Witchcraft

Witchcraft

April 15, 2019

1 Samuel 15:23  "For rebellion is like the sin of divination and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. . ."

There are very few who would argue the point that witchcraft is in opposition to Christianity.  Christians would never dabble with witchcraft, thinking it OK to conjure demons or pray to Satan or work against the Lord. Casting spells is not something to play with and most Christians understand this to be an abomination to the Lord.  Yet, there is sin within a Christian, all Christians at some point in their lives, that is akin to witchcraft. The Bible says that rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is the sin of worshiping idols (a self-idol).

To understand the context of this, the Lord said it directly to Saul, the first king over Israel in the Old Testament. The Lord had given Saul specific instructions and Saul carried them out in the manner Saul saw fit, though not in perfect alignment with the Lord's design. The Lord was sad, grieved that He had made Saul king because of the disobedience. The Lord called it rebellion, because Saul was not following the Lord's wishes. It came down to the fact that Saul was not completely on the Lord's team, he was on his own. Saul was allowed to do things how he saw fit, unless it was in regard to a specific instruction. Saul did not follow the instructions according to the Lord's design, therefore the Lord said he was in rebellion against the Lord's plan.

If you are not for the Lord, then He considers you against Him. Saul was in it for his own design, not the Lords and the Lord considered His rebellion as retched as witchcraft. Even stubbornness, the determination to retain an attitude or position against something is as bad as worshiping a false idol. The Lord is very clear that worshiping another god is hatred toward Himself. Being stubborn against the Lord or anything in the Bible is akin to worshiping another god. The Lord considers it the same. 

While you may not think you are in direct rebellion against the Lord, if you've ever done something the Lord wanted and put your own twist on it, then you've likely made Him sad. Following through 90 percent is still not following the Lord's instructions. Being obstinate against doing the right thing is putting another god in front of the Lord. Hopefully you view witchcraft and idol worship to be detestable, but do you view a rebellious heart or stubborn attitude in the same way?  The Lord says its the same to Him. If you are a stubborn person, then you're not submitted to the Lord fully, still in it for yourself at times. You are not your own god. Either you submit to the Lord or not, there is no middle ground. You and I have been stubborn before and you've followed your own heart when you were supposed to follow the Lords. The Lord says this is disgusting in His eyes. 

Don't take my word for it; look it up: Exodus 20:1-17, 1 Samuel 15