On Witchcraft and Occult Practices {Meg’s Notes}
Meg’s notes on the Conversation episode on witchcraft.
Hocus Pocus. Walt Disney Pictures. Movie poster, 1993. Photo: public domain
I grew up in the 80s and 90s, so “classic” Disney movies were my jam. Beauty and the Beast, Lady and the Tramp, and Sleeping Beauty were among my favorites. Around Halloween it was Hocus Pocus and Casper. Beyond that, I wasn’t much of a fan of Halloween.
I’m still not, and in fact, I’m strongly considering refraining from participating in it altogether. As a mom of two young kids, it’s hard to explain the reason why we wouldn’t be trick-or-treating any longer. Costumes and candy? What’s not to like? Well, spiritual idolatry, for starters…
History of Halloween
There is much you can dig into with regard to the history of Halloween and how it is celebrated around the world. Here are a few key points on its origination and inspiration:
Celtic and Gaelic traditions and harvest feasts, like Samhain
Starting on October 31 (similar to the Hebrew day, a Celtic day began and ended at sunset) and going through November 1 participants would gather together for feasts and ceremonies. It was believed that the ancient burial mounds would “open up” portals to other realms, so as to make contact with ancient spirits and gods; the “veil” between the physical world and the spiritual world was thinnest during this specific time of year. Dressing up in costumes and wandering door-to-door reciting verses of their religion in exchange for food was also part of Samhain, not to mention acts of divination, and witchcraft.
All Hallows’ Day (All Saints’ Day) and All Souls’ Day
In the 9th Century November 1 became recognized as All Saints’ (or All Hallows’) Day. The following day, November 2, would become All Souls’ Day. It is believed that these holidays are in place as a time to remember Christian martyrs.
Variations on Remembering the Dead
In Mexico, Dia de los Muertos is a two-day holiday from November 1-2 that recognizes family members who have passed on through celebratory shrines in homes and feasts with shrines at/on the gravesites. Dressing up as and painting faces like a skeleton is a significant part of the celebration.
If we consider what Halloween looks like today, I think it’s clear to see how it is a true amalgamation of (mostly) pagan celebrations. Not only that, but many have noted that October 31 has historically held one of the highest number of reports on missing persons, murders of the homeless, child abductions, and much more.
For more information on the history of Halloween and its history still has hold today, see Dr. Laura Sanger’s article The Roots of Halloween.
A Neopagan celebration of Samhain. Photo: public doman
Witchcraft and Divination in the Bible
You’re probably familiar with the story of Moses, and how God instructed him to go to Egypt and speak with Pharaoh (Egyptian king) about letting the Hebrews go, out of slavery and out of Egypt. In chapter 7 of Exodus we learn of God’s plan to use Moses (and Aaron) for this purpose:
“I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet…When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded….Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same with their secret arts. (Exodus 7:1-11, emphasis mine)
“God was preparing His people not only for physical battle in the conquests that lie ahead, but for the spiritual battle as well. God was teaching His people to be set apart from the sinful world they were entering.”
Let’s consider what happened some time after the exodus out of Egypt, when God’s provision and protection shined in the wilderness. Through giving His commandments, statutes, even food and water, God was providing the people not simply with the means to wander the wilderness and exist together in righteousness in His presence, but preparing them to enter into the land that was promised: a land flowing with milk and honey…and iniquity. Levitical law lays out much of how God’s people can be prepared to face people groups - and giants - who do not align themselves with Him. Within these laws, we find God’s instructions regarding works of darkness and those who associate with it:
“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them; I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 19:31)
“If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” (Leviticus 20:6-8)
“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.” (Leviticus 20:27)
God was preparing His people not only for physical battle in the conquests that lie ahead, but for the spiritual battle as well. God was teaching His people to be set apart from the sinful world they were entering.
Let’s take a moment and share some key details to help us understand. Chemosh was the Moabite god of war, often represented as Moloch in Ammonite culture and Milcom as mentioned in 1 Kings 11 when we learn of Solomon’s falling away. Moloch was also represented as the god of sacrifice, specifically child sacrifice. Another iteration of this god was Ares in Greek mythology, and Hermes in Roman mythology. The Egyptian equivalent of this god would be Osiris, the “sun god.” Often we see the female deity represented along with these male deities, names vary depending on culture, like Ashtoreth (love and fertility, also war) for the Sidonians (ancient Phoenicia, Lebanon; also mentioned in 1 Kings 11), who is also Astarte represented in ancient Mesopotamian culture as well as interpretations represented in Greek and Roman mythology. The god we see mentioned often, and lands often named after in Canaan, is Baal, and while representing a creator god in Canaanite culture it can also be considered as an encapsulating figure that includes other iterations of “little-g” gods. Dr. Laura Sanger provides a helpful list of these names on pages 139 and 140 of her book The Roots of the Federal Reserve.
Depiction of Moabite god Chemosh. Photo: public domain.
Not yet to the promised land, the Israelites were making a name for themselves with each defeat of their enemies. In Numbers 22 we learn that the king of the Moabites, Balak, had seen how the Israelities defeated the Amorites and along with his people he feared that the Israelites would do the same to Moab. So Balak, after teaming up with the Midianites for support, summons Balaam - a freelance diviner if ever there was one. He says to Balaam, via the elders who made the trek to see him:
“Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.” (Numbers 22:5-6)
To summarize what happens next - I would encourage you to go back and (re)read this part, it’s just so good! - God instructs Balaam in more than one way that Balaam cannot curse God’s people. Balaam, understanding God’s sovereignty, relays this truth to Balak who is not happy about it and presses Balaam to carry out his request. There’s an interesting account of a talking donkey and an awesome Christophany (Jesus en scene) - again, I would encourage you to open your Bible to Numbers 22! - followed by a series of oracles delivered by Balaam, all pointing to God’s provision for His people and Balak being the one who would be cursed since he opposed the Israelites.
Balak ended up going back home, as did Balaam, but this wasn’t the end of the Moabites’ attack on God’s people. In Numbers 25 we learn that the Israelites began to mingle and mix with the Moabites:
“While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot [whore] with the daughters of Moab. For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel joined themselves [yoked] to Baal of Peor, and the LORD was angry against Israel. The LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.” So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you slay his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor.”
Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought to his relatives a Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of meeting. When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand, and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through the body. So the plague on the sons of Israel was checked [stopped]. Those who died by the plague were 24,000.” (Numbers 25:1-9, NASB, emphasis and brackets mine)
It’s important to pause here and call attention to whether or not you felt even the smallest bit of remorse for the man and Midianite woman who were killed. If you did, first of all, you’re not alone. I did, too, at first. Secondly, the remorse you feel is blinding you to the truth of what was happening. The enemy can use not only ourselves in the act of sin, but use us in our response to sin. The enemy, while he does not know our heart - only God knows our hearts - he will attempt to manipulate it. The result sometimes being an effective perpetuation of the sin itself. If we take a moment and consider all the divisive issues tearing apart our country here in the United States - often iterations of manipulated accounts of tragedy that have been propped up for political gain and/or a power grab - we can see the enemy working. Ephesians 5:11 tells us not to participate, and by extension neither celebrate the works of the enemy but instead, call it out. How do we do this? Through knowing the Word of God, reading our Bible, understanding through stories like this one of Balak, Balaam, and then the Israelite man and Midianite woman. I want to take a moment to briefly but intentionally point you to who John tells us is the Word of God:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
Do you see? When we read our Bibles we are having a conversation with Jesus. All things point to Him, all things were made through Him and by Him (John 1:3). The events recorded in the Old Testament are no different. The laws and the statutes and commandments are not without Jesus. He was there. He fulfills the law and the feasts and the prophets:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law of the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-20)
I would encourage you to read the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus delivered and is recorded in chapters five to seven in the book of Matthew. The “commandments” that Jesus references in the above Scripture include what we call the “Beatitudes” and they beautifully echo, thread to, the ten commandments which are found in chapter 20 of Exodus.
“The enemy can use not only ourselves in the act of sin, but use us in our response to sin. The enemy, while he does not know our heart - only God knows our hearts - he will attempt to manipulate it. The result sometimes being an effective perpetuation of the sin itself.”
It is worth noting also, God’s response to the actions of Phinehas. God did not punish him for piercing and killing the Israelite man and Midianite woman, instead, He blessed him, just as Jesus tells us that the pure in heart shall be blessed, “for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8):
“And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the people of Israel.” (Numbers 25:10-13)
[Also, “jealous” here does not strictly mean “envy” in the way we interpret the meaning today; rather, God’s “jealousy” is a protective character as it relates to His response to the enemy defiling His people. The Hebrew word is qinah which means “ardor, zeal, jealousy” and also “envy, rivalry, anger.” It is important to understand application and context in addition to the meanings of Hebrew words.]
After more conquests (still not yet in the promised land) and a beautiful review of law and statues, we see in the book of Deuteronomy God’s instructions regarding the pure adherence to His provision for priests, and what He describes and warns against as “abominable practices:”
“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.” (Deuteronomy 18:9-14)
“When we read our Bibles we are having a conversation with Jesus. All things point to Him, all things were made through Him and by Him (John 1:3). The events recorded in the Old Testament are no different. The laws and the statutes and commandments are not without Jesus. He was there. He fulfills the law and the feasts and the prophets.”
If we look ahead to events that occurred after Joshua and God’s people enter into the land of Canaan (I would encourage a reading journey through the books of Joshua and Judges to see very clearly how awfully iniquitous - and in bed with the enemy - these other nations were), we see more examples of how the enemy defiles through manipulation of truth by way of the application of the “secret arts” and by way of infiltration and influence imparted by those already defiled:
“And Samuel said to Saul…’I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ [...] And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.” (1 Samuel 15:1-9, excerpts of)
What happens next is spiritually significant. God tells Samuel that He regrets making Saul king (15:11), and Samuel goes to Saul and communicates this to him and explains why:
“The LORD anointed you king over Israel. And the LORD sent you on a mission and said ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites and fight against them until they are consumed.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?” (1 Samuel 15:17-19)
Saul goes on to respond in arrogance by claiming that he did follow God’s instructions (we see, however, how his pride influenced his own interpretation, and therefore clouded his perspective on truth) and he even puts blame on the people for keeping the spoil because they were going to “sacrifice to the LORD in Gilgal” (15:21). Samuel cuts through the nonsense and calls out Saul’s blindness while pointing us to the dangers of ungodly spiritual influence:
“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 listen than the fat of rams. 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.” (1 Samuel 15:22-23, emphasis mine)
[It is interesting to note here that Amalek’s destruction is foretold in the words of Balaam in chapter 24 of Numbers, the words that God had instructed Balaam to say, and Balaam, a diviner, had to obey by saying them.]
Not destroying Agag and keeping some of the livestock (Samuel would later cut Agag down to pieces at Gilgal - a place of incredible spiritual signifcance) was not the last of Saul’s transgressions. He would continue to defile himself and spiritually deteriorate, as evidenced in his pursuit to kill David. In 1 Chronicles 10 we are reminded (for the books of Chronicles serve as a record to review and remind) of why Saul perished:
“So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the LORD. Therefore the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.” (1 Chronicles 10:13-14).
Tarot cards and fortune tellers are forms of dark magic.
Dark magic, secret arts, diviners, witches, necromancers, you name it. They existed in antiquity, they continued throughout our modern history, and they continue today. We see mention in the prophets, and the New Testament. The book of Isaiah in particular provides prophetic reminders and warnings:
“When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.” (Isaiah 8:19-22)
“A prophecy against Egypt: See, the LORD rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear. ‘I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian— brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists. I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them,’ declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.” (Isaiah 19:1-4)
“Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure, lounging in your security and saying to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children.’ Both of these will overtake you in a moment, on a single day: loss of children and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and all your potent spells. You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’ Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you. “Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror. All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame. These are not coals for warmth; this is not a fire to sit by.” (Isaiah 47:8-14)
“Dark magic, secret arts, diviners, witches, necromancers, you name it. They existed in antiquity, they continued throughout our modern history, and they continue today.”
Additionally, we can consider the eschatological words, also foreshadowing of Christ, spoken through the prophet Micah:
“In that day,” declares the LORD, “I will destroy your horses from among you and demolish your chariots. I will destroy the cities of your land and tear down all your strongholds. I will destroy your witchcraft and you will no longer cast spells.” (Micah 5:10-12)
And later in the book of Acts, we learn not only how God redeemed and changed the heart of Paul (previously called “Saul”) but how He used Paul to perform miracles - casting out evil (unclean, apart from God) spirits, for example. Those who claimed to do the same took note of Paul’s work through Divine Provision, and then took it upon themselves to invoke the name of Jesus. Things did not go so well for them, however we see God’s sovereignty in what would soon after unfold:
“Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ‘I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.’ Seven sons of the Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?’ And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.” (Acts 19:13-20)
Throughout Paul’s letters he reminds the people in the cities to which he was sending and addressing his messages to guard themselves against the efforts of the enemy (Ephesians 6:10-20), to encourage fellow brothers and sisters in Christ not to stumble or cause each other to stumble (1 Corinthians 8), and also how to identify the works of the enemy. In his letter to the people of Galatia Paul outlines characteristics and behavior of those who have aligned themselves with the works of the enemy; included is a clear mention of witchcraft and divination:
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy [also: murder], drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do [or practice doing] such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21)
Las Vegas is also known as “sin city.” Some say it’s a modern day Babylon. Interesting to consider its geographical location: the desert.
Paul goes on to identify the good fruit of those who align themselves with and obey God, and therefore have received the gift of the Holy Spirit who guides us in producing good fruit (as opposed to the rotten fruit of idolaters):
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:22-24)
“If we examine various areas in our culture and society, we can see how the enemy is not only no longer hiding in the darkness with its secret arts but we can see the enslavement of those under the spell and the spiritual agenda unfolding.”
The gospel of Luke even provides us a glimpse into the other side of divination in chapter 16, where we learn of a rich man who ended up in the torment of hell and wanted to reach his relatives - still alive on the other side - by way of divination:
“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” (Luke 16:19-31)
What strikes me in this passage, in addition to generally speaking the gift of seeing and knowing that Scripture gives us, is how the arrogance displayed in life by the rich man is carried into his eternal life in hell, being effectively poured out over his own head (search Scripture for countless examples of God mentioning how the enemy’s folly would be placed upon his own head) and then displayed as empty desperation. Let this Scripture, as with all of God’s Word, serve as a reminder!
If we examine various areas in our culture and society, we can see how the enemy is not only no longer hiding in the darkness with its secret arts but we can see the enslavement of those under the spell and the spiritual agenda unfolding. In the book of Revelation we are reminded of God’s omniscience with regard to the works of the enemy, those who align themselves with it, and of God’s wrath in judgment:
“The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.” (Revelation 18:23)
“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)
In our next episode, we’ll delve into the Division of the Nations, and how these nations were led astray.