Witchcraft In The Old Testament
In the Old Testament, King Ahab married a Phoenician princess named Jezebel. This wicked queen practiced witchcraft and promoted child sacrifice. She silenced Gods prophetsthe truth tellersby having them killed.
How can there be peace, Jehu replied, as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound? .
Witchcraft can be figurative of seductive and corrupting influences. Jezebel poisoned Israels faith and brought great suffering and Gods judgment.
Manasseh, one of Judahs kings, also practiced witchcraft and desecrated Gods temple that bore the Lords name .
He sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger. But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites .
In The Old Testament King Saul Consults A Witch When He Wants To Talk To The Prophet Samuel After He Has Died
Throughout the Bible there is frequent condemnation of witchcraft usually referring to divination or calling up the souls of the dead as it is an activity that opposes God and may include the worship of demonic spirits.
In the Old Testament, King Saul falls into despair after seeing the strength of the Philistine army and feels helpless. He wants God to speak to him, but God is silent.
Not satisfied with Gods silence, he takes matters into his own hands and summons the Witch of Endor.
When Saul saw the Philistine camp, he grew afraid and lost heart completely. He consulted the Lord but the Lord gave no answer, neither in dreams nor by Urim nor through prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, Find me a medium through whom I can seek counsel. His servants answered him, There is a woman in Endor who is a medium.
1 Samuel 28:5-7
Saul instructs the witch to Conjure up Samuel for me, as the prophet Samuel had recently died.
God allows this to happen, but it does not bode well for Saul. Samuel proclaims that, the Lord will deliver Israel, and you as well, into the hands of the Philistines. By tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and the Lord will have delivered the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines .
Later Sauls consultation of the witch would be recalled as part of the events that led to his death.
Laws Against Sorcery In The Ancient Near East
Ancient Near Eastern laws confirm that men could be sorcerers. For instance, law §2 in the Laws of Hammurabi outlines how to prove a man is a sorcerer when there is no evidence:
§2 If a man charges another man with practicing witchcraft but cannot bring proof against him, he who is charged with witchcraft shall go to the divine River Ordeal If the divine River Ordeal should overwhelm him, his accuser shall take full legal possession of his estate if the divine River Ordeal should clear that man and should he survive, he who made the charge of witchcraft against him shall be killed
If the accused drowns, it means that the river god has determined the man to be a warlock and drowned him if he survives, the river god has acquitted him.
The Middle Assyrian Laws describe the practioner of sorcery as being either a man or a woman:
§47 If either a man or a woman should be discovered practicing witchcraft , and should they prove the charges against them and find them guilty, they shall kill the practitioner of witchcraft
In this sense, the law in Exodus stands out among other ANE law collections in its singling out of female practioners.
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The Bible And Witchcraft: What The Bible Says
Michael
In the past forty years, there has been a resurgent interest in witchcraft in all its multifaceted guises. The main thrust has been presenting witchcraft as an innocent, entertaining subject in literature and in movies.
As usual 95% of Christians fail to use discernment, yield to media manipulation, and embrace this sugar coated siren of witchcraft along with the deluded mass of the population little heeding a wide array of Biblical admonitions not to open the door to Satan who comes to devour as a roaring lion. Jesus said to Peter, Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to have you, to sift you like wheat and thats exactly what Satan will do if we dont ask before reading a book, watching a movie, entering a relationship or pursuing any course of action What would Jesus do?
Witchcraft involves the manipulation of the demonic host, through incantations and the casting of spells. Witchcraft can also involve communication with demonic spirits impersonating the dead. The Bible clearly teaches that the dead cannot communicate with the living as there is a great chasm separating the dead from the living . As discarnate spirit entities, these demons possess knowledge regarding the activities of humans and have a limited ability to foretell the future.
Here are a few of the scriptures regarding witchcraft:
The Old and New Testaments treat witchcraft as an evil, rebellious, and loathsome practice. Those who practiced it were not tolerated.
Be Careful Of Witchcraft And Evil
Take no part in evil, but instead expose it.
16. Ephesians 5:11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness instead, expose them.
17. 3 John 1:11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.
18. 1 Corinthians 10:21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
Reminders
19. Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
20. 1 John 3:8-10 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devils work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because Gods seed remains in them they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not Gods child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.
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Bible Verses That Condemn Witchcraft
The Old Testament explicitly condemns all forms of spiritualism besides obedience toward the God of Israel. In many cases it even encourages the death penalty for anyone who is a sorceress, medium, or spiritist.
Do not allow a sorceress to live. Exodus 22:18
A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them their blood will be on their own heads. Leviticus 20:27
Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. Leviticus 19:31
Let no one be found among you who consigns his son or daughter to the fire, or who is an augur, a soothsayer, a diviner, a sorcerer, one who casts spells, or one who consults ghosts or familiar spirits, or one who inquires of the dead. For anyone who does such things is abhorrent to the LORD, and it is because of these abhorrent things that the LORD your God is dispossessing them before you. Deuteronomy 18:10=12
King Samuel And The Witch Of Endor
Perhaps the most mysterious witch in the Bible is the so-called Witch of Endor, whose story is covered in the biblical chapter of 1 Samuel 28.
Although King Saul had issued orders that all witches in Israel be put to death, in a moment of weakness he consulted a famous local medium for advice as his forces faced a military threat from the Philistines. Bringing two bodyguards with him, Saul disguised himself as an ordinary soldier and consulted a female medium from the village of Endor.
He asked her to summon the spirit of the recently deceased King Samuel to give advice about the pending war with the Philistines. When Samuel appeared from the dead, the Witch of Endor immediately realized that the man in the disguise was King Saul and chastised Saul for deceiving her.
The ghost of King Samuel told King Saul the the next day he and his forces would launch into a battle with the Philistines that they would lose and that would kill Saul in the process. Weakened with fear at the news, Saul fell to the ground.
In a rare biblical portrait of a compassionate spiritualist, the Witch of Endor encouraged Saul, who had been weakened by hunger, to eat some of the fattened calf and baked bread she had prepared. After eating, Saul and his associates left.
They next day, King Samuels prophecy came true: Saul was slain in battle and Israel fell into the hands of the Philistines.
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Witchcraft In The Quran
A strong parallel to what we see in the Exodus verse and its reception can be found in the Quran , which refers in verse 4 of Surah 113 to the evil of those who blow upon knots, an incantation practice. The term اÙÙÙÙÙÙÙاثÙات٠, one who blows is in the feminine plural.
Particularly since ancient times, it has generally been women who were occupied with casting spells or sorcery that is why this verse focuses on such women.
In contrast, Seyyed Hossein Nasrs The Study Quran takes a more apologetic approach:
Though the noun is in the feminine plural, it is not necessarily limited to women, but may indicate human beings in general. In this sense, it could be understood as a reference to general evil as practice in this specific case by the women who blow on knots.
Notably, some traditional commentators record a story about a Jewish man and his daughters casting a spell on Muhammed using the knots method.
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Ancient Mesopotamian medical texts discuss various diseases as having been caused by witchcraft and offer possible diagnoses or cures. For example, BAM 449 discusses what to do when a fatal cutting of the breath spell was cast on a person:
Translation from JoAnn Scurlock in, The Context of ScriptureVolume 4: Supplements, ed. K. Lawson Younger , 307.
Both are piʿel singular participles.
Similary, the book of Malachi mentions Judean sorcerers,
Meaning And Use Of The Words:
The word “witch” seems to denote etymologically “one that knows.” it is historically both masculine and feminine indeed the Anglo-Saxon form wicca, to which the English word is to be traced, is masculine alone. “Wizard” is given as masculine for witch, but it has in reality no connection with it. Wright says he never heard an uneducated person speak of wizard. When this word is used by the people it denotes, he says, a person who undoes the work of a witch. Shakespeare often uses “witch” of a male . In Wycliff’s translation of Ac 8:9 Simon Magus is called “a witch” . Since the 13th century the word “witch” has come more and more to denote a woman who has formed a compact with the Devil or with evil spirits, by whose aid she is able to cause all sorts of injury to living beings and to things. The term “witchcraft” means in modern English the arts and practices of such women.
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Witchcraft Can Be A Confusing Word
We tend in English to use the words witch or witchcraft in ways that fail to reflect analytic distinctions widely present in other cultures and languages.
One class of persons practice divination or contact the dead on behalf of the living in a culturally acceptable and open way. For example, in South Africa the Sangoma and Inyanga are thought to have such powers, as is the Iwishin among the Aguaruna of Peru, the Mganga of Tanzania, or the Mufumu of Congo. These people advertise their identities and services and seek customers. People seek them out in times of crisis or need, both to divine the root causes of their afflictions and to help resolve them. But in these same cultures there is another category of person that is thought to operate secretly and malevolently to harm others, the Tagati/Mthakathi of South Africa, the Mchawi of Tanzania, the Mulozi of Congo and the Tunchi of Northern Peru. These persons are thought to cause harm to others, and are not consulted by others for purposes of healing, divination, or to resolve problems with the dead.
Are There Harmless Forms Of Witchcraft
The answer is flat out no. Anything that has demonic influence is not harmless. Unfortunately, the way witchcraft is often presented to the world can mistakenly be seen as harmless. Think of the many childrens cartoons that incorporate magic and witchcraft into them, making them seem perfectly innocent and normal.
There is no such thing as a harmless form of witchcraft. This includes tarot cards, horoscopes, Ouija boards, or anything else that aligns with witchcraft, regardless of how unassuming it may seem. There is no harmless form of witchcraft. It is a deception that Satan uses to draw the unsuspecting in. Remember Satan disguises himself as an angel of light .
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Pagan Culture Before Christianity
There are different ways in which astrology has been used in other cultures.
In other cultures, the sun is said to tell people about the weather, which is used to predict the weather and what people are going to face in their lives.
Also, the planets and stars are used in determining the future and this is something that many people believe in today.
This was not the first time that pagan people had used astrology as a way to determine events.
As a matter of fact, many of the myths of ancient Greece and Rome were based on the practice of astrology was used to determine the future.
Many of these myths also had a basis in reality, such as the legend of Demeter and her daughter Artemis being separated at birth.
Some people believe that the Sun, which rises and sets at different times, can tell us about the future.
Therefore, it can give us information about what may come in our lives.
Certain people believe that the moon can tell us about how our lives are going and whether we are heading in the right direction.
How This Relates To Today
My daughter, among many others, received a mandate from her work to be vaccinated or be terminated. She has applied for religious exemption. Let me tell you why.
Did you know the three Covid vaccines approved for use in our country used aborted fetal cells to develop or test their products? They extract tissue from live babies. Does that sound like child sacrifice?
No one knows the long-term effects of a drug that changes human DNA. King Manasseh desecrated Gods temple. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit . We have every right to protect them .
Finally, proven safe ways to protect your health and treat Covid exist. But as Jezebel killed the truth-telling priests of God, doctors who speak about the benefits of supplements like Vitamin D, for example, and safe and inexpensive drugs are threatened and silenced.
Our government and many businesses are forcing people to take a drug they morally and religiously oppose. Hundreds of thousands of our military face the possibility of being court-martialed and dishonorably discharged.
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What Exactly Is Witchcraft
While this word may have different meanings in different cultures, at its core witchcraft is the attempt to manipulate the environment, circumstances, or situations through mystical or spiritual means. In Bible times this was done using what was often called mediums or spiritists. Within this definition, there are two words I want you to focus on regarding witchcraft.
Manipulation This is all about influence, usually in an unfair manner.
Spiritual means When you call on assistance that steps outside of your realm of ability. In the case of spiritists and mediums, this is demonic assistance.
When you put it all together, witchcraft is trying to insert influence with demonic assistance into a situation. This is the danger of witchcraft.
The Power Of Witchcraft
Should we fear the powers of Satan? No, but we should stay far from it.
1 John 5:18-19 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
15. 1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
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Women And Witchcraft In Second Temple And Rabbinic Sources
The connection between women and sorcery is taken for granted in rabbinic literature. For instance, in the Sayings of the Fathers, the sage Hillel states :
…×ר×× × ×ס×× ×ר×× ×××× ×ר×× × ×©×× ×ר×× ×שפ×× ×ר×× ×©×¤××ת ×ר×× ×××
The more possessions the more care the more women the more witchcraft the more bondswomen the more lewdness.
Mishnah Sanhedrin 6:4 states that Shimon ben Shetach executed 80 women for witchcraft in Ashkelon in one day. While this is likely not an actual historical incident, it highlights the assumption that witches would be women.
In a similar vein, the Babylonian Talmud records a statement by R. Yossi that while Jews do not burn incense to gods like pagans do, Jewish women use incense as part of their witchcraft :
×ª× × ×¨×× ×: ××× ×××× ×××¥ ×××¨× ××ר×× ×¨××, ×× ×¨×× × ×ר×× – ××× × ××ר×, ×× ×¨×× ×שר×× – ××ר×. ר×× ×××¡× ×××ר: ×פ××× ×¨×× ×שר×× × ×× ××× × ××ר×, ××¤× × ×©×× ×ת ×שר×× ×ק×ר×ת ××שפ××.
Our Rabbis taught: One who was walking outside a city and smelled a scent if the majority of the towns residents are gentiles, he may not recite a blessing over the scent , but if the majority are Jews, he may recite a blessing. Rabbi Yossi says: Even if the majority are Jews, one may not recite a blessing, as the daughters of Israel burn incense to witchcraft .