Sacrificing to a demon isn't idolatry

Welcome to the Daily Bible Chapter. My name is James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as I attempt to read the Bible with fresh eyes, as if I don't know anything about the Bible. Let's see where this takes us! 

I'm reading Young's Literal Translation (YLT) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Leviticus 17

Goat-demons? I have to look that up.

[Looks it up.]

And now I'm blown away by this chapter.

The Jewish Encyclopedia says: 

The se'irim ("hairy beings"), to which the Israelites sacrificed in the open fields… are satyr-like demons ["having certain characteristics of a horse or goat"] … and  are identical with the jinn of the Arabian woods and deserts. To the same class belongs Azazel, the goat-like demon of the wilderness … probably the chief of the se'irim."

So that explains Azazel of yesterday's commentary; the scapegoat is both set "free" from the LORD but is also sacrificed to Azazel.

The Encyclopedia also says, "The wilderness as the home of demons was regarded as the place whence such diseases as leprosy issued."

In other times and places, offerings were made to mysterious woodland or wilderness beings (spirit manifestations?) such as faeries and bigfoot to keep them away. If such beings were seen, and seemed to be real, and "bad luck" of some sort came after the encounter, then it's reasonable to make an offering to keep them away.

The LORD commanded that such offerings stop, but there's no indication here that the LORD equates such offerings with idolatry, or as bad as breaking the Sabbath. Anyone who makes such sacrifices shall be "cut off from the people" but not "put to death."

The prohibition of the drinking of blood suggests something either mystical or something weirdly multidimensional. What I'm comprehending is that if you slaughter the creature, pour out the blood, and eat just the flesh, then you didn't really take the "life" of the creature. To pour out the blood is to honor its life or life-force which is returned to the earth. It is to acknowledge that the animal has an individuality.

Or soul?

Maybe future chapters will say something different, but this is my understanding for now.

James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, JL Cells, and The MVP Chase. Thanks for your subscriptions and support!