People in the world don’t have God to guide them and bless them. They might desire supernatural healing from their physical problems or they might want to communicate with their dead loved ones or they might want to know what is going to happen in the future. So, they turn to people who claim to have supernatural powers that promise to give them what they seek.
Here are some of the people and practices claiming to have supernatural powers. Astrology is the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world. A soothsayer is an individual who claims to foretell the future or reveal hidden knowledge through supernatural or magical means, often through practices like divination, interpreting omens, or consulting spirits. Divination is the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means. A psychic is a person who claims to have innate paranormal abilities to perceive future or hidden information. A fortune teller is one who claims to be able to predict a person’s future by reading the palm of the hand, reading a crystal ball, reading of tarot cards or similar methods. Sorcery refers to the use of supernatural power, magic, or spells, often involving evil spirits, to control events or people. A medium or spiritist is an individual who claims to communicate with the spirits of the dead to gain knowledge or guidance. Witchcraft is associated with practices like sorcery, divination and communicating with the dead and often involves enchantments or other spiritual arts. Many people today identify as witches and practice forms of witchcraft often involving rituals, spells, nature, and some form of spirituality. While all of these are people and practices found in the world today, similar practices have been going on for thousands of years.
The Israelites had left Egypt and were preparing to enter the promised land. Following is the exhortation of Moses to the people. Deuteronomy 18:9-12 “When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you.” Those who practiced these things were called an abomination to the LORD. That means that they were loathsome and detestable to God. Since the peoples of the land were doing these things, He was willing to drive them out of the land before the Israelites. God hated those who followed these practices.
God did not want such people to be among the Israelites. Exodus 22:18 “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.” Leviticus 20:27 “A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.” A familiar spirit is a demonic entity that a person consults for divination or to communicate with the dead. God hated these practices so much that He commanded the Israelites to execute capital punishment on such individuals. These practices were viewed as rebellion against God, seeking power from demonic sources instead of Him, and opening oneself to evil spiritual influence.
We have the interesting story of the witch or medium of En Dor. The story is found in 1 Samuel chapter 28. Samuel had died and Saul had put the mediums and spiritists out of the land. The Philistine army came against Israel and Saul was afraid. He tried to contact the Lord, but the Lord would not answer him. Being desperate to know what was going to happen, Saul sought out a medium and found the woman of En Dor. She was afraid that she would be killed because the law required that witches were to be killed. But Saul assured her that nothing would happen to her. Saul asked that she bring up Samuel from the grave and it appears that Samuel came up and communicated with Saul. For Saul to go to a medium was totally contrary to the will of God.
In the New Testament, we have the story of Simon the sorcerer. Acts 8:9-13 “But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, ‘This man is the great power of God.’ And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.” The word here translated sorcery actually implies magic. Simon used magic to deceive the people into thinking that he was the great power of God. But Simon saw the miracles that Philip performed and he must have known that the miracles were not magic but the true power of God. As a result, he believed in Jesus and was baptized.
Galatians 5:19-21 lists witchcraft or sorcery alongside other sins and works of the flesh; we are warned that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Sorcerers are in the list of those whose destination is the lake of fire. Revelation 21:8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
The Bible teaches that true spiritual power comes from God, and witchcraft, sorcery or similar practices are seen as counterfeit or possibly involve contact with demons. Witchcraft is fundamentally viewed as seeking power and knowledge from forbidden sources, and is rebellion against God. I encourage you to completely avoid any source of supernatural power or special knowledge that doesn’t come from God. Seek His power, His blessings, and His leading in your life. Trust in God.