Divination
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I am going to teach you a new word today. Maybe you already know it or maybe not. That word is Divination. Eerdmans Bible Dictionary defines DIVINATION (Heb. qesem, nāḥaš me˓ônēn) as, “The art of determining the future or ascertaining the divine will. Practiced widely throughout the ancient Near East, divination involved the observation and interpretation of natural phenomena or of phenomena deliberately caused by the person or persons interpreting these omens.”
Basically it is using elements in nature, through witchcraft or simple observation, to determine the answers to problems or decisions and also to see into the future. Now, God’s people have their tools of divination. Has anyone ever walked a labyrinth while in prayer? Or have any of you prayed through the Scriptures? Read the Bible tells a lot about God’s promises for us and it tells us details of the future. God has spoken to many in dreams; think of Joseph and Daniel as big examples. But there are things that God has stated that we turn away from.
Pray and Read 1 Samuel 28:3-19
Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. Saul had expelled the mediums and the wizards from the land. The Philistines assembled, and came and encamped at Shunem. Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, not by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and inquire of her.” His servants said to him, “There is a medium at Endor.” So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes and went there, he and two men with him. They came to the woman by night. And he said, “Consult a spirit for me, and bring up for me the one whom I name to you.” The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the wizards from the land. Why then are you laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?” But Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He answered, “Bring up Samuel for me.” When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!” The king said to her, “Have no fear; what do you see?” The woman said to Saul, “I see a divine being coming up out of the ground.” He said to her, “What is his appearance?” She said, “An old man is coming up; he is wrapped in a robe.” So Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance. Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams; so I have summoned you to tell me what I should do.” Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy? The Lord has done to you just as he spoke by me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand, and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord, and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you today. Moreover the Lord will give Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines; and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me; the Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”
Samuel did what he was supposed to do, at first. He did what the Lord had instructed His people to do. As King, he was in charge of ensuring that the people of God, the people of Israel, sought after God and God alone. Yet Samuel did many things that were evil in the sight of the Lord. So God had already fired from his title of King, but like a bad renter, he was not willing to let it go. In desperation, when God stopped talking to Samuel about His will because he was not listening anyway, Saul sought a medium. This is not allowed for God’s people. Remember last weeks text about the people of Ephesus burning their tools for divination when they found out that God is all they need? Here is the law where it all began. Deuteronomy 18:10-13
No one shall be found among you who makes a son or daughter pass through fire, or who practices divination, or is a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or one who casts spells, or who consults ghosts or spirits, or who seeks oracles from the dead. For whoever does these things is abhorrent to the Lord; it is because of such abhorrent practices that the Lord your God is driving them out before you. You must remain completely loyal to the Lord your God.
One tool of Divination that is mentioned in this text that is of God that Saul could have spoken with God through is known as the Urim. Now we don’t know this tools use completely but I can tell you that it was a piece placed on the breastplate of the priests. When we read in Bible about God’s leaders “casting lots” this was the piece that was used. Basically, like the labyrinth or reading the written scriptures, and even our dreams can be used by God’s people to communicate with Him, but with Him alone.
The fun community event we do on Halloween every year, do you know why we call it the Fall Harvest Festival? Because, the name Halloween has negative connotations to it. Truth is, Halloween is a compound word for All Hallows Eve or All Saints Day Eve. Some people, right or wrong, attribute Halloween to the pagan celebration of Samhain. I have a subscription to Discovery+ and they have a documentary on the history of Halloween. Let me share with you a little about what I learned from this as well as other resources I have seen over time.
Samhain was a celebration in ancient Ireland, or the Celtics, with bonfires and celebrations. The Druid priests taught that everyone needed to dress up as ghosts and goblins to confuse the evil spirits that would be free to walk among them on this day. After Roman occupation, around 43 A.D. They also used this celebration to honor the goddess Pomona on a dead they called Feralia, a day traditionally used to celebrate the dead. After 609 A.D. Pope Boniface IV used the day to celebrate Christian martyrs and other saints who are in the great cloud of witness. It was renamed, All Hallows Day or also known as All Souls Day. This is where we get the term Halloween, or All Hallows Eve.
Now we as Christians have continued to take part in the celebration and turned it into a teaching opportunity on the beauty of God’s creation. Also we look forward to seeing our loved one again in heaven some day and celebrating their life as we strive to live a life dedicated to serving Christ so that we too may receive that great reward when our life on earth is done. There is still some concern with celebrating Halloween. I hope to clear some of that up today as it is not the day we should be concerned with, but how we celebrate.
We do not worship the dead, nor do we try to conjure the dead or demons to do our bidding, that was an ancient tradition. That seems like a no-brainier, of course we wouldn’t want to do that. Yet, in our culture, it is made easy. Visiting psychics is a website visit or a phone call away. You can get Tarot card readings at most fairs or conventions. There are advertisements for self-help that tell you how you can manifest your own destiny. Beautiful artwork that shows plans for self-actualization. Some use crystals to see into the future. These things are called divination of the worst kind. These things turn us away from seeking God and His truth. They also open us to unclean spirits and demonic forces.
In this age, we want everything right now. We also want to know everything right now. We may not always get the answer from God that we want. But seeking other ways of getting answers, will not change God’s truth. We don’t need tarot cards or crystals. Please, whatever you do, do not us a Ouija board. Know that you do not need anything but the Holy Spirit for God to talk to you. You may need help in focus with prayer and discernment, but God is all you need. No outside forces are allowed. In the name of Jesus, His Father our God and His Holy Spirit. Amen.