You’ve probably seen palm readers set up booths at county fairs, psychic conventions, or New Age festivals. They promise to read your palm lines and tell you about your past, present, and future. Some even claim to see your destiny written in the palms of your hands. But as a Christian, should you believe in palmistry and have your palm read?
Introduction
Palmistry, also known as chiromancy, is the practice of reading the lines and mounts on the palms of the hands to predict a person’s character and foretell the future. Practitioners of palmistry analyze the size, shape, and patterns of lines and mounts on the palm to decipher their meanings.
There are varying opinions on palmistry among Christians. Some view it as harmless fun while others see it as spiritually dangerous. As we examine what the Bible says, we can come to some clear conclusions. Let’s look at some key reasons Christians should not believe in palmistry or have their palms read:
Key Takeaways:
- Palmistry involves divination, which the Bible forbids
- Only God knows and controls the future
- Palm reading leads people away from God’s truth
- God calls us to trust and seek Him alone
In this post, we will explore what palmistry entails, why the Bible warns against it, and how to seek God’s wisdom for your life without turning to palm readers. Examining these ideas will equip you with biblical truth so you can stand firm against palmistry and lead others away from it.
What is Palmistry?
Palmistry has ancient roots, tracing back over 5,000 years to ancient India, China, Tibet, and Egypt. The practice developed across cultures with varied symbolic systems. However, palm readers today generally look for common features on the palm:
- Lines – The four main lines are the heart line, head line, fate line, and life line. The length, depth, curves, crosses, branches, breaks, and marks in these lines are interpreted symbolically.
- Mounts – The fleshy mounts under the fingers represent attributes. For example, the mount under the thumb symbolizes willpower, under the index finger represents self-confidence, etc.
- Shapes – The shape of the hands and fingers are interpreted as signs of character traits. For example, long palms indicate an open nature, short palms suggest shyness, etc.
- Marks – Smaller lines, crosses, circles, triangles, and unusual markings are said to convey specific meanings.
By analyzing and interpreting these palm features, palmists claim they can reveal information about a person’s health, relationships, achievements, inner conflicts, hidden talents, interests, and much more. Some palmists even claim to foretell major events in a person’s future, like marriages, births, windfalls, and dates of death.
However, this practice of foretelling the future directly conflicts with the Bible’s warnings against divination.
Why the Bible Warns Against Palmistry
The Bible clearly prohibits divination – attempting to gain hidden knowledge, especially about the future, by occult means. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 says:
“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.” (NKJV)
This verse specifically calls out fortune telling as an “abomination to the Lord”. Palmistry, along with astrology, numerology, tarot cards, and psychic readings, falls into this forbidden category of fortune telling.
Why does God detest these practices so strongly?
- It involves communing with demons – Occult practices like palm reading open doors to demonic spirits. Powerful deceptions are at work (1 Timothy 4:1).
- It contradicts God’s sovereignty – Only God knows and controls the future. Consulting palmists is a prideful attempt to grasp control and divine heavenly secrets.
- It leads people astray – When palm readers predict the future or read someone’s character, they usurp God’s authority with falsehood. This leads people away from God’s perfect truth.
As Christians, we must avoid any practice God defines as detestable divination. That includes reading palms and having our own palms read, even if it seems harmless on the surface.
Palmistry Leads People Away from God’s Truth
Palm readers often mix some truth into their reading to make the deception convincing. They use basic psychological principles to make general statements people relate to. Then they bait the hook by telling people what they want to hear about health, wealth, love, or success coming in their future.
This gives palmistry an addictive quality. People get hooked on the idea that palmists can supernaturally foretell their future. It feeds our fleshly desires to know and control what’s coming. But only God truly knows the future:
“I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done…” (Isaiah 46:9-10 NKJV)
The lure of forbidden knowledge pulls people deeper into the demonic deception of palmistry. They become dissatisfied with God’s timeline for revealing their future. They start looking to palm readers instead of God for direction. Slowly but surely, it distorts their view of God’s truth and sovereignty over their lives.
As Christians, we must see palm reading for what it is – a counterfeit way of seeking knowledge about our lives that leads us away from God’s perfect plan and timing. We are called to trust in the Lord with all our hearts, not our heart lines!
We Are Called to Seek God Alone
Instead of looking to palmists, astrologers, or psychics, God tells us to seek Him alone for wisdom and direction:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV)
Rather than your hand revealing your destiny, your life is in the hands of the all-knowing, all-powerful God!
Through prayer, studying the Scriptures, godly counsel, and the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, God leads us into His perfect will step-by-step. He promises to be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, guiding us into His truth and away from deception.
You have a thrilling journey ahead as you walk with God daily through prayer, worship, and obedience to His Word. He knows you intimately and loves you deeply. You can trust Him fully with your past, present, and future!
Conclusion
Palmistry may seem intriguing, but it’s spiritually dangerous and unbiblical. The practice of reading palm lines to foretell the future conflicts directly with God’s prohibitions against divination in Scripture. Only God knows and controls the future.
Palmistry feeds our fleshly desires for forbidden knowledge that God intends to remain hidden. It distorts our view of God’s sovereignty and pulls us away from His truth into demonic deception.
As Christians, we are called to seek God alone through prayer, Scripture, godly counsel, and the Holy Spirit’s leading. We can fully trust Him with our past, present, and future. Our life is not in the palm of our hands, but safely held in the hands of our loving, all-knowing, all-powerful God.
