Getting back into the flow of the Law of Moses and our study of Christ in the Old Covenant. If you're with us for the first time this morning, we would appreciate if you could return that visitor's card to one of us at the end of this service so we could know how we can help you and you are Landing here in the middle of a lengthy study that we call Christ and the Old Covenant, we, a few years ago, studied all the way through Genesis, then went and worked through the epistles of John, then came back to Exodus and have been working our way through Exodus now. And we are in Exodus chapter 22, but we've just had a little break here where we've done something else for the last five weeks. So it's been six weeks since we've been here in the Law of Moses. So you might want to look back at the second half of chapter 21. If you look in Exodus 21, say, beginning in verse 18, if men have a quarrel, V. 20, if a man strikes. V. 22, if men struggle. V. 26, if a man strikes. V. 28, if an ox gores, etc. So that section is about respect for the life and dignity of others. Then chapter 22, verse 1, begins with the words, if a man steals, and the next 15 verses are about respect for the possessions of others, So those sections are expansions on the basic commandments, not to murder, not to covet, not to steal. They expand on the application of those things. Then in chapter 22, verses 16 and 17, the last time we were here, we studied seduction, this twisting of the God-given power of sensuality to lure others into a relationship outside of marriage. So we come today to Exodus 22, verse 18, which says, you shall not allow a sorceress to live And I think probably most preachers would look at that verse and say, wow, we have our work cut out for us. Thankfully, this is not a minor topic in the Old Testament. It's all over the place. It's actually a big study. So we have plenty of material here and plenty of things to learn from the Lord as we study this. So let's stop and just pray again real quickly before we work through these things together. Father, we come to your word because we believe you are God and you speak truth and you have revealed truth for people to know and we must know it. That's why we come. That's why we have our Bibles open. That's why we want to listen to You. And so we pray that the speech and the preaching would not be in enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. That our faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. Because the power of God has worked in our hearts through Your Word. We pray for that work this morning for Your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen. We've already talked about issues, the issues involving the death penalty. So I'm not going to touch on that aspect of this commandment, but we'll focus here on this issue of sorcery. We are reminded once again that there is nothing new under the sun. Human beings are have the same human nature and people are intrigued by the same things today that intrigued and tempted people 3,500 years ago. So I want to begin by asking, what is this sin? And we'll turn to Deuteronomy chapter 18, another portion of the law that expands on this theme. Deuteronomy chapter 18. Here in Deuteronomy 18, we will find a list of various aspects related to this sin. These words make for an almost impossible set of Hebrew word studies because these words are almost all borrowed from other languages and cultures. God's people weren't the ones who invented most of these things, if you can say it that way. They borrowed these things from other cultures, borrowed the words from these things for other cultures. So there's a lot of difficulty in understanding exactly what these words are referring to. you can figure out from the context. When Saul goes to someone whom he wants to bring up Samuel from the dead, you can probably figure out who that person is. So, we depend on context for a lot of these things. Deuteronomy 18, verse 9, When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord. And because of these detestable things, the Lord your God will drive them out before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. For those nations which you shall dispossess Listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so. So let's talk about some facets of this sin. And I'm just going to touch on this lightly. Verse 10 refers to one who practices divination. Some kind of secret knowledge of the future. You can see that even in the English word divination, there's a connection with the word divine. There's something supernatural. There's something connected to the gods here. Some access to the knowledge of the gods. Verse 10 continues to mention witchcraft. Then, one who interprets omens Interpreting omens is a big deal today. Trying to find clues that might give you an idea of what's coming tomorrow. Interpreting omens. It mentions a sorcerer. And then in verse 11, one who casts a spell. A spell would be an attempt to access supernatural power to accomplish something. It mentions a medium. Again, the English word gives you the idea of someone who goes in between. In between the world of the living and the world of the dead. the medium. That's similar to the next phrases, a spiritist and one who calls up the dead. So you have a whole list there of different facets of this sin. There are a couple other related concepts we find other places in the Old Testament. For example, you have people who are supposed to be able to interpret dreams. And you can probably think of some stories where you have that. And in regard to Pharaoh's magicians, they were one of those groups of people supposed to be able to interpret dreams. You also have their secret arts, secret supernatural power. Remember, Pharaoh wanted them to copy what? Moses and Aaron were doing. So these concepts are found all over the Old Testament because they characterized the nations around Israel. They were a constant temptation for Israel. So you find Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Nahum, Malachi, Zechariah all talking about these things because it was such a big Now, what is the point? Why are these things appealing to human nature? Well, first of all, we can say that these things have to do with the supernatural and people are fascinated with anything that has to do with the supernatural. Why is that? Because they were created by God. Because there is a supernatural. That's why it's fascinating to people. So, that fascination in the supernatural, though, if they reject the true God, can lead them to a whole bunch of other things. And then there's the concept of secretiveness. I mean, that's a lot of the reason why people go crazy over things like the Da Vinci Code. The idea of special secrets. People love what is secret. So you combine the supernatural with the secretive and you have something very appealing to people. But in addition to that kind of general fascination, the Bible tells us two things that people want to obtain through these things. And those two things are power and knowledge. So let's slow down a little bit more and expand on that, starting with power and starting with what I think is a pretty clear illustration of this attempt for power. Psalm 58 verses three through five, the Bible talks about snake charmers, refers to a deaf cobra that stops up its ear so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or a skillful caster of spells. Now, my point isn't the psalmist's point there, but to simply note that you have this idea of a cobra and a skillful caster of spells, a charmer, and you know that still goes on in several places in the world today. The spells of a snake charmer are a display of secret power. Because here's a snake that in a split second could probably deliver venom to end your life and you are right at his nostrils. and he's not putting those fangs into you. How does that happen? You must have some power that you are wielding over that snake. You see that? The idea is the point of the spell, the charming, is power and control that you can be just inches from his fangs and that snake won't strike. Except for the times when it does and the snake charmer dies, but that's not supposed to happen. Earlier in Exodus, Exodus chapter seven, we saw how Pharaoh called for his magicians to use their powers to match the miracles God was working through Moses and Aaron. So this is part of the allure of sorcery. It is power. And that's appealing to human beings because we are pretty powerless beings. We know that there are all kinds of things around us over which we have very little control, especially the people around us. We have so little control over many things in our lives and people thirst for control, especially secretive, supernatural power to control. So it's no surprise that you can still find snake charmers and spells all over the globe 3,500 years later. When I worked in the dependency system, I worked with a young man who would You know, he and I'd go to Del Taco or whatever and he'd have his notebook where he was working on his spells and he was not kidding. He was serious. So this is still something that is appealing to people today. Now, when you turn to Isaiah chapter 47, Isaiah 47, this is a very important chapter in which we will see again the desire for power and we'll also see the desire for knowledge. And so we'll start talking about that. Isaiah 47. What we're going to be reading here is a message of condemnation against Babylon. Isaiah 47 and verse 8. So remember, this is spoken to Babylon. Now then, hear this, you sensual one, who dwells securely, who says in your heart, I am. And there is no one besides me. I will not sit as a widow nor know loss of children. But these two things will come on you suddenly in one day. Loss of children and widowhood. They will come on you in full measure in spite of your many sorceries. In spite of the great power of your spells. You felt secure in your wickedness and said, no one sees me. Your wisdom and your knowledge, they have deluded you. For you have said in your heart, I am, and there is no one besides me. But evil will come on you which you will not know how to charm away. And disaster will fall on you for which you cannot atone. And destruction about which you do not know will come on you suddenly." For now, we'll stop our reading there. You see at the end of verse 9, judgment would come upon them despite the great power of their spells. And verse 11 speaks of being able to charm away evil. So you'd see there again, the idea of power, being able to control your circumstances, and even here, being able to do something to divert evil from yourself. Maybe to give yourself some good karma or something like that. Then you see also here the desire for knowledge. The middle of verse 10 says, your wisdom and your knowledge, they have deluded you. And the end of verse 11, destruction about which you do not know will come on you suddenly. Sorcery involves a desire for supernatural knowledge. When the Philistines stole the Ark of the Lord, You might remember that story because things didn't go so well for their God. He lost his arms and his legs and his head. And then things didn't go so well for the men in the land who got ravaged by tumors. And so the Philistine leaders called their diviners to tell them how to return it to Israel. They figured this is some kind of supernatural thing, this ark. And so we're gonna call the guys who have secret supernatural knowledge to tell us how to get this thing out of here and stop the ravaging of the tumors. See, people want inside knowledge of what they should do or what the future holds. That's why you go to just about any area, like those little neighborhoods in San Diego where you have older shops, and you're gonna find a little hole in the wall with a palm reader in it. with a psychic in it. They're all over the place. Open your newspaper. There's a horoscope. Go through the line in the grocery store and there are all the little rolled up stacks of horoscopes for you to buy. People want to know what's coming, what's going to happen. And people especially want to be told good news. And oftentimes Israel's sorcerers would tell them, judgment's not going to come. You're not going to be captured. You're going to be okay. Everything's going to be fine. It was bogus, but it was what the people wanted to hear. For example, Jeremiah 27 verse 9, do not listen to your diviners, your sorcerers who speak to you saying you will not serve the king of Babylon. They were just dead wrong. But it was what the people wanted to hear. Zechariah said, the diviners see lying visions. They comfort in vain. But people want somebody to comfort them. People want somebody to say to them, it's all going to work out okay. That is one of the dumbest lines you can say to somebody else if you don't mean it theologically. What does it mean to say it's all going to work out okay? You have no idea how it's going to work out. But people want somebody to tell them it's going to be all right. One of the clearest examples of this, this desire for good news, is the story of Saul and the witch of Endor that I mentioned earlier. It's recorded in 1 Samuel 28. Long before that time, God had removed his blessing from Saul and David was God's appointment for king. Saul was terrified here in 1 Samuel 28 that the Philistines were coming to attack. Samuel had died and So Saul secretly goes to a medium. He asks his servants to find him a medium. And he asks her to conjure up Samuel so Saul can talk to him. Because Saul wants to know what's going to happen when I fight the Philistines tomorrow. And obviously, he wants Samuel to give him good news. He wants Samuel to say, don't worry, Saul, God's going to help you and it's going to be all right. And it's sad, but it's a little bit humorous. God does seem to allow Saul to speak to Samuel or to at least think he's speaking to Samuel. And Samuel tells him the future. Tomorrow you're going to die. Now you know. I don't think that was what Saul was looking for. when he went to a medium to get to talk to Samuel. But Samuel said, sure, I'll tell you what's going to happen in the battle. You're going to die. So what's the point of sorcery? Two things we've seen. Fascination with the secret and the supernatural combined with the desire for power and knowledge, especially being able to know and to influence one's own future. Now, what's the problem? First of all, do these things matter to God? Well, the verse in Exodus 22 said, you shall not allow a sorceress to live. Deuteronomy 18.9, God calls these things detestable. In Leviticus 20, God promises to set His face against a person who does these things and cut him off from among His people. God said that He took Saul's life for this and that He removed Israel from their land for this. So, it obviously matters to God. But why? What's the problem? Well, first, and this isn't the primary answer, but these things don't work. Now, I don't mean by that that there can't be supernatural things that happen through the power of Satan and demons in some of these things. That's not what I mean by they don't work. But I mean that as an answer for trying to make sense out of life, it doesn't work. Satan does what he can do to string people along. But ultimately, if you're trying to make sense out of life, occult power and knowledge is not going to do it. Back in Joseph's day, Pharaoh's wise men weren't able to tell him his dream. Remember, that's how Joseph got out of prison. Genesis 41. This happened also to Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2. It's actually a funny story in Daniel 2. There's a funny line in there. Nebuchadnezzar has this dream and he wants his magicians to interpret his dream, but he won't tell them what he dreamed. And they keep saying, oh, we'll interpret your dream. But first you have to tell us the dream. And he says, no, you just tell me. Interpret my dream. I'm not telling you. And they say, no, you've got to tell us the dream. And there's a great line in there where he says, I know for certain that you are stalling. Then you have Pharaoh's magicians at the time of the exodus. This is almost again, it's almost humorous. They were able to copy the rod becoming serpent the water turned to blood and the frogs but by the third plague they've quit they come to Pharaoh and they say I'm putting this in my own words but Pharaoh this is the finger of God that's what they say this is the finger of God I wish we're not touching this which is a goofy thing to say they're supposed to be the people with access to the supernatural But they seem to know we don't have access to the supernatural. And this is his finger. And so from then on, there's no word of Pharaoh's magicians doing anything in those plagues. Isaiah 44, 25 says that God causes the omens of boasters to fail, makes fools out of diviners, causes wise men to draw back and turns their knowledge into foolishness. I hope you're still in Isaiah 47 in your Bible. I want to show you here that God dares Babylon to see if her spells and her secret knowledge can save her. Look again at verse 11 and then we'll continue on. But evil will come on you which you will not know how to charm away and disaster will fall on you for which you cannot atone and destruction about which you do not know will come on you suddenly. Now look at verse 12. You are weary with your many counsels. Stand fast now in your spells and in your many sorceries with which you have labored from your youth. Perhaps you'll be able to profit from them. Perhaps you may cause trembling. You are wearied with your many counsels. Let now the astrologers, those who prophesy by the stars, those who predict by the new moons, let them stand up and save you from what will come upon you. They cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. There will be no coal to warm by nor a fire to sit before. So have those become to you with whom you have labored, who have trafficked with you from your youth. Each has wandered in his own way. There is none to save you." See, this is an empty way to make life work. I love verse 12. Stand now. Okay, come on, stand up here, bring your spells, and let's see. Is it going to work? I think the saddest description of how these things are ultimately empty is in Zechariah 10. The diviners see lying visions and tell false dreams. They comfort in vain. Therefore, the people wander like sheep. They are afflicted because there is no shepherd. So what's the problem? First, these things don't work. They leave people afflicted, without answers, sheep, without a shepherd. But from God's perspective, what's the problem? Well, He says in Leviticus 19.31 that these things are defiling. There's always a temptation for God's people to say, come on, it's not that big of a deal. But God says, don't be defiled by these things. But that's still not the most important answer, which is this. These things are a substitute for God. And this one verse in Leviticus 20, verse 6, this one part of the law makes it very clear. As for the person who turns to mediums and spirits to play the harlot after them. See, that's how God views these issues. It's a spiritual affair. Because you've turned to those things instead of God. If people want knowledge, they should be turning to God's Word. Isaiah 8, when they say to you, consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter, should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living to the law and to the testimony? You may have heard that phrase before from Isaiah 8.20. There's no verb in that sentence. to the law and to the testimony. But his point is clear in the context, and the context is sorcery, mediums, spiritists. He says, listen, why are you trying to talk to the dead about the living? Shouldn't you talk to the living God about the living? Shouldn't the people consult their God? So, go instead to the law and to the testimony. So, the problem is that these things are a substitute for God. Now, go with me back to Deuteronomy 18. Deuteronomy 18. We were there earlier. That's the passage that has that big, long list of aspects of this sin. But what we're going to see here is very exciting. We're going to see once again how the law leads us right to Christ. Earlier we read verses 9-14 with that list of divination, witchcraft, omens, sorcery, spells, mediums. Verse 14, for those nations which you shall dispossess. Notice this word. Those nations listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord has not allowed you to do so. Not allowed you to listen to them. Like that. But now, watch what Moses says in the very next words, verse 15. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet. What do you do with a prophet? You listen to him, right? Don't be like those nations who listen to their sorcerers, their spiritists, their mediums, their diviners. God doesn't allow you to do that. But the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me, that's Moses, like Moses from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. There's Jesus right there in Deuteronomy 18 verse 15. That's exactly what Peter told the crowds in the temple in Acts 3 when he quoted Deuteronomy 18.15. That's exactly what Stephen told the Sanhedrin in Acts 7 when he quoted Deuteronomy 18.15. That's what the author of Hebrews said in Hebrews 1, 1 and 2. God, after he spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets, in many portions and in many ways in these last days has spoken to us in His Son. That's what the Father said on the Mount of Transfiguration when He said, this is My beloved Son. Listen to Him. In 1 Corinthians 1.24, Jesus is called Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. Do those two things sound familiar? Power and wisdom. Power and knowledge. That's what it's about. Christians, obviously, are people who believe in supernatural power. We're people who believe in supernatural knowledge. We're not against the supernatural. But we believe that those things are only found in Christ. And we believe that because of that, witchcraft substitutes a satanic fake for the real thing. And obviously, God considers it spiritual adultery to go that direction. I think I could say it this way. The occult is an attempt to access the blessings of the supernatural without coming to God through Jesus Christ. It's kind of like immorality. It's trying to access the blessings of marriage without the commitment. They want the blessings of the supernatural without any relationship and responsibility to the true God. That's what the occult is about. God does not look lightly on such a substitution of a fake for the real thing. It is done. Revelation 5.12, worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. Revelation 7.12, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever. In Isaiah 44, God proclaims His sovereign power and wisdom in contrast to witchcraft. Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by myself and spreading out the earth all alone. causing the omens of boasters to fail, making fools out of diviners, causing wise men to draw back and turning their knowledge into foolishness. Then he goes on in Isaiah 44 to say, I'm going to take Cyrus and I'm going to make him my instrument. And Cyrus is going to do exactly what I want him to do. He's going to be my sovereign tool to accomplish my purposes because God rules. God says, I rule and I delight in exposing the foolishness of omens. The foolishness of diviners and God delights in magnifying the sovereign power of himself. There is plenty of supernatural power and wisdom, but it's found in the Word of God. Who is Jesus Christ? Listen to him. There's so many aspects of this I could expand on, I'm just going to pick this one. Consider this issue of wanting to hear good news about tomorrow. reading horoscopes, consulting poem readers. My sister just had a very important job interview and she mentioned to me how her unsaved friends on Facebook kept saying things like, crossing my fingers for you or sending positive thoughts your way. Is not Christ a better alternative? Does not Christ control tomorrow? Does not He have the very hairs on your head numbered? If the Lord is your shepherd, will you be left in want tomorrow? Will He not lead you beside still waters and make you lie down in green pastures? Will His goodness and mercy not pursue you all the days of your life? Will He withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly? Is He not a sun and shield who will give grace and glory? Is he not good, his loving kindness everlasting and his faithfulness to all generations? Are not his compassions new every morning and his faithfulness great? Is not sorcery a pitifully cheap substitute for Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God? All right, now here's the catch point. You could understandably be thinking, okay, Tim, I promise I won't look at the horoscope in the newspaper. Okay, what's the big deal? What's the application here? Well, first of all, love Christ by loving the Word of Christ. Love the Word of God. But are you still in Deuteronomy 18? Deuteronomy 18. Let me show you this here. Deuteronomy 18 v. 9. When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. Sorcery was not Israel's own invention. It was an imitation. To put it in the language of Romans 12 too, they were conformed to this world. They were shaped into the mold of the culture. And so, a significant application for us here is do not be conformed to this world or you may drift away from Christ and His Word. They stopped listening to the law and to the testimony because they had other things to listen to. They had other people that they had brought into their life that were their source of wisdom, their source of knowledge, their source of power. So they did not need God. See that? And so when we are conformed to the world, that same thing happens to us. When Isaiah spoke about these things, about sorcery, he said the people were filled with influences from the East. Influences that drew them away from God. 1 Chronicles 10 says that Saul made inquiry of a medium and did not inquire of the Lord. See, you turn to one and you turn away from the other. The more we are conformed to the culture around us, the less we will love Christ through His Word. And can I just emphasize to us again, you can't love Christ apart from His Word. I went through my week and I felt really loving toward Christ, but I never touched the Word of Christ. That doesn't work. If you want to love Christ, you love the Word that is Jesus Christ. So I think the basic application question is this, what things am I tempted to substitute for Christ, who is the wisdom and the power of God for me? We may look at sorcery and say, OK, that's a dumb thing. That's a cheap substitute. I'm not going to do that. But there are other things that appeal to us to plug into that slot in our life where Christ, the wisdom of God and the power of God is supposed to be. So I just ask, how have you been conformed to the culture and adopted their ways of making life work? And what will happen is not only will it be detestable to God, but we will end up like those Zechariah described, wandering like a sheep without a shepherd. So I exhort us as we come out of this thinking through these issues of sorcery and listening to the word of Christ, who is the wisdom and power of God. I exhort us to turn away from any ways that we have sought wisdom or power to make life work outside of Christ. And the simplest way to know if this has happened to you is to examine your commitment to God's word. Let me use one more illustration here and I'll be done. I think of this like fuel for a vehicle. What is the fuel that runs your life? What is the fuel that runs your life? Really, what gets you out of bed in the morning? What gives you the strength for the challenges? Where do you go when you've got to have wisdom for a difficult situation? When you just feel down, what is the place you go to seek your encouragement? When you're worn out, where is your rest? When you're not motivated and you're just flat, what gets you going? What is the fuel that runs your life? And we know what the right answer is. My question is, what's the real answer for you right now? We know that the right answer is to come to God's Word with joy because you know Christ is the fuel that is fully sufficient to run every aspect of your life. Is that true right now for you though? that the Word is a joy to you because Christ is so sufficient to you that you know when you come to the Word, you are finding here the wisdom of God and the power of God. Let's pray.