Your Daily Pesuk Aug. 15, 2018

Parashat Shoftim / פרשת שופטים

• Wed, 15 August 2018 = 4th of Elul, 5778
• ד׳ בֶּאֱלוּל תשע״ח

Deuteronomy 18:6-13 (8 p'sukim)

Deuteronomy 18:6-13 Tree of Life Version (TLV)

6 “Suppose a Levite comes from one of your towns, wherever he is living in all of Israel, and he comes whenever his soul desires to the place Adonai chooses, 7 and serves in the Name of Adonai his God like all his fellow Levites who stand there before Adonai. 8 They are to eat equal portions, regardless of their fathers’ goods.

9 When you enter the land Adonai your God is giving you, you are not to learn to do the abominations of those nations. 10 There must not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, or a fortune-teller, soothsayer, omen reader, or sorcerer, 11 or one who casts spells, or a medium, a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For whoever does these things is an abomination to Adonai, and because of these abominations Adonai your God is driving them out from before you. 13 You are to be blameless before Adonai your God.

6 וְכִֽי־יָבֹ֨א הַלֵּוִ֜י מֵאַחַ֤ד שְׁעָרֶ֙יךָ֙ מִכָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁר־ה֖וּא גָּ֣ר שָׁ֑ם וּבָא֙ בְּכָל־אַוַּ֣ת נַפְשׁ֔וֹ אֶל־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֥ר יְהוָֽה׃

7 וְשֵׁרֵ֕ת בְּשֵׁ֖ם יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֑יו כְּכָל־אֶחָיו֙ הַלְוִיִּ֔ם הָעֹמְדִ֥ים שָׁ֖ם לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃

8 חֵ֥לֶק כְּחֵ֖לֶק יֹאכֵ֑לוּ לְבַ֥ד מִמְכָּרָ֖יו עַל־הָאָבֽוֹת׃ ס

9 כִּ֤י אַתָּה֙ בָּ֣א אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ֑ךְ לֹֽא־תִלְמַ֣ד לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת כְּתוֹעֲבֹ֖ת הַגּוֹיִ֥ם הָהֵֽם׃

10 לֹֽא־יִמָּצֵ֣א בְךָ֔ מַעֲבִ֥יר בְּנֽוֹ־וּבִתּ֖וֹ בָּאֵ֑שׁ קֹסֵ֣ם קְסָמִ֔ים מְעוֹנֵ֥ן וּמְנַחֵ֖שׁ וּמְכַשֵּֽׁף׃

11 וְחֹבֵ֖ר חָ֑בֶר וְשֹׁאֵ֥ל אוֹב֙ וְיִדְּעֹנִ֔י וְדֹרֵ֖שׁ אֶל־הַמֵּתִֽים׃

12 כִּֽי־תוֹעֲבַ֥ת יְהוָ֖ה כָּל־עֹ֣שֵׂה אֵ֑לֶּה וּבִגְלַל֙ הַתּוֹעֵבֹ֣ת הָאֵ֔לֶּה יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ מוֹרִ֥ישׁ אוֹתָ֖ם מִפָּנֶֽיךָ׃

13 תָּמִ֣ים תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה עִ֖ם יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃ ס

Today, I'd like to focus on one small phrase in Pesuk 11.  V'doresh Al Hamatim  (And one who calls up the Dead).  Hopefully, this practice is avoided among Messianic believers, as well as our non-Jewish brothers in Born-Again churches, as well as Pre-believing Jews and others whom we love in our Jewish and non-Jewish communities; however this practice as well as the others mentioned in our pesukim today, are actually quite common in our society and communities.

All you have to do is drive around town and eventually you'll see signs for a palm reader or a fortune teller someone who will read your tarot cards etc...  It's quite a big business, just as it was in Biblical times, there is indeed nothing new, the practice is as old as prostitution.  The one I'd like to focus on today though is this calling on the dead.

At first glance of our own modern world today; most would not see it in plain sight as you would a sign on the front of a building advertising fortune tellers; nevertheless, this practice is rampant in our world and even in Christian circles!

A Biblical definition of this can be found in Delitzsch as well as Gill's commentaries:

"When Israel came into the land of Canaan, it was “ not to learn to do like the abominations of these nations ” (the Canaanites or heathen). There was not to be found in it any who caused his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, i.e., any worshipper of Moloch (see at Leviticus 18:21), or one who practised soothsaying (see at Numbers 23:23), or a wizard (see at Leviticus 19:26), or a snake-charmer (see at Leviticus 19:26), or a conjurer, or one who pronounced a ban ( חבר חבר , probably referring to the custom of binding or banning by magical knots), a necromancer and wise man (see at Leviticus 19:31), or one who asked the dead, i.e., who sought oracles from the dead. Moses groups together all the words which the language contained for the different modes of exploring the future and discovering the will of God, for the purpose of forbidding every description of soothsaying, and places the prohibition of Moloch-worship at the head, to show the inward connection between soothsaying and idolatry, possibly because februation, or passing children through the fire in the worship of Moloch, was more intimately connected with soothsaying and magic than and other description of idolatry." (Franz Delitzsch)

And Gill adds: "or a necromancer that inquiries of the dead, or seeks instruction from them, as the Targum of Jerusalem. Aben Ezra describes him as one that goes to burying grounds, and takes the bone of a dead man, and because of his wild imagination there appears to him the likeness of forms; or as Maimonides, better still, he is one that fasts and sleeps in graveyards, and utters words; and, according to his imagination, sees future things in dreams."

A person does not have to literally go to a graveyard or dig up a dead man's skull in order to consult the dead.  We see that the first King of Israel committed this abomination against Adonai...

I Sam. 28:7 Then Saul said to his courtiers, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go to her and inquire through her.” So his courtiers said to him, “Behold, there is a woman that is a medium at En-dor.” 8 So Saul disguised himself, put on other clothes, and went with two other men, and they reached the woman by night. Then he said, “Please conjure up for me a ghost—bring up for me the one I will name to you.” 9 “Look, you know what Saul has done,” she said, “how he has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. So why then are you setting a trap for my life to get me killed?” 10 Saul vowed to her by Adonai saying, “As Adonai lives, no punishment will come on you for this thing.” 11 “Whom will I bring up for you?” the woman asked. “Bring me up Samuel,” he said. 12 But when the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud shriek. Then the woman spoke to Saul saying, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!” 13 “Don’t be afraid!” the king said to her. “What do you see?” The woman said to Saul, “I see a godlike being coming up from the earth.” 14 “What does he look like?” he asked her. “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped with a robe,” she said. Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, so he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. 15 Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

Consulting the dead (i.e. using ouija boards etc...) IS VERY REAL.  Playing with the spirit world and conjuring up the dead has SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES.  It is clearly and plainly defined as an ABOMINATION.  In many cases people who speak to the dead think they are speaking with their departed loved ones when in reality they are speaking to a demon that is imposing as the soul of their loved one.

When you open yourself up to demons in this way, you are opening yourself up to a world of pain; spiritual as well as physical demonic assault.  It often manifests itself as "mental illness" in people, because it can and often does drive a person mad.  This is exactly what happened to King Saul.

Calling on the dead does not begin with overt "occult-looking" strange practices such as ouija boards etc... It starts with simply "talking to the dead"; praying to them, asking them for a blessing or a sign, or to petition God on our behalf.  It starts subtly; innocently, but it is deceptive as this abomination gets mixed with Biblical religious practices. 

One of the most profound examples of this subtlety is found with the practice of praying to "saints".  Asking people who were once faithful followers of the Messiah to produce a good omen for those still living today.  With all due respect to our friends in the Catholic denomination, there is no Biblical example of prayer, worship, adoration or even communicating with ANYONE else other than God, the Almighty One Himself. Yeshua taught us how to pray, Avinu Shabashamayim (Our Father in Heaven).  And whatever we ask, in His Name, we know God will answer. 

Miriam, Shimon Kefa, Judah (Jude), Ya'akov (James), and many of the other good Jewish followers of Yeshua were all faithful Messianic Jews.  They were tzadakim (saints) who were made righteous by Yeshua, just as we all are.  We who have been Born Again are all Tzadakim.  BUT THEY ARE DEAD!

We are not to pray to them, call on their souls, or create images of them and bow before their statues. The women of the Bible, Miriam (Moses's sister), Deborah, Rahab, Ruth, Esther, and even Miriam the mother of our Messiah Yeshua, were all Eshet Chayil (Women of Valor).  Great mighty women of God who trusted in God and put their faith into active obedience.

But they are all dead and their souls are enjoying their Eternal Reward with the Lord Himself.  We do not call on their names, and ask them to pray for us, or produce a blessing for us or any omens.  THAT IS CLEARLY AN ABOMINATION.

I realize this may offend some who practice such things.  However, it is not my intention to offend.  I am simply describing what the Bible says and even demonstrates.  Religions such as Catholicism and even Judaism have been often influenced by the occult.  Judaism has its influences from Kabbalah, and some ultra orthodox Jews visit the graves of famous rabbis and ask for blessings, and Catholicism has been influenced by pagan cults and even vudoo especially in the Latin Americas. 

If you are a Born Again believer, (Jewish or Non-Jewish), run from this Abomination, and call only on the Name of the Lord.  Search the Word of God to confirm if what I am saying is true.

Amen.