spiritual battle, Do Not Consult in Mediums...(Lev.19-20)

It's interesting that sprinkled between the commandments of not offering one's children to (the god of) Molech, or eating unclean animals, there are commandments about not consulting mediums or spiritists. 

There's a very good possibility that all these rituals and dietary alternatives were blended together into the religions of the land.  For example, a medium could have told a person that something bad was about to happen UNLESS they ate or sacrificed something specific (whatever they deemed necessary).

And as always, God made sure to offer and explain what the Israelites SHOULD do, in order to stay focused on worshiping only Him...

(Leviticus 19:31)  ‘Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.

(Leviticus 19:37)  You shall thus observe all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them; I am the Lord.’”

(Leviticus 20:1-8)  Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “You shall also say to the sons of Israel:

‘Any man from the sons of Israel or from the aliens sojourning in Israel who gives any of his offspring to Molech, shall surely be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3 I will also set My face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given some of his offspring to Molech, so as to defile My sanctuary and to profane My holy name. 4 If the people of the land, however, should ever disregard that man when he gives any of his offspring to Molech, so as not to put him to death, 5 then I Myself will set My face against that man and against his family, and I will cut off from among their people both him and all those who play the harlot after him, by playing the harlot after Molech.

6 ‘As for the person who turns to mediums and to spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will also set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. 7 You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 You shall keep My statutes and practice them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.

(Leviticus 20:22-27)  ‘You are therefore to keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them, so that the land to which I am bringing you to live will not spew you out. 23 Moreover, you shall not follow the customs of the nation which I will drive out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I have abhorred them. 24 Hence I have said to you, “You are to possess their land, and I Myself will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples. 25 You are therefore to make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean; and you shall not make yourselves detestable by animal or by bird or by anything that creeps on the ground, which I have separated for you as unclean. 26 Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.

27 ‘Now a man or a woman who is a medium or a spiritist shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones, their blood-guiltiness is upon them.’”

From this we see:
- we should not consult mediums or spiritists, or horoscopes, or anyone or anything that thinks they can predict someone's futured
- we should not consult any other religion to know what we should do or not do

Personal experience:  I confess that in Junior High, I had read a few horoscopes here and there.  It was not difficult to find, because one ran into them while reading almost any newspaper or magazine.  And so, this had become the thing to do among my peers.  Not that I was ever going to believe any of it, but I was curious. 

What I noticed was that the "predictions" were very general and could apply to pretty much anyone.  Or as one was looking for it to happen, it became a self-fulfilling situation as they would create the outcome all on their own. 

There IS always the possibility of something "coming true".  But that sort of scenario would involve demon activity.  And why would anyone want that?

Today's takeaway:  not to say that we shouldn't wisely plan for our future, coming up with strategies and making investments for down the road.  For those kinds of things, we can consult bankers and financial advisers, while still praying for God to guide us in the decisions to be made. 

But a desire to know what the future will actually hold shows a lack of trust in God.  God wants us to focus on Him and what is happening around us right now... 

(James 4:13-17)  Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

(Matthew 6:25-34)  “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

(Isaiah 26:1-14)  In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city; He sets up walls and ramparts for security.
2 “Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter, the one that remains faithful.
3 “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You.
4 “Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock..."

(Psalm 37:1-40)  Do not fret because of evildoers, be not envious toward wrongdoers.
2 For they will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday.

7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; and you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
11 But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

12 The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord laughs at him, for He sees his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow to cast down the afflicted and the needy, to slay those who are upright in conduct.
15 Their sword will enter their own heart, and their bows will be broken.

16 Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord sustains the righteous.
18 The Lord knows the days of the [d]blameless, and their inheritance will be forever.
19 They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, and in the days of famine they will have abundance.
20 But the wicked will perish; and the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures, they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives.
22 For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, but those cursed by Him will be cut off.

23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way.
24 When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.
25 I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread.
26 All day long he is gracious and lends, and his descendants are a blessing.

27 Depart from evil and do good, so you will abide forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice and does not forsake His godly ones; they are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.
29 The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.
32 The wicked spies upon the righteous and seeks to kill him. 
33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand or let him be condemned when he is judged.
34 Wait for the Lord and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

35 I have seen a wicked, violent man spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil.
36 Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; for the man of peace will have a posterity.
38 But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; the posterity of the wicked will be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him.