witchcraft

This says a lot about the “strong” members of most churches, and one could think similar thoughts about those who go to medical doctors.  Regardless, according to Biblical Law, this is idolatry, and is punishable by death, and so the call to pray for the idolater is not biblical either and is in vain.

Source: NTM Mission News

Brais, pastor of a Yanomami church in Brazil, was saddened to hear this week that one of the believers asked a witchdoctor to perform a healing ceremony. Brais along with several other church leaders had just returned from the large inter-tribal Bible conference.

Mario, one of those who attended, returned to find his wife, Susanna, was ill. She was considered to be one of the stronger believers in the Yanomami church but in the face of illness wanted to use a witchdoctor.

Mario lay in his hammock and watched as witchcraft was performed on his wife. He did not suggest trusting God and allowed the ceremony to proceed.

Brais prayed for the couple to realize this was not pleasing to God. Missionary Mike Hartman talked with Mario and Susanna concerning their return to witchcraft. He and Brais then prayed for the couple.

Pray for wisdom for Brais as he leads and directs the church. Pray also for Mario and Susanna who have resorted to witchcraft rather than looking to God for healing. Pray that they will reject the portions of culture that do not line up with Scriptural principles and will trust in God alone.

Full Story…

When it comes to judging those who practice divination or witchcraft, God’s word is clear: Witchcraft constitutes an attempt to be (like) God, therefore is punishable by death.

“For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.”(1Sa 15:23)

“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.” (Exo 22:18)

“A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.” (Lev 20:27)

Technorati Tags: bible study, divination, witchcraft

Although you might shake your head and say, “Noo, of course witchcraft doesn’t work, it’s fairytale stuff”, the bible is of a different “opinion” here.

Nowhere in the bible is there an indication that witchcraft, sorcery, divination, soothsaying, fortune telling and the like is just a fancy imagination of the people practicing it. We find Pharaoh’s magicians performing miracles by their “secret arts” (Exo 7:11), we find kings relying on the help of enchanters and the like to interpret their dreams, even if their powers are obviously limited (Dan 2:2), we find a girl in Acts whose owner profits from her gift of fortune telling (Act 16:16), and many more examples. The most prominent is probably King Saul consulting the witch of En-dor, a woman with a familiar spirit, a medium, to talk to the prophet Samuel after his death (1 Sam 28), for which he later on is condemned (see also 1 Chro 10:13). This witch wakes Samuel up, who seems anything but amused by the disturbance. There is no question of whether or not her secret art worked.

If you look at the Hebrew word translated “divination” or “witchcraft”, you find that it can even be used in a positive way:

H7081
qesem
From H7080; a lot; also divination (including its fee), oracle: – (reward of) divination, divine sentence, witchcraft.
1) divination, witchcraft
1a) of the nations, Balaam
1b) of false prophets
1c) in a good sense (king’s lips as oracles)

Technorati Tags: bible study, divination, witchcraft

“For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.” (1Sa 15:23)

A topic worth pursuing… The bible is full of references to witchcraft and sorcerers, familiar spirits and divination, necromancy and fortune tellers.

“When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. 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. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God, for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do this.” (Deu 18:9-14)

But modern day perception of witchcraft, shaped by medieval ideas and pop culture alike, seems to be far off topic. The bible is clear about what witchcraft is, whether or not it “works”, and what our attitude towards both the craft and the people using it should be.

“A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.” (Lev 20:27)

Stay tuned for a more detailed analysis.

Technorati Tags: bible study, witchcraft , divination