Why I Don't Read Horoscopes

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.