The Bible has a lot to say about enchantment, which refers to the use of magic, spells, divination, and occult practices. Scripture makes it clear that enchantment is forbidden and closely associated with idolatry and witchcraft.
Here is an overview of some key biblical passages about enchantment:
Old Testament warnings against enchantment
The Old Testament contains many warnings against enchantment and divination. For example:
- Deuteronomy 18:10-12 forbids child sacrifice, divination, sorcery, interpreting omens, witchcraft, casting spells, mediumship, and necromancy.
- Leviticus 19:26 says “You shall not interpret omens or tell fortunes.”
- 2 Kings 21:6 says King Manasseh practiced various forms of divination and witchcraft.
- Isaiah 47:9 says that disaster will come on Babylon despite the enchantments used by its astrologers and stargazers.
- Jeremiah 27:9 warns against listening to diviners, interpreters of dreams, mediums, and sorcerers.
- Micah 5:12 promises God will destroy witchcraft and idolatry.
The punishment for enchantment in the Old Testament was often death (Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 20:27). Enchantment was viewed as an abominable sin and strictly forbidden. God did not want His people to have anything to do with magic, astrology, fortune telling, sorcery, or communicating with spirits.
New Testament condemnations of enchantment
The New Testament continues the theme of condemning enchantment as sinful:
- Galatians 5:19-21 lists witchcraft as a deed of the flesh.
- Acts 8:9-13 tells how Simon the sorcerer believed in Christ and was baptized.
- Acts 13:6-11 records how Paul rebuked Elymas the sorcerer for trying to turn Sergius Paulus from the faith.
- Acts 19:17-20 describes how new believers publicly burned their magic books.
- Revelation 21:8 says the cowardly, unbelieving, vile, murderers, sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, idolaters, and liars will end up in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
The book of Revelation especially associates enchantment and sorcery with Babylon, with its seductive allure of wealth, idolatry, immorality, and power (Revelation 18:23).
Why enchantment is incompatible with following God
The Bible gives several reasons why enchantment is incompatible with following the true God:
- It involves trafficking with demonic spirits rather than trusting God (Deuteronomy 32:17).
- It represents salvation through secret knowledge rather than public revelation (Isaiah 8:19).
- It seeks to manipulate the future rather than accepting God’s providence (Daniel 2:27).
- It looks for truth in the creation rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25).
- It shows a desire to control rather than submit to God (1 Samuel 15:23).
- It opens doors to deception rather than discernment (1 Timothy 4:1).
Reliance on enchantment indicates lack of faith in God and His word. It seeks to gain hidden knowledge and power apart from God. Therefore, Scripture unequivocally condemns all forms of enchantment, which it treats as rebellious idolatry.
Examples of enchantment
Scripture provides many examples of forbidden enchantment practices, including:
- Divination – Seeking hidden knowledge by occult means (Deuteronomy 18:10). For example, divination by arrows, rods, stones, bones, dreams, inspecting animal entrails, star-gazing, spirit mediums, and seances.
- Sorcery/witchcraft – Attempting to harness supernatural power by spells, incantations, curses, amulets, rituals, or potions (Exodus 22:18). The african, egyptian, chinese and ancient greek and roman based magic arts fall into this category.
- Necromancy – Consulting the dead on behalf of the living (Deuteronomy 18:11). This might involve ouija boards, summoning spirits, or channeling the deceased.
- Soothsaying – Predicting the future through omens, augury, visions, or psychic impressions (Jeremiah 14:14). For example, crystal gazing, palm reading, astrology, and numerology.
- Interpreting omens – Assigning meaning to natural signs, events, or symbols (Leviticus 19:26). For instance, ashine hue, tea leaves, dice patterns, dreams, or unusual coincidences.
- Casting spells – Attempting to influence people or events by incantations, charms, potions, or rituals (Deuteronomy 18:11). An example is voodoo magic.
- Spiritism – Seeking contact with disembodied spirits through a medium (Leviticus 20:27). This includes practices like channelling and scrying.
All such practices should be avoided by believers. They originate from demonic sources, not from God. Even white magic or so-called “good” witchcraft is prohibited.
Old Testament examples of enchantment
The Old Testament records many examples of enchantment among both God’s people and the surrounding nations:
- Pharoah’s magicians used secret arts in an attempt to match Moses’ miracles (Exodus 7:11).
- King Manasseh practiced witchcraft, interpreted omens, consulted mediums, and did much evil in God’s sight (2 Kings 21:6).
- The wicked Queen Jezebel employed 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah who ate at her table (1 Kings 18:19).
- King Saul visited the medium of Endor and requested that she conduct a seance to summon Samuel’s spirit (1 Samuel 28:7-20).
- Some Jews in Ephesus who believed in Christ publicly burned their magic scrolls (Acts 19:19).
The Old Testament makes it clear that the surrounding pagan nations frequently practiced divination, sorcery, and communication with spirits. But kings and common people among God’s chosen people sadly did so as well, provoking His judgment.
New Testament examples of enchantment
Although less prominent, the New Testament also contains examples of enchantment:
- Simon the sorcerer amazed people in Samaria with his magic arts before believing the gospel (Acts 8:9-11).
- Elymas the sorcerer opposed Paul and Barnabas in an attempt to turn a Roman proconsul from the faith (Acts 13:6-8).
- The slave girl in Philippi had a spirit of divination that gave her fortune-telling powers until Paul cast it out (Acts 16:16-18).
- Some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to invoke Jesus’ name as a magic incantation but were beaten by an evil spirit (Acts 19:13-16).
This indicates that various forms of enchantment continued to be practiced in New Testament times even after Christ’s resurrection. But in each case, the power of God proved greater than any magic arts.
God’s condemnation of enchantment
A major reason enchantment is condemned in Scripture is because it involves trafficking with demonic spirits. Occult practices are not benign but put one in contact with deceitful, evil supernatural powers opposed to God. Practitioners of enchantment believe they are tapping into hidden knowledge but are actually being deceived.
Some key passages where God denounces enchantment practices:
- Leviticus 20:6 – “I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists.”
- Deuteronomy 18:10 – “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery.”
- 2 Kings 17:17 – “They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do evil.”
- Jeremiah 27:9 – “Do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers.”
- Micah 5:12 – “I will destroy your witchcraft and you will no longer cast spells.”
God promises to judge enchantment harshly because it is abhorrent to Him and completely opposed to exclusive devotion and trust in Him.
False assurances from enchantment
One reason God opposes enchantment is because it provides people with false assurances apart from Him. Secret arts seem to offer access to knowledge about the future that removes uncertainty and provides comfort:
- Practices like astrology, horoscopes, and fortune-telling claim to reveal what is going to happen in people’s lives.
- Omens and interpreting signs seem to discern how future events will unfold.
- Seances, spirit contact, and psychic readings claim to communicate with the dead or access information beyond normal senses.
- Potions, spells, and rituals allegedly give people power to control circumstances and outcomes in their favor.
But Scripture exposes all such practices as deceptive lies that do not impart true knowledge. Only God knows and controls the future. The warnings and promises in His word can be trusted absolutely. Enchantment offers false comfort by trying to gain secret knowledge that only God possesses. It leads people away from the truth of Scripture into destructive spiritual darkness and deception.
Overcoming the deception of enchantment
Scripture makes clear that enchantment originates from demonic sources intent on deceiving people and drawing them away from God:
- 1 Timothy 4:1 – “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
- 2 Corinthians 11:14 – “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”
- 2 Chronicles 33:6 – “Manasseh led Judah astray, to do more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.”
But through Jesus, believers have authority over demonic spirits and can overcome their deceptive works (Luke 10:19). The way to resist enchantment’s allure is by renewing our minds with the truth of Scripture (Romans 12:2).
Believers must reject this rebellious idolatry and be content with God’s revelation in the Bible. His word is a sufficient guide for life. By God’s grace and through His Spirit, Christians can overcome enchantment’s deadly deceptions and expose its fruitless works of darkness.
Avoiding enchantment in modern culture
Though less overt, enchantment is still present in various forms in modern culture. Believers should be discerning and avoid participation in:
- Horoscopes, zodiac symbols, and astrology columns
- Fortune-telling books, websites, telephone lines, or smart device apps
- Dabbling in magical arts through video games, TV shows, or popular music
- Looking for guidance in tea leaves, palm reading, numerology, crystal gazing, or tarot cards
- Using charms, amulets, and other objects believed to have magical power
- Seeking divination through drug-induced altered states of consciousness
Scripture exhorts God’s people to “have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness” (Ephesians 5:11). Though these things seem trivial, they open dangerous demonic doors. As believers, we are called to discern such deceptions and find truth, comfort, and guidance solely in Christ as revealed in God’s word.
Finding freedom from enchantment
For those already entangled in enchantment, there is hope and freedom available. The power of Christ is greater than any occult practice. Steps to finding freedom:
- Repent and ask God for forgiveness and deliverance.
- Renounce any involvement or dabbling in magical arts.
- Remove and destroy any objects associated with enchantment.
- Cancel any astrology apps, unfollow horoscope social media accounts, etc.
- Fill your mind with Scripture and seek wisdom solely from God.
- Cut off contact with anyone who drew you into enchantment.
- Join a Bible-believing church to find encouragement and accountability.
- If troubled by nightmares, visions, or occult manifestations, pray and claim Christ’s protection.
- Stand firm in your identity in Jesus and trust His power over every evil spiritual influence.
The way out of enchantment’s bondage is through God’s freely offered grace and truth in Christ. He alone has supreme authority and power to set the captives free (Luke 4:18).
Conclusion
Enchantment, though alluring, is firmly condemned in Scripture. God forbids His people from having anything to do with occult arts and practices. They are inextricably linked to idolatry, false prophecy, and demonic influences God considers detestable. Wise believers will heed God’s warnings and avoid enchantment in any form. Our confidence and security must be grounded in Christ alone, not in secret knowledge gained through forbidden means. As we submit to God and resist the devil, we can walk in freedom from enchantment’s powerful draw and put our trust wholly in the Lord.