Fake gods include witches, mediums, familiar spirits, and spiritists. But they’re all just made-up things for spooky stories, right? You know, the realm of charlatans and phony’s, there all harmless aren’t they?
Maybe you would be surprised to know these things are mentioned in scripture, so they aren’t new concepts. They aren’t gods, but that doesn’t mean Wizards, and the charms they cast, can still be harmful in a relationship with God. Most of my notes come right from scripture, the NASB. In the end, I include some entries from Strong’s dictionary for certain keywords to give a little more depth behind those words.
Let’s begin by looking at what God warns regarding Witches or mediums
- Don’t seek them out. You will be defiled by them. (Leviticus 19:31)
- Doing so commits spiritual harlotry. God will set his face against you and will cut you off. (Leviticus 20:6)
- The punishment is steep. You will surely be put to death. )Leviticus 20:27)
Leviticus 20
27 `Now a man or a woman who is a medium*1 or a spiritist*2 shall surely be put to death.
They shall be stoned with stones, their bloodguiltiness is upon them.´”
Deuteronomy 18
11 or one who casts*3 a spell*4, or a medium*1, or a spiritist*2, or one who (calls up)*5 the dead*6.
An early clean-up of witches comes from king Saul, although he had already fallen from God’s favor.
1 Samuel 28
3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, his city. And Saul had removed from the land those who were mediums*1 and spiritists.*2
9 But the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who are mediums*1 and spiritists*2 from the land. Why are you then laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?”
The clean-up proved to be short-lived. The dangers of bringing it back would be recurring, with later kings doing worse.
1 Samuel 28
7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek for me a woman who is a medium,*1 that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman who is a medium*1 at En-dor.”
1 Chronicle 10
13 So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against the LORD, because of the word of the LORD which he did not keep;
and also because he asked counsel of a medium*1, inquiring about it,
2 Kings 21
6 He made his son pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft*11 and used divination,*12 and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD provoking Him to anger.
2 Kings 23
24 Moreover, Josiah removed the mediums and the spiritists and the teraphim*9 and the idols*10 and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and Jerusalem, that he might confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 33
6 He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-Hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft*11, used divination*12, practiced sorcery*13, and dealt with mediums*1 and spiritists*2. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
Though the Hebrew kingdom fell, the practice of consulting fake gods, their images, and all manner of ungodly worship, continued. Even foreign nations who worship fake gods will be confused in their efforts. There’s nothing good that can come from fake gods, and in the end, leads to an eternal grave.
Isaiah 8
19 When they say to you, “Consult the mediums*1 and the spiritists*2 who whispers*7 and mutter,”*8
should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?
Isaiah 19
3 “Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them; I will confound their strategy So that they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead And to mediums*1 and spiritists*2.
Isaiah 29
4 Then you will be brought low; From the earth, you will speak, And from the dust where you are prostrate, Your words will come. Your voice will also be like that of a spirit*1 from the ground, And your speech will whisper from the dust.
References
1
H0178
‘owb — pronounced: obe
from the same as 1 (apparently through the idea of prattling a father’s name);
properly, a mumble, i.e. a water skin (from its hollow sound);
hence a necromancer (ventriloquist, as from a jar):
KJV — bottle, familiar spirit.
See Hebrew No. 1
2
H3049
yidd`oniy — pronounced: yid-deh-o-nee’
from 3045;
properly, a knowing one;
specifically, a conjurer;
(by implication) a ghost:
KJV — wizard.
See Hebrew No. 3045
3
H2266
chabar — pronounced: Khaw-bar’
a primitive root;
to join (literally or figuratively);
specifically (through spells) to fascinate:
KJV — charm(- er), be compact, couple (together), have fellowship with, heap up, join (self, together), league.
4
H2267
cheber — pronounced: kheh’-ber
from 2266;
a society;
also a spell:
KJV — + charmer(- ing), company, enchantment, X wide.
See Hebrew No. 2266
5
H1875
dash — pronounced: daw-rash’
a primitive root;
properly, to tread or frequent;
usually to follow (for pursuit or search);
by implication, to seek or ask;
specifically to worship:
KJV — ask, X at all, care for, X diligently, inquire, make inquisition, (necro-)manner, question, require, search, seek (for, out), X surely.
6
H4191
mouth — pronounced: smooth
a primitive root:
to die (literally or figuratively);
causatively, to kill:
KJV — X at all, X crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-manner), X must needs, slay, X surely, X very suddenly, X in (no) wise.
7
H6850
tsaphaph — pronounced: saw-faf’
a primitive root;
to coo or chirp (as a bird):
KJV — chatter, peep, whisper.
8
H1897
Hagar — pronounced: daw-gaw’
a primitive root (compare 1901);
to murmur (in pleasure or anger);
by implication, to ponder:
KJV — imagine, meditate, mourn, mutter, roar, X sore, speak, study, talk, utter.
See Hebrew No. 1901
9
H8655
tªraphiym — pronounced: her-aw-feme’
plural form 7495;
a healer;
Teraphim (singular or plural) a family idol:
KJV — idols(-try), images, teraphim.
10
H1544
gilluwl — pronounced: Ghil-lool’ or (shortened) gill Ghil-lool’;
from 1556;
properly, a log (as round);
by implication, an idol:
KJV — idol.
See Hebrew No. 1556
See Hebrew No. 7495
11
H6049
`anan — pronounced: aw-nan’
a primitive root;
to cover;
used only as a denominative from 6051, to cloud over;
figuratively, to act covertly, i.e. practice magic:
KJV — X bring enchanter, Meonemin, observe(-r of) times, soothsayer, sorcerer.
See Hebrew No. 6051
12
H5172
nachash
Transliterated: nachash Phonetic: naw-hash
Text: a primitive root; !` properly, to hiss, i.e. whisper a (magic) spell; !` generally, to prognosticate: !`KJV X certainly, divine, enchanter, (use) X enchantment, learn by experience, X indeed, diligently observe.
13
H3784
kasha
Transliterated: kasha Phonetic: kaw-shaft
Text: a primitive root; !` properly, to whisper a spell, i.e. to chant or practice magic:
KJV sorcerer, (use) witch(-craft).
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NASB.
Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
–>
“Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®,
Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995
by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.”
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