What Does the Bible Say About Are Demons Mentioned In The Old Testament?
Scripture reveals that demons are spiritual beings active throughout history—worshipped in pagan rituals in the Old Testament and directly tormenting people, showing their reality as malevolent forces opposed to God's people.
Scripture on Are Demons Mentioned In The Old Testament
Deuteronomy 32:17
Old Testament
"They sacrificed to demons, which are not God—gods they had not known, new gods that had recently appeared, gods your ancestors did not fear."
Psalm 106:37
Old Testament
"They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to false gods. 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."
Isaiah 13:21
Old Testament
"But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will jump about."
1 Samuel 16:14-15
Old Testament
"Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. Saul's attendants said to him, 'See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.'"
Luke 11:24-26
New Testament
"When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first."
The Bottom Line
Demons are real, they oppose God's people, and they seek to destroy—but they answer to God, not the other way around.
Try Today
Identify one area of your life where you sense spiritual opposition or darkness, and specifically ask God for protection and wisdom in that place—naming it honestly instead of ignoring it.
Prayer
Jesus taught us to pray against evil and for deliverance, inviting us to acknowledge the reality of spiritual warfare (Matthew 6:13).
Father, I acknowledge that there is a real spiritual battle happening around me and within me. You are sovereign over all things—seen and unseen—and nothing happens outside Your authority. I confess the areas where I've been blind to spiritual opposition or passive in my faith. Guard my heart and mind. Give me discernment to recognize deception, courage to resist evil, and faith to trust that You are infinitely more powerful than any force arrayed against me. Help me stand firm in Your truth. In Jesus' name, Amen.
📚 Read 1 Peter 5:8-9 and explore the book of Ephesians for Paul's full teaching on spiritual armor and warfare
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