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The Acts of the Apostles
had opportunity to see that the God of heaven was more powerful
than the magicians who were worshipers of the goddess Diana. Thus
the Lord exalted His servant, even before the idolaters themselves,
immeasurably above the most powerful and favored of the magicians.
But the One to whom all the spirits of evil are subject and who
had given His servants authority over them, was about to bring still
greater shame and defeat upon those who despised and profaned His
holy name. Sorcery had been prohibited by the Mosaic law, on pain of
death, yet from time to time it had been secretly practiced by apostate
Jews. At the time of Paul’s visit to Ephesus there were in the city
“certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists,” who, seeing the wonders
wrought by him, “took upon them to call over them which had evil
spirits the name of the Lord Jesus.” An attempt was made by “seven
sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests.” Finding a man
possessed with a demon, they addressed him, “We adjure you by Jesus
whom Paul preacheth.” But “the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I
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know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil
spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against
them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.”
Thus unmistakable proof was given of the sacredness of the name
of Christ, and the peril which they incurred who should invoke it
without faith in the divinity of the Saviour’s mission. “Fear fell on
them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.”
Facts which had previously been concealed were now brought to
light. In accepting Christianity, some of the believers had not fully
renounced their superstitions. To some extent they still continued the
practice of magic. Now, convinced of their error, “many that believed
came, and confessed, and showed their deeds.” Even to some of the
sorcerers themselves the good work extended; and “many of them
also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned
them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it
fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and
prevailed.”
By burning their books on magic, the Ephesian converts showed
that the things in which they had once delighted they now abhorred. It
was by and through magic that they had especially offended God and
imperiled their souls; and it was against magic that they showed such
indignation. Thus they gave evidence of true conversion.