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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadQuiet Talks by Samuel Dickey: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks on Life After Death: 46. The Authoritative Answer
TOPIC: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks on Life After Death (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 46. The Authoritative Answer
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The Authoritative Answer
But we haven't really got our answer yet. The authoritative answer is yet to come. And it is authoritative. It leaves nothing to be said. When we get that the case is settled. It is the answer of this old Book of God. It becomes of intense interest to note that this Book recognizes this question, discusses it fully, and answers it flatly and fully and positively.
Let us look at this authoritative answer.
The Bible is an index to the moral customs and conditions of the nations surrounding the old Jewish nation. And that means practically of all the nations of that old world. For the Jewish domain lay at the center. All the nations touched that domain directly or indirectly.
Every national culture influenced its life, as in the after centuries every civilization marched its armies over that territory. The prohibitions contained in the Ten Commandments, with the numerous detailed prohibitions grouped with them, became a perfect bit of mirror reflecting common moral conditions among these surrounding nations.
From the earliest times there was in all these nations a class of experts in the cult of the dead, the foretelling of the future, the settling of doubtful questions, interpretation of dreams, and in general the magical and mysterious. Practically this was the priestly class. For this sort of thing was connected with, and made up a large part of, their religion" (Gen_41:8; Exo_7:11; Exo_7:22; Exo_8:7; Dan_2:2; Dan_2:10; Dan_2:27; Dan_4:6-7). Such a class of professionals flourished at various times among the Jews though expressly prohibited (1Sa_15:23; 1Sa_28:3; 1Sa_28:8-15. 2Ki_21:6; 2Ki_23:24).
The various names by which these magical experts were known are significant. They let in a flood of light as to these forbidden practices. There's an index given in Moses' farewell talks in the Plains of Moab (Deu_18:9-14).
"There shall not be found with thee any one that maketh his son or daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, one that practices augury, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer."
These are grouped together as one class, equally abominable to God, with nine varying names according to methods used, or the pretensions made. Then the whole class is grouped up under two names, augury and diviners. One of these names deals distinctively with consulting the dead, that is, necromancer, one who consults the dead, and divines or foretells by that means.
The name used for another one of these lets in a flood of clear light on the whole class, that is, "a consulter with a familiar spirit. Familiar spirit is the old English word for devil or demon. The word underneath here is one of those used for a devil or demon.
That is to say, the pretended purpose of all these was communication with the dead. The real purpose underneath was communication with demons or evil spirits. In other words, all this was devilcraft. So the Holy Spirit reveals plainly here. Other names are sometimes used for the same general craft, astrologers, stargazers, monthly prognosticators, sooth-sayers (Isa_47:12-13; Jer_27:9-10).
It is of interest to note that the designation, "black art," and "black magic," which are commonly used for devilcraft grow out of the word necromancer. By an accidental slip of a single letter, "c" was changed to "g," and so the word read, negromancer, that is negro, a black man, negromancer, one who divined by black, or dark, or forbidden means. That term "black art" has come to be quite commonly used for all devil-craft. It is synonymous with sorcery and witch-craft.
Now the thing that stands out with unmistakeable emphasis is this: all this sort of thing was forbidden by God. It was forbidden in the strongest language. It was characterized as the very worst sort of wickedness. And it was to be met with the extremest penalty. Note some of the passages. One in particular stands out as a sort of index to all. It is spoken to Israel at a time when the nation was far down the spiritual decline that at least disrupted it.
"And when they shall say unto you, seek unto them that have familiar spirits (demons) and unto the wizards that chirp, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? Should they seek unto the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and testimony (of God's word)! If they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning (that is, no dawning, no hope) for them" (Isa_8:19-20).
Pretty plain talk that. How peculiarly it fits in with common life today! These devil crafts-men were aggressively at work. But it was a time of sore stress in the nation. There was sore need of guidance. What would they do? How wholesomely simple the answer. Go to God's Book. It has plain teaching. It will tell you, and more, if you don't, things will go bad, only bad, with you, sooner or later.
Listen to these three passages spoken, be it keenly marked, by God Himself, and simply re-cited by Moses with the great Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not suffer a sorceress to live" (Exo_22:18). "Ye shall not use enchantments, nor practice augury." "Turn ye not unto them that have familiar spirits (demons), nor unto the wizards; seek them not out, to be defiled by them. I am Jehovah your God" (Lev_19:26; Lev_19:31).
"The soul that turneth unto them that have familiar spirits (demons), and unto the wizards, to play the harlot after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people."
"A man or a woman that hath a familiar spirit (demon) or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death; they shall be stoned with stones." (Lev_20:6; Lev_20:27).
Could stronger language be used? These practices were defiling, befouling, morally dirty. They were classed with the worst sort of sexual impurity. They were the worst sort of enmity to God. They were to be visited with the extreme penalty, death, and death in one of its most painful drastic forms, stoning.
Another of these stinging characterizations comes from the lips of Samuel. He is talking with King Saul. And if any body in this old Book could use plain tense stinging talk it was Samuel. Listen to him, and watch Saul's face whitening under the writhing rebuke.
"Rebellion (that is, simply failure to obey Gad) is as witchcraft (devil craft), and stubbornness (being set in your own way even against God's way) is extreme iniquity and devil-worship" (1Sa_15:23 partly paraphrased.) In other words, these evil, occult, magical, practices were the extreme form of badness. They were devilish. That's the superlative degree.
It is striking to note that these things become the common touchstone of the worst wickedness. National reformations hit directly at them (1Sa_28:3; 1Sa_28:9; 2Ki_23:24 et al.) Bad kings, revived them (2Ki_21:6; 2Ch_33:6). It was because of such practices, and others kin to them, that the Canaanitish nations had been cast out, and that long after, Israel went to pieces (2Ki_16:3; 2Ki_17:7). They are repeatedly referred to in the denunciation of the prophets (Isa_19:3; Isa_29:4; Isa_44:25; Jer_27:9-10; Mic_3:6-7; Mic_3:11; Mal_3:5).
With these sharp-cut words from the Old Testament in mind it becomes of intense interest to turn to the other end of the Book. Paul in his old age, with spirit vision made sensitive by the Holy Spirit's touch, discerns that in the end of the Church period,
"Some (in the Church) shall fall away from the (true) faith, giving heed to seducing (that is misleading, "vagabond") demons, and to things taught by demons through pretended good men who really speak lies, and whose con-sciences are seared as with a hot iron" (1Ti_4:1-2 paraphrased).