Witch


1 Samuel 28
[The reading for today is the entirety of Chapter 28. You will need to look it up for yourself or clink the link below to read this story in your browser. Don’t skip the Scripture reading! This is one of the truly weirdest stories that the Bible holds.]
http://www.esvbible.org/search/1+Samuel+28/

Recently on the TLC Channel a new show debuted; Long Island Medium. We’ve all seen these people on TV before (or maybe even in person, if you are truly unfortunate). They declare that they are able to speak with those who have died and bring back messages from loved ones who have passed that supposedly bring encouragement and advice about the future for the living. On this newest show, (which I refuse to watch) this woman from Long Island gives unsolicited “readings” to strangers on the street. She says she just can’t help doing it. The dead come and speak to her and she just has to share the information. She is what the Bible would call a “necromancer.” (In the Hebrew the word literally means “skin bottle” as the medium allows their skin to be filled with that of a person who had died for a short time.) God’s words about this practice are pretty cut and dried. Don’t participate. Deuteronomy 18:10–12 couldn’t be any clearer:

There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you.

This brings us to the final night of Saul’s life and the deplorable way he chooses to spend it. Because of his great fear of the Philistines and God’s unwillingness to give him direction about the upcoming battle, Saul decides to visit a medium and get his answers there. This is a strange choice, as Saul has (in accordance with the Deuteronomy passage above) kicked all of the mediums and necromancers out of the country. What appears to be true is that they didn’t actually leave, they just went underground, so to speak – pun intended!

What actually happened in that cave between the medium and Saul has been the subject of much theological debate over the centuries. There appears to be two possible choices to explain who actually “appeared” to Saul through the medium. One, (and this is the one I generally agree with on the basis of other Scripture passages) that this is a demonic presence that comes; OR two, that this is actually “Samuel” sent by God to affirm the message Saul already knows. (The precedent for this opinion being the appearance of Elijah and Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration [see Matthew 17:1ff].) No matter where you land in this debate, the bottom line is that God does not approve of this activity and Saul knew that. Interestingly, the medium refuses to help him because of his own edict against necromancy and he uses the name of the Lord for the very last time in his life (verse 10) to assure her that she will suffer no recrimination. Whoever or whatever this medium conjures up (and even she was surprised to have succeeded, leading us to believe that she was had probably never been able to actually speak with the dead before this event) merely reiterated for Saul what he has already been told. His unwillingness to live obediently had resulted in the loss of the kingdom from his family line. And even more distressing is the news that he (and his sons) will die in battle the next day.

While this story is fascinating and rather titillating, it does serve the purpose of illuminating more of God’s character and standards. God says “NO” to this particular practice. Those who would participate in it today are dancing on a trapdoor that will spring on them. It is not entertaining, fun, or useful in any way at all in our lives as believers. It displays a complete lack of trust in God and His power to protect us and provide for us. When God says “no” he means “no”.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

יהוה שָׁמַר--Yahweh Shamar (God Watches)

Image
Psalm 121 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. There are numerous passages I cling to when stress takes over my life. I would be hard pressed to declare a favorite, but this psalm would come close. So this morning I listened to Psalm 121 about 20 times as I meditated through the verses. First, I want to point out that the word or idea of shamar appears in every verse expect 6. The NIV uses the word "watch" while the ESV uses "keep". The...
Read more

Excusez-moi

Image
2 Kings 23:31-37 31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34 And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco. 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-fiv...
Read more

Narrow Door

Image
Luke 13:22-30 22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them , 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at tabl...
Read more