Slides: How Not to Discover God's Will

Isaiah 8:19-22 (NLT)

Someone may say to you, "Let's ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do.”

But shouldn't people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead? Look to God's instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark.

They will go from one place to another, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rage and curse their king and their God. They will look up to heaven and down at the earth, but wherever they look, there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. They will be thrown out into the darkness.

Pagan attempts to discover divine plans

• Seeking signs: animal innards, arrows, household gods
• Watching stars: astrology, horoscopes
• Fortune telling: liquid in cup, tea leaves, tarot cards, Ouija board, crystal ball, palm reading
• Asking spirits: channeling spirit guides, séances consulting dead people

Seeking signs

For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He will cast lots with arrows, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver. (Ezekiel 21:21)

• Pagans would fling arrows, ask idols, or dig around in animal livers.
• "Christian” methods use "promise boxes” or random verses.

Watching stars

Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. (Isaiah 47:13)

• Astrology began with the assumption that the gods revealed their wishes and their plans in the arrangement of stars.
• 45% of first-year university students believe there is something to astrology.

Fortune telling

"Isn't this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination?” (Gen 44:5)

• liquid in cup
• tea leaves
• tarot cards
• Ouija board
• crystal ball
• palm reading

Asking spirits

The woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?”
"Bring up Samuel,” Saul said. (1 Sam 28:11)

Do not practice divination or seek omens... Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them.(Lev 19:26, 31)

Manasseh sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger. (2 Kings 21:6)

Pagan attempts to discover divine plans

• Seeking signs: animal innards, arrows, household gods
• Watching stars: astrology, horoscopes
• Fortune telling: liquid in cup, tea leaves, tarot cards, Ouija board, crystal ball, palm reading
• Asking spirits: channeling spirit guides, séances consulting dead people
  

Arousing God's anger

They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless... They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger. So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. (2 Kings 17:15-18)

Get God's guidance

Someone may say to you, "Let's ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do.” But shouldn't people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead? Look to God's instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark. (Isaiah 8:19-20)

Finding God's will?

When we seek to "find” God's will, we are attempting to discover hidden knowledge by supernatural activity. If we are going to find His will on one specific choice, we will have to penetrate the divine mind to get His decision. "Finding” in this sense is really a form of divination... The New Testament gives no explicit command to "find God's will,” nor can you find any particular instructions on how to go about finding God's will. (Bruce K. Waltke, Finding the Will of God: A Pagan Notion?)

Listen to God's Prophet

Let no one be found among you ... 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... The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you... You must listen to him. (Deut 18:10-15)

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