Why don’t
I read horoscopes? Because I believe in
God, and because I believe that God has revealed Himself to us.
3,500
years ago, when God brought Israel out of slavery and oppression in Egypt, he
decided to lay down the law. Many know
the summary of this law as the Ten Commandments
and there are around 613 commandments in the Law of Moses, the Law that was
revealed to Israel. Among the many
revelations include the fact that
using horoscopes is wrong. When God
entered into a covenant with Israel, he
said, as documented in the Book of Leviticus, “Do not practice divination or
seek omens.”
Moses,
in writing the Book of Deuteronomy said:
“When you enter the
land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable
ways of the nations there. Let no one be
found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices
divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts
spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
“Anyone who does
these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable
practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must
be blameless before the Lord your God. The nations you will dispossess listen
to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God
has not permitted you to do so.” (Deuteronomy chapter 18, verses 9-14)
Nevertheless,
around 800 years after these events, or 2,700 years ago, there was an evil King
named Manasseh who ruled Judah (Southern Israel). He was so evil that God exiled the Jews from
Judah and Jerusalem to Babylon for 70 years in part because of him.
The Book
of Kings recounts how evil Manasseh was:
“He did evil in the
eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord
had driven out before the Israelites. He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced
divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord,
arousing his anger.” (2 Kings chapter 21, verses 2 and 6)
In case
you’re thinking that the prohibition against the use of horoscopes only applies
to Israel, the prophet Isaiah was sent to Judah (Southern Israel) 2,800 years
ago, before the exile to Babylon took place.
The Babylonians were not descended from Israel, were
not included in the covenant between God and Israel, and were the enemies of
Israel.
In
addressing the Babylonians, God said through Isaiah:
“`Keep on, then, with
your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since
childhood. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps
you will cause terror. All the counsel
you have received has only worn you out!
Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions
month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you.
“`Surely they are
like stubble; the fire will burn them up.
They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame. These are not coals for warmth; this is not a
fire to sit by. That is all they are to
you – these you have dealt with and labored with since childhood. All of them go on in their error; there is
not one that can save you.’” (Isaiah chapter 47, verses 12-15)
God,
who is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, knows everything that’s going
to happen in the future – and in my opinion, he does not share this information
with astrologers.
