Jail, Prayer, Earthquake and Conversion. ACTS 16:16 And it came to pass, that by going to prayer, a girl who had a Pythonic spirit (Greek: pneuma pythona - a python spirit), met us, which gave great gain to her masters by guessing (Greek: manteuomene - prophesying) 17This, following Paul and us, gave voices, saying: These men are servants of the High God, who announce to you the path of health. 18 And this he did for many days; but displeasing Paul, he turned and said to the spirit: I command you in the name of Jesus Christ, that you leave it. And it left at the same time. Our prayer can make you tremble, shake the foundations, break the chains, produce great conversions.
When Lucas says that this girl has a pneuma pythona - python spirit - it means that people think she can communicate with divine forces. "And seeing their masters that the hope of their gain had come forth, they seized Paul and Silas, and brought them to the forum (agoran), to the authorities" (archontas) (v. 19). For her masters, the slave is nothing more than a way to earn money. Seeing that Paul and Silas have destroyed their ability to bring them income, they set out to destroy Paul and Silas. Timothy and Luke do not seem to be involved at this time.
"And presenting them to the magistrates" (strategois) (v. 20a). The masters of the slave are those who bring Paul and Silas to the strategois. "And the people gathered against them: and the magistrates breaking their clothes, sent them to whip with rods" (v. 22). This resembles the situation faced by Jesus, when the crowd demanded that he be punished and the authorities gave in to the demands of the crowd (Luke 23). "They were sent to whip with sticks" (v. 22c). "And after they had been wounded with many scourges, they were thrown into prison, sending the jailer to guard them diligently" (v. 23).
"But at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed, they sang hymns to God" (v. 25a). At midnight, darkness would cover everything. Luke does not tell us the content of his prayers, but the sung hymns reveal that Paul and Silas do not behave like depressed or defeated prisoners.
"And those who were prisoners heard them" (v. 25b).
"Then a great earthquake was suddenly made, so that the foundations of the prison moved" (v. 26a).
"And then all the doors opened, and the prisons of all let loose" (v. 26b). This is the moment. Using an earthquake to achieve his purposes, God opens the doors of the prison and breaks the chains of the prisoners so that Paul and Silas can escape.
“But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, Do not do yourself any harm; that we are all here ”(v. 28). Paul understands the pressure that overwhelms the jailer and the possibility that he will commit suicide.
"He then, asking for light, went inside, and trembling, fell down at the feet of Paul and Silas" (v. 29). "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" (v. 31a). "You, and your house" (v. 31b). “And taking them in the same hour of the night, he washed their scourges; and then he was baptized, and all his own ”(v. 33).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isub2Au38LI
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