Volume 2 Issue 4

LISTENING ARIGHT

“A

nd when they say to you, ‘Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?” (Isaiah 8:19) The Assyrian empire was threatening Israel when Isaiah spoke these words. They feared Assyria would conquer them and lead them away captive. Thus, they sought God, but because of their sins He remained silent. Indeed, it was the Lord that brought the Assyrians against Israel to punish them. This silence tempted the Israelites to consult mediums and spiritists.

King Saul faced a similar silence from God after he sinned by offering a sacrifice that only a priest could offer. The prophet Samuel told Saul that because he had disobeyed God by offering the sacrifice himself rather than waiting for it to be done properly He would take the kingdom away from him and give it to another. Later Saul’s disobedience again surfaced when Samuel told him that God wanted him to go to war against the Amalekites and to completely wipe them out, including their livestock. Yet Saul spared Agag, the Amalekite king, and some of the choicest livestock to offer as a sacrifice to the Lord. “And Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.’” (1 Samuel 15:22-23) Shortly after this David, still a boy living at home as a shepherd was anointed by Samuel to become the next king of Israel. The transition from Saul to David took years. Saul’s enemies continually grew in strength and after Samuel died - Saul’s only link to the Lord - he became desperate for advice and counsel on how to defeat his enemies. Saul’s solution was to have a medium call up Samuel from the dead. She succeeded in this, but Samuel was not pleased. “Then Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?’ And Saul answered, ‘I am greatly distressed; for the Philistines are waging war against me, and GOD HAS DEPARTED FROM ME AND ANSWERS ME NO MORE, either through prophets or by dreams; therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I should do.’” (1 Samuel 28:15) Saul was suffering from a spiritual famine and was hungry for any guidance and direction he could get, even if that meant violating God’s commandment against consulting the dead.

Today, horoscopes, palm reading, seances, Ouija boards, and the occult are more popular than ever. Witchcraft is openly practiced under the name “Wicca”. These practices become more and more prevalent during times when sin begins to rule and reign in our lives or in the world in general. Wanting to know the future is a strong, innate desire within man, and when sin separates us from communion with the Lord, forbidden sources are sought out to satisfy that craving. This is one way false prophets, false teachers, and cult leaders gain control over others. They claim to have a word from God that only they can hear or understand, but the voices they listen to are not heavenly.

“‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord God, ‘When I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, BUT RATHER FOR HEARING THE WORDS OF THE LORD. And people will stagger from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east; they will go to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.’” (Amos 8:11-12) We are experiencing this partially already. Throughout history there have been times when the world has gone through a spiritual desert. It will not be until the time of the Antichrist that these verses are completely fulfilled. The Spirit-filled Christian will be a small minority, persecuted for living a holy life and encouraging others to do so. Those who wish to practice sin and at the same time call themselves Christian will silence them. The people of the world will go after the Antichrist because he will met their PHYSICAL needs first and not wanting to jeopardize their material comforts, they will accept whatever he says because his ways will gratify the lusts they habitually practice. “He who is satiated [with sensual pleasures] loathes and treads underfoot a honeycomb, but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.” (Proverbs 27:7 AMP) Even if God were to speak to the rebellious one words of holiness and righteousness (honeycomb) sin would cause him to reject them causing their hunger to remain. Yet it is the evil (bitter thing) that they go after. “And it will be as when a hungry man dreams-- and behold, he is eating; but when he awakens, his hunger is not satisfied, or as when a thirsty man dreams-- and behold, he is drinking, but when he awakens, behold, he is faint, and his thirst is not quenched.” (Isaiah 29:8) They have become dead in their trespasses and sins.

Spiritual famines are prolonged because people refuse to listen to the truth. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6) It is not righteousness that many seek. Though their spirits cry out for the life that only Jesus can give, their bodies and souls crave UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. Wanting to be saved in their sins, but not from their sins they starve themselves. Jesus told the Jews, “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.” (John 6:55-56) This caused the Jews to turn away from Jesus, not understanding that He was speaking on a spiritual level. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” (John 6:63) Jesus was speaking of His soon coming death upon the Cross where His body would be broken and His blood poured out. He was making the point that works of the Law, carried out strictly in the power of flesh, could never save someone from their sins. The “eating” of His flesh and the “drinking” of His blood refers to our accepting His sacrifice upon the Cross. Though His was a physical death it produced spiritual results. Partaking of the world and its ways, though tempting, will never quench the spiritual hunger pangs God has placed within us.

It is relatively easy for Christians to discern the fact that consulting the dead is forbidden by God and would not consciously do so. Even so, Quija boards, horoscopes, psychics, and perhaps seances are perceived as innocent fun or entertainment. They are not. These types of activities open us up spiritually to the demonic world and can make us susceptible to influences that lead us far astray from righteousness and holiness. They can create a dark stain upon our spirits that will eventual blind us to the truth. They work subtlety within us, but there is an even more subtle form of consulting the dead that most are rarely aware of even though it permeates Christianity.

“And you were DEAD in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 2:1-2) At one time we were all “dead” to righteousness and “alive” to sin. We could indulge in sin without the pangs of conviction. Our consciences (part of our spirit) sounded no alarm except to the most heinous of sins such as murder or to those actions that the society we lived in condemned as unlawful. We were profane and unholy. Morality was whatever we wanted it to be. Sexual promiscuity, lying, cursing, drunkenness, etc were acceptable, even EXPECTED behavior. To not engage in such behavior was considered odd or out of touch. Ridicule was the response many faced for choosing to live a life of holiness. “And in all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excess of dissipation, and they malign you. (1 Peter 4:4) The word “malign” is the Greek word for “blaspheme” which means to revile, slander, or speak evil of with the intent of defaming or destroying one’s reputation resulting in one’s beliefs to be mocked and laughed at. To any who would decide to follow the way of holiness this could be quite intimidating and brings with it the potential of being ostracized from those you have considered your friends. On a Sabbath Jesus once healed a man born blind, something the Pharisees considered breaking the Law by doing work on the Sabbath. They asked the healed man how he had been made able to see. He told them how Jesus had done it and that he considered him a prophet. This angered the Pharisees. They refused to believe that he had been born blind so they called his parents in to question them about their son. “His parents answered them and said, ‘We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he shall speak for himself.’ His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed, that if anyone should confess Him to be Christ, HE SHOULD BE PUT OUT OF THE SYNAGOGUE.” (John 9:20-22) They were INTIMIDATED by the Pharisees, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day and feared being ostracized from the synagogue more than rejoicing with their son’s new found sight.

What has this got to do with consulting the dead? “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are FULL OF DEAD MEN'S BONES and all uncleanness.” (Matthew 23:27) The Pharisees, Sadducees, chief priest, and scribes were looked to for spiritual guidance. Their words carried great weight and their lives of strict obedience to the Law brought them honor from the Jews. They were thought of as “super” spiritual. They gloried in the power they exercised over others and took advantage of every opportunity to exalt themselves. They were imposing persons who ruled far more through fear and arrogance than love. But Jesus was quick to point out their true natures. Jesus said, “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me. BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’” (Matthew 15:7-9) Naturally, this did not go over too well with these self-righteous religious leaders. “Then the disciples came and said to Him, ‘Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?’” (Matthew 15:12) Did Jesus apologize for offending them? Did He try to soothe their bruised pride? Hardly. Instead He responded by saying, “Let them alone; they are BLIND GUIDES OF THE BLIND. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14) They were blind to the truth, blind to who Jesus was, refusing to accept Him as the long awaited Messiah. Their blindness revealed the DEADNESS of their spirits. And those who consulted them to fill that aching void deep within their being rather than the living God would find themselves in the same darkness as their spiritual guides, blind to the truth before their eyes, deaf to the words of life spoken by Jesus, destined to remain in their sins.

The word “mediums” used the opening text is the Hebrew “owb” and comes from the Hebrew “ab” which means FATHER. A father is the source of life and is to be the source of instruction to his children. “Hear, O sons, THE INSTRUCTION OF A FATHER, and give attention that you may gain understanding, for I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my instruction. When I was a son to my father, tender and the only son in the sight of my mother, THEN HE TAUGHT ME and said to me, ‘Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live; Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.’” (Proverbs 4:1-5) Certainly the mother also teaches and instructs her children, but the instruction and guidance of a father are critical for the well being of children. This truth is all too evident in our society today as children are becoming increasingly more violent. This happens because the father is either absent, uninvolved, or apathetic about teaching right and wrong. Instead of clearly and consistently teaching and showing by example what is acceptable behavior and pleasing to the Lord, mixed signals are given, leaving children confused, lonely, and feeling unloved. Engaging in bad behavior is often the only time children get a parent’s attention. Violence is sometimes the result of such upbringing.

These mixed signals have their spiritual counterpart in the use of mediums or spiritists. Again, the word used for “medium” is “owb” which is derived from “ab” - father, but it carries with it the idea of PRATTLING a father’s name or to MUMBLE. To prattle is defined as “to talk idly or meaninglessly, to babble”. Mumble is “to utter indistinctly by lowering the voice”. It is as if a secret is about to be whispered in our ear that peaks the interest of what is being revealed. Demons know a spiritual vacuum readily receives anything that sounds religious. Things that would automatically be rejected by Spirit-filled Christians, find an eager audience among the world’s spiritually starved. Children believe anything an adult tells them, no matter how outlandish or untrue. They are naturally curious and their innocence and trusting nature makes them susceptible to all sorts of evil. Paul warned about those who teach that which is contrary to God. “For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, TEACHING THINGS THEY SHOULD NOT TEACH for the sake of sordid gain.”(Titus 1:10-11) “These men are those who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, DOUBLY DEAD, uprooted. (Jude 1:12) These are people who go to church, who are religious, but they have no SPIRITUAL life and their souls are held captive to the will of Satan. Like hidden reefs that sink unsuspecting sailors, these people destroy those searching for truth in the wrong place. “But evil men and IMPOSTORS will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:13) Mediums and spiritists can certainly be classified as impostors. They would have you believe they can reveal hidden truth and the future, that they somehow have a way to communicate with the spirit world, and thus should be listened to, though much of what they say is ludicrous. Contrast this type of MUMBLED speech with Paul’s prayer: “And pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I MAY SPEAK BOLDLY, AS I OUGHT TO SPEAK.” (Ephesians 6:19-20) There is no mumbling here, no spouting childish fairy tales or double talk, no hidden agenda; just the plain and simple Gospel.

Who we listen to is of grave importance. Whom we seek answers from will determine whether we grow spiritually or remain dead in our sins. We already know we are not to listen to mediums, which includes horoscopes, palm readers, astrologers, psychics, and false Christians. We are to reject all that has its SOURCE - ITS FATHERHOOD - outside of the heavenly Father. Instead God said in reference to Jesus: “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; LISTEN TO HIM!” (Matthew 17:5) Obviously we cannot listen to Jesus with our physical ears today, but that does not mean we cannot listen to Him. The Bible is the Word of God; thus, reading the Bible and mediating upon what has been read and praying for insight and discernment is how we listen. While it is sometimes helpful to listen to a sermon or teaching from someone, what is said or taught must ALWAYS be weighed against what God has already said in the Bible. To fellowship with born again Christians can refresh our spirits and souls and we are thankful for those times when we can come together to worship and share in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, our listening MUST begin with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is IMPERATIVE to know why you believe what you believe. Your faith must not rest upon what has been revealed to another, but upon what you have PERSONALLY been blessed with hearing in your own spirit. Many times God will bring a fellow Christian our way and as he begins to speak of the Lord he will vocalize what God has been revealing to you. You may not have even been able to put all your thoughts together concerning the truth the Lord is showing you until you LISTEN to the Christian, but something within knows what is being said is the truth. This is affirmation - the best form of teaching - for it simply confirms what the Lord is teaching.

The world is not to remain dead in its trespasses and sins, spiritually starved, seeking for truth among the dead. Jesus has promised, “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the DEAD shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live.” (John 5:25) This was dramatically demonstrated when Lazarus was raised from the dead after being in the tomb for FOUR days. This story is full of meaning which one day we will examine in detail, but for now know that FOUR is the number for CREATION. One day all of creation will LISTEN to Jesus say “Come forth” and death will be no more.

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