Why Ancient People Offered Food to Idols

In many ancient religions, gods were thought to be powerful but still dependent on human offerings. Feeding them kept them satisfied, benevolent, and willing to help. In many cultures, sharing a meal symbolized relationship. Offering food to a deity was like inviting them to the table — a sign of loyalty and connection. Food was life. Giving the best portions back to the gods expressed thankfulness for harvests, livestock, and survival itself.

Archaeology shows that as far back as the earliest civilizations (Sumer, Akkad, Egypt), people were already:
offering food to statues
pouring out drink offerings
burning incense
dedicating animals to gods
This began thousands of years before Moses, and even before Abraham.

God didn’t introduce sacrifices because He needed food.
He explicitly says the opposite:
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you…
The world is mine.”
(Psalm 50:12) meaning, “I don’t need your food. I don’t depend on you.”
This is God dismantling the entire pagan mindset.

Instead, God used sacrifices to:
✔ Teach holiness
✔ Show the seriousness of sin
✔ Provide a temporary way for forgiveness
✔ Point forward to Christ as the final sacrifice

In other words, God took a practice people already understood (sacrifice) and reoriented it toward truth.

God’s sacrificial system was a redemptive reinterpretation that pointed to Christ. Now you can understand the reason for communion. The New Covenant, after the cross, recognized in communion, is not a sacrifice — it is a memorial and participation

✔ A remembrance of the sacrifice
✔ A proclamation of His death
✔ A participation in the benefits of His sacrifice
✔ A covenant meal, not a ritual offering

Communion points back to the sacrifice — it does not repeat it. Communion is not a new version of OT sacrifices — it is the covenant meal that celebrates and remembers the final sacrifice of Jesus.

Now you know!

Blessings