Watching the Wizard of Oz as a child introduced me to the concept of witches. Lynam Frank Baum wrote the Wonderful Wizard of Oz for children which was turned in a movie years later by writer Noel Langley. The Wizard of Oz uses free will to convey that witches can be good or evil. As I grew up, shows like Bewitched made witches less evil by using comedy. Modern series like Charm took a more serious examination of black magic, curses, and spells. This leaves me to wonder, which witch is real?
When Saul inquired of the Lord, He refused to answer him, either by dreams or by Urim [a symbol worn by the priest when seeking the will of God for Israel] or by the prophets. 7 Then Saul said to his servants, Find me a woman who is a medium [between the living and the dead], that I may go and inquire of her. His servants said, Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at Endor. 8 So Saul disguised himself, put on other raiment, and he and two men with him went and came to the woman at night. He said to her, Perceive for me by the familiar spirit and bring up for me the dead person whom I shall name to you. 9 The woman said, See here, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who are mediums and wizards out of the land. Why then do you lay a trap for my life to cause my death? 10 And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord lives, there shall no punishment come to you for this. 11 The woman said, Whom shall I bring up for you? He said, Bring up Samuel for me, 1 Samuei 28:6-11.
The prophet Samuel compares witches to someone similar to Whoopi Goldberg’s character in Ghost, Oda Mae Brown. The fortune teller in the Bible uses a seance to call upon the Spirit of Samuel. Based upon how the Witch of Endor reacted, she seemed surprised that this actually worked, suggesting she wasn’t always truthful to her clients. Yet, like the popular television show Crossing Over, some people do have the ability to call upon dead spirits. What’s their secret? Is it tapping into the spiritual realm mentioned in Ephesians 6:12 or have witches evolved over time?
And when the woman saw Samuel, she screamed and she said to Saul, Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul! 13 The king said to her, Be not afraid; what do you see? The woman said to Saul, I see a god [terrifying superhuman being] coming up out of the earth! 14 He said to her, In what form is he? And she said, An old man comes up, covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and made obeisance. 15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why have you disturbed me to bring me up? Saul answered, I am bitterly distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I should do. 16 Samuel said, Why then do you ask me, seeing that the Lord has turned from you and has become your enemy? 17 The Lord has done to you as He said through me He would do; for [He] has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to your neighbor David. 18 Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord or execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. 19 Moreover, the Lord will also give Israel with you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me [among the dead]. The Lord also will give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines, 1 Samuel 28:12-19.
Perhaps, the best example comes from my own personal experience. When I attended the University of Delaware, there was a coven just off campus. I had heard stories but couldn’t verify these until one conversation while walking to my next class. I complemented a stranger who had the boldness to openly display and carry a Bible in her hand. This young woman’s response still strikes a nerve today: “I read it every day so that I can pray against everything in this book.” To answer my original question, God gives every human being daily choices via free will. Yet, to committed, dedicated and practicing witches, there’s a good reason why Samuel banned witchcraft to prevent curious souls from dabbling into demonic and spiritual forces of evil.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 