What does the Bible say about mediums?
The Bible speaks with absolute clarity when it comes to mediums and spiritists: God’s people are to avoid them entirely. From the Law of Moses to the warnings of the prophets, Scripture consistently condemns the practice of seeking guidance or knowledge through the dead or through occult powers.
These prohibitions are not arbitrary—they reflect the fact that consulting mediums rejects God as the source of wisdom and opens the door to spiritual deception. The Bible frames the choice starkly: will you inquire of God, or will you turn to those who attempt to speak for the dead?
1. The Bible’s Command to Avoid Mediums
From the earliest laws given to Israel, the Bible prohibits turning to mediums. Leviticus 20:27 states:
“A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.”
These strong words show that God considers such practices not merely misguided, but spiritually dangerous and incompatible with covenant faithfulness. The commands in Leviticus 19:31 and Deuteronomy 18:10–12 make it clear: mediums are part of the occult realm that God’s people must reject.
2. Why the Bible Forbids Consulting Mediums
Isaiah 8:19 poses a piercing question:
“Should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?”
The Bible gives two primary reasons for avoiding mediums:
They replace trust in God with trust in forbidden spiritual channels.
They invite deception, often masking demonic influence under a guise of truth.
Instead of seeking wisdom from God through prayer and His Word, consulting mediums puts faith in spirits whose origins and intentions are unknown. This is why the Bible associates mediumship with rebellion against God’s authority.
3. The Witch of Endor: A Sobering Biblical Example
The most famous account involving a medium in the Bible appears in 1 Samuel 28, when King Saul seeks out the “witch of Endor.” Ironically, Saul had previously expelled mediums from Israel in obedience to God’s commands—but in desperation, he violates his own decree.
The account unfolds as follows:
Saul disguises himself and visits the medium at night.
He asks her to summon the prophet Samuel from the dead.
The medium succeeds, but the event shocks even her.
Samuel delivers a divine message of judgment: Saul’s reign will end, and he will die in battle.
Scholars debate whether this was truly Samuel’s spirit, a vision, or a demonic impersonation. Regardless of the explanation, the Bible treats the event as real and as further evidence that seeking mediums brings judgment, not help.
4. Spiritual Dangers Behind Mediumship
The Bible warns that behind the practice of mediums lies a deeper spiritual reality:
False guidance can lead people away from God’s truth.
Demonic influence may disguise itself as helpful or comforting.
Judgment awaits those who persist in occult practices (Revelation 21:8).
Mediumship is never presented as neutral—it is portrayed as spiritually compromising and aligned with forces opposed to God’s kingdom.
5. The Gospel’s Answer to the Temptation of Mediums
While the Bible warns strongly against mediums, it also offers a greater hope: the living God speaks, guides, and gives wisdom generously to all who seek Him in faith (James 1:5).
Through the Gospel, believers have direct access to God through Jesus Christ—the one mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). In Christ, there is no need to search for answers through the dead or through occult channels. Instead, God’s Spirit dwells within His people, providing truth, guidance, and comfort.
The pull toward mediums often comes from fear, grief, or uncertainty about the future. The Gospel replaces that fear with the assurance that in Christ, nothing—not even death—can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38–39).
Conclusion: What the Bible Says About Mediums
So, what does the Bible say about mediums? It says they are forbidden, dangerous, and incompatible with faith in the living God. The Scriptures consistently warn that turning to mediums is an act of rebellion and a pathway to deception.
Instead, the Bible calls God’s people to seek Him alone for wisdom, guidance, and hope. The Gospel assures us that we do not need the voices of the dead when the living God has spoken, and continues to speak, through His Word and His Spirit.
Bible verses about mediums:
Leviticus 19:31, "Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God."
Leviticus 20:6, "If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people."
Leviticus 20:27, "A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them."
Deuteronomy 18:10-12, "There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord."
1 Samuel 28:7, "Then Saul said to his servants, 'Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.' And his servants said to him, 'Behold, there is a medium at En-dor.'"
1 Chronicles 10:13, "So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance."
2 Kings 21:6, "And he burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger."
2 Kings 23:24, "Moreover, Josiah put away the mediums and the necromancers and the household gods and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem."
Isaiah 8:19, "And when they say to you, 'Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,' should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?"
Isaiah 19:3, "And the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers."
