Jesus Versus The Occult

Mayor Gerardo Balmori

The Salvation Army

Definition of the term occult:

The definition is very broad. It includes everything from the most blatant Satan worship to the

most commonly accepted use of horoscopes. As examples I would mention séances, necromancy,

and all forms of communicating with the dead, and all forms of supra-natural psychic phenomena,

real magic (as opposed to simple sleight-of-hand tricks), fortune telling, the casting of spells,

wearing of charms, the use of ouija boards, astrology, etc. What I would like to show you is first,

that the Scripture forbids God's people to be involved in these practices, second, why this is so, and

third, what our positive alternative should be.

I. Scripture forbids God's people to be involved in these practices.

In Deuteronomy 18:9-12 Moses addresses the people just before they cross the Jordan River to

enter the Promised Land and drive out the pagan nations. READ Deuteronomy 18:9-12

Moses mentions eight spiritist activities: divination, soothsaying, augury, and sorcery, the use of

charms, mediums, wizardry, or necromancy. These are not clearly distinct activities; they overlap

and are sometimes used interchangeably. What they have in common is that they all involve

efforts to obtain knowledge which is ordinarily hidden, and the means of attaining it is through

dealings with the spirit world or with mysterious supra-natural forces.

There is something else these eight activities have in common. The knowledge sought is not out of

idle curiosity but out of a desire to exert some power over people or events.

Now what does Moses say about such activities? First, in verse 9 he calls them "abominations."

This means that God regards them as detestable, abhorrent, and loathsome. It is a very strong

word. We will do well to ask ourselves whether some seemingly innocent activity we are engaged

in may be an abomination in the eyes of God. Second, according to verse 12 the persons who do

such things are an abomination to the Lord. Not merely the activity but also the persons become

abominable in God's eyes. It is an unbiblical sentiment which says, "God only hates the sin, never

the sinner." When a person gives himself over to will, to delight in, and to follow abominable

practices he makes himself abominable in the eyes of God. Of course, this does not put a person

beyond the reach of God's love. The glory of divine love is that it reaches out to justify and to

sanctify precisely those whom God abominates because of their sin. According to verse 12, the

Lord dispossesses and destroys those who practice these things.

The word "Deuteronomy" means "second law." It is a restatement and expansion of what had been

laid down by God at Mount Sinai. So it is no surprise to find in Leviticus commands like these:

"You shall not practice augury or soothsaying" (19:26), "Do not turn to mediums or wizards; do

not seek them out, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God" (19:31), "If a person turns to

mediums and wizards, playing the harlot after them, I will set my face against that person, and will

cut him off from among his people" (20:6).

If we turn to the New Testament we find nothing to change this divine rejection of the occult. On

the contrary the rejection is confirmed. For example, in Acts 19:19, Galatians 5:20, Revelation 21:8

II. Why God is so opposed to our participation in the occult?

One of the reasons is because it puts down God and exalts man. Or to put it another way, the

occult is simply a continuation of the ancient satanic deception in Genesis 3:5; "Go beyond what

God has appointed and you shall become like God." All forms of the occult present us with a

similar temptation: will we act like humble children of the heavenly Father and submit to God's

wisdom in limiting our knowledge and power, or will we, like Adam and Eve, hanker for the fruit

that can make us "wise" and for the power that belongs to God? Will we belittle God and exalt

ourselves or will we humble ourselves and exalt God by being content with his revelation and his

use of power on our behalf?

Let's begin again with our text in Deuteronomy 18. In verses 15-19 God promises to rise up a

prophet from among the people like Moses. The apostles saw the final and decisive fulfillment of

this prophecy in Jesus Christ (Acts 3:22-23). He was the final great prophet like Moses. The point

of this prophecy in Deuteronomy 18 is that God has appointed a Revealer of his will and no other

medium of revelation should be sought. In verse 14 Moses says, "These nations, which you are

about to dispossess, give heed to soothsayers and to diviners." Then in verse 15 he gives God's