“Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you” (Deuteronomy 18:10–12).
SUPERSTITION
Praise, for God’s amazing providence, is stolen when astrologists write horoscopes for newspapers and magazines telling us it’s a good day for romance but not for making key decisions. Or, it’s time to be creative, but not for talking to strangers. Star signs dictate what kind of a person someone will be until the day they die. God is made to look powerless and humankind’s free will is hijacked. We are told to marry someone with a star sign congenial to our own, and go into business with someone whose star sign doesn’t clash with ours.
The Canaanites were no different, they were so hemmed in it’s a wonder they could walk down the street. In fact some days they couldn’t. Their day could be ruined and fear struck into their hearts by the most simple of everyday occurrences which they saw as a bad omen: A morsel of food falling out of their mouth, dropping a staff, a child calling out behind them, a crow cawing to them, a deer crossing their path, a snake creeping on their right or a fox on their left—all these were considered a portent of evil design. The Israelites were told to completely disregard the enchantments, sorcery, and divination of the Canaanites. A man would inhale smoke from incenses that would send him into a drug-induced trance, the Canaanites would then listen to the babbling of the drug-taker whilst he was in his state of euphoria and regard his utterances as fortune telling which ought to be obeyed. God didn’t want His people enslaved by stupid superstitions.
There is no merit in superstition whatsoever; not a drop of sense or goodness can be wrung from it. Man was made in God’s image with the ability to reason. Satan wants us to give up that image and be led about like beasts. I’ve heard people say, “Don’t walk under a ladder, it’s bad luck.” We may think there is a drop of sense in that because the person at the top of the ladder might accidentally drop a can of paint on our head. It is equally true that you may get run over by a car as you step out into the road to avoid walking under the ladder. God expects us to use the brain He has given us and doesn’t want us trapped by nonsense.
The Israelites were told to rid the land of everyone who practiced such enslaving beliefs. The Lord walks with us through life providing (which is the root meaning of the word “providence”) for each eventuality that happens to us. God’s providence and our reason work like two figure skaters dancing together performing all kinds of amazing feats. There is wonder in the world around us if we could only see it.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).