Biblical Topics A to Z
Occult and Forbidden Practices
What the Old Testament and New Testament say about divination, sorcery, and related practices, and why God forbids them in the context of his own sufficiency.
At a Glance
Scripture consistently forbids divination, sorcery, and related practices because they seek power and guidance apart from God, who alone is sufficient and has provided his word and Spirit for his people.
Overview
Deuteronomy 18:9-14 forbids a specific list of occult practices as detestable to God, and this prohibition is grounded not in superstition but in God's sufficiency for his people, who are called instead to depend wholly on him rather than seek hidden knowledge or power through forbidden means.
Learning Objectives
- •Identify the specific practices forbidden in Deuteronomy 18:10-12.
- •Explain why God's sufficiency, rather than mere fear of consequences, is the underlying reason for this prohibition.
- •Describe what Acts 19:18-20 shows about how new believers responded to their former occult practices.
Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
Deuteronomy 18:13
Read It in Context
This study quotes Deuteronomy 18:13, but no verse stands alone. Open a Bible and read the whole surrounding chapter to see the full argument the passage sits within, then look up the other references cited throughout this study — Deuteronomy 18:10-12 and beyond — in their own context. Scripture is the final authority here, not this summary.
Historical & Literary Context
Deuteronomy 18:9-14 was given as Israel prepared to enter Canaan, a land whose peoples practiced divination, sorcery, and necromancy to gain guidance and power, and God explicitly forbids his people from adopting these practices, instead pointing forward to sending them a true prophet to hear (Deuteronomy 18:15-18), ultimately fulfilled in Christ. Acts 19:18-20 records new believers in Ephesus, a city famous for its magical arts, publicly burning their books of sorcery, a costly, decisive break with their former practices.
A Specific, Named Prohibition
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 forbids divination, soothsaying, enchantment, witchcraft, charming, consulting familiar spirits, wizardry, and necromancy by name, calling all of them 'an abomination unto the LORD,' a comprehensive rejection of practices seeking hidden power or knowledge apart from him.
God's Sufficiency as the Reason
Deuteronomy 18:13-14 commands Israel to 'be perfect with the LORD thy God' immediately after the prohibition, contrasting reliance on forbidden practices with wholehearted trust in God alone, who has not left his people to guess at hidden knowledge.
A Costly, Decisive Break
Acts 19:18-20 shows Ephesian believers openly confessing their former practices and burning books of magic 'worth fifty thousand pieces of silver,' modeling that turning from the occult toward Christ requires a real, sometimes costly renunciation, not merely a private change of opinion.
Christ-Centered Focus
Deuteronomy 18:15-18's promise of a prophet God would raise up finds its fulfillment in Christ, the one true mediator of God's word to his people (Hebrews 1:1-2), making every occult substitute for God's guidance unnecessary and forbidden.
Practical Application
This week, following the pattern of Acts 19:18-20, identify and remove anything in your life connected to forbidden practices, and replace any search for hidden guidance with trust in God's word and prayer.
Prayer
Father, thank You that You have not left me to seek hidden power or guidance apart from You. Help me trust wholly in Your word and Your Spirit, and give me courage to remove anything connected to forbidden practices from my life. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture Memory
"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch... For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD."
Deuteronomy 18:10-12
Reflection Questions
- 1Why does Deuteronomy 18:9-14 list so many specific forbidden practices rather than a single general prohibition?
- 2How does Deuteronomy 18:13's call to 'be perfect with the LORD' reframe this prohibition as about trust rather than mere rule-keeping?
- 3What does the costly public renunciation in Acts 19:18-20 teach about how seriously believers should treat a break with occult practices?
- 4Is there anything in your own life connected to these practices that needs to be decisively removed?