Demon Possession

Apparent possession by spirits is a world-wide phenomenon. It may be sought deliberately, as by the shaman and witch-doctor among primitive peoples, and by the medium among both primitive and civilized men and women. It may come upon individuals suddenly, as with watchers at the Voodoo rites, or in the form of what is generally known as demon-possession. In each case the possessed person behaves in a way that is not normal for him or her, speaks in a voice totally different from normal, and often shows powers of telepathy and clairvoyance.

In the Bible the pagan prophets probably sought possession. The prophets of Baal in 1 Ki. 18 would come in this category. Mediums, who were banned in Israel, must have deliberately cultivated possession, since the law regards them as guilty people, not as sick (e.g. Lv. 20:6, 27). In the OT Saul is an outstanding example of unsought possession. The Spirit of the Lord leaves him, and ‘an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him’ (1 Sa. 16:14; 19:9). We may fairly interpret this by saying that, if a person has been powerfully open to the Holy Spirit in a charismatic way, disobedience is liable to be followed by the entry into his life of an evil spirit allowed by God. On the other hand, we may simply say that ‘evil’ has no moral connotation here, but signifies depression. The spirit is driven away by David’s playing: since playing was normally accompanied by singing, it was probably David’s psalm-singing that drove away the spirit, as Robert Browning implies in his poem Saul.

The NT records many cases of possession. It is as though Satan had concentrated his forces in a special way to challenge Christ and his followers. The Gospel records show that Christ distinguished between ordinary illness and those that accompanied demon-possession. The former were healed by laying on of hands or anointing, the latter by commanding the demon to depart (e.g. Mt. 10:8; Mk. 6:13; Lk. 13:32; also Acts 8:7; 19:12). Possession was apparently not always continuous, but when it came it produced effects that were often violent (Mk. 9:18). Blindness and dumbness, when caused by possession, would presumably have been persistent (e.g. Mt. 9:32-33; 12:22).

Douglas, J.D.: New Bible Dictionary. electronic ed. of 2nd ed. Wheaton, IL : Tyndale House, 1982; Published in electronic form by Logos Research Systems, 1996, S. 278


Does demon possession still occurs?

Can Christians be demon possessed?

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