Words from the Weary Wilderness - Lenten Journey Day 14
posted on March 06
Day Fourteen - Thursday, March 17
On Mediums and Seances
Read: Leviticus 20:27 (See also Deuteronomy 13:1-5)
27 A man or a woman who is a medium or a wizard shall be put to death; they shall be stoned to death, their blood is upon them.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5
13 If prophets or those who divine by dreams appear among you and promise you omens or portents, 2 and the omens or the portents declared by them take place, and they say, “Let us follow other gods” (whom you have not known) “and let us serve them,” 3 you must not heed the words of those prophets or those who divine by dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you indeed love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. 4 The Lord your God you shall follow, him alone you shall fear, his commandments you shall keep, his voice you shall obey, him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast. 5 But those prophets or those who divine by dreams shall be put to death for having spoken treason against the Lord your God—who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery—to turn you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
Today’s Word from the Weary Wilderness: …you must not heed the words of those prophets or those who divine by dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you indeed love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. (Deuteronomy 13:3)
Reflection: We hear foreshadowing of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness as we read these words today. We are challenged to dig deeper about which truths we will accept. This is so true today, as everyone seems to be manufacturing his or her own truth. Truth depends on which channel you call up on your television. Many in the wilderness looked for words of hope from wizards and mediums, persons who claimed to gain insight by speaking to the dead. They were called necromancers. Imagine a Ouija board in a time of uncertainty or grief; any news may have been welcomed when you were not sure what was next in the wilderness. God wanted the people to trust Him alone, not the direction of others calling themselves influential because of their ominous conversations. The leaders felt this so strongly that they agreed to put to death anyone who claimed to bring wisdom from other sources. Things are rough in the wilderness right now.
Prayer: God of the Wilderness, this one hits us where we live in 2022. Omens and portents are promised to us every time we grab the remote or open our phones. Tune our ears to hear you above the din of the daily news. Put to death in us any need to claim that we have knowledge beyond yours, for it is simply not true. Amen.
Blessings of Peace and Health,
Bev
Rev. Beverly B. Coppley
District Superintendent
& Chief Missional Strategist
