Endor, Delphi, and Drugs, Witchcraft Part 4

Something we have to look into is the actual word for witchcraft.  We have seen the implications of seductions and manipulations so we get the general idea of what witchcraft is, but in our world today we may have softened the word so much that we are not aware of why God finds it so offensive.  In the Old Testament we see that witchcraft was spoken of regarding one who practiced divination or spells, while in the New Testament we see the added understanding of medications or drugs that alter or change something.  If we remember the Disney classic Snow White, the evil witch had an evil lair and she poisoned an apple which would make Snow White sleep. While that is certainly something that softens our view of witchcraft; a children’s movie where the worst part is Snow White sleeps, there may be more ominous tools of witchcraft used against us daily.  Sometimes the schemes and plans are cloaked and sometimes they are not.

Witchcraft:

OT:7080 qacam (kaw-sam'); a primitive root; properly, to distribute, i.e. determine by lot or magical scroll; by implication, to divine: KJV - divine (-r, -ation), prudent, soothsayer, use [divination].

OT:7081 qecem (keh'-sem); from OT:7080; a lot: also divination (including its fee), oracle: KJV - (reward of) divination, divine sentence, witchcraft.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

OT:3784 kashaph (kaw-shaf'); a primitive root; properly, to whisper a spell, i.e. to inchant or practise magic:KJV - sorcerer, (use) witch (-craft).

OT:3785 kesheph (keh'-shef); from OT:3784; magic: KJV - sorcery, witchcraft.

OT:3786 kashshaph (kash-shawf'); from OT:3784; a magician:KJV - sorcerer.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Deut 18:10-12 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 [7081], or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch[3784],11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.KJV

There are literal people who practice these types of things.  We should be aware that they usually don’t announce what they are doing to the world with media, they typically practice these things in secret, learning from demons, and doing things to get demons to do what they ask.  The more a witch wants a demon to do something, the more willing a witch is to sell himself to the work of the devil.  While the witches are divining in the shadows the Christians are praying and worshiping in public.  There is one problem with that.  Nothing prevents a witch from going to church and knowing exactly what the church is praying for.  One way witches will exploit Christians is to get to know them and use their enchantments against the Christian.  It does happen all the time. 

Here is the account of Saul looking for a “word” from someone who communicates with demons. God didn’t answer him so he went looking for someone who could give him answers. 

1 Sam 28:6-19 And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams nor by Urim, nor by prophets.7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.8 And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.9 And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?

Firstly, she was a woman who talked to evil spirits and was in hiding.  Saul disguised himself because he didn’t want it to be known he was going to a woman who should have been cut off or killed.  Somehow she escaped death but Saul’s servants knew where she was. 

1 Sam 28:10 And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.

The woman was spot on, she knew it was Saul but only when she was in a spiritual state.

1 Sam 28:13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.14 And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.

Interestingly Samuel did speak through this woman, but it caused her a lot of distress. 

1 Sam 28:15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?17 And the Lord hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:18 Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day.19 Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.KJV

That was not what Saul wanted to hear.  Saul knew that God departed from him because of his disobedience, yet he still did something he should not have done. 

Another way witchcraft is used in the Bible is in the usage of drugs.  The New Testament seems to change the direction from enchantments and spells to medications.  It would seem today we have a lot of trouble with drugs and alcohol as a numbing agent.  People who are miserable use drugs or alcohol to alleviate mental and emotional pain. This is where we have to make some distinction.  Physical ailments are not what we are discussing here, so we should not be ready to condemn people who use medicines. Our bodies are not perfect yet, and earth is not heaven, therefore we will have to deal with the limitations of our physical body and do the best we can.  But mental and emotional numbing is what we have to guard against. 

Witchcraft:

NT:5331 pharmakeia (far-mak-i'-ah); from NT:5332; medication ("pharmacy"), i.e. (by extension) magic (literally or figuratively):KJV - sorcery, witchcraft.

NT:5332 pharmakeus (far-mak-yoos'); from pharmakon (a drug, i.e. spell-giving potion); a druggist ("pharmacist") or poisoner, i.e. (by extension) a magician: KJV - sorcerer.

NT:5333 pharmakos (far-mak-os'); the same as NT:5332:KJV - sorcerer.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,20 Idolatry, witchcraft[5331], hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.KJV

Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers [5332], and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second deathKJV

Herein lies the dilemma, do we call all medications and all pharmacists’ witches or witchcraft? Or only the ones we don’t agree with? Today modern medicine helps with the quality of human life. For example a diabetic person needs insulin. Years ago insulin was made from cows and pigs, but today it is made from plants.  Should people die young so as not to take medications? Or should people use medications and live longer? I think when we talk about breaking things down to the least common denominator we recognize a line of distinction.  A diabetic person needs medication, an emotionally unstable person does not need crack.  The basic question is can an individual’s physical body live without a particular medication?  We see that the angels that fell in the days of Noah, also brought a knowledge of herbs and herbal remedies.  Some of the women of those days used an herb to keep them from getting pregnant.  Today we realize that the plant was probably high in estrogen and in large doses does what we synthetically have today known as birth control pills or patches. 

Enoch VII:1. And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. 2. And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: 3. Who consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, 4. the giants turned against them and devoured mankind. 5. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and to devour one another's flesh, and drink the blood. 6. Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones.

Enoch VIII:1. And Azâzêl taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals 〈of the earth〉 and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all colouring tinctures. 2. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjâzâ taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, Armârôs the resolving of enchantments, Barâqîjâl, taught) astrology, Kôkabêl the constellations, Ezêqêêl the knowledge of the clouds, 〈Araqiêl the signs of the earth, Shamsiêl the signs of the sun〉, and Sariêl the course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven . . .

We can see that the angels that came down to earth and taught man how to use root cutting but also antimony and tinctures.

Antimony is a brittle metallic chemical element, a toxic crystalline element that occurs in metallic and nonmetallic forms. Use: alloys, electronics. Encarta Dictionary.

Tincture is 1. Alcohol solution: a solution of a plant extract or chemical in alcohol;  tincture of iodine. 2.tinge or color: a tint or slight coloration 4. Heraldic color: heraldry a color, metal, or fur used in heraldry Encarta Dictionary

This was sophisticated instruction.  It is not unusual to see these things being used before and after the flood. 

Jasher 2:1And Lamech, the son of Methusael, became related to Cainan by marriage, and he took his two daughters for his wives, and Adah conceived and bare a son to Lamech, and she called his name Jabal.2And she again conceived and bare a son, and called his name Jubal; and Zillah, her sister, was barren in those days and had no offspring.3For in those days the sons of men began to trespass against God, and to transgress the commandments which he had commanded to Adam, to be fruitful and multiply in the earth.4And some of the sons of men caused their wives to drink a draught that would render them barren, in order that they might retain their figures and whereby their beautiful appearance might not fade.5And when the sons of men caused some of their wives to drink, Zillah drank with them.6 And the child-bearing women appeared abominable in the sight of their husbands as widows, whilst their husbands lived, for to the barren ones only they were attached.

It is interesting to think back through women of the bible and wonder if many of those women were drinking this tea to make them look beautiful, yet rendering them barren.  This was a cultural herbal tea that many women used, yet they may not have known the full affects of this tea on their bodies.  Now we can see the plan of the devil as far back as before the flood, to encourage man to kill himself off and not reproduce.  This seems especially true for those who worshipped Elohim. Is there anything different today?

Acts 16:16-19 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination [4436] met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.19 And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, KJV

Divination NT:4436  Puthon (poo'-thone); from Putho (the name of the region where Delphi, the seat of the famous oracle, was located); a Python, i.e. (by analogy, with the supposed diviner there) inspiration (soothsaying):KJV - divination.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

NT:4436 Puthoon, Puthoonos, ho, Python 1. in Greek mythology the name of the Pythian serpent or dragon  2. a spirit of divination: Acts 16:16 (from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Soothsaying NT:3132 manteuomai (mant-yoo'-om-ahee); from a derivative of NT:3105 (meaning a prophet, as supposed to rave through inspiration); to divine, i.e. utter spells (under pretense of foretelling:KJV - by soothsaying.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

NT:3105 mainomai (mah'-ee-nom-ahee); middle voice from a primary mao (to long for; through the idea of insensate craving); to rave as a "maniac":KJV - be besideself (mad).(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

NT:3132 manteuomai;to act as seer; deliver an oracle, prophesy, divine: Acts 16:16  (from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

What we learn from this account is very informative.  A young servant girl who had a demon operating through her so that she would earn her masters money by divining or casting spells saw Paul and company and followed them around the city for several days. What she was doing was yelling, or raving  as if she was a maniac that Paul and the people with him were servants of the Most High God and that they show the way of salvation.  What she was saying was true, but the way she was saying it, probably in a mocking or insulting way, was detracting from what Paul and the people with him were doing.  The woman did this, following them around wherever they went.  But Paul was grieved, not only annoyed or insulted, but recognizing that what she was doing was hindering the witnessing to the people; his heart was hurting for the lost.  She must have been causing quite a scene, attracting the wrong kind of attention everywhere the Apostles went.  Paul turned to the spirit, not the woman, not the people who were her masters, and not the people around them.  Paul talked to the spirit and commanded it out. It had to leave because the power [dumanis] of the Holy Spirit in Paul was greater and that demon had to leave.  The rest of the story is great and worth the read. 

Here is what we have to observe, there are some places on earth throughout history that seem to be portals for demonic spiritual activity.  This is because people in these areas have been communing with demons for years.  This woman was in Philippi, Delphi, where the demonic spirits have inspired many false prophetesses’.  The spirit of python, which this young girl had working in her, was the same demon spirit that supposedly guarded the shrine where the gods could be petitioned.  The Oracle at Delphi chewed laurel leaves which produce a hallucinogenic effect and then would go into a trance and prophecy. Also the possibility of methane gas from the cracked cave could have also caused a drug induced state. Using herbs to open her mind up spiritually is probably what this young servant girl did.  Using a hallucinogenic, she probably raved like a mad woman, prophesying.  Again the demon spirit of python knew who Paul and his companions were, and the demon spirit knew that they were servants of the Most High God.  Paul was changing the spiritual atmosphere of Philippi just by being there; the demons were threatened as people were getting saved.

Sometimes drugs are used to induce a person to be receptive to receiving demons.  Sometimes people use drugs to relieve their personal emotional or mental pain, which in turn can allow demons to infill a person.  Either way intentionally or unintentionally, there are drugs that can allow demons to enter into people.  This is where we must draw a line.  Is the medicine we take allowing us to lose control of our minds?  This is one way witchcraft can inhibit our lives to the end that demons can enter in.   But we live in a confusing time where people are being helped to live longer with methods we have not seen before.

Nano technologies, robotics, genetics, self replicating/mutating virus; we live in a world that is rapidly moving into a hybrid age. It is hard to keep up with all the new technologies. As we become more and more sophisticated in our scientific endeavors the opportunity for twisting something for evil intent gets closer.  Yet advances in medicines are helpful to our everyday lives. Simply, there is no good answer as to what to do as we move into hybrid humanism.  On the one hand we need advances in technologies for our quality of life, and there is no possibility of going backwards in time to the horse and buggy days.  On the other hand, humanity is driven by the need to stay ahead of enemy nations so that militarily we continue to be leaders, not overcome by opposing political nations.  And ethically speaking as our world is changing we have questions about what is right and how far trans-humanism should go before we become an abomination to God, if at all. 

Remember the Six Million Dollar Man or the Bionic Woman?  How about Hollywood movie “I am Legend”?  While the Bible may not address these specific issues, we have to break down into the least common denominators our questions about what is acceptable and not acceptable to alter within ourselves.  This is where the Bible does speak about witchcraft.  The question, in its most basic form is when is it acceptable to use medications or altering surgical enhancements?  While this question can only be answered by each individual, as a matter of discussion between God and the individual, some guidelines can help us not make blanket decisions for everyone.  A paraplegic would benefit from surgical enhancements to help facilitate proper and better breathing.  A deaf person today benefits from cochlear implants to facilitate hearing.  The dilemma is do we enhance humans with what may not be necessary like the Six Million Dollar Man? 

Witchcraft which allows people to divine is due to demons working through a receptive person.  The key for us is not to become an open vessel for demonic activity.  Also we need to be aware that there are people behind the scenes inventing and developing things that could harm us.  And yet we are not of this world, so our bodies are frail. But one day we will have new bodies, like Jesus’ resurrected body.  One more aspect of witchcraft we should look at is motivation by fear.

End Notes:

Pythia, Delphi Oracle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythia

MAGIC, SORCERY, AND DIVINATION

Occult practices, such as fortune-telling and witchcraft, which were common among the pagan nations of the ancient world. But such attempts to control evil spirits were expressly forbidden to the Hebrew people. Deut 18:10-11 mentions the following specific occult practices which were forbidden by the law of Moses.

Passing a Son or Daughter Through the Fire. This phrase refers to the practice of child sacrifice. This seems incredible to us today, but the very fact that it was outlawed by God indicates it must have been done in Bible times (Deut 18:10). Second Kings 16:3 records that King Ahaz sacrificed his son in this way. No doubt he thought that such a sacrifice would appease some pagan god. His grandson, King Manasseh, sacrificed his sons two generations later (2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chron 33:6). Second Kings 23:10 reveals that it was mainly the pagan god Molech who required this awful sacrifice. But other false gods apparently also demanded it (2 Kings 17:31; Jer 19:5).

Witchcraft. The practice of witchcraft, or divination, was a means for extracting information or guidance from a pagan god. The word describes the activity of Balaam the soothsayer, or professional prophet, who was hired to curse Israel (Num 22:7; 23:23; Josh 13:22). It also describes the woman at En Dor who brought up the spirit of Samuel. All the major prophets condemned divination (Isa 44:25; Jer 27:9; 29:8; Ezek 13:9).

The only places where information is given on the actual means people used in divination is in Gen 44:5 and Ezek 21:21-23. In the case of Joseph's divining cup, the diviner apparently interpreted the shape of a puddle of oil floating on the water in the cup (Gen 44:5). Ezek 21 describes the king of Babylon as he tried to decide which way to approach Jerusalem. It portrays him as throwing down a handful of arrows, hoping that a certain one will point to a route which he believes is the will of his god. It also records that "he consults the images, he looks at the liver" (Ezek 21:21). Reading and interpreting the livers of sacrificial animals was another form of determining the will of the gods. All these forms of superstition, of course were forbidden among the Hebrew people.

Soothsaying. Soothsaying is a relatively rare word in the Bible which describes some form of divination, the practitioner of which is also described by the KJV as "observer of times" (Deut 18:10). Because it sounds like a Hebrew word for cloud, some scholars believe it refers to cloud reading. This may have been similar to tea leaf reading or astrology, which is a reading of the stars. God forbids the practice (Deut 18:10,14; Lev 19:26). Wicked King Manasseh was also guilty of this sin (2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chron 33:6). The prophets of the Old Testament also condemned this occult practice (Isa 2:6; 57:3; Jer 27:9; Mic 5:12).

Interpreting Omens. Behind this phrase, also rendered as enchantments (KJV), lie four different Hebrew words. The most common of the four occurs in Gen 30:27, in reference to Laban's "experience"; in Gen 44:5 and 15, referring to Joseph's cup; and in Num 23:23 and 24:1, describing Balaam's activity. Lev 19:26 and Deut 18:10 specifically outlawed this practice as well. Another of the words used for the practice seems to mean "whisper," and it may indicate the way the enchanter lowered his voice. In Eccl 10:11 interpreting omens is connected with snake charming

(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

DIVINATION

Divination is a "foretelling future events, or discovering things secret by the aid of superior beings, or other than human means." It is used in Scripture of false systems of ascertaining the divine will. It has been universal in all ages, and all nations alike civilized and savage. Numerous forms of divination are mentioned, such as divination by rods, Hos 4:12, divination by arrows, Ezek 21:21, divination by cups, Gen 44:5, consultation of teraphim, 1 Sam 15:23; Ezek 21:21; Zech 10:2. [TERAPHIM]; divination by the liver, Ezek 21:21, divination by dreams, Deut 13:2,3; Judg 7:13; Jer 23:32, consultation of oracles. Isa 41:21-24; 44:7. Moses forbade every species of divination, because a prying into the future clouds the mind with superstition, and because it would have been an incentive to idolatry. But God supplied his people with substitutes for divination which would have rended it superfluous, and left them in no doubt as to his will in circumstances of danger, had they continued faithful. It was only when they were unfaithful that the revelation was withdrawn. 1 Sam 28:6; 2 Sam 2:1; 5:23, etc. Superstition not unfrequently goes hand in hand with skepticism, and hence, amid the general infidelity prevalent throughout the Roman empire at our Lord's coming, imposture was rampant. Hence the lucrative trade of such men as Simon Magus, Acts 8:9. Bar-jesus, Acts 13:6, the slave with the spirit of Python, Acts 16:16, the vagabond jews, exorcists, Luke 11:19; Acts 19:13, and others, 2 Tim 3:13; Rev 19:20, etc., as well as the notorious dealers in magical books at Ephesus. Acts 19:19.

(from Smith's Bible Dictionary, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

How is insulin prepared? 
Since the landmark discovery of insulin by Frederick Banting and Charles Best in 1922, huge steps have been made in research and development regarding its preparation. Early preparations of insulin were purified quite crudely from pancreas tissue extracted from animals - either pigs or cattle. Today, insulin is mostly made biosynthetically by recombinant DNA technology or 'genetic engineering'.
Animal insulin
Until the 1980s, all insulin was extracted from the pancreases of cattle and pigs. The sequence of amino acids (the building blocks that make up the protein) is slightly different in insulins from the different species. Compared to human insulin, porcine (pork) insulin has one different amino acid and bovine (beef) insulin three different amino acids. These very slight differences do not affect the way in which the insulin works inside the human body. Pork insulin is structurally closer to human insulin than is beef insulin. These days, animal insulins are made from highly purified pancreas extracts and are marketed as 'natural' insulins.
Human insulin
Human insulin is not prepared from human pancreas tissue. Rather than being extracted from human pancreases, commercially available human insulin is manufactured through recombinant DNA technology, in which the gene for making human insulin is transferred into simple cells such as bacteria or baker’s yeast. The insulin made by those cells is identical to insulin made by the human pancreas. Unlike animal insulins, recombinant DNA human insulins can be made in unlimited supply, since they do not depend on the supply of bovine and porcine pancreases.
Analogue insulin
Analogues are altered molecular versions of a natural substance (in this case insulin). They have been used in many therapies where hormone treatment is needed. The natural hormone is changed slightly, by rearranging the position of amino acids within the molecule (rather like changing the position of beads on a necklace). The insulin molecule is modified so as to give it a more desirable activity profile, thereby making it more convenient to use. These molecularly engineered hormones more closely mimic normal insulin secretion than do traditional insulins.

http://www.diabeteswellbeing.com/synthetic-insulin.html

Balaam's Plan of Seduction, Witchcraft Part 3

 I’m not aware of any community of Christians that stand out to the rest of the world as a blessed people, so much so that the heathens come busting down the doors wanting to know the secrets of life and Godliness. I’m not saying there isn’t such a group somewhere, just not that I am aware of.  Shouldn’t Christians look so different from the world that the world wants to be like us? After all, we are servants of the most high God, the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth. Yet somehow we look much like the rest of the world.  There doesn’t seem to be much distinction anymore.  The plan of the enemy would be to make us look so much like everyone else that we are ineffective as living epistles.  It seems to be that way since the time of Moses, when he led the children of Jacob out of Egypt, while always having to deal with witchcraft that was behind the scenes.  Balaam was an enemy to Moses and Israel from Moses’ birth.  What we learn though is that God did make a way out for them as he will for us. 

From the Book of Jasher we can see that Balaam was a thorn to Moses from the days of Moses’ childhood.  Balaam, was the son of Beor who was the son of Janeas the magician to Pharaoh.  Balaam had a long history of magic and sorcery and he was always against the children of Israel.  While we know that Jesus was the one who told us what Balaam did to cause the children of Jacob to sin from the book of Revelation, Moses may not have known it was Balaam who suggested this plot, which is why we don’t see it recorded until the book of Revelation.  It would seem that for Moses’ entire life, he had a sorcerer hounding him.  From his birth until Balaam was finally killed by the Israelites, Moses had this monkey on his back.  Why would we think this is any different for us? There are probably plenty of sorcerers hiding in the shadows looking to find a way to trip us up.  It’s the same old story told and retold.  Nothing is new under the sun. 

Rev 2:14-15 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.KJV

Num 25:1-13 25 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.3 And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel.5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor.6 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;8 And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.9 And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.10 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.12 Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.KJV

Now let’s read this in the message.

Rev 2:14-15 "But why do you indulge that Balaam crowd? Don't you remember that Balaam was an enemy agent, seducing Balak and sabotaging Israel's holy pilgrimage by throwing unholy parties? 15 And why do you put up with the Nicolaitans, who do the same thing? (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

Num 25:1-9 While Israel was camped at Shittim (Acacia Grove), the men began to have sex with the Moabite women. 2 It started when the women invited the men to their sex-and-religion worship. They ate together and then worshiped their gods. 3 Israel ended up joining in the worship of the Baal of Peor. God was furious, his anger blazing out against Israel. 4 God said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of Israel and kill them by hanging, leaving them publicly exposed in order to turn God's anger away from Israel." 5 Moses issued orders to the judges of Israel: "Each of you must execute the men under your jurisdiction who joined in the worship of Baal Peor." 6 Just then, while everyone was weeping in penitence at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, an Israelite man, flaunting his behavior in front of Moses and the whole assembly, paraded a Midianite woman into his family tent. 7 Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw what he was doing, grabbed his spear, 8 and followed them into the tent. With one thrust he drove the spear through the two of them, the man of Israel and the woman, right through their private parts. That stopped the plague from continuing among the People of Israel. 9 But 24,000 had already died.(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

Jasher gives a little more detail about the situation

Jasher 85:50 And when Balak saw that Balaam would not accede to his wish, he rose up and went home, and Balaam also returned to his land and he went from there to Midian.51And the children of Israel journeyed from the plain of Moab, and pitched by Jordan from Beth-jesimoth even unto Abel-shittim, at the end of the plains of Moab.52And when the children of Israel abode in the plain of Shittim, they began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.53And the children of Israel approached Moab, and the children of Moab pitched their tents opposite to the camp of the children of Israel.54And the children of Moab were afraid of the children of Israel, and the children of Moab took all their daughters and their wives of beautiful aspect and comely appearance, and dressed them in gold and silver and costly garments.55And the children of Moab seated those women at the door of their tents, in order that the children of Israel might see them and turn to them, and not fight against Moab.56And all the children of Moab did this thing to the children of Israel, and every man placed his wife and daughter at the door of his tent, and all the children of Israel saw the act of the children of Moab, and the children of Israel turned to the daughters of Moab and coveted them, and they went to them.57And it came to pass that when a Hebrew came to the door of the tent of Moab, and saw a daughter of Moab and desired her in his heart, and spoke with her at the door of the tent that which he desired, whilst they were speaking together the men of the tent would come out and speak to the Hebrew like unto these words: 58Surely you know that we are brethren, we are all the descendants of Lot and the descendants of Abraham his brother, wherefore then will you not remain with us, and wherefore will you not eat our bread and our sacrifice? 59And when the children of Moab had thus overwhelmed him with their speeches, and enticed him by their flattering words, they seated him in the tent and cooked and sacrificed for him, and he ate of their sacrifice and of their bread.60They then gave him wine and he drank and became intoxicated, and they placed before him a beautiful damsel, and he did with her as he liked, for he knew not what he was doing, as he had drunk plentifully of wine.61Thus did the children of Moab to Israel in that place, in the plain of Shittim, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel on account of this matter, and he sent a pestilence amongst them, and there died of the Israelites twenty-four thousand men. 62Now there was a man of the children of Simeon whose name was Zimri, the son of Salu, who connected himself with the Midianite Cosbi, the daughter of Zur, king of Midian, in the sight of all the children of Israel. 63And Phineas the son of Elazer, the son of Aaron the priest, saw this wicked thing which Zimri had done, and he took a spear and rose up and went after them, and pierced them both and slew them, and the pestilence ceased from the children of Israel.

Balaam must have given Balak some ideas that he put into practice.  The fact that someone practicing witchcraft, who knew God, was called by a king, to curse Israel, we have to wonder if we have that happening to Christians and Churches today.  From Jasher we see the women were used to entice the men, and when they engaged in conversation with them the women explained how they really were related.  What we want to remember is that the Moabites were descended from Lot and his daughter. This is another story of manipulation where the daughters of Lot got him drunk and seduced him so that they would become pregnant.  Again the plan to cause someone to do what they normally would not was birthed in witchcraft and manipulation.  Also recognize that people curse others.  Christians are probably just as guilty as we are not taught about cursing and that we have to watch what we say.

Who are the Nicolaitanes? 

Nicolaitanes — The church at Ephesus (Rev 2:6) is commended for hating the "deeds" of the Nicolaitanes, and the church of Pergamos is blamed for having them who hold their "doctrines" (15). They were seemingly a class of professing Christians, who sought to introduce into the church a false freedom or licentiousness, thus abusing Paul's doctrine of grace (comp. 2 Peter 2:15,16,19), and were probably identical with those who held the doctrine of Balaam (q.v.), Rev 2:14.(from Easton's Bible Dictionary, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Nicolaitans (followers of Nicolas), a sect mentioned in Rev 2:6,15, whose deeds were strongly condemned. They may have been identical with those who held the doctrine of Balaam. They seem to have held that it was lawful to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication, in opposition to the decree of the Church rendered in Acts 15:20,29. The teachers of the Church branded them with a name which expressed their true character. The men who did and taught such things were followers of Balaam. 2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11. They, like the false prophet of Pethor, united brave words with evil deeds. In a time of persecution, when the eating or not eating of things sacrificed to idols was more than ever a crucial test of faithfulness, they persuaded men more than ever that was a thing indifferent. Rev 2:13,14. This was bad enough, but there was a yet worse evil. Mingling themselves in the orgies of idolatrous feasts, they brought the impurities of those feasts into the meetings of the Christian Church. And all this was done, it must be remembered not simply as an indulgence of appetite: but as a part of a system, supported by a "doctrine," accompanied by the boast of a prophetic illumination, 2 Peter 2:1. It confirms the view which has been taken of their character to find that stress is laid in the first instance on the "deeds" of the Nicolaitans. To hate those deeds is a sign of life in a Church that otherwise is weak and faithless. Rev 2:6. To tolerate them is well nigh to forfeit the glory of having been faithful under persecution. Rev 2:14,15.(from Smith's Bible Dictionary, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

These people seem to have the ideas of Balaam, they try to seduce the church away from God using pleasure as a tool of manipulation.  From the definition of the word Nicolaitians we can see that they are a group of people that are victorious over people set toward the destruction of the people.  Or in other words the Nicolaitians were victorious over the destruction of people.

NT:3531 Nikolaites (nik-ol-ah-ee'-tace); from NT:3532; a Nicolaite, i.e. adherent of Nicolaus:KJV - Nicolaitane.

NT:3532 Nikolaos (nik-ol'-ah-os); from NT:3534 and NT:2994; victorious over the people; Nicolaus, a heretic:KJV - Nicolaus.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

NT:3531 Nikolaitees, Nikolaitou, ho,a Nicolaitan: destruction of the people  (from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

These people would be known to use domination and intimidation to influence people.  In this area we have to guard ourselves as not to use authority over others to make them do what we say or use fear to inspire people to do what we say. 

Domination  1. Controlling power control, power, or authority over others or another Encarta Dictionary

Intimidation 1. Persuade of dissuade by frightening to frighten somebody into doing or not doing something, e.g. by means of violence or blackmail 2.daunt to create a feeling of fear, awe, or inadequacy in another person Encarta Dictionary

If the church should not look like the world then why are so many people afraid of church leadership?  Why are people intimidated by pastors or afraid to speak up when they are prompted by God to speak up?  This is tricky for us to identify because again while we don’t want someone to get hurt, we should not use fear to control their thinking.  Preaching hell fire and brimstone may inspire someone to behave for a time, but it will not inspire them to behave for life.  People have to be motivated by love to live for Christ for their entire life, fear is just the opposite.  That is what the church should look like from the outside, love. 

What we learn from the story of Balaam and Balak is that there is always someone trying to stop the move of God.  Behind the scenes the devil is inspiring someone like Balak or a group of people like the Nicolaitians to inhibit the working of God.  Sometimes they use other people to help stop the people of God.  At some point God’s people get seduced into thinking that pleasure out of the bounds God set up is acceptable.  The constant struggle then begins in an individuals’ life as to how far out of bounds is alright.  Rationalization takes over and individuals then set new standards for faith and practice.  There was harsh punishment on the Israelites who let themselves be seduced by the women of Moab.  Remember Moab was from the lineage of Lot with his daughter after Sodom was destroyed.  Sometimes the people that hinder us the most are relatives.  When a relative uses scheming ways to keep us from the plan of God we may not realize it as we tend to believe our relations would not want to harm us.  We may be surprised how many times those in our family tree are used to keep us from doing what we are supposed to.  Here the Moabite women used the fact that they were related to the Israelites to seduce the Israelite men into their religious practices. 

As we saw, things got greatly out of hand and one man paraded a Midianite woman in front of everyone possibly in a sexual manner.  I’m sure at that time there were people cheering him on and laughing.  It seems that sometimes there is a “crowd” mentality that encourages bad behavior and celebrates it. Yet when Phineas saw what Zimiri was doing he killed him.  And while it may seem like that was a harsh way to deal with the situation, God’s plague, which is also translated slaughter, killed 24,000 people.  Phineas actually showed righteous judgment and stopped God from killing everyone. We are all interconnected, your sin affects me, my sin affects you.  If a large group of people are in sin, it affects everyone who is not in sin. 

Num 25:14-18 Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites.15 And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian.16 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,17 Vex the Midianites, and smite them:18 For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague [slaughter] for Peor's sake.KJV

God is not afraid to name names.  Today we try and hush bad behavior and we think it is correct not to name names, yet God has no problem instructing Moses to tell the entire world, from that time on who did something deplorable in the sight of all people and who did something to turn the wrath of God away.  God has no problem naming names, in fact we would counter a lot of gossip just by speaking honestly about situations rather than trying to hide facts and events and people who participated in a misdeed. 

Now God says to vex the Midianites.  Since the Midianites were asked to help the Moabites, God says to Moses to vex them. 

OT:6887 tsarar (tsaw-rar'); a primitive root; to cramp, literally or figuratively, transitive or intransitive (as follows):KJV - adversary, (be in) afflict (-ion), beseige, bind (up), (be in, bring) distress, enemy, narrower, oppress, pangs, shut up, be in a strait (trouble), vex.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Vexing can be physical and it can be spiritual.  Moses was told to vex and smite.  Spiritually bind them up by vexing, and beat them up physically or smite.  As we see with the imprecatory Psalms, there is a time to bless and a time to curse.  You only get the go ahead to curse from God, but you always have the go ahead to bless.  To look at the imprecatory Psalms we recognize the power that we have in our tongues.  This is why we need to be taught to use our words carefully and with full recognition of each word.  To curse a bad driver on the road in a moment of frustration is bad, but to bless a bad driver will not get us into trouble with God.  However there are those people as we have seen who intentionally set out to harm the work of God.  What is the work of God for us? Just one thing, we are to go out making disciples of others.   In that instance, we will come against the most resistance.  At times we may think we are doing something for God, like Paul did, killing Christians, but God puts a stop to what we do.  We have to discern by being in relationship with God. 

The slaughter or plague happened because Yahweh told Moses to kill the men who joined themselves to Baal-Peor.  Israel was to be set apart. 

Num 25:3 And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.KJV

This is why we are to be set apart.  We are not to look like the other people of the world.  We need to stop trying to be like the world.  If we are called as living epistles then we should look differently than the world. Others who are not of God should notice that we are different.  If we are seduced to look like everyone else, than the devil has done a good job of hindering discipleship.  A disciple is one who follows the teachings of Christ.  Therefore we should look so different that we actually stand out.  But why would God kill the people who sinned, rather than send them to counseling or rehabilitation? 

Num 25:11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.KJV

God is jealous, in that he has a righteous anger that flares when we are seduced by the enemy.  In this case, instead of talking it out, killing seemed to be the appropriate action.  Remember the crowd mentality?  The idea that one man could parade a woman sexually before the congregation while some were weeping at the tabernacle over what was happening is a very blatant act against God.  These people so enjoyed what they were doing that they joined themselves to Baal-Peor.  This means they walked away from God, having been seduced by lust, passions, and pleasure.  They left God.  Remember we saw from Ezekiel that God knows who weeps for Him and who makes an allegiance with sin.  God told the angel to mark those who grieved for Israel, while the other angels were to kill those without the mark.  God knows if you are swayed by the crowd, even if you do not partake in the actual sin, your allegiance is either with Yahweh or with Baal-Peor. Thankfully we live in a time when Jesus paid the price for our sins, however while we may not be slaughtered in mass for sin, we will be disappointed when we stand before God, and hopefully he will not say ‘I never knew you, depart from me”. The key for us is in loving God because if we truly love Him we will grieve over sin and not be taken in by seduction.

This is why we have to fight to not be deceived by those who intentionally want to get us off track.  We have to be aware that there are those people who are sent by the enemy to keep us from making disciples of others.  We have to identify the schemes and plans of the Balak’s and Balaam’s so we will not be fooled by them.  Pleasures are nice but pleasure is not our purpose for living.  We have to explore witchcraft further to understand another aspect of it, pharmakeia. 

King & Queen Manipulators, Ahab & Jezebel, Witchcraft Part 2

When reading the Bible we can see many situations where witchcraft was being used but it was not called witchcraft.  Any time there is a spinning or twisting of words to control someone or to control their thinking it is witchcraft.  We have to look at the definitions for manipulation, intimidation and domination; because in them we will see where the understanding of those things being witchcraft comes from.  The Bible tells us about different ways for someone to attempt to control others, such as divination or soothsaying; which is using spirit beings to tell about someone, or the usage of rods or cups or crystal balls to tell someone’s future.  There is magic, which is sleight of hand, or trickery that you cannot see with your eye but gives an illusion that you may think is real.   Sometimes these practices go along with worshipping of evil spirits or worshipping the devil and sometimes they don’t.  We have to understand that not everyone who practices these things are non Christians, but may in fact be Christians who do not know what they are doing.  The devil is very interested in the church acting like the rest of the world, because if the church people act this way then it is alright for the non church people to do the same.  Because this behavior happens in the church no one thinks twice about it. That leads to problems.  To mistakenly manipulate someone is one thing but to intentionally manipulate someone is another matter altogether.  Therefore if we look at some of the examples the Bible gives, we will better understand what not to do as well as how to not be taken in by one who practices witchcraft. 

Manipulation  3.control somebody or something to control or influence somebody or something in an ingenious or devious way 4.Falsify something to change or present something in a way that is false but personally advantageous Encarta Dictionary

Intimidation 1. Persuade of dissuade by frightening to frighten somebody into doing or not doing something, e.g. by means of violence or blackmail 2.daunt to create a feeling of fear, awe, or inadequacy in another person Encarta Dictionary

Domination  1. Controlling power control, power, or authority over others or another Encarta Dictionary

One of my favorite examples of someone using witchcraft to get their way is in the story of Naboth’s vineyard.  Ahab wanted this piece of land for an herb garden. What a mess of spinning and twisting to get the land that Naboth did not want to sell. 

1 Kings 21:1-29 And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. 3 And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.

When the children of Israel came into the land, the land was partitioned according to tribe.  At that time there was only one kingdom. But after Solomon, the kingdom split into two kingdoms, northern, 10 tribes, and southern, 2 tribes.  Ahab was king in the northern kingdom. Originally there wasn’t a palace in Samaria but Ahab had a summer palace there. Ahab wanted Naboth’s vineyard which was next to the palace. There is nothing wrong with wanting to buy a piece of land but what he does to get it is wrong. 

4 And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.

Ahab goes home and sulks.  While being disappointed is not wrong, using those emotions to get someone to do something for you is wrong.  Much like a child that throws a tantrum when they don’t get what they want, Ahab does the same.  The intent is, that by acting out, someone will give him what he wants. That is manipulation.  Children do it and either learn that it works or doesn’t work at a very young age.  It is up to the parents to allow that behavior to work or not work; but when an adult does it, it would seem that the adult learned as a child that manipulation does work. 

5 But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? 6 And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.

 Jezebel asks Ahab what is wrong.  There is nothing wrong with asking someone what is going on when they are sad, but what she does next is wrong.  Notice Ahab never asks Jezebel to handle the situation.  Ahab could have said “Honey can you do something about this for me, I don’t feel right bullying little old Naboth. Can you take care of this?” But Ahab never says anything, he instead lets her come up with an idea herself. Technically Ahab has never once had to give her any direction yet God holds him responsible in the end. 

7 And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

Ahab effectively manipulated Jezebel.  Jezebel, probably having her own control issues, stepped right into the situation and took on the problem. 

8 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.

She wrote letters, not in her own name but in Ahab’s name.  She used his seal as well. Ahab probably knew she was using his name and seal but stayed out of it as this way he looked innocent. 

9 And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people 10 And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.

We see Jezebel was first going to exalt Naboth, then have men accuse him.  Here is something we overlook, the phrase “sons of Belial”. This was not the name of a couple of men who were children of a man named Belial.  There is no man named Belial.  The phrase “sons of Belial” means sons of evil; today we would say children of the devil or we might refer to them as Illuminati or Bilderbergs.    The translation of Douay-Rheims translates this phrase as sons of the devil.

Belial OT:1100 beliya`al (bel-e-yah'-al); from OT:1097 and OT:3276; without profit, worthlessness; by extension, destruction, wickedness (often in connection with OT:376, OT:802, OT:1121, etc.):KJV - Belial, evil, naughty, ungodly (men), wicked.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

 Jezebel called on the local witch coven members to accuse Naboth of blasphemy against God and Ahab.  Interesting that Jezebel had a relationship with the local evil doers. Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal King of Sidon, a heathen nation, with descendants from the Nephilim, who worshipped Baal. Jezebel’s roots in evil practices ran deep.

11 And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. 12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. 13 And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.

After being accused by the local coven members, the people of the city who didn’t know what was going on behind the scenes (or we could say who were bewitched) followed the law by killing Naboth.  They were manipulated into keeping the law under false information. Neither Ahab nor Jezebel were actually seen in the forefront of the whole situation, they used others to work for them. 

14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead. 15 And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.

Jezebel was manipulated by Ahab to handle the situation, then Jezebel manipulated the people to fast, while sending two evil people to accuse Naboth.  In turn the accusations caused the people to be manipulated into thinking that Naboth was a blasphemer.  The people then had been manipulated into carrying out the law and stoning Naboth, which in turn made the vineyard free to Ahab.

16 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

God knows what people do, whether they are his children or children of the devil. God sent Elijah to tell Ahab of the judgment against him for this situation.

17 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it. 19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord.

Elijah tells him that he (Ahab) sold himself to work evil. People sell themselves to do evil because they think the reward in this life is greater than eternity.  Sons of Belial sell themselves to intentionally work evil, believing the reward the devil will give them is better than the reward God Almighty will give His sons.  Personally I don’t believe those who sell themselves to the devil’s work are particularly smart. Everything from the beginning to the end is written in the Bible and nowhere is there an eternal reward for evil, only a small token for now.  It is the manipulation of the devil that convinces sons of Belial to believe they can prosper following the devil without consequence. This is exactly what the devil decided to do from the beginning, he wanted to show God how stupid man is, and he uses men to dominate other men, manipulating with false promises.  Therefore God sends prophets to confront the sold out workers of the devil, just like he sent Elijah.

21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall [boy children], and him that is shut up and left in Israel,22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.23 And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.

God reiterates a second time that Ahab sold himself to do wickedness.  The prophecy is not very nice, and that seems to inflict a bit of remorse in Ahab.

25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. 26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.

Amazingly, Ahab repented. This tells us that some can do evil yet get pierced by the words of a prophet and repent.  Yet as in my story last week, there are times when some do not repent when the prophet speaks.

27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.28 And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.KJV

Ahab didn’t live a blessed life after this but he did escape the harsh judgment for now.  Yet someone later would pay the price for his and Jezebel’s sins. 

To sum up; Ahab manipulated Jezebel, Jezebel manipulated the people of the city while sending some evil men to accuse Naboth, which further manipulated the people of the city to carry out the law against Naboth.  In the end Ahab got what he wanted without getting his hands dirty, yet God still held him responsible.  Therefore what we should understand is that although someone else may be doing the dirty work, God still holds the original manipulator responsible. 

Can you imagine what it would be like to be Naboth?  What a horrible thing to have to go through.  Someone set him up to be killed for a piece of land, the land given to his family.  How can such a thing happen to a son of God? And not only Naboth but his sons were also killed.  Why is witchcraft allowed to work against the children of God?  I think we find the answer in the way that we are to be overcomers instead of living on easy street in this life; we are to overcome the works of evil.  Yet sometimes the works of evil overtake the children of God, but we have a reward in heaven. We find in later years Elijah’s prophecy coming to pass on Ahab’s family.  But as the story continues we see more manipulations.

In summation, Jehoshaphat talks Ahab into going to war at Ramoth-gilead.  Ahab got so used to hearing what he wanted, he asked all the false prophets if he should go and they told him to go.  But Jehoshaphat asked if there wasn’t a prophet of God in the entire land.  Ahab said there was but Michaiah hated him because he only spoke against him.  So Jehoshaphat and Ahab went to Michaiah and Michaiah told them that he saw all the sheep of Israel scattered and the people told to go home in peace.  Then Michaiah tells him that he saw God asking who would entice Ahab to war at Ramoth-gilead so that he would fall there.  A spirit came forward and said he would be a lying spirit in the mouths of Ahab’s prophets and they would persuade him to go to war.  One of Ahab’s prophets got mad and smote Michaiah, and Ahab put Michaiah in prison saying he wouldn’t get out until he came back from Ramoth –gilead.  Michaiah said to Ahab, if you return the Lord has not spoken by me.  Ahab was so used to the false prophets that he got mad when the true man of God told him the truth.  And as you might have guessed Ahab dies in this battle.  But the rest of his family is still alive.  Jehu was anointed and sent to get rid of the house of Ahab.

1 Kings 22:29-38 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.30 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and enter into the battle; but put thou on thy robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle.

Ahab decided to disguise himself but told Jehoshaphat to wear his robes.  Ahab is attempting to deceive, or manipulate the enemy into thinking he was a common man. 

31 But the king of Syria commanded his thirty and two captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.32 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, Surely it is the king of Israel. And they turned aside to fight against him: and Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.

While they were only looking for Ahab, they let Jehoshaphat go.  But quite by accident Ahab was killed. If he had been wearing his kingly attire they would have known it was the king of Israel and maybe he would not have been accidently shot.  Either way, whether he wore his robes or not he was going to be killed as it seemed this was the will of God.  So while his attempt to hide as king in regular clothes was a manipulation, Ahab died anyway.  Something to remember is that we can’t manipulate God.

34 And a certain man drew a bow at a venture [at random], and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded.35 And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot.36 And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country.37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria.38 And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the word of the Lord which he spake. KJV

Now for the judgment against the rest of the house of Ahab the story goes on and is quite colorful. Ahaziah becomes king for two years and dies; it’s a great story of how after an accident he wants to inquire from the god of Ekron if he will live or die but Elijah meets his men along the way and says he’s going to die.  Then Elijah burns up about 100 soldiers who Ahaziah sent out to get him.  Elijah goes down to Ahaziah when God tells him to and says that because he wanted to hear from the God of Ekron instead of the prophet of Israel he was never getting out of his bed.  He died. Then Jehu is anointed king by Elisha and he takes care of the rest of Ahab’s family.

2 Kings 9:22-37 And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? 23 And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah. 24 And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. 25 Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the Lord laid this burden upon him; 26 Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the Lord; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the Lord. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the Lord.

Remember Ahab repented but the punishment was passed on to his sons.  Joram died in the same piece of ground that Ahab had wanted for himself.  The king of Judah at this time is also named Ahaziah, just like Ahab’s son who previously died. Two Ahaziah’s makes the story confusing.

27 But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there.28 And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David.29 And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, began Ahaziah to reign over Judah.

After killing Joram Jezebel heard Jehu was coming for her and tried to manipulate him.  She put on makeup and fixed her hair.  I’m sure she was trying to seduce him rather than getting dressed up for her death.  Logically one would think that if someone was coming to kill the queen that there would be an army or at least a group of people to fight off the aggressors.  One would think of getting dressed in armor and getting ready to fight instead of getting prettied up for the arrival of Jehu.

30 And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.31 And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?

Jezebel sounds like she’s asking if he’s content now that her son Joram the king is dead. But Jehu doesn’t even answer her.  Instead he talks to the men around her.

32 And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs.

Eunuchs were to protect the female members of the king’s household.  They were body guards, but in this case the two or three eunuchs must not have liked Jezebel .

33 And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot.

The eunuchs threw her out the window and then Jehu rode over the top of her. A lot of good her attempt at manipulation was, she would have been better off fleeing. 

34 And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter.

Then Jehu went inside and ate lunch.  After lunch he told the servants to bury her.

35 And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.36 Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel:37 And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.KJV

There was no fancy funeral for Jezebel; that is exactly how Elijah prophesied it. We have looked at some of the twisting and turning of the people in this story.  If we read it from the Bible slowly we will see even more manipulations that took place in the lives of Ahab and Jezebel.  They were schemers who didn’t mind trying to exterminate the prophets of God.  It would seem that that is common practice even today.  No one wants to hear bad news from people representing God when they are scheming to do things on their own.  If the prophets speak today will we listen?

v  Have you ever known anyone to use sulking to get their way?

v  Have you ever known anyone to communicate in someone else’s name, maybe by letter, e-mail, text, or even verbally? 

v  Have you ever known anyone to plan a lie to hurt or accuse someone?

v  Have you ever known anyone to enlist in the help of other evil people to propagate a lie? 

v  Have you ever known anyone to try and change their normal appearance to promote themselves differently? 

v  Have you ever seen someone try to use sexual enticement to get their way?

If you have done these things or continue to do these things after being saved you need to repent.  If you know someone who uses these things against you, to force you to do what they want you to do, you now have to stand against it.  The best way to stand against it is to not play along.  Confront people who are trying to get you to what you don’t want to do. Be strong and stay in control of your life. The Holy Spirit always has the right words for you are the right time.

That is just one way to not get sucked in by a manipulator. Here is another way to resist.  If someone starts to pout, whine or cry about something, tell them too bad, period.  Whether a child or an adult, tell them the truth, things don’t always go your way, deal with it. If someone bats their eyelashes at you, tell them you are sorry they must have something in their eye.  Do you understand what I am saying?  Confront it immediately, strongly, and with a clear mind.  Do not get sucked into their games. If a situation happens where you find yourself among a group of people who start to talk about how they will explain what happened, and what they are saying is not the truth; stand against it no matter what, or you might be counted among them for lying before God. Do not make an agreement with someone planning a lie.  It is never beneficial to lie.  It is up to us to come to the knowledge and understanding of witchcraft.  We will continue to look at a few more stories about witchcraft next week.