What does the Bible say about
Spiritism
and the Occult? By
Jack Kettler
As in previous studies, we will
look
at definitions, scriptures, lexical, and
commentary evidence for the purpose to
glorify God in how we live.In this study, we
will look at two closely related topics,
Spiritism and the Occult the
Scriptural warnings to avoid such practices.
What is Spiritism?
The
Bible clearly forbids Spiritism. God’s
people are to make no attempt to contact
spirits. Séances and necromancy are occult
activities forbidden by God
(Leviticus 19:31; 20:6; Galatians 5:20;
2Chronicles 33:6). The fact that
Spiritism places the occult under a veil of
“science” makes no difference. The
Bible tells us that the spirit world is
off-limits to us, for our own
protection. The spirits with which Spiritism
has to do are not human; the Bible
says that the spirits of men face judgment
after death (Hebrews 9:27), and
there is nothing in Scripture to suggest
that spirits return to the land of the
living for any reason or in any form. We
know that Satan is a deceiver (John
8:44). *
What is the Occult?
Occult
means, “hidden.” It covers practices that
are not approved of by God e.g.,
astrology (Isaiah 47:13), casting spells
(Deuteronomy 18:11), consulting with
spirits (Deuteronomy 18:11), magic (Genesis
41:8), sorcery (Exodus 22:8),
witchcraft (Deuteronomy 18:10), and
Spiritism (Deuteronomy 18:11). Occult
practices such as Ouija boards, tarot cards,
astrology charts, contacting the
dead, séances, etc. are to be avoided by the
Christian and Jews alike. **
A selected list of
Scriptures relevant to both subjects:
“You
shall not permit a sorceress to live.”
(Exodus 22:18 ESV)
“If
a person turns to mediums and necromancers,
whoring after them, I will set my
face against that person and will cut him
off from among his people.” (Leviticus
20:6 ESV)
“A
man also or woman that hath a familiar
spirit [a medium or a necromancer], or
that is a wizard, shall surely be put to
death: they shall stone them with
stones: their blood shall be upon them.”
(Leviticus 20:27)
“There
shall not be found among you any one that
maketh his son or his daughter to
pass through the fire, or that useth
divination, or an observer of times, or an
enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a
consulter with familiar spirits, or a
wizard, or a necromancer.” (Deuteronomy
18:10-11)
“And
he [Manasseh] caused his children to pass
through the fire in the valley of the
son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and
used enchantments, and used
witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar
spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much
evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke
him to anger.” (2Chronicles 33:6)
“And
when they say to you, “Inquire of the
mediums and the necromancers who chirp
and mutter,” should not a people inquire of
their God? Should they inquire of
the dead on behalf of the living? To the
teaching and to the testimony! If they
will not speak according to this word, it is
because they have no dawn.” (Isaiah
8:19-20 ESV)
“That
frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and
maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise
men backward, and maketh their knowledge
foolish.” (Isaiah 44:25)
“And
a number of those who had practiced magic
arts brought their books together and
burned them in the sight of all. And they
counted the value of them and found
it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.’
(Acts 19:19 ESV)
“But
the fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall have their
part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second
death.” (Revelation 21:8)
“Be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary
the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
(1Peter 5:8)
Comments:
C.
S. Lewis wrote, “The Screwtape Letters,”
which contain the dialogues between
the demons “Wormwood” the nephew of
“Screwtape” his uncle demon. In the
preface, we learn there are two equal and
opposite errors, and we can fall into
concerning devils and demons. One is to
doubt their existence, which is what
usually happens in the modern world
influenced by rationalism. The other is to
have an unnecessary interest in them
influenced by the New Age movement. The
devil made me do it is a cop-out. In
contrast, to deny the reality of Satan and
his minions is dangerous in light of 1Peter
5:8.
In conclusion:
Consulting
with spirit mediums, spiritists, practicing
witchcraft, astrology, and magic
are sinful rejections of God. Oprah Winfrey
says to “find your own spirit.” Oprah’s
idea is a contemporary example of a
dangerous call to find a spirit medium. In
the modern world, these so-called dark arts
come in seemingly respectable
scientific settings. They are to be avoided
nonetheless.
Moreover,
these above practices warranted the death
penalty in the Older Covenant economy
of Israel. Today the church does not wield
the power of the sword. However, the
church can excommunicate members found
practicing these dark arts.
“Then
said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman
that hath a familiar spirit*
that I may go to her, and inquire of her.
And his servants said to him, Behold,
there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit
at Endor.” (1Samuel 28:7)
1
skin-bottle, only plural אֹבוֺת
חֲדָשִׁים
new (wine-) skins Job 32:19.
2
necromancer, in phrase אוֺבאוֺ
יִדְּעֹנִי necromancer or wizard
Leviticus 20:27 (H; usually translated 'a
man also or woman that hath a
familiar spirit or that is a wizard' RV; but
better a man or a woman, if there
should be among them, a necromancer or
wizard; no sufficient reason for
exceptional use of phrase here); וְיִדְּעֹנִי׳א
Deuteronomy 18:11; 2Chronicles
33:6 = 2 Kings 21:6 (where וידענים
׳א);
הָאֹבוֺת
וְהַיִּדְּעֹנִים Leviticus
19:31; Leviticus 20:6 (H) 1 Samuel 28:3,9; 2
Kings 23:24; Isaiah 8:19 (where
repres. as chirping & muttering, in
practice of their art of seeking dead
for instruction, probably ventriloquism,
& so ᵐ5) Isaiah 19:3.
3
ghost, Isaiah 29:4 וְהָיָה
כְּאוֺב מֵאֶרֶץ
קוֺלֵח וּמֵעָפָר אִמְרָתֵח תְּצַפְצֵף
and thy voice shall be as a ghost
from the ground and from the dust thy speech
shall chirp (so Ge MV Ew De Che
and others, but chirping might be of
necromancer, as Isaiah 8:19).
4
necromancy אֵשֶׁת
בַּעֲלַתאֿוֺב a
woman who was mistress of necromancy 1Samuel
28:7 (twice in verse); (> RSJPh
xiv, 127 f makes אוֺב
primarily a
subterranean spirit, and significant. 2 only
an abbreviation of ׳בעלתא
etc.); קסם בּאוֺב divine by
necromancy 1Samuel 28:8, which seems to be
interpretation of 1Chronicles 10:13 ׳שׁאלבא
inquire by necromancy. (In these
three examples אוֺב is
usually
interpreted as ghost or familiar spirit
conceived as dwelling in necromancer;
but this apparently not the ancient
conception.)
The result of
Saul’s sin:
“Then
said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of
me, seeing the LORD is departed
from thee, and is become thine enemy?”
(1Samuel 28:16)
Saul and the Witch
of Endor by R. Bickersteth, D. D.
1Samuel
28:7-25
Then
said Saul to his servants, Seek me a woman
that has a familiar spirit that I
may go to her, and inquire of her…
At
this period to which the text relates Saul
was in great perplexity, owing to the
want of someone through whom to obtain
counsel from God. The affairs of Israel
were at this time in a critical state. Their
ancient adversaries, the
Philistines, were mustering their forces.
The moral degeneracy of Israel served
to embolden the enemy. Let us now endeavour
to point out some of the practical lessons,
which this remarkable narrative suggests.
1.
The history forcibly teaches the solemn
truth, that a man's day of grace is by
no means invariably co-extensive with his
life on earth. It is evident that at
least for a time before Saul perished he was
left to eat of the fruit of his
own way, and to be filled with his own
devices. The Spirit departed from him,
and at the same time, the Spirit of evil
entered in and took full possession of
him. After this, there were no further means
to be tried for his conversion.
The king had outlived his time of
opportunity, and God was departed from him.
Saul's day of grace had then terminated;
and, whilst you notice this, observe
also the steps which led to this
consummation: they were a progressive series
of resistances offered to God's Spirit —
repeated acts of provocation, the
repetition of refusals to hearken and to
obey. There are numbers who are
emboldened in a course of irreligion from
the impression that it will be easy
at some future time to turn and repent, and
undergo the indispensable change,
without which they cannot enter the kingdom
of heaven. On this account, it
becomes more necessary to repeat the warning
that the season for turning to the
Lord may pass away, never to return, even
before the stroke of death ushers the
soul to its everlasting portion.
2.
Again, the history before us is instructive
as pointing out what act it was on
the part of Saul, which challenged his final
and immediate punishment. From the
narrative, it appears it was the sin of
witchcraft. But the peculiarity lies in
this, that it was a sin which Saul had
professedly abandoned, and against which
he had proclaimed open war. Can we err in
concluding from hence that sin is
then more especially hateful to God when
practised by one who knows its nature
and has once deliberately purposed to
forsake it? To fall back to the
indulgence of a sin, which you have once
resolved to renounce is a sure way to
provoke the heavy displeasure of God.
3.
The narrative is full of instruction as to
the folly of expecting conversion by
miracle when it is not effected by ordinary
means. The reappearance of Samuel
availed nothing for Saul's conversion. The
reanimated Prophet could not guide
the man who had abandoned the guidance of
God's own Spirit. Be not deceived to
suppose that if unconverted by what God is
doing for you now, you would be
converted by any supernatural agency. Your
conversion is possible now. It is
the province of the Holy Ghost to effect it.
Use the means you have. God will
give the Holy Spirit to them that ask. (R.
Bickersteth, D. D. The
Biblical Illustrator, Electronic
Database).
In
closing:
“So
Saul died for his breach of faith. He
broke faith with the LORD in that he did
not keep the command of the LORD, and also
consulted a medium, seeking
guidance.” (1Chronicles 10:13 ESV)
“Do
not turn to mediums or necromancers; do
not seek them out, and so make
yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD
your God.” (Leviticus 19:31 ESV)
“To God,
only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ
forever. Amen.” (Romans 16:27) and “heirs
according to the promise.” (Galatians
3:28, 29)
Mr.
Kettler has previously published articles in
the
Chalcedon Report and Contra Mundum. He and
his wife Marea attend the
Westminster, CO, RPCNA Church. Mr. Kettler
is the author of the book defending
the Reformed Faith against attacks, titled:
The Religion That Started in a Hat.
Available at: http://www.TheReligionThatStartedInAHat.com