Why Were Paul and Silas Imprisoned?

And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: of divination...: Or, of Pythom, The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. 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, marketplace...: Or, court 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. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go. And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace. But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out. And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans. And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city. And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed. - Acts 16:16-40

    Though they had done nothing at Philippi except preach the gospel of Christ and cast an unclean spirit out of a young woman, Paul and Silas were unjustly arrested, beaten and publicly humiliated as common criminals. Why? Were they out of God's will? Had the Lord forsaken them? Was the angry mob out of God's control? Had Satan managed to thwart God's purpose? Nonsense! 'Our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased' (Ps. 115:3). Paul and Silas were arrested and thrown into prison at Philippi in violation of Roman law (16:35-39), because the jailer in that prison was one of God's elect and the appointed time of mercy and love had come when he must be converted by the grace of God.

    1. God sovereignly rules all things for the good of his elect (16:16-24)

    The first lesson taught and illustrated in this passage is one that is frequently set before us throughout the book of Acts. There was an elect soul at the Philippi prison to whom Paul must preach the gospel. But their paths would never have crossed had God not sovereignly intervened to bring it about. In order to accomplish his purpose of grace, God overruled the rantings of a demon-possessed woman and the malice of an angry mob (Ps. 76:10; Rom. 8:28).

    God's servants refused the praise of a fortune-teller (16:16-18). Refusing to be associated with this satanic woman and her satanic religion, Paul turned and cast the demon out of her by the power of Christ. Three things need to be understood. First, all forms of sorcery, witchcraft and fortune-telling are forbidden in the Scriptures as satanic devices (Lev. 19:26,31; 20:6; Deut. 18:9-14; Isa. 8:19; Mal. 3:5). Secondly, God's servants will not receive the praise and commendation of those who do not worship the Lord God. And, thirdly, exorcism, like healing and the gift of tongues, was an apostolic gift, confirming the apostles as God's messengers in the apostolic age (Heb. 2:3-4). Those gifts are not active in the church today because they are no longer needed (1 Cor. 13:10).

    Even the wrath and wicked deeds of reprobate men accomplish the purpose of God (16:19-24). Though the girl spoke what Satan inspired her to speak and the men of the city did exactly what their anger and greed led them to do, God wisely and sovereignly used them to bring Paul to preach the gospel to a chosen sinner so that he might be saved (Ps. 76: 10). Election determined who would be saved (Eph. 1:3-6). Predestination determined all things for the accomplishment of God's gracious purpose (Eph. 1:11). Providence is God's wise and orderly disposition of all things in the sovereign accomplishment of his purpose (Rom. 8:28-30). As it is written, 'All things are of God' (2 Cor. 5:18).

    2. Faith in Christ causes believers to submit joyfully to the will of God (16:25-28)

    Paul and Silas recognized that their imprisonment was as much the work of God as the daily provision for their needs. Therefore they were both confident and joyful. In their time of trouble they did not seek a Christian counsellor, psychiatrist, or therapist. They did not become emotional wrecks. They believed God. Therefore they prayed. Happy are those souls who learn thus to deal with their troubles (Heb. 4:15-16; 1 Peter 5:6-7).

    Moreover, these men offered to God the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving in the midst of great trouble. They 'sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them'. Why shouldn't they? Believing God, they were full of joy. They knew their imprisonment was the will of God and that God's will is always good. Therefore they gave thanks (1Thess. 5:16-18). The believer's joy is the joy of faith (Phil. 1:25). It is not circumstantial, but spiritual. It is a joy that glows in the dark.

    The Lord has a way of assuring his tried and afflicted people that all is well, that he is upon his throne and that he is with them. He graciously demonstrated his presence with, and approval of, Paul and Silas by a remarkable, providential intervention. He sent an earthquake that did no harm, but only good (16:26). Immediately, Paul thought of his captor, whom he knew was likely to kill himself if his prisoners escaped (16:26-27). What an example he was, even in great trial! In the midst of his trouble, Paul carefully sought the comfort and welfare of a man who was his enemy.

    3. God promises eternal salvation to all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (16:29-34)

    The jailer cried, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' Like all natural men, when seized with the fear of death and the wrath of God, this man thought he could and should do something to obtain God's salvation. Paul did not rebuke him for his error, but rather simply said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.' Essentially, his words mean: 'You cannot do anything to be saved. You must trust Christ alone as your Lord and Saviour. Believe on him and you will be saved. And if the members of your family trust him, they too will be saved!' Having made that declaration, Paul proceeded to instruct the chosen sinner and his household in the gospel of Christ (16:32). Once they heard the message of grace and redemption in Christ, both the jailer and all his household were converted by the grace of God (16:33-34). They all believed on Christ. They all confessed him in believer's baptism. They all rejoiced in God their Saviour. And they all did what they could to comfort and assist the men who brought the message of grace to them.

    4. The only difference between those who believe and those who do not believe is the distinguishing grace of God (16:35-39)

    The magistrates had seen the same things the jailer did. They felt the earthquake. They were filled with fear. But their hearts were unbroken. What made the difference between them and the jailer? Why did he believe God while they refused to believe? The answer is: grace! (1 Cor. 4:7; 15:10). He was one of the Lord's sheep. They were not (John 10:25-27). Grace sought him out. Grace gave him life. Grace gave him faith. Grace made him a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17).

    5. The believer's trials equip him to comfort others in their time of trial (16:40)

    Paul and Silas gathered their brothers and sisters together to comfort them and strengthen their hearts in the faith. I am sure Paul told them what God had done, how that the Lord was with them in their trouble and how grace had come to the jailer's house. Just before leaving them, the apostle must have urged them ever to cling to Christ and trust him, assuring them that no matter what their outward circumstances might be, all is well, eternally well, because God is accomplishing his purpose of grace (Rom. 8:28-39).