What Does the Bible Say about Zodiac Signs?
Is It Ok for Christians to Follow Zodiac Signs?
Jessica Brodie with Bible Study Tools writes:
Have you ever turned the page in a magazine and found your horoscope, all neatly broken out by date and type with predictions for what that day or month is expected to bring you? “Today will be lucky for you,” one might say, or perhaps, “This is a good day to stay home and rest.”
Horoscopes are predictions or interpretations developed by astrologers based on sky maps, star charts, and zodiac signs to help people understand who they are and what will happen to them in life. Some people believe them to be true, while others consider them to be silly.
But what does the Bible say about zodiac signs? While the word “zodiac” is not specifically mentioned in the Bible, God does have much to say about gleaning insight from fortune-tellers, mediums, or others who seek wisdom from sources not of Him. And in truth, zodiac signs are not nearly as harmless as some might believe.
What Does the Bible Say about Zodiac Signs?
The word “zodiac” isn’t used in the Bible, but the Bible does refer to astrologers, astronomers, and others who studied the stars. There is a difference between astronomy and astrology. Astronomy is the science of observing and understanding celestial bodies, such as stars or the moon, for things such as navigation, seasons, time-keeping, and more. Astrology is a pseudoscience that attempts to predict future events or examine how the celestial bodies affect people and their identities and relationships.
When God created the earth, he set the stars in the sky on the fourth day, proclaiming, “’Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.’ And it was so. God made two great lights — the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:14-18).
Throughout Scripture, there is mention of those who study the stars. Some of the mention is bad, some is good, and some is more neutral. For example, studying the stars to track time or seasons or to get across the ocean to a distant land doesn’t seem to be sinful in any way. But studying and interpreting these stars and then divining or predicting things to come is akin to idolatry, witchcraft, and fortune-telling, which are identified as sinful and detestable in the eyes of the Lord. They are included in “occult practices” that God condemns.
As God tells His people in 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; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.”
This goes back to the notion of idolatry that God expressly forbids in the Ten Commandments, noting we should have no other gods that we worship besides Him (Exodus 20:3-6). The Hebrew word used here for “worship” is abad, which means to serve or submit to.
Just as God doesn’t want us bowing before statues of Baal or Asherah (2 Kings 23:4), he also doesn’t want us heeding the directives of stars (and astrologers) in order to decide whether to do one thing or another.
We are to listen to and heed God and God only.
