Question 1

What does it mean not to learn the abominations of the nations?

Accepted Answer

When God says not to learn the abominations of the nations, he is warning Israel not to copy the religious habits and magic of the people already living in the land. They might see those customs all around them and feel tempted to try them, but God says they must not take them in, practice them, or treat them as normal. They can notice how evil these ways are, and even warn their children about them, but they are not to join in. God wants his people to reject such things in their hearts and lives.

Question 2

What does it mean to make a son or daughter pass through the fire?

Accepted Answer

Passing a child through the fire was part of worship to a false god, often linked with the name Moloch. It could involve leading children between two fires as a kind of ceremony, or even burning them as offerings. It was treated as a cleansing or dedication rite, but in reality it was child sacrifice and false worship. God calls this an abomination. He had already forbidden it, and here he again makes clear that his people must never use their children in such cruel and idolatrous practices.

Question 3

What kinds of divination and magic are listed in this passage?

Accepted Answer

The passage names several practices: divination in general, watching times or signs, enchantments, witchcraft, charming, consulting with familiar spirits, wizardry, and speaking with the dead. These include trying to predict the future from signs in the sky or in nature, using spells or objects to control events, calling on spirits for secret knowledge, and seeking messages from the dead. All of them are ways of looking for guidance and power apart from God. Instead of trusting him, people turn to dark, hidden forces, which God rejects.

Question 4

Why are these practices called an abomination to the Lord?

Accepted Answer

These practices are called an abomination because they twist what belongs to God. Only God truly knows the future and rules all things, yet divination and magic act as if hidden spirits or human tricks can replace him. Child sacrifice denies God’s care and destroys life he created. Consulting spirits and the dead looks for truth in places of darkness and lies. God is holy and good, so he hates what harms people and pulls them away from him. To live in these ways is not a small mistake but a deep offense against his honor.

Question 5

What does it mean to be perfect with the Lord your God?

Accepted Answer

Being perfect with the Lord here means being whole-hearted and undivided toward him. It does not mean never sinning, but it does mean refusing to mix God’s worship with superstitions, magic, or the customs of those who do not know him. God is calling his people to give him their full trust and loyalty, to look only to him for guidance, and to avoid any split between his ways and the ways of the nations. A “perfect” heart in this sense is sincere, simple, and steady in walking with God alone.

Question 6

Why were the Canaanite nations driven out for these abominations?

Accepted Answer

The Canaanite nations were not driven out just for ordinary faults, but for long-standing, serious sins like child sacrifice, idolatry, and deep involvement with magic and spirits. These ways polluted their land and their lives. God’s judgment shows that such practices are not harmless traditions but bring real ruin. Israel was not only to see this judgment; they were also used as the instrument of it. That made it especially foolish and sinful for them to take up the very customs that had led to the other nations’ downfall.

Question 7

How had God given Israel something better than divination and witchcraft?

Accepted Answer

God had not left Israel in the dark, so they had no need for fortune-tellers or spirit-talkers. He gave them his law as a clear guide and raised up true prophets to speak his word. He also provided special ways, like the priestly tools of decision, for seeking his will in hard cases. These came from the living God, not from lies and tricks. Because God himself spoke to them and lived among them, turning to magic or spirits would mean rejecting the better, sure guidance he had already given.

Question 8

How does this passage speak to things like horoscopes and fortune-tellers today?

Accepted Answer

This passage warns against any way of chasing secret knowledge outside of God, whether ancient or modern. Today that can include horoscopes, tarot cards, psychics, talking to the dead, or using objects and rituals to control events. The details may differ, but the heart is the same: trying to know or shape the future without trusting God. The passage calls believers to turn away from these things, however common or “fun” they may seem, and to rest instead in God’s word, his care, and his promise to lead his people.

Question 9

What does this teach about God’s character and guidance?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that God is holy, jealous for pure worship, and kind in giving clear warnings. He does not want his people trapped in fear, superstition, or cruel customs. He cares about how they seek guidance and wants them to come to him, not to spirits or signs. By driving out the nations for these sins and telling Israel not to copy them, God shows both justice and mercy. He judges what is evil, yet he also protects his people from falling into the same darkness by speaking plainly about what pleases him.

Deuteronomy 18:9

¶ When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

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Deuteronomy 18:9

¶ When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

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