Using sage, especially for cleansing or spiritual purposes, has grown in popularity, but what does the Bible say about such practices? While the Bible doesn’t mention sage specifically, it does provide principles about spiritual purity, worship, and what is acceptable before God. Let’s explore.
Also Read: What Does The Bible Say About Sleeping Together Before Marriage
What Does The Bible Say About Using Sage
Leviticus 19:31
“Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.”
This verse warns against seeking out mediums or spiritists, as it is considered sinful and defiling. It emphasizes the importance of relying on God alone for guidance and spiritual matters.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12
“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.”
These verses strongly condemn the practice of divination, sorcery, witchcraft, and consulting the dead. It emphasizes that these practices are detestable to God and should be avoided by His followers.
Isaiah 8:19
“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?”
Here, Isaiah questions the need to consult mediums and spiritists, highlighting that believers should instead seek guidance from God. It encourages relying on God’s wisdom rather than turning to supernatural practices for answers.
Galatians 5:19-20
“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions…”
Among the sinful acts listed in these verses, witchcraft is mentioned as an act of the flesh. It emphasizes that engaging in witchcraft is contrary to a life led by the Spirit and should be avoided by believers.
Acts 19:19
“A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.”
In this passage, those who had practiced sorcery acknowledge their wrongdoing and publicly burn their sorcery scrolls. This demonstrates their repentance and commitment to turning away from such practices.
1 Samuel 15:23
“For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king.”
This verse draws a parallel between the sin of divination and rebellion against God’s word. It highlights the seriousness of engaging in divination and emphasizes the importance of obedience to God.
Ezekiel 13:18
“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people.”
Ezekiel condemns the use of magic charms and veils for the purpose of deceiving and ensnaring others. This verse warns against engaging in practices that manipulate and deceive people.
Revelation 21:8
“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
These verses from Revelation include practicing magic arts among the various sins that will lead to eternal punishment. It underscores the severity of engaging in such practices and the consequences they carry.
Deuteronomy 7:25
“The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God.”
These verses instruct the burning of idols and treasures associated with false gods. It advises against coveting and taking such objects, as they can lead to being ensnared and falling into detestable practices.
Exodus 22:18
“Do not allow a sorceress to live.”
This verse expresses the severity of sorcery, going to the extent of prohibiting sorceresses from living. It highlights the seriousness with which God views these practices.
2 Kings 17:17
“They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.”
These verses depict a people who engaged in various wrongful practices, including divination, omens, and sacrificing their children. It illustrates how these actions bring about God’s anger and judgment.
Acts 8:9-11
“Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, ‘This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.'”
This passage introduces Simon, a sorcerer who had deceived many with his tricks and claimed to possess great power. It serves as a cautionary example of the allure and danger of being drawn into deceptive magical practices.
Revelation 22:15
“Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”
In this concluding verse of Revelation, practicing magic arts is once again listed among the sins that will result in exclusion from the heavenly dwelling. It reiterates the importance of abstaining from these practices.
Acts 13:6-12
“They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, ‘You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.’ Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.”
In this passage, we witness a confrontation between the apostle Paul and a sorcerer named Elymas. Paul rebukes Elymas for his deceit and attempts to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Paul’s encounter demonstrates the opposition that arises when false and deceptive practices collide with the truth of the Gospel.
Exodus 7:11
“Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts.”
During the time of Moses, the sorcerers and magicians of Egypt utilized their secret arts to replicate some of the miraculous signs performed by Moses and Aaron. This serves as a reminder that even though deceptive practices may have some semblance of power, they pale in comparison to the true power of God.
Jeremiah 14:14
“Then the Lord said to me, ‘The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.'”
In this verse, God expresses His displeasure with the false prophets who prophesy lies and indulge in divinations. It serves as a reminder to be discerning and cautious of those who claim to have supernatural knowledge or power.
Acts 16:16-18
“Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.’ She kept this up for many days. Finally, Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out of her!’ At that moment, the spirit left her.”
This passage recounts an incident where Paul encounters a slave girl possessed by a spirit of divination. Despite the girl’s accurate predictions, Paul discerns the deceptive nature of the spirit and commands it to leave. This highlights the importance of seeking truth and discerning the source of spiritual practices.
Micah 5:12
“I will destroy your witchcraft and you will no longer cast spells.”
This verse speaks of God’s intention to remove witchcraft and the casting of spells from His people. It reveals His disapproval and commitment to eradicating these practices from their midst.
Daniel 2:27-28
“Daniel replied, ‘No wise man, enchanter, magician, or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about. But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.'”
In response to King Nebuchadnezzar’s demand for the interpretation of a dream, Daniel acknowledges the limitations of wise men, enchanters, magicians, and diviners in understanding divine mysteries. He points to the ultimate source of revelation and knowledge, which is God Himself.
Exodus 22:18
“Do not allow a sorceress to live.”
These words serve as a commandment from God to the Israelites regarding sorceresses. It demonstrates the seriousness of engaging in sorcery and witchcraft, warranting the punishment of death during that time.
Isaiah 19:3
“The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists.”
Isaiah prophesies about the Egyptians seeking guidance from idols, spirits of the dead, mediums, and spiritists. The verse reveals the futile nature of relying on such sources and emphasizes the need to turn to God alone.
Acts 19:13-16
“Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by evil spirits, saying, ‘In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.’ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?’ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.”
In this passage, a group of Jewish exorcists mistakenly tries to invoke the name of Jesus without personal faith or authority. The evil spirit recognizes their lack of true connection to Jesus and responds violently, exposing their inadequacy. This serves as a warning against attempting spiritual practices without genuine faith and relationship with God.
1 Chronicles 10:13-14
“Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the Word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance and did not inquire of the Lord. So, the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.”
These verses recount the downfall and death of King Saul due to consultating a medium instead of inquiring of the Lord. It serves as a cautionary tale of the consequences of seeking guidance from sources other than God, and the importance of obedience to His commandments.