Groundhogs, Witches, and
Prosperity
Copyright 1999 / Leslie A Turvey
Puxuntawny Phil. Wiarton Willie, or Pierre du Plaisance. Whatever you call
him, the pudgy prognosticator of frosty precipitation will soon venture from his den to
look for his shadow. If he sees it we'll have six more weeks of winter.
What does God think of this? I imagine he doesn't give it a thought. Count back six
weeks from the first day of spring and you arrive at February 2nd. So whether the
groundhog sees his shadow or not, there's still six weeks of winter.
But God is concerned with forecasting. In giving his laws to Israel, and thus to
the world, God said, "A man or woman who has a familiar spirit, or is a wizard, shall
be put to death (Leviticus 20:27)."
The commandment is repeated in Deuteronomy 18:10-12, "There shall not be found
among you anyone who performs infant sacrifices, or who uses divination, or is an observer
of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits,
or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all who do these things are an abomination to the
Lord."
What's so bad about fortune tellers? Ask my friend who visited a side-show gypsy
and was told a tragedy would soon enter her life. Two weeks later her son drowned in a
swimming accident.
Circumstance? Chance? Could be. But there are people who can predict future events.
One group can rightly predict the loss of large sums of money. They're the
telephone psychics. Once they've got you hooked you'll spend a lot of money on 1-900 calls
to determine if you should marry the guy, whether you should take a Caribbean cruise, or
whether you'll be successful in business.
If they're fakes, they should be refused access to the telephone system - except
the phone companies make good money from 900 calls. If they're not, God says they're to be
put to death.
When Israel looked to God for guidance they prospered. But when they looked to the
gods and necromancers of the nations about them, they found themselves in deep trouble.
When the Philistines gathered for war against Israel, King Saul asked God what he
should do. God didn't answer, at least not immediately. Saul found a witch at Endor who
brought up a demon masquerading as Samuel. (I Samuel 28:5,11).
Through the demon God told Saul, "The Lord has taken the kingdom of Israel
from you and given it to David. Tomorrow, because you didn't obey God, you and your sons
will die (1 Samuel 28:17-19)." Pretty stiff punishment.
God likely laughs at the groundhog's predictions. But he is concerned when his
people look to astrologers and the like for guidance. Why?
King David answers, "Obey the Lord your God. Walk in his ways and keep his
statutes, his commandments, his judgments, and his testimonies. . . that you may prosper
(I Kings 2:3)."
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