The Demoniac Maid -- One day as the brethren were going
to "the place of prayer" for worship, they were
accosted by a slave girl who was possessed by a demon. The
maiden was associated with the cult of Apollo, and this
"spirit of divination" feigned the ability to predict
the future (a fortune-teller, if you will). Though the girl
was possessed by a real demon, Luke does not contend that she had
any real ability to foresee the future. It is not reasonable
that Satan could evidence powers analogous [similar in some way] to
the Lord's. It was, however, a clever deception, and
the girl brought her owners (plural -- apparently they owned
shares of stock in her!) a steady source of income. People
are ever gullible to discover the events of the future.
This maiden kept on tagging along after Paul for many days,
crying out: "These men are servants of the Most High
God, who proclaim unto you a Way of salvation." It is a
remarkable fact that, according to the New Testament account,
whenever demons spoke out regarding the Lord and His system, they
always spoke only the Truth (cf. Matthew 8:29;
Mark 1:24;Mark 3:11)--though pagan
auditors [listeners/hearers] would hardly attach much significance
to demons' testimony. Sadler is doubtless correct when
he observes that demons "were compelled to render to the King
of the unseen and supernatural world this enforced
acknowledgment" (308).
Nevertheless, it was not the Will of God that the powers of
Satan be His witnesses, even when they spoke the Truth. And
so, at the appropriate time in the divine scheme of things, Paul
addressed "the spirit," i.e.., the demon, and
said: "I command you in the Name of Jesus Christ to
come out of her." Note "you" (demon) was a
separate entity from the "her" (maiden). This
contradicts the idea, advocated by some, that the girl was a
ventriloquist under Satan's influence. The spirit left
her "at that very moment" (NASB), because the power of
God is greater than the power of Satan (1 John
4:4).
