Cheeseburger With A Witch
Notes
Transcript
Is seeking advice a good thing? Sure.
Have you ever been wanting council because you did not know what to do?
Have you ever felt desperate for some answers?
The Bibles says there is wisdom in getting counsel. In the multitude of counselors here is safety.
Can a person ask advice from another person who has already died? Of course not.
Saul tries to get advice from someone who is dead.
Feeling alone, Saul in desperation finds a witch and asks her to summon Samuel, the prophet, so he can ask him what he is supposed to do.
“The Kingmaker” shows up one more time in our text.
READ 1 Sam 28
Saul had obeyed God’s law in the OT to remove Wicca and witches from the land. Why would God’s people have any false god or servants of Satan to lead astray?
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 charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
When the LAW of the OT was given, Isreal was a Theocracy. God, as their King, wanted to ensure no witches would be influencing them. There was a death penalty for demonism, satanism, and the occult.
We do not live in a Theocracy and there is no call to “kill witches.” The Bible does not teach “Kill witches.”
Necromancer = a person who practices necromancy; a wizard or magician.
Games like Final Fantasy or Dungeons and Dragons introduce the players to the occult, demonism, and witchcraft.
Witchcraft is real, powerful, and ungodly. God is more powerful.
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
The witch cries out in verse 12.
28:12 The medium shrieked with fear when Samuel himself actually appeared, rather than some spirit that would impersonate him. On this occasion God miraculously permitted the actual spirit of Samuel to speak and announce Saul’s imminent death (v. 19). The medium’s cry of astonishment shows that this appearance was not the result of her usual tricks.
1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary ii. Saul Consults a Medium (28:3–25)
The incident does not tell us anything about the veracity of claims to consult the dead on the part of mediums, because the indications are that this was an extraordinary event for her, and a frightening one because she was not in control.
When mediums today “summon” a dead person for their client, the “person” that appears is not really the person - but a spirit, a demon.
They really call a demon up to act like the dead person they claim to call. This witch was taken back that it was not a demon lying to be Samuel.
WHERE WERE THE DEAD IN THE OT?
Paradise or Abraham’s Bosom.
Hell and Abrams Bosom used to both be in the Center of the Earth.
When Jesus rose from the dead, the Bible says that Hell hath enlarged itself. It grew into the space that was previously part of Abraham’s bosom. Is 5:14.
Jesus on the Cross:
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
Samuel must have been in Abraham’s Bosom or Paradise.
WHY WOULD SOMEONE TURN TO THE OCCULT?
Why would someone seek a witch?
Saul turned to a Medium looking for answers.
Some find witchcraft entertaining.
Others are seeking powers in the spiritual realm.
Christians stay away from witchcraft.
Christians stay away from witchcraft.
We are to “RESIST THE DEVIL, NOT Embrace the Devil!
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
(from quartz . com)
Spirituality is now firmly placed in mainstream culture. The growing interest in astrology driven by millennials, as well as the popularity of crystals and tarot cards via the ballooning wellness industry, have brought mysticism from the fringes, and right into your Instagram feed.
However, as the cosmetics giant Sephora recently found out (2018), mysticism and its more formal manifestation, witch culture, are not topics to be taken lightly. When the company tried to commodify and condense witch-related practices into a “Starter Witch Kit,” they managed to piss off a bunch of actual witches, forcing the kit’s manufacturer to apologize and pull the product.
The kit was clearly aimed at dabblers in witchcraft, rather than those who actually practice it, which was perhaps part of the miscalculation. Data on the existing population of self-identified practicing witches suggests that a robust—and growing—witch community exists.
While the US government does not regularly collect detailed religious data, because of concerns that it may violate the separation of church and state, several organizations have tried to fill the data gap. From 1990 to 2008, Trinity College in Connecticut ran three large, detailed religion surveys. Those have shown that Wicca grew tremendously over this period. From an estimated 8,000 Wiccans in 1990, they found there were about 340,000 practitioners in 2008. They also estimated there were around 340,000 Pagans (pdf) in 2008. Estimates are there at 1.5 million witches in the USA.
Witch practices are all around: Women in the Hindu religion wear nose rings, but so do many witches.
“Wicca jewelry is typically worn on the Power Centers of the body. These are key energy points ... Not all witches use these, by any means. ... Nose rings.” Nose rings are a favorite to “Align their underworld energy.
They may have piercings up and down the center of their body - it is a demonic symbolism thing.
Christians Stay Away From Witchcraft.
Christians Stay Away From Witchcraft.
We are to “RESIST THE DEVIL, NOT Embrace the Devil!
1. God Knows the Future. Rest in Him.
2. God’s Word has the Answers. Read Them.
3. God is All Powerful. Rely on Him.
1. God Knows the Future. Rest in Him.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
2. God’s Word has the Answers. Read Them.
What time I am afraid,
I will trust in thee.
3. God is All Powerful. Rely on Him.
Paul was praying for the Ephesus Christians:
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
APPLICATION:
Films, Books, Social Media: Whenever someone portrays Wicca or witchcraft in a positive way - watch out. “Game of Thrones” and similar films introduce the spirit world to the viewer.
Games, Entertainment, Friends: Don’t play with fire. Some kids are introduced to the occult because of an “innocent” game or film.
Don’t be afraid, but be aware.
Christians Stay Away From Witchcraft.
Christians Stay Away From Witchcraft.
D and A
Where have you seen witchcraft things recently?
Why is there a growing fascination with the occult?
What safeguards would you suggest to stay away from demonic activity?