Your Pain, Their Gain

By Pastor William R. Cunningham
For Sunday August, 28, 2005

Introduction

How should you interpret events that happen in your life? How should you reckon the situations that befall you? Is that extra money always for you? Was that great blessing merely for your benefit? Was that painful situation that you went through merely for you? The Bible indicates that sometimes our pain is someone else’s gain. Sometimes we have to take a particular course of action that is painful, but at the same time it results in blessings for someone else and I dare say even ultimately a benefit for us.

We are going to learn a valuable lesson from Acts 16:16-34. However, I encourage you to read the entire 16 th chapter of Acts to get the full story.

Scripture Lesson

Acts 16:16 (NKJV) -- {16}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.

They were in Philippi.

• It was a minor village of Thrace (known in antiquity as “The Springs”)
• Philippi was a city in eastern Macedonia (modern Greece)
• It was named after Philip II of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the Great who conquered the city and rebuilt it.
• Philip fortified the city and took advantage of the nearby gold mines.
• Latin was the official language and it had a Latin military heritage.
• It was made into a Roman colony as a celebration of the victory of Mark Anthony and Octavian over Cassius and Brutus who had assassinated Julius Caesar.
• The city did not have a large number of Jews (at least Jewish males). There is a requirement for 10 Jewish males to form a synagogue. This was therefore a pagan city.
• The church at Philippi began with believing Jewish women who met outside the city wall for prayer. They later met in the house of Lydia who was converted as a result of Paul’s instruction and preaching.
• Philippi was a Roman city.

NKJV: “slave girl”; KJV: “damsel” – Greek paidiske (pahee-dis’ – kay. This implies a young girl.

She had a “spirit of divination.” This was in the Greek literally, “spirit of Pythoness.” This was the same kind of spirit that was behind the Delphic oracle of Apollo whose priestess was called pythoness (She was named after the “Pythian Apollo,” slayer of the great Python). This oracle was originally a woman that gave cryptic prophecies to those who came to her for advise. This was part of Greek mythology. In any case, it was therefore a powerful demon that Paul and company were faced with.

Pythian was a mythological serpent or dragon that dwelt in the region of Pytho at the foot of Parnassus in Phocis, and was said to have guarded the oracle at Delphi and been slain by Apollo.

The culture was accustomed to Greek mythology and the plethora of gods. This little girl was thought to have the spirit of the Delphic oracle.

Side note:An oracle could be a person or a thing. It was anything that was the source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion. The oracle had infallible authority and was usually spiritual in nature.

I should divert for a second here to note God’s instructions regarding mediums and the like.

• Leviticus 19:31 (NKJV) -- {31}‘Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.
• Leviticus 20:6 (NKJV) -- {6}‘And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.
• Deuteronomy 18:11 (NKJV) -- {11} or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.
• 2 Kings 21:6 (NKJV) -- {6} Also he made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.
• 1 Chronicles 10:13 (NKJV) -- {13} So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance.
• Isaiah 8:19 (NKJV) -- {19}And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their god? Should theyseek the dead on behalf of the living?

So we have here that consulting mediums is surely not of God. However, it appeared to be a big part of the everyday life at Philippi.

This girl earned a lot of money for her slave masters (owners) because of her predicting the future.

Acts 16:17-18 (NKJV) -- {17}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.” {18}And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.

Here we see that the girl, or more precisely the demon, followed Paul and company proclaiming that they were servants of God preaching about salvation. Paul became annoyed of this after several days and exorcized the demon out of the girl.

Acts 16:19-22 (NKJV) -- {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. {20}And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; {21}and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” {22}Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods.

Now the girl could not predict the future anymore since the demon was cast out of her by Paul. Here owners realized that she could not earn them any more money and turned on Paul and Silas and accused them of troubling the city. The crowd joined in the accusations thrown at Paul and company.

Paul and company were then sentenced to be beaten with rods. It was normal for non-Roman citizens, i.e., foreigners, to be beaten before the trial. The beatings were meant to secure evidence. It also served to discourage any followers of the accused.

It was here assumed that one could not be a Jew and a Roman citizen at the same time.

Acts 16:23-24 (NKJV) -- {23}And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. {24}Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

Paul and Silas were thrown into prison after they were severely beaten. We should take note from verse 22 that Paul and Silas was stripped of their clothes before they were beaten.

Question: What were Paul and Silas beaten for?

The jail guard was commanded to watch them carefully while they were in prison. The guard therefore put Paul and Silas in the inner prison where he fastened their feet and hands with stocks.

Stocks were instruments of confinement and punishment. They were heavy wooden frames with holes. A prisoner’s feet and hand were placed in these holes to hold him in a sitting position. Sometimes the stock would have a hole for the head. In New Testament times, stocks used by the Romans had several holes so that the feet could be secured in various positions in an attempt to make the prisoner as very uncomfortable.

Example of stocks
(this is from the colonial period)

Acts 16:25 (NKJV) -- {25}But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

Note what Paul and Silas were doing in this situation. They were singing hymns to God and they were praying. Another important point is that the other prisoners were listening to them. This shouldn’t be construed to imply that the prisoners were glad for the singing.

Jewish sources praised the ability to glorify God during suffering and shame. Greco-Roman philosophers praised the ability to be content in one’s situation.

Acts 16:26-28 (NKJV) -- {26}Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. {27}And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. {28}But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”

Here is a very interesting situation. The confinement was miraculously removed. We would say that Paul and company were miraculously delivered from prison. However, they did not leave. What’s even more incredible is that the text implies that none of the prisoner’s escaped. Could they have been affected by Paul and Silas’ praises to God even after being beaten? They could have also stayed for fear of the guards since there was evidently more than just the one.

We tend to want the easy way out and as soon as an easy path comes before us we are ready to take it. However, Paul didn’t do that. The easy way out would have been to count the miraculous event as God’s signal to be free. Evidently Paul did not see it that way. Why not?

Now the prison guard was about to kill himself because he thought that the prisoners escaped. Consider that he was sleep at the time of the possible breakout. He would most likely have been executed for letting the prisoners escape (See Acts 12:19) and typically a noble act would have been to commit suicide. Paul however called out to him to inform him that all of the prisoners were present and therefore none had escaped.

Acts 16:29-30 (NKJV) -- {29}Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. {30}And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Note the disposition of the guard at this time. He called for some light and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. This indicates a great awe that he had for them. They could have possibly escaped. Perhaps he heard their singing and most like knew why they were in prison in the first place. He evidently knew of salvation that Paul preached.

I would speculate to say that the guard was impressed with the affects of the faith of Paul and Silas and he too wanted that faith. It was powerful enough to keep them praising their God even during extreme adversity. It was powerful enough to keep them in prison when they could have escaped. We might even speculate to say that it was even powerful enough to save the life of the guard (from the guard’s perspective). It could be that the guard took their actions personally. Why hadn’t they attempted to escape? Why didn’t they flee? These might have been some of the guard’s questions.

However, they did not flee. They did not escape. Perhaps, the guard thought, “they did it for me.”

The guard asked an appropriate question based on all that happened. He asked, “What must I do to be saved.” He wanted the salvation that Paul and Silas had. He wanted the power that he saw unfold before his very eyes. He perhaps wanted that peace and contentment that would eliminate the fear. He wanted to be saved.

Acts 16:31-32 (NKJV) -- {31}So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” {32}Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.

Paul and Silas told him that he had to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. They said that he and his household would be saved upon believing in Jesus Christ. So then Paul and Silas preached the gospel to the guard and his family.

Now Romans expected the family to follow the religious beliefs of the head. They also expected the head to lead the family in worship to the Roman Gods. The salvation of the family was however not automatic just because of the belief of the head (the guard in this case). They had to hear the Gospel and respond individually and personally, which they evidently did.

Acts 16:33-34 (NKJV) -- {33}And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. {34}Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

Now the guard took care of Paul and Silas. He washed their stripes (wounds). Remember that Paul and Silas were severely beaten before being put into prison. He took Paul and Silas to his home where he fed them. He was joyful because of his new faith in God. His was also joyful because his household also believed.

Conclusion

Here we see drama unfolding before our eyes. What could have been deemed a lesson of God’s deliverance actually turned out to be an opportunity to preach the word of God. Paul and Silas were put into prison because they exorcised a demon from a girl. They were merely going to pray. Obviously Paul was ministering in Philippi because Lydia was saved as a result of his preaching (See Acts 16:11-15).

Paul and Silas evidently knew the bigger picture. He knew that the seeming miraculous jailbreak was actually God moving to save the guard and his family. It is also evident that the guard knew of Paul’s teaching because of the question that he asked (what must I do to be saved?).

We should take heed to interpret the activities in our lives. A good question could be, “Is this for me or for someone else?” Paul and Silas possibly prayed to God to ask if they were to escape or not. Perhaps God told them to stay put and perhaps even told them that they would minister to the guard. We don’t know those details, but we do know that Paul stayed when they could have possibly escaped. Compare with Acts 5:17-20; 12:1-19).

We should be careful how we interpret the situations that come upon us. It is not always for self. Sometimes we are placed in a situation for the benefit of someone else. Sometimes these situations may bring about pain for us, but joy and deliverance for someone else. It is very important that we remain diligent at following God so that we are better able to interpret situations and take the correct (God ordained) course of action. In Paul and Silas’ case the correct course of action was to remain in prison (though they were later released when it was discovered that they unlawfully beat Roman citizens). They could have reckoned the incident to be a miraculous jail break by God. However, we should note that there was no angel present here as was in the other cases. This could have been why Paul did not go.

In any case, we should be careful to stay with God and not immediately reckon things that happen to us to be for us. It could very well be for the benefit of someone else even if the situation brings about pain for us. We should love one another and that sometimes means that we may have to sacrifice things and even suffer for the benefit of someone else. Amen.