Topical Bible: Sacrifices: Offered to False Gods, are offered to Devils

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In the biblical narrative, sacrifices offered to false gods are consistently condemned as acts of idolatry and spiritual adultery. The Scriptures reveal that such sacrifices are not merely misguided religious practices but are, in fact, offerings to demons. This understanding underscores the spiritual warfare inherent in idolatry and the profound deviation from worshiping the one true God.

The Old Testament provides numerous instances where the Israelites are warned against and rebuked for engaging in the worship of false gods. In Leviticus 17:7, the Israelites are explicitly instructed, "They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons with which they have prostituted themselves. This will be a permanent statute for them for the generations to come." Here, the term "goat demons" indicates that the sacrifices made to idols were, in reality, offerings to demonic entities.

Deuteronomy 32:17 further elucidates this connection: "They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they had not known, to newly arrived gods, which your fathers did not fear." This verse highlights the spiritual deception involved in idolatry, where the worship of newly introduced deities is equated with sacrificing to demons. The passage serves as a stark reminder of the spiritual consequences of turning away from the covenant relationship with Yahweh.

The New Testament echoes this understanding, as seen in 1 Corinthians 10:20-21, where the Apostle Paul warns the Corinthian church: "No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons." Paul emphasizes the incompatibility of Christian worship with pagan practices, underscoring that participation in idolatrous sacrifices is tantamount to fellowship with demonic forces.

Throughout the biblical text, the offering of sacrifices to false gods is portrayed as a grave sin that leads to spiritual defilement and separation from God. The Israelites' repeated lapses into idolatry, despite clear prohibitions, illustrate the persistent temptation and spiritual danger posed by the worship of false gods. The prophets frequently called the people back to exclusive devotion to Yahweh, warning of the dire consequences of idolatry.

In Psalm 106:37-38, the psalmist laments the Israelites' idolatrous practices: "They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood." This passage not only highlights the demonic nature of idol worship but also the moral and ethical corruption that accompanies such practices.

The biblical injunctions against sacrifices to false gods serve as a call to spiritual fidelity and purity. They remind believers of the importance of worshiping God alone and the spiritual realities that underlie idolatrous practices. The consistent biblical message is that sacrifices offered to false gods are, in essence, sacrifices to devils, and such actions are a profound betrayal of the covenant relationship with the Lord.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Leviticus 17:7
And they shall no more offer their sacrifices to devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever to them throughout their generations.
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Deuteronomy 32:17
They sacrificed to devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
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Psalm 106:37
Yes, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to devils,
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1 Corinthians 10:20
But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that you should have fellowship with devils.
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Library

Faustus Repels the Charge of Sun-Worship
... the spurious imitations in the case of false and lying ... of one most true sacrifice
to be offered for the sins of all believers, as in the sacrifices enjoined by ...
/.../faustus repels the charge of.htm

Letter cii. (AD 409. )
... is not the mere offering of sacrifices (for the ancient saints offered these to
the true God), but the offering of sacrifices to false gods and to ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/letter cii a d 409.htm

On Idolatry
... by placing images upon altars; or by offering sacrifices, burning incense ... justify
all their acts of worship, whether offered to a true or to a false deity, to ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/disputation 23 on idolatry.htm

Of Marriage Between Blood-Relations, in Regard to which the ...
... the profane worshippers of many and false gods, that though ... too, is said to have
offered sacrifices to God ... in the foregoing books that the devils arrogate to ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 16 of marriage between blood-relations.htm

Book Four this is the Story of his Years among the Manicheans. ...
... they should make into angels and gods for us ... commit fornication against thee, trust
in false things, and ... But still I would not have sacrifices offered to devils ...
/.../augustine/confessions and enchiridion/book four this is the.htm

Letter cxxxviii. (AD 412. )
... age in which sacrifices were still being offered that are ... that God does not need
our sacrifices, it is ... worshiped the true God and despised false gods by such ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/letter cxxxviii a d 412.htm

The City of God. Index of Subjects.
... a large posterity, [11]323; the sacrifices offered by, when ... alone sacrifice ought
to be offered, [325]415 ... hidden among the wicked, and false Christians within ...
/.../augustine/on christian doctrine in four books /the city of god index.htm

City of God
... the Princes of the Nations Wished False Religions to ... Obtain Happiness, Wish Sacrifice
to Be Offered to Themselves ... Chapter 5.--Of the Sacrifices Which God Does ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/

A Sermon of the Reverend Father Master Hugh Latimer, Preached in ...
... Christus: "Christ our passover is offered;" so that ... hast made England to worship
false gods, forsaking Christ ... such as believed in their sacrifices they draw to ...
/.../latimer/sermons on the card and other discourses/a sermon of the reverend.htm

Fourthly; all the [Credenda, Or] Doctrines, which the True, Simple ...
... of the Jews, consisting very much in sacrifices, and in ... the prayers of sinners may
be offered up, so as ... against idolatry, and the worship of false gods, as the ...
/.../xiii proposition xiii fourthly all.htm