It's God Who Will Be Casting the Stones

# 217 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 15:23a For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft," (1 Sam 15:23a) The Holy Spirit likens the sin of rebellion (picking and choosing what you will obey and believe from Scripture) to witchcraft. This sin of witchcraft was an abomination in the sight of the Lord and those who practiced the black arts were to be put to death. Le 20:27 says, “A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.'" And in Ex 22:18 we read, "You shall not permit a sorceress to live.” And in Dt 18:10,11, “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 "or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. The penalty for practicing these things was death. Now please, before you run out to pick up some stones, remember things have changed in the New Testament. Never forget the words of Jesus to those who were about to stone the woman caught in the act of adultery (another capital offense) "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." (John 8:7b) Jesus will do the final judging of sinners, not you or I. Our job is to warn and (when necessary) put biblical church discipline into practice. Remember too that these things in the Old Testament were written for us to serve as examples or types, and this stoning was a type or an example of the end of those who practice the black arts. Stoning served as a picture of God's eternal punishment for unrepentant sinners. In the end, it is God who will do the stoning, not you or I. Re 16:21 says, “and great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.” Sounds like God will be doing the stoning, .....not us. With that and mind, is it really wise for us to engage in rebellion against God? Is it really wise to engage in the occult? Is it really wise to “do what is right in our own eyes?”