What does the Bible say about mediums and psychics?

Understanding Leviticus 19:31

The Bible's position on mediums, psychics, spiritists, necromancers, and all forms of occult divination is unambiguous: they are categorically forbidden. This is not a minor prohibition buried in obscure ceremonial law — it is a consistent theme spanning both Testaments, grounded in the first commandment, and treated as a matter of fundamental spiritual loyalty.

Old Testament Prohibitions

The Torah contains multiple explicit prohibitions:

'Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God' (Leviticus 19:31).

'I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people' (Leviticus 20:6).

'A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads' (Leviticus 20:27).

Deuteronomy 18:10-12 provides the most comprehensive list: '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.'

The severity of these prohibitions — including the death penalty — indicates that God does not treat occult practices as harmless entertainment or innocent curiosity. They are placed alongside child sacrifice in terms of spiritual seriousness.

Why the Prohibition?

The fundamental issue is the source of spiritual knowledge and authority. The Bible presents a binary choice: either you seek guidance from the LORD or you seek it from other spiritual sources. There is no neutral middle ground.

Theological exclusivity. 'I am the LORD your God' is the grounding phrase (Leviticus 19:31). Consulting mediums is a violation of the first commandment — it seeks spiritual authority from a source other than God.

The danger of demonic deception. Scripture teaches that the spirit world is real but not all spirits are trustworthy. Paul warned that 'Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light' (2 Corinthians 11:14). The spiritual entities contacted through mediums are not identified as benign in Scripture — they are classified as deceptive and dangerous.

God has provided legitimate guidance. Deuteronomy 18 immediately follows the prohibition of mediums with the promise of the prophet — ultimately fulfilled in Christ: 'The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him' (Deuteronomy 18:15). God's answer to the human desire for spiritual guidance is not silence but His own word through His chosen means.

The Witch of Endor: 1 Samuel 28

The most detailed biblical account of consulting a medium is King Saul's visit to the medium at Endor (1 Samuel 28). Saul had earlier expelled mediums and spiritists from the land (1 Samuel 28:3), in obedience to the Law. But when facing the Philistine army with no word from God — 'the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets' (1 Samuel 28:6) — Saul disguised himself and sought out a medium.

The medium summoned what appeared to be the prophet Samuel, who delivered a devastating message: 'The LORD has departed from you and become your enemy... The LORD will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me' (1 Samuel 28:16-19).

Saul died the next day. The story illustrates multiple truths: desperation drives people to forbidden sources, God's silence is itself a message, and turning to the occult in crisis does not produce hope — only confirmation of judgment.

New Testament Teaching

The New Testament continues the Old Testament's opposition:

Acts 16:16-18. Paul encountered a slave girl in Philippi who had 'a spirit by which she predicted the future.' Even though she was saying true things about Paul ('These men are servants of the Most High God'), Paul was 'troubled' and cast out the spirit. The source of accurate information does not validate the spiritual channel.

Acts 19:18-19. When the Ephesians believed, 'a number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly.' The estimated value was fifty thousand drachmas — a fortune. Conversion meant complete renunciation of occult practices.

Galatians 5:19-21. Paul lists 'witchcraft' (Greek: pharmakeia) among the acts of the flesh, alongside sexual immorality, idolatry, and drunkenness, with the warning that 'those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.'

Revelation 21:8. In the final judgment, 'those who practice magic arts' are listed among those consigned to the lake of fire.

Modern Applications

The biblical prohibitions raise questions about modern practices:

Psychic readings, tarot cards, horoscopes, and astrology. These fall squarely within the biblical category of divination — seeking hidden knowledge through spiritual or occult means rather than through God. The fact that they are commercialized and normalized in culture does not change their biblical classification.

Seances and communication with the dead. Necromancy — consulting the dead — is explicitly forbidden (Deuteronomy 18:11). The desire to communicate with deceased loved ones is understandable but the method is condemned.

The core principle. The Bible's objection is not primarily about whether these practices 'work' (some may involve genuine spiritual phenomena) but about the source. Seeking spiritual knowledge, guidance, or power from any source other than God is spiritual unfaithfulness — regardless of the results.

Isaiah summarized it concisely: 'When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? Consult God's instruction and the testimony of warning' (Isaiah 8:19-20).