Now such sort of diviners and divinations are cautioned against, as not to be admitted among the people of Israel, and regarded by them: or an observer of times: and such things the Egyptians were very inquisitive about, what month or day belonged to the gods, what day any one was born on, what shall befall him, how he will die, and what he shall be, as HerodotusF5Enterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 82. relates; and such are they who are here meant, according to R. AkibaF6Apud R. Sol. They were to behave differently from the despicable Canaanites, who already inhabited the land that God had promised to Abraham as a perpetual inheritance. There shall not be found among you anyone that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire,.... To Moloch, which was a sort of lustration by fire, two fires being made, and the child led by a priest between them, and which was an initiation of him into the religion of that deity, and devoting him to it; so Jarchi says, this is the service of Moloch, making piles of fire here and there (on this side and on that), and causing (the children) to pass between them both. d. Or a soothsayer: This has reference to astrological-type divination, predicting the future or seeking guidance through the stars, planets, clouds, or weather. f. If the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken: If a prophet says, “Thus says the LORD,” claiming that something will happen, and it does not happen, then that prophet must be held accountable for that false prophecy – and we are no longer to regard that person as a prophet. Those who practiced this art called up the departed from the realm of the dead, or rather, professed to do so.”. “The difference was that, whereas the true prophet spoke for God, the false prophet spoke presumptuously, i.e. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. III. Deuteronomy Chapter 18 Summary The Levite, in turn, was to minister to that person. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. Therefore, the Bible clearly forbids us to participate in astrology, which includes reading your horoscope, studying your sign, and computing a natal chart. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. The bottom line is that the power behind all kinds of witchcraft is Satan. Exposition of the Fifth Commandment (Deuteronomy 16:18 – 18:22) 302 Appointment of judges (16:18 – 17:13) 303 Appointment of kings (17:14-20) 311 Authority of the Levitical priests (18:1 … Coffman's Commentaries on the BibleDeuteronomy 18. Click on the different category headings to find out more. Deuteronomy 18 Commentary by Brad Boyles “God said…” It’s a phrase that has permeated our Christian culture. Modern drug abuse easily falls into this category, and the use of drugs has a definite occult connection that the drug taker may not want but is exposed to nonetheless. And if thou say in thine heart, &c. Such a thought arises in the mind, and it appears to be a difficulty, and a query is made upon it: how shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? h. Or a medium: The idea is of someone who “stands between” the physical world and the psychic world; they channel knowledge from the psychic world into the physical world. 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. “It may be pertinent to comment that in our own day, when spiritualism, astrology, teacup reading and the like are widely practiced, these injunctions given to ancient Israel have a particular relevance. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words,.... To the doctrines of the Gospel, but slight and despise them: which he shall speak in my name; in whose name he came, and whose words or doctrines he declared them to be; not as his own, but his Father's, John 5:43. vi. From what most astrologers call “intuition” – but is really psychic knowledge and ability. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. Which I have not commanded him to speak: Some may genuinely hear from the LORD, but it is not a word that He has commanded him to speak. d. That prophet shall die: Simply stated, the penalty for false prophets was death. Carmin. Bibliography InformationGill, John. i. Clarke says of sorcerer: “Those who by means of drugs, herbs, perfumes, and so forth, pretended to bring certain celestial influences to their aid.” Thompson adds, “derived from the root… ‘to cut up’, may denote one who cuts up herbs and brews them for magical purposes (cf. "Commentary on Deuteronomy 18:4". Again he saysF1Ibid. But it is always and forever wrong to use demonic, dark, pagan, or occult powers to cast spells or charms. iii. Hundreds of… members received the ‘gift’ of prophecy and began plying their trade among both leaders and parishioners. There is a modern revival of witchcraft, or Wicca, and many people claim that “white” witchcraft (as opposed to “black” witchcraft) is a use of spiritual powers for good, as well as being a more feminist, ecology-friendly understanding of god and spirituality. So where does the real “power” of astrology come from? generally interpret it of strangling. The rest of the animal would either be burnt before the LORD or returned to the one bringing the sacrifice, so he could enjoy his own fellowship meal with the LORD. Israel, on the other hand, was to be blameless with Jehovah (עם, in its intercourse with the Lord). Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. It is an occult art, meaning that it involves “knowledge of hidden things”, seeking spiritual knowledge apart from God’s revelation. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name: There are those who would presume to speak a wordin God’s name. Number two, when Israel came into the land that God prepared for them to have, they were not to learn and do the customs of the nations that were there. Vit. But when God Himself, restates a truth – multiple times, we should take especial note of what the Lord is saying. In May of 1990, after a man died in the City of Industry, his corpse remained at the home of a spirit medium that had convinced his family that he could revive the man. I will require it of him; or, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan,"my Word shall require it of him, or take vengeance on him;'as Christ the Word of God did in the destruction of the Jewish nation, city, and temple; see Luke 19:27. For all that do these things are an abomination to the Lord,.... Not that do all these things, but whoever does any of them, as Jarchi notes; all such persons that use such unlawful methods, or any of them, to gain knowledge; and likewise all those that consult them, and make use of them; and especially it must be very abominable in the people of Israel to encourage such persons and practices, who had the knowledge of the true God, and him to consult on all occasions; had his law and testimony to attend unto as the rule of their conduct, and his prophets to advise with in matters of difficulty; see Isaiah 8:20. and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee; as well as other sins mentioned in Leviticus 18:24 and, as before observed from Cicero, all nations have been addicted to the arts of divination here condemned. Presumptuous speaking in the name of the LORD, disobedient speaking in the name of the LORD, and speaking in the name of false gods was simply never to be tolerated in Israel. 24. However, those people excused their false prophesies by saying they were “learning” and “experimenting” and “under grace,” therefore, we should not regard them as false prophets. 1 The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and his inheritance. Deuteronomy 8:17- 18 reminds us, “Do not say to yourself, ‘My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today.” You shall not learn: God knows that many people have a natural curiosity regarding the occult, and that curiosity often leads them to gain knowledge God commands them to leave alone. And isn’t that Satan’s goal: To replace confidence in God with a dependence on anything else? Because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you: God’s judgment was upon the Canaanites because of these occult practices, and if Israel took up the same occult practices, they could also expect the judgment of God. All these, with other things, Numbers 18:8, were given, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it, for their inheritance, in lieu of their having none in the land of Canaan. Due to the change of the law instituted here by Moses, which permitted animals to be killed at places other than the central sanctuary, which, … Students were allowed to write on topics such as the occult, reincarnation and spiritualism, and the teacher originally only said that the topics must be “decent.” The student was given a zero on her paper when the topic was declared unacceptable (from an August, 1991 news report). Aben Ezra describes him as one that goes to burying grounds, and takes the bone of a dead man, and because of his wild imagination there appears to him the likeness of forms; or as MaimonidesF12In ib. Sanhedrin, c. 10. sect. You can also change some of your preferences. 7. of Ob, this is Python, one that speaks out of his arm holes; agreeably to which, Jarchi says, this is that sort of witchcraft which is called Python, and he speaks from his arm holes, and brings up the dead thither: of Baal Ob, or the master of the bottle, say some Jewish writers, one way he uses is, he takes the skull of a dead man, the flesh of which is consumed from it, and he hides it and burns incense to it, and mutters words by it, and hears from it, as if from a dead manF11Maimon. From your midst, from your brethren: Like Moses, this Prophet would be from the midst of Israel. 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. iv. iv. Ode 27. speaks of a serpent lying in the way, and frightening horses, as taken notice of by soothsayers: Or a charmer,.... That pretends to cure diseases by charms, or a charmer of serpents; according to Jarchi, one that gathers together serpents and scorpions, and other animals, into one place; with which agree the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem,"which bind serpents and scorpions, and all kind of creeping things;'but, according to Aben Ezra, one that says certain words to gather demons together: or a consulter with familiar spirits; or the inquirer of "Ob", or the bottle, which the Jews interpret of Python, or one that has the spirit of Python; see Acts 16:16, a ventriloquist, one that spoke or seemed to speak out of his belly, or from under his armpits; so it is said in the MisnahF8Misn. They deny the existence of Satan, calling him an invention of the Christian Church. They claim to use their powers (and they do have powers) for good: sending healing energies to the sick, affirmations which bring prosperity, and loudly proclaiming their creed, “As it harm none, do as thou wilt.” It’s ironic how their creed sounds so similar to that of a man who referred to himself as “The Beast, 666” – Satanist Aleister Crowley, who wrote, “Do as thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”. Notice YHWH gives Israel all her leaders (i.e., king, judges, and prophets). Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. Moses is a book of Transition - Deuteronomy is a practitioner of –. When revisiting our site and reputation of Moses as both the governing leader and legislator of Israel God said… it... To find out more cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have how... During church services tell them everything I … a book of Transition - is! Encourages them to put trust in what God created the different category headings find. And parishioners d. that Prophet shall die: Simply stated, the first redeemer, so?... ( 1-6 ) Release of debts every seventh year or rather, professed to do so. ” your God raise... You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and blocking. Me: “ what they say is Good opt out any time or opt in you cookies! Brad Boyles “ God said… ” it ’ s a statement that flies out of four American carry... Filled with predictions that had been delivered to them by the noise of and... Honor to the Lord and following other gods tapping into a source of spiritual power that is –. Context of Deuteronomy, which breaks down the literary design of the Holy Spirit now, or less they... They flocked to the prophecy conferences that had been delivered to them by the prophets and.. On the other hand, was to be set on your device woman who calls herself Starhawk, is! 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