Sorcery and Witchcraft

As Halloween approaches, we see and hear a lot more about sorcery, witchcraft, the occult, and evil spirits. I'd like to take a look at what the bible has to say on these issues. There are many instances in the bible where sorcery is mentioned, and always with negative connotations, and severe consequences. Several times God commanded that those who practiced witchcraft or sorcery were to be put to death. We'll begin in Exodus, chapter 7, verses 8 thru 12...And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you; then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent. And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. It is very interesting that the sorcerers and magicians of Egypt were able to turn their rods into serpents, but it says a lot that the rod of Aaron swallowed them up. Next, we'll look at 1 Samuel chapter 28, verses 5 thru 19, as king Saul is about to go into battle, and he seeks out the assistance of a witch...And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. Then Saul said unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, 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. And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, 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, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee. 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. Therefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. 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. And the king said unto her, Be not afraid; for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul,  I saw gods ascending out of the earth. 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. 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 have I called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? 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 neighbor, even to David: Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hands of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hands of the Philistines. So we see here the consequences of Saul's disobedience and of his turning to witchcraft. A very intriguing point here is that the witch of Endor was actually able to conjure up Samuel, proving that there is very real power in sorcery and witchcraft, but where Satan's power is strong, the power of God is far stronger. Our next example is found in the book of Acts, chapter 13, verses 6-12...And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a jew, whose name was BarJesus, which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation,) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Then Saul (who is also called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, and said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, with thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness, and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. There are several noteworthy points in this example. First of all, the deputy of this country sought out Paul and Barnabas, because he wanted to hear the gospel, but there was a sorcerer with him. Isn't this just like the devil, always right there, ready to steal the word out of our hearts? This is the first mention of the changing of  Paul's name from Saul, and it comes as he is filled with the Holy Ghost, and speaks boldly on behalf of God. As the hand of  the Lord strikes this sorcerer blind, the deputy is amazed at the power of God, and becomes a believer. This is yet another example of the power of God overcoming the powers of darkness, further proving the point that, although there may be power in witchcraft or sorcery, it is not worthy to be compared with the mighty power of God. Our final example comes from Acts chapter 16, verses 16-18...And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel posessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. This incident shows us that even evil spirits recognize the existence of God, and are subject to His almighty power. We read in James 2:19...Thou believest that there is one God: thou doest well; the devils also believe and tremble. So we see that these evil spirits are very much aware of God, even though they are working against His people and His cause. This is difficult to comprehend, since we know that they understand God's power and His Sovereign authority. These "familiar spirits" are nothing more than evil spirits, sent to do Satan's bidding. These same familiar spirits are in the earth today, in the same capacity, as liaisons between Satan and the practitioners of witchcraft and sorcery, along with psychics, mediums, and any who would seek to use the powers of darkness to further their own causes.

     

Nothing about this arrangement has changed since biblical times.  Not only can these examples be seen as cautionary warning, but they also reveal a lot about Satan's character. Even though he realizes that he is in a battle that he will never ultimately win, his arrogance compels him to continue to wage war against God, rather than to come under subjection, and his hatred drives him to do all that he can to ensure that he drags as many of God's precious children down to the pit with him as he can. Yes, there is real power in witchcraft, and in sorcery, and there are evil spirits in this world, whose job it is to possess and to control those whose minds are open to them. Thanks be to God for the gift of  His Holy Spirit, which fills us, guides us, and protects us from all evil. We never have to fear these things because we are God's children, and He holds us in the palm of His Mighty hand.