SUPERSTITIONS

While Christians affirm that God is supernatural, we of all people should not be superstitious. Yes, we recognize that from time to time in biblical history God has spectacularly suspended natural law as a strategic way to display the credentials of his Son, and to authenticate a select group of prophetic messengers. And yes, we also appreciate the overarching providence of God as he purposefully works within the framework of history and natural events. But we should be careful to note that the Bible condemns those superstitious tendencies that always seek to assign a spiritual relationship to a set of natural circumstances.

 

This presumed cause-and-effect relationship can lead to a variety of erroneous and sinful conclusions. Consider when Paul’s hand was bitten by a snake and the superstitious people of Malta wrongly assumed he must have been a criminal (Ac.28). Or remember when the worldly Israelites lost a military battle and foolishly assumed that if they brought the ark of the covenant into the next battle they would win (1Sam.4). Think of the Pharisees who had constructed and employed an entire set of superstitious methods and devices in hopes of conjuring up good for their lives (Mk.7). Or envision the women of Judah who were chided for including mystical amulets in their daily wardrobe (Is.3).

 

We must be careful then to be sure we exclusively trust in God, not in any of the superstitions of our culture. We must be certain to rely on God’s word, and not the speculative connections between one thing and another.