March 5, 2010
You must be blameless before the Lord your God. The nations you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the Lord your God forbids you to do such things (vv.13-14).
READ: Deuteronomy 18:9-14
There’s a growing fascination about life after death. Thousands of so-called psychics around the world claim to contact the spirits of the dead. And online, people can visit with psychics, spirit guides, and experts in reincarnation. There are nearly 16,000 witchcraft sites, 13,000 reincarnation sites, 12,000 psychics sites, and more than 1,000 sites dedicated to talking with the dead.
God told Moses to warn Israel that deliberate involvement with contacting the deceased was forbidden by Him (Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:9-14). Talking to mediums, seeking spirits, practicing sorcery and divination to try to contact the dead was forbidden because these practices prevented Israel from being a peculiar people—a people who would be a blessing to all nations (Leviticus 20:6-8). How could she influence her neighbors if she was imitating their evil behavior? So, why did people attempt to contact the dead? They were:
• desperate for guidance (1 Samuel 28:3-15)
• disobedient to God (1 Chronicles 10:13-14)
• deceived (2 Corinthians 2:10-11; 11:3)
For believers, these practices are forbidden as well. These practices are not motivated by the Spirit, but are the fruit of the sin nature (Galatians 5:19-21). Any believer who seeks out psychics, horoscopes, and mediums, for the purpose of contacting the dead, is choosing to follow Satan. They aren’t being peculiar and cannot please God.
Instead of having a fascination with contacting the dead, we should initiate loving contact with the living. That way we can tell them about God who—through His Son—loves them and can secure their eternal life. —Marvin Williams
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
