How does this passage connect with Deuteronomy 18:10-12 on forbidden practices?

Setting the Scene in Deuteronomy 18:10-12

• God lists divination, sorcery, omen-reading, witchcraft, spell-casting, mediumship, spiritism, and necromancy as “detestable” practices.

• The warning is tied to covenant faithfulness: Israel must be distinct from pagan nations, relying on God’s Word, not occult power.

---

New-Testament Echo in Galatians 5:20

“Idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, rivalries, divisions, factions”.

• Paul names “sorcery” (Greek pharmakeia) among the “acts of the flesh.”

• He places it beside idolatry, showing both seek power or security outside the one true God.

• The consequence—“those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (v. 21)—parallels the Old-Testament penalty of exclusion from the covenant community.

---

Connecting Threads

• Same root issue: dependence on supernatural power apart from God.

• Same verdict: God declares the practices “detestable” (Deuteronomy 18:12) and disqualifying (Galatians 5:21).

• Same call: wholehearted loyalty. Israel was to listen to the future “prophet like Moses” (Deuteronomy 18:15); believers are to walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16, 25).

---

Reinforcing Passages

• Acts 19:19—new converts burn their magic scrolls, echoing Deuteronomy 18’s purge.

• Revelation 21:8; 22:15—sorcerers excluded from the New Jerusalem, mirroring the exile threat in Deuteronomy 18:12.

• 1 Samuel 28—Saul’s downfall through consulting a medium illustrates the danger.

---

Practical Takeaways Today

• Reject modern equivalents: horoscopes, tarot, séances, crystals, channeling, occult games.

• Replace forbidden curiosity with Scripture, prayer, and the Spirit’s guidance (Isaiah 8:19-20; John 16:13).

• Cultivate the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) as the positive counterpart to the banned works of the flesh.