Deuteronomy 32:17

17 They sacrificed to demons which were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come in of late, whom your fathers had never dreaded.

Deuteronomy 32:17 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 32:17

They sacrificed to devils, not to God
Their sacrifices being continued, when it was the will of God they should cease, were reckoned by him not as, offered to him, but to demons, and to such that were not God; they being therein under the instigation of Satan, and doing his lusts, ( John 8:44 ) ; just as Pagans and Papists, worshipping idols under the influence and direction of Satan, are said to worship devils, and sacrifice to them, ( 1 Corinthians 10:20 ) ( Revelation 9:20 ) ; and indeed setting up their own righteousness was sacrificing to their own net, and burning incense to their own drag, to an idol, and not to God: to which may be added, that whereas they trampled under foot the Son of God, and did despite to the Spirit of grace, by which Christ cast out devils, and offered himself without spot, they excluded two of the divine Persons in the Deity, and so worshipped not the true God, Father, Son, and Spirit:

to gods whom they knew not, to [gods that] came newly up;
such as angels, into the worship of which they fell, as their writings testify {i}, and to which the apostle seems to have respect, ( Colossians 2:18 ) ;

whom your fathers feared not;
paid no regard unto, put no trust or confidence in; or, as the Targum of Jonathan,

``with whom your fathers had nothing to do:''

as they had not with the idol of man's righteousness, but wholly looked unto and trusted in the grace and righteousness of Christ, and expected salvation alone by him: the Gospel of righteousness and salvation by Christ was preached to our first parents in Eden's garden, which they embraced and believed in; Noah was an heir and preacher of the righteousness of faith, that is, of the righteousness of Christ, received by faith; that righteousness, which was what Abraham believed in, was imputed to him for his justifying righteousness; and Jacob waited for the Messiah, the salvation of God; in short all the Old Testament saints were saved by the grace of Christ, as we are; the idols, the works of men's own righteousness, are new deities they paid no deference to, placed no confidence in.

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FOOTNOTES:

F9 Vid. Van Till in loc.

Deuteronomy 32:17 In-Context

15 "But Jesh'urun waxed fat, and kicked; you waxed fat, you grew thick, you became sleek; then he forsook God who made him, and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation.

16 They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominable practices they provoked him to anger.

17 They sacrificed to demons which were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come in of late, whom your fathers had never dreaded.

18 You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.

19 "The LORD saw it, and spurned them, because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters.