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NEW
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Divination Practices---Part Three
by Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John Weldon
(from Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs, Harvest House Publishers, 1996) |
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Divination Practices—Part Three
By Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John
Weldon
(from Encyclopedia of New Age
Beliefs, Harvest House Publishers, 1996)
Biblical Divination?
Some allegedly "Christian" diviners have pointed to
biblical examples of divination in order to justify their practices.
Such examples, however, are either irrelevant or misinterpreted, or they
confuse the source or purpose underlying the prognostication. As we will
shortly see, God’s people were strictly prohibited from using
divination. But there were also times when God had to communicate His
will for specific reasons, and He chose particular methods for this.
Before Scripture existed or was widely available, there had to be a way
to communicate the divine will in necessary circumstances.
Thus, in the Bible, certain exceptional methods were
used to discover God’s specific will, such as the Urim and Thummim,
dreams, through the Old Testament prophetic ministry, and casting lots
(Exodus 28:30; Acts 1:24-26).
These methods are replaced today by other means (cf.
Hebrews 1:1-2). One reason for this is because God’s divine power and
Scripture itself supply "everything we need for life and godliness
through our knowledge of him" (2 Peter 1:3), and, "All Scripture is
God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly
equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-11). In cases where
Scripture does not supply the specific information God needs to convey
in order to fulfill His will, He uses other methods. The ministry of
angels may be used or gifts of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 2:4; 13:2), or
an individual prophecy may be given. Thus, we are told, "Do not put out
the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt" (1
Thessalonians 5:19; see 1 Corinthians 12:10; 13:2; 14:1, 6, 22; 2 Peter
1:20).
Regardless, methods as the Urim and Thummim, casting
lots, and so on, were never intended as a general means for people to
divine the particulars of their own future, e.g., the Urim and Thummim
were used only by the priests of Israel. Further, divination for
personal knowledge of the future is both unnecessary and dangerous. In
Scripture, God has already told us the broad outlines of future history
as it relates to biblical eschatology. His people are to trust in His
Word and in His sovereignty over future events, both in their own lives
and in the final outcome of human affairs. For very good reasons, God
has not and does not reveal our specific, individual futures. For
example, no one likes pain, and if we knew the future most of us would
try to avoid unpleasant situations, suffering, and tragedy, which may,
in fact, be God’s will for us; thus avoiding what God has wisely
determined is best for us from the eternal perspective.
People grow in their faith and in their ability to
endure things. God’s will that cannot be endured at one point in life
may be able to be endured or accepted at another. And no one but God
knows the final cost for not enduring His will (cf. Matthew 19:11-12;
John 16:12). Had Jesus not accepted the suffering that was God’s purpose
for His life, what would have been the outcome? But how many of us would
willingly face something like that were divination to reveal it? Only
God knows what will finally be accomplished through the sacrifices and
sufferings of His saints. This is why Scripture tells us, "Let those
also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a
faithful Creator in doing what is right" (1 Peter 4:19 NASB).
Occult divination adopts an entirely different view,
one that does not trust God for the future. By seeking to know future
events, divination promises to allow the individual to control his
future. In this sense, it represents a fundamental rejection of God’s
infinite, wise, and perfect will, replacing it with the limited and
self-serving perspective of the human will. Because it represents a
conscious abdication of divine sovereignty for human "control," it is
ultimately a confrontation with God. This is why the Bible strictly
opposes divination. While it acknowledges that people use divination
(e.g., Genesis 4:4-5), it condemns and never endorses such practices:
"Do not practice divination or sorcery" (Leviticus 19:26).
"Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter
in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens,
engages in witchcraft.... The nations you will dispossess listen to
those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD
your God has not permitted you to do so" (Deuteronomy 18:10, 14).
"For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like
the evil of idolatry..." (1 Samuel 15:23).
"They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They
practiced divination and sorcery and sold themselves to do evil in the
eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger" (2 Kings 17:17).
"He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom,
practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums
and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking
him to anger" (2 Chronicles 33:6).
"Then the LORD said to me, ‘The prophets are prophesying lies in my
name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They
are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the
delusions of their own minds’" (Jeremiah 14:14).
"Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a
slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She
earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This
girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, ‘These men are
servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way [Greek: "a
way"] to be saved’ She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became
so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, ‘In the name
of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!’ At that moment the
spirit left her" (Acts 16:16-18).
This last passage (where the diviner attempted to
justify her own practice by linking it to the apostles’ ministry)
reveals the true source of power behind divination: the spirit world.
In conclusion, the difference between the biblical
approach and occult approach to the future can be seen in the areas of
the source of information (God or Satan), phenomena (Scripture,
prophecy, divinely ordained implements or occult, pagan methods), and
outcome (glory to God through trust in His will or individual confusion
and perhaps destruction from trusting in the devil’s will). In the
following months we will examine various popular methods to see some of
the consequences of rejecting God’s will in this matter. |
Media Wise Authors
Dr. Ted Baehr
Dr. Tom Snyder
Dan Wooding |
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DR. JOHN ANKERBERG'S RESPONSE TO CREATION QUESTIONS
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Does Scientific Evidence Today Show
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Copyright 2006, Ankerberg Theological Research Institute
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