In ancient times, the Jewish people were forbidden from going to a Medium or a Necromancer. Why was that?

INTRODUCTION

In ancient times, the Jewish people were forbidden from going to a Medium or a Necromancer. It was a command.

In our day, the terms Medium and Necromancer are unfamiliar to many people. Here is a brief exploration of each:

Medium

The Hebrew word is הָאֹבֹת֙ (“hā·’ō·ḇōṯ”). It means a Medium. Or a wineskin.

Mediums facilitate communication between humans and familiar spirits or spirits of the dead.

In our day, the work of a Medium takes place in many ways:

A spirit takes control of a Medium’s voice and uses it to relay a message
The Medium hears the message and passes it on
Materialization of the spirit
The presence of a voice
Telekinetic activity
Séance table
Trance
Ouija

The ancient Canaanite people practiced Mediumship. But when the Jewish people entered the Promised Land, they were forbidden from going to a Medium.

Necromancer

The Hebrew word is הַיִּדְּעֹנִ֔ים (“hay·yid·də·‘ō·nîm”). It means a knowing one; specifically, a conjurer.

Necromancy involves communicating with the dead. It is done by summoning the spirits of the dead as an apparition or a vision. The purpose is divination.

The ancient Canaanite people practiced Necromancy. But when the Jewish people entered the Promised Land, they were forbidden from going to a Necromancer.

Rationale

Why were the ancient Jewish people forbidden from going to a Medium or a Necromancer? Here are some explanations we’ve heard:

Possible Explanation 1

Theory. Communicating with dead spirits is evil.

Rebuttal. If evil spirits are involved, the evil spirits should be able to produce accurate results. Such results should withstand scientific scrutiny.

However, the results do not. Scientists who study such things consider Mediumship to be the result of fraud and psychological factors.

Thus trying to communicate with dead spirits is probably not evil.

Possible Explanation 2

Theory. The Jewish leaders were insecure because the Mediums and Necromancers had a more powerful spirituality than they did.

Rebuttal. Jewish history is filled with powerful miracles by the LORD God. For example:

Freeing the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt
Manna in the desert
Splitting the Red Sea
Demolishing Jericho

Thus the Jewish leaders should not feel insecure.

Possible Explanation 3

Theory. To prevent Jewish people from leaving their religion and joining a spiritual movement of the ancient Canaanite people.

This possible explanation makes the most sense to us. It reminds us of prohibitions by Catholic priests in decades past. They forbade their parishioners from going to a Lutheran church.

It wasn’t that the Lutherans were evil. Rather, the Catholic pastor didn’t want his parishioners to defect from the Catholic faith and become Lutherans.

The prohibition had nothing to do with good-versus-evil. It was merely a man-made command whose goal was to isolate people from outside influences.

BIBLE VERSES

Leviticus 19:31. Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God. (New English Version)

Leviticus 20:6. The person that turns to those who are mediums, and to the wizards, to play the prostitute after them, I will even set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people.

Leviticus 20:27. A man or a woman that is a medium, or is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.

Deuteronomy 18:10. There shall not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who tells fortunes, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,

Deuteronomy 18:11. or a charmer, or someone who consults with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

1 Samuel 28:3. Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. Saul had sent away those who had familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land.

1 Samuel 28:9. The woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?”

2 Kings 21:6. He made his son to pass through the fire, practiced sorcery, used enchantments, and dealt with those who had familiar spirits and with wizards. He did much evil in the LORD’s sight, to provoke him to anger.

2 Kings 23:24. Moreover, Josiah removed those who had familiar spirits, the wizards, and the teraphim, and the idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the LORD’s house.

2 Chronicles 33:6. He also made his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and dealt with those who had familiar spirits and with wizards. He did much evil in the LORD’s sight, to provoke him to anger.

Isaiah 8:19. Someone may say to you, “Let’s ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do.” But shouldn’t people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead? (NLT translation)

Isaiah 19:3. The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will confuse their plans. They will plead with their idols for wisdom and call on spirits, mediums, and those who consult the spirits of the dead. (NLT translation)

Do not turn to Mediums or Necromancers