“When you enter the land Adonai your God is giving you, you are not to learn how to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There must not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through fire, a diviner, a soothsayer, an enchanter, a sorcerer, a spell-caster, a consulter of ghosts or spirits, or a necromancer. For whoever does these things is detestable to Adonai, and because of these abominations Adonai your God is driving them out ahead of you. You must be wholehearted with Adonai your God. For these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to soothsayers and diviners; but you, Adonai your God does not allow you to do this.“-Deuteronomy 18:9-14
The next category of Biblical authority figures we’re going to discuss is the mighty important office of the Prophet.
Just as limitations and warnings were placed on judges and kings, so too were important restrictions placed on the office of the Prophet in order to make sure they didn’t abuse their power.
In addition, just as Israel was instructed to provide for the priests and Levites, in similar fashion the people were instructed to bow down to and listen to a prophet (or not listen to him if he was a false prophet).
The first thing you should understand is that prophets were NOT self-appointed.
A prophet was chosen by God and as a result had a legitimate direct line of communication with the Creator and Controller of the whole universe!
Whereas the primary duty of the priests was to observe and teach the written Word of the Lord (the Law and the Torah), prophets were more like Moses or one could say more like Samuel.
What I mean is that a Prophet was God’s messenger to Israel and Israel’s leaders and thus Israel was to listen and obey (Shema) the words of this chosen one of God because the words he spoke were God’s Words themselves.
In this sense, one could consider a Prophet and God as one and the same.
Moving on, from verse 9, we’re given a list of the abominable practices the gentile nations engaged in when they attempted to communicate with their pagan gods.
In spite of all the different variety of detestable practices, there was really only one reason why the heathens attempted to communicate with the spirit world.
In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this reason is connected to one of the greatest temptations that has plagued mankind pretty much since the beginning of time.
What do you think I might be referring to?
I’m talking about the temptation to by any means possible know the future.
It is this incessant desire that drives men to madness and leads them to plunge headfirst into the world of the occult.
Why do you think people hold psychics and fortunetellers such as Nostradamus and Edgar Casey in such high regard in pretty much every part of the world?
It’s because mankind is dying to know what the future holds and how it might directly affect them.
However, when it comes to this topic, God has made it clear there is ONLY ONE SOURCE of reliability when it comes to knowing the future.
And it is Him.
If the source isn’t God, we are to stay far away from it.
In addition, God has also made it clear to us there are ONLY TWO WAYS to know the future.
Through His Word or His Prophets and that’s it.
Period.
Verses 10 and 11 gives us a list of prohibited behaviors that one is NOT to engage in in order to know the future.
Some of the things on the list are as follows:
-Child sacrifice in exchange for information about the future
-Divining
-Sorcery
-Necromancy (attempting to talk with spirits of the dead).
-Reading the entrails of animals
-Talking with ghosts
-Studying patterns of blood dripped into bowls of water
The list given us here in Deuteronomy 18 is far from extensive but it does cover the most common methods that were in practice at the time.
The Lord declares that ANYONE who participates in these practices is abhorrent to Him.
In modern day terms, what might I be talking about?
For example…
…how about those ridiculous Psychic hotlines being advertised all over the place?
Or…
…how about about palm readers?
If you’re Japanese, I’d advise staying far away from URANAI.
And you know those Tarot cards that you can pick up at any major bookstore?
Stay away from those as well.
When I was a young child, my mom used to play Tarot cards in order to seek good luck and fortune.
What was the result?
She’s now dead broke living on monthly disability checks in Minnesota and still hasn’t repented from her idolatrous practices that she tried to influence me with.
Here’s another important thing you’ve got to know about these forbidden practices.
It doesn’t matter if you’re serious about them or not.
You might visit a fortune teller just for fun thinking it’s no big deal.
Not a good idea.
That’s really not any different than an innocent and young child unwittingly running around and playing too close to the ledge of a very tall building.
One wrong slip and the results can be devastating.
Let’s close this post by looking at verse 14.
“For these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to soothsayers and diviners; but you, Adonai your God does not allow you to do this.”-Deuteronomy 18:14
Hashem is making it clear that the very reason He’s booting the Canaanites out of their own land and giving it to Israel is because of the abominable worship customs they practice in trying to divine the future.
Are you catching this man?
This is precisely why anyone who would call him or herself a member of Israel should not in any way mimic the practices of the Canaanites.
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