- That these persons are said to "peep" and "mutter" shows that the spirits who control them are identical with the "unclean spirits like frogs;" for this is the very language of frogs. Rev. 16:13.
- Their teaching does not even purport to come from God, but from the dead. Thus the prophet expostulates with those who seek unto them: "Should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?"
- The law and the testimony by which their teachings are to be tested is thus spoken of in the Scriptures:-
Continue…
Samuel and the Witch of Endor
Or
The Sin of Witchcraft
By J. N. Andrews
Isaiah 8:19, 20: "And when they shall say unto you, Seek
unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that
mutter, should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?
To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it
is because there is no light in them."
II. What is the meaning of the
terms used in the text?
The "familiar spirits" are so called because they
associate with men, even the vicious and the degraded, in the most familiar
manner. Their character is entirely unlike that of the angels of God, in that
they form intimate union with wicked men, and unite with them in the works
which God forbids. There is nothing in their manifestations that inspires awe,
veneration, or reverence. But when the angels have visited men, so
awe-inspiring has been their appearance that even God's most favored servants
have fallen upon their faces with terror, or stood trembling in their
presence. And hence the style of address so often used. Thus, Daniel, the
"man greatly beloved," the angel strengthens by saying, "Fear
not, Daniel;" Dan. 10:12; to Zacharias, who was "righteous before
God," he says, "Fear not, Zacharias;" Luke 1:13; to Mary, who
had found favor with God, "Fear not, Mary;" Luke 1:30; to the holy
women at the sepulcher, "Fear not, ye;" Matt. 28:5; and to Paul, the
most eminent of Christ's servants, "Fear not, Paul." Acts 27:24.
Wizards are men who deal with familiar spirits. Women who do the same work are
called witches.
Ps. 19:7,
8: "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of
the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the
eyes."
Rom.
3:31: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we
establish the law."
James
2:9-12: "But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are
convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law,
and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not
commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet
if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so
do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty."
1 John
3:4: "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law; for sin is the
transgression of the law."
Rev. 12:17: "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and
went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of
God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."
III. Do the Scriptures treat the sin of dealing with
familiar spirits, otherwise called witchcraft or sorcery, as a real sin, and
one that is very heinous in the sight of God?
1. The Old Testament speaks as follows:-
Lev. 19:31: "Regard not them that have familiar spirits,
neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them; I am the Lord your
God."
Lev. 20:27: "A man also or woman that hath a familiar
spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone
them with stones; their blood shall be upon them."
Deut. 18:9-12: "When thou art come into the land which the
Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of
those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son
or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an
observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord; and because of
these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before
thee."
1Sam. 15:23: "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and
stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry."
2Chron. 33:6: "And he caused his children to pass through
the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom; also he observed times, and used
enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with
wizards; he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to
anger."
2. The New Testament bears quite as pointed a testimony against
witchcraft or sorcery:-
Gal. 5:19-21: "Now the works of the flesh are manifest,
which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry,
WITCHCRAFT, hatred, variance, emulations wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings and such like; of the which I tell
you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such
things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
Acts 8:9-11: "But there was a certain man called Simon,
which beforetime in the same city used SORCERY, and BEWITCHED the people of
Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one; to whom they all gave
heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of
God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had BEWITCHED
THEM WITH SORCERIES."
Rev. 21:8: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and SORCERERS, and idolaters, and
all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone; which is the second death."
Rev. 22:15: "For without are dogs, and SORCERERS, and
whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a
lie."
These
scriptures are sufficient to show that dealing with familiar spirits,
otherwise called sorcery, or witchcraft, is a sin of fearful magnitude in the
sight of God. Nor can it be said that this is an Old-Testament sin, of which
the New Testament knows nothing. For Paul, Luke, and John, or rather the
Spirit of God speaking through them, class this with the vilest of sins; and
exclude those who are guilty of it from any part in the kingdom.
IV. What, then, is the sin of witchcraft, or of dealing
with familiar spirits?
The
testimony of the Bible furnishes the answer to this important question. It is
the holding of direct intercourse with Satan or his evil angels, under the
name of conversing with the spirits of the dead. That dealing with familiar
spirits purported to be dealing with the dead, is evident from the words of
Isaiah: "When they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar
spirits, . . . should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?" But we have
a case of this very sin recorded at considerable length in the Bible, and to
this let us refer. It is the case of Saul and the witch of Endor.
1 Sam.
28:3-20: "Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and
buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that
had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. And the Philistines
gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem; and Saul
gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa. And when Saul saw
the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.
And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by
dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek
me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of
her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a
familiar spirit at Endor. And Saul disguised himself, and put on other
raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by
night; and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and
bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee. And the women said unto him,
Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have
familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land; wherefore then layest thou
a snare for my life, to cause me to die? And Saul swear to her by the Lord,
saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this
thing. Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said,
Bring me up Samuel. And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud
voice; and the woman spake to Saul saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou
art Saul. And the king said unto her, Be not afraid; for what sawest thou? And
the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. And he said
unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is
covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped
with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. And Samuel said to Saul, Why
hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore
distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from
me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams; therefore I
have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. Then
said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed
from thee, and is become thine enemy? And the Lord hath done to him, as he
spake by me; for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given
it to thy neighbor, even to David; because thou obeyedst not the voice of the
Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord
done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel
with thee into the hand of the Philistines; and to-morrow shalt thou and thy
sons be with me; the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand
of the Philistines. Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was
sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel; and there was no strength in him;
for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night."
We have
in this scripture a particular account of the sin of witchcraft as practiced
in the days of ancient Israel. Dealing with familiar spirits in those days was
precisely the same as the present work of consulting the dead through the
spirit mediums, known as modern spiritualism. Let us consider the facts in
this case.
Saul, the
king of Israel, had lived in rebellion against God for many years. Because of
this, the Lord had left him to himself, and refused to communicate with him
either by dreams, or by prophets, or in any other manner. The army of the
Philistines had come up against him, and in his distress he sought to one
having a familiar spirit.
Samuel,
the prophet of God, was now dead. He had faithfully warned Saul against
disobeying the Lord, and in the last warning that he gave him, he told him
that rebellion was as the sin of witchcraft. Now that Samuel is dead, Saul,
who had despised his word for many years, and who had lived during this time
without any intercourse with God through his prophets, now determined, by the
means of witchcraft, which Samuel had warned him against, to have an interview
with Samuel.
The woman
having the familiar spirit, who is commonly called the witch of Endor,
practiced her unholy calling in the most secret manner. For Saul, in obedience
to the law of God, had put to death all such persons so far as he could find
them. This woman stood ready to bring up any dead person that could be named,
and to enable the inquirer to converse with that person.
The
familiar spirit that consorted with this woman was the efficient cause of all
the wonders that were wrought. This spirit was able to do one of two things.
1. It could bring up from the dead any person that was called for, or, 2. It
could personate or counterfeit the dead man so that those who conversed with
the familiar spirit should believe that they were conversing with their dead
friend, because every peculiarity of his was perfectly imitated.
The first
act of the woman was to ascertain whether Saul really wished to converse with
the dead, or whether he feigned this in order to detect her in the practice of
witchcraft, and put her to death. But when Saul had sworn to her by a solemn
oath that she should not be punished for divining unto him by the familiar
spirit, the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up unto thee?" It was
her business to bring up any of the dead that might be called for. Her
question was precisely that of a spirit medium of the present day, except,
indeed, that in these days the dead are brought down from the third Heaven, or
from the higher spheres; whereas in those days, they were called up from a
region below.
Saul said
to the woman, "Bring me up Samuel." And thus we have the very words
used in seeking unto those who had familiar spirits. The diviner, sorcerer,
enchanter, necromancer, wizard, or witch, for these names are all given to
those who in some form do this work, asks of the one who seeks knowledge from
the dead, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And the inquirer names the dead
person with whom he would converse. This shows the exactness of Isaiah's
language when he represents the consulting with familiar spirits as seeking
"for the living to the dead." Modern spiritualism has furnished the
counterpart of this very conversation in innumerable instances.
"Divine
unto me by the familiar spirit," said Saul, and "bring me up
Samuel." And now the familiar spirit at the bidding of this wicked woman
must show what his powers are capable of accomplishing. He must produce Samuel
in truth and verity; or if this is beyond his power he must imitate him so
perfectly that Saul should be made to believe that it was Samuel himself.
The woman
invokes her familiar spirit, and the divination proves eminently successful.
"And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice; and the
woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art
Saul." It is evident that the woman herself was surprised at something;
for she cried out in her terror. And from this fact many have concluded that,
contrary to the expectation of the woman, Samuel actually came. But it should
be observed that if Samuel were indeed present on that occasion, it must have
been, 1. Because the familiar spirit had power to bring him up; or, 2. Because
the Lord saw fit to send him to meet Saul. But both these views are false and
absurd. For, 1. It would be absurd to believe that the familiar spirit had
power to control at pleasure not merely the dead in general, but the righteous
dead in particular. Who dare assert that the familiar spirits are able, at the
bidding of wicked men or women, to bring up from the dead the most eminent
servants of God? And, 2. It would be not only absurd, but almost wicked to
represent the Lord as sending Samuel to meet Saul on this forbidden ground when he had refused to
answer him at all by any prophet, though Saul anxiously sought such answer in
a lawful manner before he ventured on the dreadful expedient of consulting a
familiar spirit. And, 3. As it was a wicked thing in Saul to invoke the
incantations of this servant of Satan, how can it be shown to be consistent
for holy Samuel to come when thus invoked by Satanic power?
It is
said that the woman was terrified by the actual presence of Samuel. Those who
say this do not read the record with proper attention. For it is to be
observed that the woman did not cry out in her terror, "Samuel himself
has come indeed!" She was not astonished at the sight of the old man with
his mantle; for it was the business of her familiar spirit to present a
perfect representation of any dead person. Indeed, it does not appear that
responses were expected until the person invoked had been raised up. But there
was a fact that the woman learned the moment this reputed Samuel appeared, and
that fact filled her with terror. The first act of this so-called Samuel, was
to make known to this woman that her guest was no other than Saul, the king of
Israel, the man who had destroyed every such person as herself that he could
discover. It was this fact that alarmed her; for in her terror she cries out,
"Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul." She was not alarmed
that Samuel had come; her only terror was that she found herself in the hands
of Saul. This circumstance itself furnishes a convincing proof that this
reputed Samuel was no other
than her familiar spirit personating him; for the first act of
this professed servant of the Most High was to put this wicked woman on her
guard by a private hint that he who was her guest was no other than Saul
himself. Let us read further in this wonderful record:-
"And
the king said unto her, Be not afraid; for what sawest thou? And the woman
said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. And he said unto her,
What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with
a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face
to the ground, and bowed himself."
It is to
be observed, 1. That of all the wonderful things seen on this occasion, Saul
saw nothing. Witness the expressions, and it will be seen that it was the
woman, and not Saul, who saw what was seen. Thus, "the woman saw
Samuel;" the king said, "What sawest thou?"
The woman said, "I saw gods ascending out of the earth." Saul
inquires, "What form is he of?" The woman answers, "An old man
cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived [from the
woman's description] that it was Samuel."
It is to
be observed, 2. That lest any should say that Saul might have seen all that
the woman saw had he not been prostrate upon the ground, the sacred writer
tells us that it was after Saul had asked the woman these questions that
"he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself."
It is to
be observed, 3. That this wonderful manifestation of either divine or Satanic
power arose out of the earth. Thus the woman said to Saul, "I saw gods
ascending out of the earth;" or as Gesenius gives it in his Hebrew
Lexicon, "I see a godlike form ascending out of the earth." And when
Saul asked, "What form is he of?" she said, "An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a
mantle."
It is to
be observed, 4. That there are several facts here brought to view hard to be
explained if this was the real Samuel, but very easy to understand if this was
the familiar spirit personating or counterfeiting him.
The first
is, that holy Samuel should come in answer to her wicked incantations.
The
second is, that he should arise out of the earth.
The third
is, that the woman should see him, while Saul could not see him.
The
fourth is, that this holy man should first of all communicate private
information to this abandoned woman, putting her on her guard against Saul.
The fifth
is, that the woman was not alarmed at the presence of this old man with his
mantle, but only alarmed when he told her that she had Saul in the house.
But let
us further consider the question of Samuel's presence. If he were actually
present, and this manifestation was not a Satanic presentation of him, he must
have come,
1. As an
immortal spirit from glory; or,
2. He
must have been raised from the dead, and therefore been present with his own
flesh and bones.
But the
first of these views must be abandoned, for,
1. An
immortal spirit from the realms of glory could not come up out of the earth.
2. Nor
would such an one begin his work by a private communication to the witch. 3.
It is moreover incredible that the incantations of her Satanic craft should
enable her to see such a holy being while Saul could see nothing.
TO
BE CONTINUED!
*******
This study is very pertinent to us today, why? Because of this…
Explosive
growth in witches….today.
This
study will be given in a few parts, not all at once. Please pray and read, we
need the Holy Spirit to guide us in all we do. The closer it gets to our
Lord's return, the more and more Satan will work. Please, Father, may we not
be deceived, guide us to Your truth, and live in us working Your truth in our
lives! All in the Savior's name, through His sacrifice!
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