A while ago, a self-proclaimed "scholar" on the topic of Mormon studies wrote a laughably bad article on alleged Mormon necromancy, an article I parodied in New Testament Necromancy!
The following, from a leading Bible dictionary, discusses divination that was accepted by Old and New Testament prophets. If the (Calvinist/Reformed Protestant) "scholar" were to be consistent, he would have to reject the Bible (or, heaven forbid, admit that his "arguments" against the LDS Church to be utterly bogus):
Accepted and Neutral Divination in the Old Testament. The predominant divination item mentioned in the Bible without condemnation was the Urim and Thummim pair, which priests used to determine Yahweh’s will. Reiner and Hurowitz suggest these biblical items may have been comparable to Mesopotamian psephomancy and were used to answer yes or no questions (Reiner, “Fortune-telling” 25, Hurowitz and Hurowitz, “Urim and Thummim,” 96). Houtman notes that more complicated answers seem to have been related to this method as well (Houtman, “Urim and Thummim,” 229, 231). The Bible also records common people casting lots to determine God’s will (Num 26:55–56; Jonah 1:7; Esth 3:7, 9:24–26) without condemning the practice (Lindblom, “Lot-casting,” 164–165, 173).
Joseph (Gen 40:9–13 and 41:15–36) and Daniel (Dan 2) both engaged in dream interpretation, which was considered learned insight rather than divination in the ancient world. The incubation of dreams—which entailed sleeping in a specific place with the expectation of a divine-induced dream—was practiced throughout the ancient world. Solomon’s act of seeking aid from God so that he could be a good ruler (1 Kgs 3:4–15) might be an example of such a practice. Jacob’s vision in Gen 28:10–17 could be interpreted similarly, though Jacob does not seem to demonstrate this intent when picking a place to sleep.
The written word became highly significant in early Judaism. Ezra’s reading of the Torah was a pivotal moment in the shift from the practices of the religion of Judah to the religion of Judaism. Noegel notes that biblical passages such as the writing of the Ten Commandments (Exod 31:18) stress the importance of words (Noegel, “Sign,” 146). In many regards, the “sacred text” takes an authoritative stance over divination in later Judaism, or at least one that it must be checked against.
The biblical narrative tells of other forms of divination without comment or description. Other narratives provide detailed information about seeking omens without expressing negative connotations:
• Genesis 30:27 records Laban telling Jacob that he received knowledge from God through divination, but it doesn’t specify which form of divination or if the Bible approves or disapproves.
• Genesis 44:5 says that Joseph engaged in divination by using a drinking cup, but it doesn’t describe his actions or condemn or endorse the practice.
• Judges 6:36–40 records Gideon using sheep skin to understand God’s will—actions over which God doesn’t express disapproval, but neither does God approve.
• In Judges 7:4–7 God instructs Gideon to choose soldiers based on their drinking habits, which could be considered an omen but is ambiguous and could just have to do with an emphasis on using good judgement.
• 1 Kings 20:33 refers to men looking for an omen but provides no additional details and without any further comment on the validity of such a practice.
• God’s prophets refer to signs of coming events—which may be related to the worldview of omens (e.g., Isa 7:10–17; Joel 2:30–31; see also Heb 3:3–4).
Such passages demonstrate not only that divination existed in ancient Judah and Israel, but also that some forms could be practiced without being religiously offensive—despite the generic ban on divination (Deut 18:10). This does not imply endorsement by the Bible, just the nature of life in the period . . . Dreams and Astrology. Matthew’s Gospel indicates that two types of (what could be viewed as) divination occur in the New Testament period:
1. Dreams
2. Astrology
Dreams from God play a central role in Matthew’s nativity narrative, as both Joseph (Matt 1:20–24; 2:13–14; 2:19–21) and the magi receive dreams (Matt 2:12). While neither Joseph nor the magi are recorded as having requested these dreams, they are nevertheless examples of the divine reaching out to humans at a time when dreams were considered significant.
Matthew also speaks of the “star of Bethlehem,” which the magi understood as a celestial sign (Matt 2:1). Brown argues that in the Roman world, a storyline involving a star priests considered significant, would have been seen as a rational event (Brown, Birth of the Messiah, 167–71; compare Setterholm, “Star Trek: The Previous Generation”).
The New Testament also records certain signs that happen in conjunction with significant events, which Hellenistic readers may have understood as omens. An example of such an event is the earthquakes in Matt 27:51, 28:2 and Acts 16:26. While the Synoptic Gospels express that believers should not regard earthquakes as signs (Matt 24:7; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11), the centurion at the cross seems to regard the earthquake as divine communication (Matt 27:54). The darkening of the heavens at midday may have also been regarded an omen (Matt 27:45).
Handy, L. K. (2016). Divination. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
