The power is already in you

Why the Bible condemns so-called “occult” practices.

Welcome to the Daily Bible Chapter. My name is James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as I attempt to read the Bible with fresh eyes, as if I don’t know anything about it, and without consulting experts on what it “really” means.. Let’s see where this takes us!

Deuteronomy 18

I’m reading Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

What’s striking about this chapter is the utter condemnation of so-called “occult” practices:

9 “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you must not learn to imitate the abhorrent practices of those nations. 10 No one shall be found among you who makes a son or daughter pass through fire, or who practices divination, or is a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who casts spells, or who consults ghosts or spirits, or who seeks oracles from the dead. 12 For whoever does these things is abhorrent to the Lord; it is because of such abhorrent practices that the Lord your God is driving them out before you’re. 13 You must remain completely loyal to the Lord your God.

Why are these things abhorrent to the Lord? Perhaps it’s obvious why child sacrifice is abhorrent (assuming that’s what “makes a son or daughter pass…