Today’s Bible Study by M.T. Clark
Listen to our Bible Study Discussion http://Witchcraft in the Bible Audio Podcastat: Witchcraft in the Bible Audio Podcast
Or watch the Video Zoom Session of our Study on YouTube:
Witchcraft in the Bible – 1 Samuel 28:3-20
Well, My regular Bible Study partners, the Cincotti’s, told me yesterday that they wouldn’t be available for a study today. So this morning, I decided to compose something on my own. As this Thursday is Halloween, and I have been interested in the occult since childhood, and now fight the good fight of faith in the realm of spiritual warfare for the Lord through “freedom prayer ministry”, I decided to do a short study on an Old Testament passage of scripture that deals with the occult – mediums or “witchcraft” – and what happens when the people of God seek “special knowledge” through demonic means – or “what happens when good people try witchcraft?
Our passage is 1 Samuel 28:3-19, and it tells the story of the King Saul and “witch of Endor” and because my WORD Search KJV of the Bible uses the heading “seeks a witch” to describe the action after verse 7, I decided to use the KJV, with some NKJV and NASB clarifiers, to tell this cautionary tale about people who should know better “turning to the demonic for “special knowledge or power” – the very definition of the occult. I will also utilize John MacArthur’s Bible Commentary to explain some of the text. 1 Samuel 28:3-19 is a passage that has various interpretations but I respect and accept MacArthur’s commentary.
So let’s jump into the text:
1 Samuel 28:3 (KJV)
3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, (mediums and spiritists – NKJV) out of the land.
Why would Saul “put away those with familiar spirits” or mediums?
According to MacArthurs commentary – “By divine law, they were banned from Israel (Dt 18:11), and Israel was not to be defiled by them (Lv 19:31). Turning to them was tantamount to playing the harlot and would result in God setting His face against the person and cutting him off from among His people (Lv 20:6). Mediums and spiritists were to be put to death by stoning (Lv 20:27). Even Saul understood this and had previously dealt with the issue (see v. 9).[1]”
Deuteronomy 18:9-13 (NKJV) tells us
9 “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.
10 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,
11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.
12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you.
13 You shall be blameless before the LORD your God.
The Bottom line – the people of God are not to practice witchcraft or seek mediums – so sorry “Christian white witches or Christian mediums” – not only is what you’re doing a contradiction in terms, it is specifically forbidden according to God’s word – as are all “abominations” to the Lord. Our text continues:
1 Samuel 28:4-6 (KJV)
4 And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.
5 And when Saul saw the host (the army – NKJV) of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.
6 And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
According to MacArthur’s commentary – “These were the 3 basic ways through which God revealed His Word and His will. Dreams and visions were the common manner through which the Lord revealed Himself and His will during the time of Moses (Nu 12:6). The Urim was used by the priest as a means of inquiring of the Lord (Nu 27:21). It was originally put in the breastpiece of judgment with the Thummim and worn over Aaron’s heart when he went in before the Lord (see note on Ex 28:30). Somehow, unknown to us, God revealed His will by it. Prophets were formerly called seers (9:9) and were used as a reference for inquiring of the Lord. God also used prophets to declare His Word when people were not interested in it (Am 7:12, 13). Since Saul had rejected the Lord, God had rejected him (15:23). Saul appears to have had no court prophet in the manner that Gad and Nathan were to David (22:5; 2Sa 12); and, by this time, the ephod with the Urim was in David’s possession by virtue of Abiathar the priest (23:6).[2]
1 Samuel 15:19,22-23 (NKJV)
19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?” 22 So Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.”
Even though Samuel was still the King, earlier in his reign he was disobedient in following the Lord’s commands regarding the Amalekites, foolishly set up a monument to himself, and i tried to take on Samuel’s role as priest by offering sacrifices. His disobedience resulted in Saul’s kingship being revoked and promised to David, something that was soon to take place.
1 Samuel 15:19,22-23 (NKJV)
19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?” 22 So Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.”
Ironically, Saul’s seeking the help of a medium would prove to seal his doom.
1 Samuel 28:7-13 (KJV)
7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, (- a term that is synonymous with the demonic, “who is a medium” NKJV) that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.
8 And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment (clothes NKJV), and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit ( “Please conduct a seance for me” NKJV) , and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.
9 And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?
10 And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
According to MacArthur’s’ commentary – “Though questions have arisen as to the nature of Samuel’s appearance, the text clearly indicates that Samuel, not an apparition, was evident to the eyes of the medium. God miraculously permitted the actual spirit of Samuel to speak (vv. 16–19). Because she understood her inability to raise the dead in this manner, she immediately knew 1) that it must he been by the power of God and 2) that her disguised inquirer must be Saul.[3]”
The text continues
1 Samuel 28:13-19 (KJV)
13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods (a spirit NKJV) ascending out of the earth.
14 And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.
16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?
17 And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:
18 Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day.
19 Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.
Always the true prophet of the Lord, Samuel’s words were true and came to pass the next day, as Israel was defeated by the Philistines, Saul’s sons were killed, and Saul threw himself on his own sword to avoid torture at the hands of his enemies.
The life of King Saul is a sad tale that warns us to not be prideful, to bey the Lord completely, and to not dabble with the occult.
As for this “conjuring work of the “witch of Endor”, the medium’s shock over Samuel reveals that it was a one-time miracle that was granted by the Lord, to deliver his word of doom to King Saul.
Mediums or Witches don’t speak to your dead loved ones. They don’t work for the Lord as God’s word tells us that they are “abominations”.
MacArthur’s commentary of 1 Samuel 28:15 tells us: that “Samuel’s comment expresses agitation caused by Saul’s efforts to contact him since living humanity was not allowed to seek out discussions with the dead (Dt 18:11; Lv 20:6). Witchcraft puts the seeker in contact with demons impersonating those who are being sought, since the dead person cannot ordinarily be contacted, except in this unique case.[4]
Any appearance of “ghosts” or the conjurings of, or messages from” “dead loved ones”, are in reality “familiar spirits” – localized demons – that because of their spiritual and unseen nature may have “special knowledge” of things of the past. Spirits contacted by mediums are demons who deny the truth of scripture and seek to destroy us with deception.
To quote Walter Martin’s “Kingdom of Cults” regarding “spiritists” – they deny “the deity of Christ, the Atonement, and the bodily resurrection of our Lord.” and “The powers that controlled him (Daniel Douglas Home, medium extraordinary[5]) (Spiritists are wrong when they claim to control the spirits) were not powers from God. On the contrary, they were the demonic spirits spoken of and condemned in the Bible. The Father of Spirits, God Almighty, will be the eventual judge of him who is known as “the prince of the powers of the air,” Satan.[6]
So as Halloween comes this Thursday, I hope that this study will help to convince those reading, listening, or watching it that in a way there really is no such thing as ghosts – their demons – familiar spirits– and that “witchcraft” is not just another option for spirituality. Witchcraft is evil – forbidden and called an abomination by God. Witchcraft and using mediums – or necromancy – are occult practices that bring one into contact with spiritual forces of darkness and could lead someone straight to hell, if it is not confessed and repented of and forgiven by placing one’s faith in Jesus Christ.
God never wants us to seek special spiritual knowledge or power from any other sources and provides all the special knowledge that we need through His Word and the Holy Spirit.
So if you want knowledge and power, seek the Lord and His righteousness by placing your faith in Jesus. In Christ, we are given the true knowledge of God and the power to be the people God created to be.
Christianity may not seem as easy as magic, but God’s wisdom, words, and ways and a close relationship with Him are the only things that can give you eternal life and truly transform you into the person you always wanted to be – a person who is known for their goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, patience, self-control, peace, joy, and love. So let’s walk away from the darker things this Halloween, and be guided by the light world to a place where we never need to fear the things that go bump in the night.
[1] John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), 1 Sa 28:3.
[2] John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), 1 Sa 28:6.
[3] John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), 1 Sa 28:12.
[4] John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), 1 Sa 28:15.
[5] Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults: The Definitive Work on the Subject (Grand Rapids, MI: Bethany House, 2019), 316.
[6] Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults: The Definitive Work on the Subject (Grand Rapids, MI: Bethany House, 2019), 318.
—–Join us for another Bible Study Next Week ——-
or
The MT4Christ247 audio podcast is available on YouTube, Apple, Amazon, Spotify, iHeartradio, Podbean, Audible, and many more podcast platforms!
Subscribe to The MT4Christ247 Channel on YouTube!
Email me at m.t.clark@mt4christ.com with any questions, or comments, or to inquire about our Christian Life Coaching or Prayer Ministry Services.
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
Leave a Reply