Exodus 22:18 You shall not suffer a witch to live. The Bible regards witchcraft — 1. As a stern and diabolical reality (Leviticus 20:27; Deuteronomy 18:9). 2. As unlawful trafficking with the unseen world (Leviticus 19:31; Isaiah 8:19, "For the living to the dead," i.e., on behalf the living to the dead). 3. As sometimes trickery and imposture (Isaiah 8:19), "that peep and mutter" (probably ventriloquise. See art. Smith's Bible Dictionary, Smith's Dic. Bible). 4. As filthy defilement (Leviticus 19:31). 5. As deserving death (Leviticus 20:6. cf. text). 6. As one of the crimes for which the Canaanites were destroyed. 7. As inconsistent with a trust in God (Isaiah 8:19). 8. As frustrated by God (Isaiah 44:25). 9. As a power from which the godly have nothing to fear, for there is no solitary prayer in the whole Bible to be protected from its enchantments, and no thanksgiving for deliverance from them. In this country we only meet with it now in the form of spiritualism, and as such — I. It is DANGEROUS. 1. Because it destroys all faith in the person and providence of God, and hence imperils the hopes, aspirations, and safety of the soul. 2. Because it tends to debase man's moral standards, and to obliterate the fact of sin. 3. Because its direct aim is to subvert Christianity, and to abolish the Word of God. 4. Because it comes before the imagination and the affections with plausible appeals. II. It SHUNS THE LIGHT. 1. Its performances, like the old witchcraft, take place in the dark, and under circumstances the force of which requires the exertions of the strongest will. On the contrary, the grand facts of both Old and New Testaments were "not done in a corner," but in the light of day. 2. It is chary of the open exhibition of its credentials to the critic and the unbeliever; this privilege is reserved for those who first believe in the magician and in his powers. The miracles and other credentials of the Bible — court scrutiny — were mainly for the conviction of those who disbelieved. 3. And why does it shun the light? For the old reason (John 3:19-21). III. It is UNLAWFUL.. 1. Because expressly forbidden in the Word of God. Christ and His apostles meet the spirits not in darkened cabinets but with open exorcism. 2. Because of its avowed mission to pry into and traffic with the unrevealed matters of the spirit-world. God has emphatically set His face against this (Deuteronomy 29:29). 3. Because it is "another gospel" (Galatians 1:8). IV. It is partly gross IMPOSTURE. 1. Spiritual realities are solemn and imposing, and worthy in every way of the high source from which they emanate. When God communicated to the prophets and apostles we do not hear that it was on dancing tables, illegible inscriptions on slates, or through books made luminous by phosphoric oil. We do not hear of angels or spirits, whether in Old Testament or New, pulling men's hair, scattering sweetmeats, rapping on walls, hurling bed pillows, appearing in regimentals, or handling hot coals. 2. Spiritual realities in the Bible were never discovered to be small tricks. 3. Spiritual realities in the Bible have never been explained by natural phenomena as have much of the legerdemain of modern magic. V. It is uniformly USELESS. 1. For harm (Isaiah 8:19), when there is a firm trust in God. 2. For good (Luke 16:27-31), when there is no such trust. (J. W. Burn.) Parallel Verses KJV: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. |
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