The False Hope of Financial Gain - Acts 15-16

 Acts 16:19-24 (ESV)

But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

If there is anything worse than no hope, it would be false hope.   Having nothing to put your hope in, nothing to trust, is an imaginable place to be in life.  Note what Solomon stated on the subject:

Proverbs 29:18 (ESV)

Where there is no prophetic vision (hope) the people cast off restraint,

but blessed is he who keeps the law.

But, worse than having not vision for the future is to have a wrong vision.  In the above passage we read the Peter and Silas cast out a demon in a young girl.   The girl had some type of fortune telling skills but, subsequent to the casting out episode, the demon left and her power was lost.  This infuriated the “owners” of the girl (Imagine this being played out in any city today).   As a result of that spiritual work (a young woman was rescued from demonic activity, as well as the dehumanizing of her for capital gains.   But, the people and the magistrates do not see the glory in the transformation, they only see the loss of the compensation.   Whenever we trust in a revenue stream for our hope we are worse than no hope at all.   These men had arranged their lives to put trust in fleeting and vain riches. 

Ecclesiastes 5:10 (ESV)

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

Hope is a powerful, but only if it based upon substance.   Paul gave them a truth that was worthy of hope.   The leadership of that group cared more about the false hope of financial gain rather than the spiritual victory.