Question: "What are familiar spirits?"
Answer: The word familiar is from the Latin familiaris, meaning a "household servant," and is intended to express the idea that sorcerers had spirits as their servants ready to obey their commands. Those attempting to contact the dead, even to this day, usually have some sort of spirit guide who communicates with them. These are familiar spirits.
Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27; and Deuteronomy 18:9-14 refer to “mediums and familiar spirits” and forbids being involved with them, as they are an abomination to the Lord. A medium is one who acts as a liaison to supposedly contact or communicate with the dead on behalf of the living. In reality mediums are contacting demons who convince the mediums that they are “familiar” and can be trusted and believed. The practices associated with mediums and familiar spirits were banned in Israel, and the punishment for practicing such things was death.
Familiar spirits and spirit guides are under the control of their master, Satan. They influence people to spread lies and deceit in order to thwart the kingdom of God. To knowingly open oneself to the work of demons is an evil thing: "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in [a] 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" (Deuteronomy 18:10-12a).
Some avenues through which demons or "familiar spirits" can gain entrance into a person's life are divination, transcendental meditation, visualization, necromancy, witchcraft, drugs, and alcohol. These are all activities that believers are exhorted to avoid. Instead, we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, with love, with joy, and with the fullness of life that comes from Jesus Christ. We are also to be on guard, "for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12).
Recommended Resources: Angels: Elect & Evil by C. Fred Dickason and Logos Bible Software.
Answer: The word familiar is from the Latin familiaris, meaning a "household servant," and is intended to express the idea that sorcerers had spirits as their servants ready to obey their commands. Those attempting to contact the dead, even to this day, usually have some sort of spirit guide who communicates with them. These are familiar spirits.
Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27; and Deuteronomy 18:9-14 refer to “mediums and familiar spirits” and forbids being involved with them, as they are an abomination to the Lord. A medium is one who acts as a liaison to supposedly contact or communicate with the dead on behalf of the living. In reality mediums are contacting demons who convince the mediums that they are “familiar” and can be trusted and believed. The practices associated with mediums and familiar spirits were banned in Israel, and the punishment for practicing such things was death.
Familiar spirits and spirit guides are under the control of their master, Satan. They influence people to spread lies and deceit in order to thwart the kingdom of God. To knowingly open oneself to the work of demons is an evil thing: "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in [a] 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" (Deuteronomy 18:10-12a).
Some avenues through which demons or "familiar spirits" can gain entrance into a person's life are divination, transcendental meditation, visualization, necromancy, witchcraft, drugs, and alcohol. These are all activities that believers are exhorted to avoid. Instead, we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, with love, with joy, and with the fullness of life that comes from Jesus Christ. We are also to be on guard, "for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12).
Recommended Resources: Angels: Elect & Evil by C. Fred Dickason and Logos Bible Software.
What
is a familiar spirit?
by Matt Slick
A familiar spirit is a demon that is
summoned by a medium with the intention that the spirit summoned will
obey his or her commands. Often, familiar spirits are believed to be the
spirits of people who have died (Duet. 18:11). However, Biblically this is not
the case. Such appearances are in actuality demonic forces imitating people in order to
deceive.
We know that people cannot come back
from the dead from what Jesus said in Luke 16:19-31 when He gave us the story of Lazarus
and the rich man. Jesus said in verse 26 "and besides all this, between us
and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from
here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to
us." So, we can see that people cannot come back from the dead. However,
we cannot leave this topic without addressing 1 Samuel 28 that deals with Saul
and the medium who, apparently, actually contacted the departed Spirit of
Samuel. Commentators are split on whether or not this was actually Samuel, but
the text seems to imply it was. So why the exception? We are not sure, but it
might have been allowed for the purpose of rebuking Saul for his sin--something
that does not happen with familiar spirits when they manifest. Perhaps it is a
teaching tool to show us the difference between those who are really of God
(Samuel) and those who are not (familiar spirits).
The two words, "familiar
spirit," in the King James Bible are translated into the English from the
single Hebrew word obe אֹוב.
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King James Bible
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New American Standard Bible
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Lev. 19:31, "Regard not them that have familiar spirits,
neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your
God."
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1 Chron. 10:13, "So Saul died for his transgression which he
committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept
not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to
inquire of it."
·
2 Chron. 33:6, "And he caused his children to pass through the
fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used
enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with
wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to
anger."
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Lev. 19:31, "Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not
seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the Lord
your God."
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1 Chron. 10:13, "So Saul died for his trespass which he committed
against the Lord, because of the
word of the Lord which he did
not keep; and also because he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of
it."
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2 Chron. 33:6, " He made his sons pass through the fire in the
valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced
sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the
sight of the Lord, provoking Him
to anger."
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Familiar spirit
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Sorcerers or necormancers,
who professed to call up the dead to answer questions, were said to have a
"familiar spirit" (Deut. 18:11; 2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chr. 33:6; Lev.
19:31; 20:6; Isa. 8:19; 29:4). Such a person was called by the Hebrews an 'ob,
which properly means a leathern bottle; for sorcerers were regarded as vessels
containing the inspiring demon. This Hebrew word was equivalent to the pytho of
the Greeks, and was used to denote both the person and the spirit which
possessed him (Lev. 20:27; 1 Sam. 28:8; comp. Acts 16:16). The word
"familiar" is from the Latin familiaris, meaning a "household
servant," and was intended to express the idea that sorcerers had spirits
as their servants ready to obey their commands.
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