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The people of Israel must no longer be unfaithful to the LORD by killing their animals in the fields as sacrifices to the goat demons. The people of Israel must keep this regulation for all time to come.
Leviticus 17:7 GNB
Allegiance to God is the greatest priority. A short time after the laws of Leviticus 17 were implemented, the people of Israel would plummet into the worship of Baal (Numbers 25). In Deuteronomy 32, we find the Israelites sacrificing animals to pagan gods outside the tabernacle.
They sacrificed to gods that are not real, new gods their ancestors had never known, gods that Israel had never obeyed.
Deuteronomy 32:17 GNB
Paul outlines the same warning in the NT.
So then, my dear friends, keep away from the worship of idols. 15 I speak to you as sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.
1 Corinthians 10:14-15 GNB
No! What I am saying is that what is sacrificed on pagan altars is offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be partners with demons. 21 You cannot drink from the Lord’s cup and also from the cup of demons; you cannot eat at the Lord’s table and also at the table of demons. 22 Or do we want to make the Lord jealous? Do we think that we are stronger than he?
1 Corinthians 10:20-22 GNB
Idol worship in any form (sex, eating, power, money, lust, etc.) is not really the problem. Many of the basic needs we have as people could be considered idols. The issue is the demonic power that resides in the worship of idols. When we worship an idol like it’s above God, the demonic forces play their part in allowing us to experience what we desire. However, what we don’t realize is that we are exposing ourselves to something that will never fill us up and always leave us wanting more.
Some of the laws here in Leviticus 17 were supposed to be a guardrail for the worship of idols but the people persisted in their rebellion. Thankfully, Jesus came so that we could be set free from all idolatry and be filled up with His Holy Spirit!