Reference: Magic
American
In the Bible, all the superstitious ceremonies of magicians, sorcerers, enchanters, necromancers, spiritualists, exorcists, astrologers, soothsayers, interpreters of dreams, fortune-tellers, casters of nativities, etc., which are all forbidden by the law of God, whether practiced to hurt or to benefit mankind. It was also forbidden to consult magicians on pain of death, Le 19:31; 20:6. See ENCHANTMENTS and SORCERERS.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
"You are to consult neither mediums nor familiar spirits. You are never to seek them you'll just be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
"I'll oppose and eliminate from contact with his people whoever consults mediums or familiar spirits, thereby committing spiritual prostitution with them.
Easton
The Jews seem early to have consulted the teraphim (q.v.) for oracular answers (Jg 18:5-6; Zec 10:2). There is a remarkable illustration of this divining by teraphim in Eze 21:19-22. We read also of the divining cup of Joseph (Ge 44:5). The magicians of Egypt are frequently referred to in the history of the Exodus. Magic was an inherent part of the ancient Egyptian religion, and entered largely into their daily life.
All magical arts were distinctly prohibited under penalty of death in the Mosaic law. The Jews were commanded not to learn the "abomination" of the people of the Promised Land (Le 19:31; De 18:9-14). The history of Saul's consulting the witch of Endor (1Sa 28:3-20) gives no warrant for attributing supernatural power to magicians. From the first the witch is here only a bystander. The practice of magic lingered among the people till after the Captivity, when they gradually abandoned it.
It is not much referred to in the New Testament. The Magi mentioned in Mt 2:1-12 were not magicians in the ordinary sense of the word. They belonged to a religious caste, the followers of Zoroaster, the astrologers of the East. Simon, a magician, was found by Philip at Samaria (Ac 8:9-24); and Paul and Barnabas encountered Elymas, a Jewish sorcerer, at Paphos (Ac 13:6-12). At Ephesus there was a great destruction of magical books (Ac 19:18-19).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Don't you have the cup that my master uses to drink from and also uses to practice divination? You're wrong to have done this.'"
"You are to consult neither mediums nor familiar spirits. You are never to seek them you'll just be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
"When you enter the land that the LORD your God is about to give you, don't learn the detestable practices of those nations there. There must never be found among you anyone who sacrifices his son or daughter in fire, practices divination, interprets omens, practices sorcery, read more. casts spells, or who is a medium, an occultist, or a necromancer. Whoever practices these things is detestable to the LORD, and the LORD your God will expel them before you because of these things. You must be completely faithful to the LORD your God, because those nations that you are about to dispossess listen to those who practice witchcraft and divination. But the LORD does not allow you to act this way."
They replied, "Go ask God, please, about whether or not we'll be successful in this journey." The priest responded to them, "Travel in peace. The mission that you're to accomplish is from the LORD."
Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land. The Philistines assembled, moved out, and camped at Shunem, while Saul assembled all Israel and camped at Gilboa. read more. When Saul saw the Philistine camp, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. Saul inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him, either through dreams or Urim or through prophets. Saul told his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium so I can go to her and make my inquiry through her." His servants told him, "Look, there's a woman at Endor who is a medium." Saul disguised himself, putting on different clothes. He went along with two men to the woman at night. He said, "Consult a familiar spirit for me and bring up for me the one whom I tell you." The woman told him, "Look, you know what Saul has done. He has removed mediums and spiritists from the land, so why are you trying to entrap me, so as to cause my death?" Saul swore to her by the LORD: "As surely as the LORD lives, no punishment will come on you for this thing." The woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" Saul said, "Bring up Samuel for me." When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out loudly. The woman told Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!" The king told her, "Don't be afraid; but what do you see?" The woman told Saul, "I see a divine being coming up out of the ground." Saul told her, "What does he look like?" She said, "An old man is coming up, and he's wrapped in a robe." Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed low to the ground and prostrated himself. Samuel told Saul, "Why did you disturb me by bringing me up?" Saul said, "I'm in great distress. The Philistines are waging war against me. God has departed from me and won't answer me anymore, either by messages written by the hand of the prophets or by dreams. So I've summoned you to tell me what I should do." Samuel said, "Why do you ask me, since the LORD has departed from you and become your enemy? The LORD has done to you exactly as he spoke through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom away from you and has given it to your colleague David. Because you didn't obey the LORD and didn't display his fierce anger against Amalek, therefore, the LORD will do this thing to you today. The LORD is giving both you, and Israel with you, into Philistine control. Tomorrow, the LORD will give you, your sons with you, and also the army of Israel into the control of the Philistines." Saul immediately fell down full-length on the ground. He was terrified because of Samuel's words, and he had no strength because he had not eaten food all day and all night.
"Now, Son of Man, demarcate two pathways by which the sword of Babylon's king will arrive in the land. Both pathways will lead from a single land. "Make a sign, carving it out and installing it at the junction on the way to the city. Set it to point one way for bringing the sword against Rabbah, the descendants of Ammon, and the other way against Judah and fortified Jerusalem. read more. "Meanwhile, Babylon's king is standing at the fork of the road, where he can head in either of two directions, and that's where he is practicing divination. Shaking his arrows, he's asking questions of his teraphim while he examines livers. On his right hand he is divining against Jerusalem, preparing to set up battering rams, preparing for the slaughter, getting ready to sound the alarm for battle, setting the battering rams in place at the gates, building siege mounds, and erecting a siege wall.
Truly the family idols talk nonsense and the diviners discern lies, describing delusional dreams. Since their comfort is vacuous, they wander off on their own like sheep, because there is no shepherd.
After Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judea during the reign of King Herod, wise men arrived in Jerusalem from the east and asked, "Where is the one who was born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." read more. When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, as was all of Jerusalem. He called together all the high priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, because that is what was written by the prophet: "O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, because from you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'" Then Herod secretly called together the wise men, found out from them the time the star had appeared, and sent them to Bethlehem. He told them, "As you go, search carefully for the child. When you find him, tell me so that I, too, may go and worship him." After listening to the king, they set out, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were ecstatic with joy. After they went into the house and saw the child with his mother Mary, they fell down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasure sacks and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they left for their own country by a different road.
Now in that city there was a man named Simon. He was practicing occult arts and thrilling the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great. Everyone from the least to the greatest paid close attention to him, saying, "This is what we call the great power of God!" read more. They paid careful attention to him because he had thrilled them for a long time with his occult performances. But when Philip proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and about the name of Jesus the Messiah, men and women believed and were baptized. Even Simon believed, and after he was baptized he became devoted to Philip. He was amazed to see the signs and great miracles that were happening. Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaritans had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. They went down and prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit. Before this, he had not come on any of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me this power too, so that when I lay my hands on someone, he will receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter told him, "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God's free gift with money! You have no part or share in what we're saying, because your heart isn't right with God. So repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your heart's intent may be forgiven you. For I see that you're being poisoned by bitterness and you're a prisoner of wickedness!" Simon answered, "Both of you pray to the Lord for me that none of the things you have said will happen to me."
They went through the whole island as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish occult practitioner and false prophet named Bar-jesus. He was associated with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. He sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. read more. But Elymas the occult practitioner (that is the meaning of his name) continued to oppose them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked him straight in the eye and said, "You're full of every form of deception and trickery, you son of the Devil, you enemy of all that is right! You'll never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord, will you? The Lord is against you now, and you'll be blind and unable to see the sun for a while!" At that moment a dark mist came over him, and he went around looking for someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, because he was astonished at the Lord's teaching.
Many who became believers kept coming to confess and talk about what they had been doing. Moreover, many people who had practiced occult arts gathered their books and burned them in front of everybody. They estimated their value and found them to have been worth 50,000 silver coins.