What The Bible Tells Us About The Reality And Danger Of Magic
MAGIC IS REAL
The Bible uses many terms related to magic. I listed those many of those terms related to magic in alphabetical order: astrologer(s), charms, charmers, divination, diviners, enchanter, enchantments, magic, magic charms, magician(s), medium(s), sorcery, sorcerer(s), spells, spiritists, stargazers, witchcraft. God had a lot to say about the topic of magic and none of it was good for those involved in such practices.
I made a list of all the uses of these terms that I could find in the Bible. I added that to the bottom of the blog post. For the sake of today’s blog post, I chose to start in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 18:9-14 because within those passages most of the terms are used in some way. I suggest you take the time to click on the link of Deuteronomy 18:9-14 and read the passage yourself.
The context of Deuteronomy 18:9-14 is the word of the Lord to His people who will enter into the land He had promised them. Specifically, He was instructing them in things to avoid when they enter into the land. The land they were to take over was a land filled with people who did not know and serve God but instead held to pagan practices that God called, “an abomination to the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 18:12)
In Deuteronomy 18:9, God told His people, “you shall not learn to follow the abomination of those nations.” Then in Deuteronomy 18:10-11, He lists the practices that He identified as an abomination to Him which are:
Anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire
One who practices witchcraft
A soothsayer
One who interprets omens
A sorcerer
One who conjures spells
A medium
A spiritist
Terms Above Defined in the Original Language
1). Anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire
The first practice on the list, basically addresses the pagan, evil practice of sacrificing children to an assumed diety. The second point on the list used two terms defined as divination, one a verb and one a noun.
2). Practices (Qacam – 7080 - verb) in OT 20 times
This term means to practice divination. My Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old Testament (I will further refer to as CWSDOT) stated that this practice brought about God’s judgment and that “God had earlier established that He would guide His people through true prophets, not through diviners.”
3). Witchcraft – (Qecem – 7081 – noun masculine) in OT 11 times in the Old Testament
Qecem originated from Qacam. Qecem means divination or witchcraft. A few points made in the CWSDOT were that this described cultic practice of foreign nations, that “false prophets used divination to prophesy in God’s name, but God identified them as false,” and these practices were often used to discern between two choices.
4). Soothsayer – (`anan – 6049 – verb) in OT 11 times
`Anan means to practice soothsaying, conjuring, divining, magic, witchcraft, spiritism, fortune telling. Basically this term seems to cover all these supernatural practices that relate to engaging with spirits that we should understand as evil or demonic.
5). One who interprets omens – (Nachash – 5172 – verb) in OT 11 times
This phrase comes from a Hebrew term meaning to practice divination or to observe signs or omens.
6). Sorcerer – (kashaph – H3784 – verb) in OT 6 times
Kashaph means to practice magic, witchcraft, or sorcery.
7). One who conjures up spells – (Chabar – H2266 – verb) in OT 29 times
The phrase means to unite, join together, to conjure, referring to the joining of forces, or joining oneself to idols, casting a spell, or composing words to attack someone.
8). Medium – (sha`al – Aramaic 7592 – verb) in OT 173 times
Sha`al means to ask, enquire, beg. This term is sometimes used in a positive sense referring to asking or enquiring of God Himself. The context of this term points out the wrong done in the asking or enquiring is based on who we ask or enquire. If our asking and enquiring is outside of God Himself, we are in error.
8). Spiritist – (owb – H0178 – verb) used 17 times in the Old Testament
Owb means a conjured spirit, a medium or necromancer; or a leather bottle; primarily used in the occult practice of consulting the dead
Occult Practices
While this does not cover every term related to the practice of magic, witchcraft, or divination in the Bible, a thorough study of Deuteronomy 18:9-14 gives us a great overview of the topic. You may wonder why I went through such detail of this topic. There are a few reasons. First, I have been deceived in the past and followed several of these practices myself before I came to know Jesus. Second, I believe that few Christians actually realize the reality and realness of occult practices that existed in ancient days and in our current day. And finally, I believe there are many dangers related to the occult in our world today.
My Occult Testimony
Let me tell you a glimmer of my testimony as related to the occult. I was first introduced to things of the occult as a little child. For whatever reason, that I may never fully understand, my Christian parents allowed me as a young child to decide for myself what I could watch on television. They expressed that they didn’t understand why I wanted to watch it, but allowed me to watch it anyway. I do not condemn my parents in any way, I am only saying this because it is my story, and I believe you need to know where it all began for me.
As a young child, I was intrigued with movies and television shows that I now classify as supernatural, evil, demonic garbage. I believe this points to the evil forces at work and a supernatural pull drawing us to things designed to sever a real relationship with God to ultimately steal our life and our eternal life from us.
Around age ten or eleven, I asked for a Ouiji board which fed into the same interaction with things that had a demonic pull. All the while, I am going to church every Sunday and even doing some reading of my Bible. However, it wasn’t until I was about twenty years old when I was introduced to the most dangerous methodology the enemy used to draw me away from God and into a slow steady deception.
My Turning Point
My deception came in the form of a book, a book written by a clairvoyant or a psychic. The book was not blatant in presenting me with supernatural possibilities, but instead it fed a deep curiosity and started me on a journey of darkness. Several years down the road, I found myself in the aisle of a bookstore holding a book titled, “How to Practice Witchcraft.” In that moment, I believe God spoke to me and said, “That’s too far.” I put the book back on the shelf, left the bookstore, and immediately went home and threw away some of the darker books that I knew were leading me on a dangerous path. That day started me on my path back to Jesus.
I tell you this because I believe too few Christians realize that magic, divination, or occult practices are real or have any relevant pull to us a Christians. Therefore, they allow things into their lives that may not impact themselves, but very well may draw someone they love into something they never thought possible. From the investigation we went through of Deuteronomy 18:9-14, surely you can see that occult practices are real.
If we choose to open our eyes to what is going on around us, we can see this evil all around us. Watching television during the month of October is so hard for me, because now I will do anything and everything to keep my eyes and ears from the evil presented so profusely during October. When I watch television and a commercial comes on the screen that is clearly evil, I instantly change the channel and come back to my show after the commercial is over. Why do I do that?
Three Reasons I Strive To Avoid Any Contact With Occult Practices Of Any Form:
Deuteronomy 18:12 said these occult practices are an abomination to the Lord which means God considers it a disgusting or offensive thing.
In Psalm 101:3, King David (a man after God’s own heart) wrote, “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.”
I love Jesus and am so very thankful for Him saving me and setting me free that I want to please Him in the life that I live. And I would really like God to give the testimony he gave David of me, that I am a woman after His heart. Therefore, I want to set myself apart from things that would potentially harm my relationship with Jesus.
As I said earlier, I believe there are many dangers related to the occult in our world today. If we don’t recognize those dangers and dismiss them as not applicable to us, our children, or those we love, we ourselves are deceived. Dear one, I did not write today’s blog post to condemn, but instead to bring awareness. The closer we get to the Day of Jesus return, the more the devil works to deceive for the purpose of destroying. I refer you to Revelation 12:12.
Therefore, rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the sea! For the devil has come down to you,
having great wrath, because he knows his time is short.
Revelation 12:12
Below is the list of words related to magic in the Bible. If God’s word had so much to say about the topic, shouldn’t we pay attention to what He says about it.
Much Love and Blessings,
Pat Domangue
Words related to magic in the Bible
Astrologer(s) – Isaiah 47:13; Daniel 1:20; 2:10, 27; Daniel 4:7; 5:7, 11, 15
Charms – Isaiah 3:20; Jeremiah 3:13 & “magic charms”– Ezekiel 13:18, 20
Charmers – Psalm 58:5; Isaiah 19:3
Diviner(s) – Deuteronomy 18:14; Judges 9:37; 1 Samuel 6:2; Isaiah 3:2; 44:25; Jeremiah 27:9; 29:8; Micah 3:7; Zechariah 10:2
Divination – Genesis 44:5, 15; Leviticus 19:26; Numbers 23:23; Proverbs 16:10; Jeremiah 14:14; Ezekiel 12:24; 13:6, 7, 23; 21:21, 22, 23; Micah 3:6; Acts 16:16;
Enchanter – Isaiah 3:3
Enchantments – Exodus 7:11, 22; 8:7, 18; Isaiah 47:9, 12
Familiar spirits – Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27
Magic – Acts 19:19
Magician(s) – Genesis 41:8, 24; Exodus 7:11, 22; 8:7, 18, 19; 9:11; Daniel 1:20; 2:2, 10, 27; Daniel 4:7, 9; 5:11 (NIV translates this as secret arts)
Medium(s) – Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deuteronomy 18:11; 1 Samuel 28:3, 7, 9; 2 Kings 21:6; 23:24;1 Chronicles 10:13; 2 Chronicles 33:6; Isaiah 8:19; 19:3
Sorcery – Numbers 23:23; 24:1; 2 Chronicles 33:6; Acts 8:9; Galatians 5:20; Revelation 18:23;
Sorcerer(s) –Exodus 7:11; Deuteronomy 18:11; Isaiah 19:3; Jeremiah 27:9; Daniel 2:2; Malachi 3:5; Acts 13:6, 8; Revelation 21:8; 22:15
Sorceries – Isaiah 47:9, 12; Micah 5:12; Nahum 3:4; Acts 8:11; Revelation 9:21
Spells – Deuteronomy 18:11
Spiritists – Deuteronomy 18:11; 1 Samuel 28:3, 9; 2 Kings 21:6; 23:24; 2 Chronicles 33:6
Stargazers – Isaiah 47:13
Witchcraft – Deuteronomy 18:10; 1 Samuel 15:23; 2 Kings 9:22; 17:17; 21:6; 2 Chronicles 33:6
Here are the verses that use any of the terms in the order they appear in the Bible:
Genesis 41:8, 24; 44:5, 15;
Exodus 7:11, 22; 8:7, 18, 19; 9:11;
Leviticus 19:26, 31; 20:6, 27
Numbers 23:23; 24:1
Deuteronomy 18:10, 11, 14;
Judges 9:37;
1 Samuel 6:2; 15:23; 28:3, 7, 9;
2 Kings 9:22; 17:17; 21:6; 23:24;
1 Chronicles 10:13;
2 Chronicles 33:6
Psalm 58:5;
Proverbs 16:10;
Isaiah 3:2,3; 20; 8:19; 19:3; 44:25; 47:9, 12,13;
Jeremiah 3:13; 27:9; 29:8;
Jeremiah 14:14; Ezekiel 12:24; 13:6, 7, 23; 21:21, 22, 23; Micah 3:6; Acts 16:16;
Ezekiel 13:18, 20
Daniel 1:20; 2:2,10, 27; 4:7,9; 5:7, 11, 15
Micah 3:7; 5:12
Nahum 3:4
Zechariah 10:2
Malachi 3:5
Acts 8:9, 11; 13:6, 8; 19:19
Galatians 5:20;
Revelation 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; 22:15