. See here what evil the love of money is the root of! If the preaching of the gospel ruin the craft of the silversmiths (ch. 19:24), much more the craft of the soothsayers; and therefore here is a great outcry raised, when Satan's power to deceive is broken: the priests hated the gospel because it turned men from the service of dumb idols, and so the hope of their gains was gone. The power of Christ, which appeared in dispossessing the woman, and the great kindness done to her in delivering her out of Satan's hand, made no impression upon them when they apprehended that they should hereby lose money, Matthew Henry's Commentary, Volume 6 Acts to Revelation, page 169.
The power of Christ dispossessed the woman. She had a spirit that spoke through her, and upon command, it was compelled to come out of her, in the name of Jesus Christ. She was restored to herself ... restored, no longer animated and activated by a demonic spirit. Would it surprise you to read that multitudes of people are thusly occupied by demonic spirits, or would you in your mind and heart, feel compelled to read this as confirmation of something you already suspected to be true, but did not have the words, or understanding, to label and name?
The craft of soothsaying, the craftiness of the masters that used the damsel to feather their nests, is utterly abominable to the Lord God. The ones that speak on behalf of the devils or demons that reside within, work against the kingdom of God. Note, Paul and Silas were going out to a prayer meeting, and Paul spoke words of salvation, and proved the power of God, when he spoke freedom in Christ to the damsel in distress. Do you see her this way too, dear one, a damsel in distress?
The woman's freedom from the oppressive spirit was irksome to the money grubbing masters, and the prospect of losing the breadwinner, the damsel they Japanese-beetle-like-leeched off of, had them aggressively seeking revenge against The Way of Salvation, and the men employed as God's gospel workers.
Dear reader, when Christians are persecuted for speaking Biblical truth, it is the kingdom of God that is the true target. Satan could care less about who is injured and maimed as far as humans are concerned: he aims higher than little old you and me, he aims to take down God Almighty, despite the fact that he, just like you and I, is a created being, created by the same Maker that can do as he pleases at all times. It pleases God to love the foolish to wisdom. It pleases God to show us The Way of Salvation ... it pleased God to send his one and only Son, to die on a cross for the sins of the world, to save us from ourselves!
Compare and contrast, dear one, men of God going to prayer, and mercenary masters using a damsel to fill their fists and bellies, each time she was employed to sell lies to paying patrons. Paul and Silas were caught, and dragged to the marketplace to be made a spectacle, where they were publicly accused of causing trouble, by teaching customs contrary to the accepted Roman standards. The manipulative masters incited hatred with bold faced lies, and the marketplace multitude rose up against the preachers of the gospel, and the magistrates rent, or in other words, ripped off, their clothes.
Why? What did they do that was so wrong? What caused such rage filled behaviour in the detractors, in those that opposed Paul and Silas? I am hoping the dawning of understanding is shining brightly in your mind, sending slivers of light into your heart, and brightening your soul, dear one. The kindness Paul displayed publicly toward the damsel in distress, was not appreciated by those that do not belong to God, but rather, belong to this world, and cling to what this earthy existence has for them in the way of monetary gain, and physical creature comforts.
Soothsayers speak convenient comfort for cash ... Christians speak of salvation and The Way to the Saviour. Fortune tellers are a quick fix measure utilized by the desperate and distraught ... prayer to God the Father through his son Jesus Christ, is balm for the soul, and unmatched by any other human attempts to gain wisdom and knowledge about the past, the present, or the future.
The hatred of the lovers of money, becomes exceedingly evident when their income sources are threatened. Those that love money speak of it often, and some will do anything and everything, to ensure they have as much of it as they can possibly grab, even if it means using other people to have their fill of filthy lucre. I do not need to prove this to you, since I am confident you know all about sex and slave trade industries, and how many a political leader, how many a magistrate, has mangled the law to accommodate the demonic forces that molest humanity, in heinous and unspeakable ways. Leches and leeches, demons latch onto humans to do the bidding of their master, otherwise known as Satan.
Jesus said this:
He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad (Matthew 12:30)
You, dear one, are either for Jesus, as Paul and Silas were, or against him, as the crowd was when they yelled crucify him: the scene plays out over and over again, repeating itself with every generation of believers and every generation that goes the way of the devil. There are two ways ... The Way of Salvation, and the road to perdition.
Which one are you on?
Keep your reading glasses close by; Part 4 of this series is coming your way.
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