Scripture: “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.” Leviticus 20:6 ESV
Observation: Having commanded Israel to be holy, for their God is holy, the Lord further elaborates on prohibitions that defile them and mar their image as his sacred children. As addressed in the last two Daily Focus devotions, much of what the Lord instructs to Moses delves into the sanctity of life. And one fundamental way to uphold the value of humans is by loving our neighbors as ourselves. In the remainder of Chapter 19 and all of 20, Yahweh elaborates on various ways of degrading fellow Israelites:
- sexually abusing an enslaved person,
- taking advantage of a sojourner,
- cheating others with deceitful commerce practices,
- sacrificing a child to Molech (repeating an earlier prohibition),
- consequences of sexual immorality (again repeating earlier instructions), and
- consulting with necromancers.
Twice in this passage, the Lord warns about the fate of necromancers and those who seek their guidance. As the above verse indicates, the gravity of this sin warrants excommunication for those who seek a diviner’s guidance. And verse 27 stipulates the death sentence (by stoning) for those who practice such an abomination to the Lord.
Takeaway: Interestingly, Isaiah likens necromancers to the “spirit of the Egyptians” who enslaved and oppressed Israel (Isaiah 19:3). Indeed, two future kings of Israel who sought necromancers learned this hard lesson: Solomon (see 1 Samuel 28) and Manasseh (see 2 Kings 21). Seeking the guidance of a medium, Solomon discovered through the spirit of Samuel that he and his sons would die in battle. Manasseh not only consulted necromancers but burned his son as an offering to Baal, “shed very much innocent blood” (2 Kings 21:16), and led Judah to sin against God. Resultantly, the Lord used the Assyrian militia to capture and take Manasseh into exile (2 Chronicles 33).
So how does this apply to us as the body of Christ? While it’s unlikely that fortune tellers will make their living off of Christians, nevertheless, there are competing voices in our world that beckon us to follow their guidance for our future wellbeing that leave God out of the equation. Whether relying on astrology, the misguided fortune-telling of those who claim to have a hotline to the Lord, or even economic forecasts, our misplaced faith will eventually lead us to heartbreak.
Okay, so what do we do when we realize our folly. Like Manasseh, who came to his senses in exile, we need to humble our hearts, cry out to God in prayer, seek the Lord’s forgiveness, and turn our affections toward him in worship and obedience (see 2 Chronicles 33:12-16). And just as our gracious God moved in the heart of the Assyrian ruler to return Manasseh to his homeland, he will raise us from the ruins of our misplaced faith when we redirect our trust and affections to Christ Jesus, our Rock of Ages!
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for the gift of faith and our only object of faith that brings us new life and hope for a future: your Son. Would you please help us to cooperate with your Holy Spirit when he convicts us of misplacing our faith in the things of this world and quickly repent and renew our trust and affections in Christ? Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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