The condemnation of Bibliomancy and or seeking an answer by randomly pointing within His Word.

[Albion]

Do you not understand that is what Bibliomancy does? It seeks to fulfill an immediate answer from God by randomly opening up the Bible and by randomly pointing to a verse so as to strong arm an answer out of God.

The definition of divination (of which Bibliomancy is one version) is absent any reference to "strong arming" God or "forcing" Him to respond in any way.

 

[Mathetes66]

What is bibliomancy? | GotQuestions.org

 

[grampster]

I voted "other". The bible is the a written account, inerrant, that God inspired men to write down for us. The Holy Spirit was given those of us who are born again, so that He might reveal to us through the bible what we need to know when we need to know it. Needing to know something "at the moment" does not mean the only use of the bible is to arbitrarily pick a page looking for an answer. The Holy Spirit reveals to us what we need in the long run. One needs to read the whole bible many times throughout our lives. It is an ongoing action we take to strengthen us.

Having said that, I have often opened the bible and began reading...maybe for a short time, maybe for a good deal of time. There is much there, no matter where you look. Many times I have had something revealed to me in a scripture that I wasn't even looking for and had read many times. In other words it's good to pick up the bible and open it and prayerfully read for awhile, be it Acts, or Letters, or the Gospels, or to read in the O.T. Psalms and Proverbs or Ecclesiastes are always edifying when one is troubled about a thing. The answer to the particular problem "at the moment" may not be there, but I'd wager (pun intended) that comfort or another needed thing would.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

I voted "other". The bible is the a written account, inerrant, that God inspired men to write down for us. The Holy Spirit was given those of us who are born again, so that He might reveal to us through the bible what we need to know when we need to know it. Needing to know something "at the moment" does not mean the only use of the bible is to arbitrarily pick a page looking for an answer. The Holy Spirit reveals to us what we need in the long run. One needs to read the whole bible many times throughout our lives. It is an ongoing action we take to strengthen us.

Having said that, I have often opened the bible and began reading...maybe for a short time, maybe for a good deal of time. There is much there, no matter where you look. Many times I have had something revealed to me in a scripture that I wasn't even looking for and had read many times. In other words it's good to pick up the bible and open it and prayerfully read for awhile, be it Acts, or Letters, or the Gospels, or to read in the O.T. Psalms and Proverbs or Ecclesiastes are always edifying when one is troubled about a thing. The answer to the particular problem "at the moment" may not be there, but I'd wager (pun intended) that comfort or another needed thing would.

I think opening a part of the Bible randomly to see what God wants to say (what is already in His Word) to me is one thing, but it is an entirely different thing to ask something in prayer like .... "should I take that new job?," and then look in the Scriptures randomly for an answer to that. You can obviously study God's Word randomly, but if we are randomly seeking the Scriptures to find a specific answer to our prayer, then that is something different. One is basic study, and the other is using the Scriptures in a way that they were not intended. We are to pray to God and let Him answer in His timing and way.

 

[JacksBratt]

I recently encountered Bibliomancy and or randomly opening and pointing to a point within the Bible so as to get an answer from God. This to me was something new to me that I did not really know about before. I did not know that this was an occult practice or a practice used in the occult. When I started to partake of this method for just one day via by learning about it, God warned me by using life circumstances and with Him silently bringing up His Word to me. I encountered smoke and fire two times within a span of two days. The second time the fire happened in another place and by another method, I was thinking of the first fire. I decided to seek what that meant in the Scriptures, and God just talked to my heart.... "danger." Then a verse came up in my mind. It was 2 Peter 1:20. Peter says in 2 Peter 1:20, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." Earlier that day, I prayed and asked for an answer from God, and I landed in Revelation. Revelation is clearly prophetic. Yet, I was using it for private interpretation by wanting an answer on a life situation. Clearly this was wrong, and at the time I did not realize it was until I researched more about this kind of thing.

Anyways, I now know Bibliomancy or randomly opening the Bible to get an answer from GOD is wrong. We should not try to force an answer out of GOD. God will answer in His timing and way. For He is GOD, and not us. So Bibliomancy and all its forms should be condemned practice. Nowhere do we see God's people partake of this method in desiring an answer from the Lord.

Why not do this... Next time your golfing... pray that God will pick the best club for the shot... put all your clubs in a sack with the grips sticking out.. every time you go to take shot... randomly pick one. See how that works out.

I also like post # 35....

But, those that believe in this are going to stick with it... while others who understand the errors of it... will not convince them otherwise.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

The definition of divination (of which Bibliomancy is one version) is absent any reference to "strong arming" God or "forcing" Him to respond in any way.

I know you disagree, but lets assume for a moment that I may be correct here and God does condemn Bibliomancy; If such a thing is true (and I believe it is), then those who are seeking to look for an answer to their prayers by randomly opening and pointing to the Bible are trying to strong arm an answer out of God when God does not operate in this way. God will answer a person's prayers in His timing and way, and not in a way that we choose.

 

[Ricky M]

I recently encountered Bibliomancy and or randomly opening and pointing to a point within the Bible so as to get an answer from God. This to me was something new to me that I did not really know about before. I did not know that this was an occult practice or a practice used in the occult. When I started to partake of this method for just one day via by learning about it, God warned me by using life circumstances and with Him silently bringing up His Word to me. I encountered smoke and fire two times within a span of two days. The second time the fire happened in another place and by another method, I was thinking of the first fire. I decided to seek what that meant in the Scriptures, and God just talked to my heart.... "danger." Then a verse came up in my mind. It was 2 Peter 1:20. Peter says in 2 Peter 1:20, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." Earlier that day, I prayed and asked for an answer from God, and I landed in Revelation. Revelation is clearly prophetic. Yet, I was using it for private interpretation by wanting an answer on a life situation. Clearly this was wrong, and at the time I did not realize it was until I researched more about this kind of thing.

Anyways, I now know Bibliomancy or randomly opening the Bible to get an answer from GOD is wrong. We should not try to force an answer out of GOD. God will answer in His timing and way. For He is GOD, and not us. So Bibliomancy and all its forms should be condemned practice. Nowhere do we see God's people partake of this method in desiring an answer from the Lord.

Something vehemently wants you to stay out of the Word of God when looking for answers.

Can't imagine that coming from God.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

Something vehemently wants you to stay out of the Word of God when looking for answers.

Can't imagine that coming from God.

Surely I am not saying that we cannot seek God's Word in what to do on a particular thing in our lives. But it is not randomly opening the Bible, and randomly pointing. It is researching that topic in the Bible. Job lost it all. Yet, he prevailed in his faith towards God. If anyone had life problems, it was him. We can look to Job, and other life problems or decisions we make in life based on what the Bible says on those things already. This would not be some kind of luck of the draw answer involving the Scriptures.

 

[DamianWarS]

When I say that Bibliomancy is of the occult is not up for debate, I was speaking figuratively in the sense that it is a known fact that Bibliomancy is a practice done in the occult. Just research the internet and you will see that others in other religions partake of this practice. Do not believe me, do your own homework and it will become evident.

Bibliomancy is indeed something we should not practice, it's about using a book to tell the future and literally means "divination by books". I think the confusion here is in the term. We see the word "bibliomancy" and assume it's unique to the bible because it has a word that looks like bible. "Biblio" means book and shares the same root as the word bible, although the bible can be used it's not needed and you can use any book.

To sincerely come before God and use the bible in a similar way is not bibliomancy so long as we are not drawing upon any other source than God or not using it for our own gain. God cares more about the heart and he can deal with different methods.

Many Christians can have "folksy" beliefs and will associate power with spiritual objects like crosses and bibles. This begins to cross the line because when we look at these objects with innate power themselves we entertain a pagan mindset and replace glory to God with glory to an object even if the object is a bible. We don't worship it and the book itself has no power but there may be Christians who do practice bibliomancy because they are not seeking God's power they are seeking some other power.

In the bible God uses objects all the time to display power like Moses staff, the ark of the covenant, Jesus uses spit and mud, oil is used lots, I think Peter uses handkerchiefs of some sort, not to mention we are used. So God is not against doing these sort of things but it is important God receives the glory, not a staff, oil or a book.

 

[HatedByAll]

There is one fallacy to your assumptions about people in the Bible not doing this. There is one major difference between then and now that makes that point irrelevant.

The Torah and other Scriptures at that time were handwritten. Not only that, they were unbound manuscripts. The average person did not have the Torah laying around to use. First, they most likely would need to make a special trip to the synagogue to even be able to read the Scripture. Secondly, how do you randomly flip to a page of a scroll.

It is possible they did that in the Biblical times, but using something like casting lots was probably much more likely. Just saying the reason it is not mentioned in the Bible is probably just because the average person in the Bible did not have a dozen or two full versions of the Bible laying around their house like most of us do today.

 

[Albion]

I know you disagree, but lets assume for a moment that I may be correct here and God does condemn Bibliomancy; If such a thing is true (and I believe it is), then those who are seeking to look for an answer to their prayers by randomly opening and pointing to the Bible are trying to strong arm an answer out of God when God does not operate in this way. God will answer a person's prayers in His timing and way, and not in a way that we choose.

In short, you are saying that "ask and ye shall receive" amounts to strong-arming God, forcing him to respond in the way you want.

I do not see it that way.

So that's that...except that you might be interested in Barnes' Commentary on that passage. Here it is:

"The promise is, that what we seek shall be given us. It is of course implied that we seek with a proper spirit, with humility, sincerity, and perseverance. It is implied, also, that we ask the things which it may be consistent for God to give - that is, things which he has promised to give, and which would be best for us, and most for his own honor, 1 John 5:14. Of that God is to be the judge."

 

[Bible Highlighter]

Bibliomancy is indeed something we should not practice, it's about using a book to tell the future and literally means "divination by books". I think the confusion here is in the term. We see the word "bibliomancy" and assume it's unique to the bible because it has a word that looks like bible. "Biblio" means book and shares the same root as the word bible, although the bible can be used it's not needed and you can use any book.

I never suggested otherwise. I am aware it can apply to any book. I said so already in the fact that Bibliomancy can be seen in other occult practices or involving other religious books.

To sincerely come before God and use the bible in a similar way is not bibliomancy so long as we are not drawing upon any other source than God or not using it for our own gain. God cares more about the heart and he can deal with different methods.

Prayer is about asking, seeking, and knocking. Asking is to gain something in our favor. So if a person prays to God, it is for them to gain something. It can be to gain a life of increased holiness, or to save a family member. It can be to have a home so as to provide a proper place for your family to live. For even the apostles had homes. Randomly opening the Bible, and randomly pointing within it for an answer is not a practice we see in the Scriptures, but is a practice we see in the occult. For we are called to be holy (1 Thessalonians 4:7). Meaning, we are to be set apart from the world and others. Our ways should not be like the ways of the occult.

Divination can be defined as gaining secret knowledge, too; And it is not exclusive to just foretelling the future. But if we ask GOD for what direction or path to take (like in what State or country we should live in), and then we get an immediate answer by randomly pointing in the Bible, we are attempting to divine or control our own future by some random chance practice involving God's Word vs. just asking GOD and waiting upon Him for the answer. We could also search the Scriptures to find a related situation that we are going through. We would be seeing what the Bible actually says on the topic vs. just landing on a random verse that is being taken out of context to fit our life situation.

So if a person lands randomly on Revelation or some other prophecy as an answer and they interpret it privately for their life situation as an answer to their prayer, they are violating 2 Peter 1:20.

Many Christians can have "folksy" beliefs and will associate power with spiritual objects like crosses and bibles. This begins to cross the line because when we look at these objects with innate power themselves we entertain a pagan mindset and replace glory to God with glory to an object even if the object is a bible. We don't worship it and the book itself has no power but there may be Christians who do practice bibliomancy because they are not seeking God's power they are seeking some other power.

The Scriptures are called the "holy scriptures" two times in the King James bible (See: Romans 1:2, and 2 Timothy 3:15). All Scripture is given by inspiration by God. It is literally God breathed. God told Moses to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. The ark of the covenant was a holy object and some have died in handling it. So to revere something as holy by GOD is not wrong. To hold the Bible as being a holy book is not wrong. I would never burn a Bible, or show disrespect for a Bible. It is how we get our faith (Romans 10:13). The very cover says, "Holy Bible." So I regard it as such. I do not try to place things on top of the Bible to show disrespect for it. I also recognize that bibles over the years have saved people's lives, and they survived fires several times. This to me is not a coincidence. God's Word is special and holy. It is separate above all other books.

In the bible God uses objects all the time to display power like Moses staff, the ark of the covenant, Jesus uses spit and mud, oil is used lots, I think Peter uses handkerchiefs of some sort, not to mention we are used. So God is not against doing these sort of things but it is important God receives the glory, not a staff, oil or a book.

I look at the Bible as a love letter from God. It is sort of like when a woman who receives a love letter from her fiancé who lives far away in another country. She may cherish the letter from her love, and hold it in high regard, but that does not mean she will take the letter and treat it as if it was her fiancé. Meaning, she is not going to take the love letter out on dinner dates, and attempt to kiss the letter and talk to the letter as if it was her fiancé. Nobody today thinks the Bible is actually GOD Himself. If a person follows the Bible, and makes it their authority, they know GOD is a spirit, and they are to worship Him alone. That does not mean we cannot revere God's Word. For God's Word is a certain aspect or part of GOD because it is in part the thoughts (or mind) of GOD.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

In short, you are saying that "ask and ye shall receive" amounts to strong-arming God, forcing him to respond in the way you want.

I do not see it that way.

So that's that...except that you might be interested in Barnes' Commentary on that passage. Here it is:

"The promise is, that what we seek shall be given us. It is of course implied that we seek with a proper spirit, with humility, sincerity, and perseverance. It is implied, also, that we ask the things which it may be consistent for God to give - that is, things which he has promised to give, and which would be best for us, and most for his own honor, 1 John 5:14. Of that God is to be the judge."

I am not talking about normal prayer. I am talking about praying with a forced answer by randomly opening up the Bible. Again, show me where this practice is found in the Bible.

 

[Ricky M]

Surely I am not saying that we cannot seek God's Word in what to do on a particular thing in our lives. But it is not randomly opening the Bible, and randomly pointing. It is researching that topic in the Bible. Job lost it all. Yet, he prevailed in his faith towards God. If anyone had life problems, it was him. We can look to Job, and other life problems or decisions we make in life based on what the Bible says on those things already. This would not be some kind of luck of the draw answer involving the Scriptures.

For sure we should not evolve a theology around it, we should not rely on it as a primary source of direction, and like another poster said the glory should go to God and not the book.

But to say God cannot and will not use that resource from time to time, is just as erroneous.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

I am not talking about normal prayer. I am talking about praying with a forced answer by randomly opening up the Bible. Again, show me where this practice is found in the Bible.

It is your OP, right? Show us someone specifically , by name or quote, who is doing this.

 

[Ricky M]

I am not talking about normal prayer. I am talking about praying with a forced answer by randomly opening up the Bible. Again, show me where this practice is found in the Bible.

You keep asking people to show how people who did not have Bibles used Bibles in this manner.

Your logic fails you, my friend.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

You keep asking people to show how people who did not have Bibles used Bibles in this manner.

Your logic fails you, my friend.

I am talking about the occult. I am saying that those in the occult use their religious books to do the same thing. It is a practice that is recognized in the occult and not a practice we see in the Scriptures.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

It is your OP, right? Show us someone specifically , by name or quote, who is doing this.

Here we go again. Please research the internet on Bibliomancy. This is not something that was just invented today by this thread.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Here we go again. Please research the internet on Bibliomancy. This is not something that was just invented today by this thread.

If there is no one doing that identified, what's the purpose ?

 

[Bible Highlighter]

If there is no one doing that identified, what's the purpose ?

I did it for a day. I know others partake of this method, as well. Again, why would they invent a term for something that people do not do? It makes no sense.