What New Testament teachings warn against similar behaviors as in 2 Kings 17:11? Looking Back at Israel’s Pattern “They burned incense on all the high places, like the nations that the LORD had driven out before them, and they did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger.” (2 Kings 17:11) What Was So Offensive? • Ritual worship borrowed from surrounding nations • Incense and sacrifices offered outside the place God had appointed • A heart turned from the living God to created things • Actions that stirred God’s holy jealousy and wrath New Testament Echoes—Direct Warnings Against Idolatry • Acts 15:20 – “abstain from the pollution of idols” • 1 Corinthians 10:14 – “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” • 1 Corinthians 10:20-22 – “The sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons… Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy?” • Galatians 5:19-21 – idolatry listed among “works of the flesh,” those who practice such things “will not inherit the kingdom of God.” • 1 Thessalonians 1:9 – praised for “turning to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” • 1 John 5:21 – “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” • Revelation 21:8 – idolaters named among those facing “the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.” Warnings Against Blending with Pagan Practices • 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 – “What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols?… ‘Come out from among them and be separate.’ ” • Ephesians 5:11 – “Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” • 1 Peter 4:3 – believers have spent enough time in “debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and idolatry.” • Colossians 2:18-19 – warning against “worship of angels” and self-made religion. Jealousy of the Lord Re-affirmed • James 4:4-5 – “Friendship with the world is hostility toward God… He yearns jealously over the spirit He has caused to dwell in us.” • Hebrews 12:28-29 – “let us offer to God acceptable worship… for our God is a consuming fire.” Positive Call to True Worship • John 4:23-24 – “true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.” • Romans 12:1 – present bodies “as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—your spiritual service of worship.” • 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit… glorify God in your body.” Practical Takeaways for Today • Guard the heart: idolatry begins inside long before a visible act. • Evaluate cultural practices: do they promote worship of God or rival affections? • Flee rather than flirt: Scripture commands immediate separation from anything tied to idolatry. • Embrace gathered worship and personal holiness as God’s appointed “high place.” • Trust God’s jealousy as loving protection, steering His people away from ruin and back to joy in Him. |
    |