What other Scriptures warn against idolatry and "worthless things"? Foundation Verse: 1 Samuel 12:21 “Do not turn aside after worthless things that cannot profit you or deliver you, for they are empty.” Additional Old Testament Warnings • Exodus 20:3–4 – “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol…” • Leviticus 19:4 – “Do not turn to idols or cast images of gods for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.” • Deuteronomy 4:15–19 – Moses warns Israel not to make an image “in the form of any figure,” lest they be drawn away. • Deuteronomy 27:15 – “Cursed is he who makes a carved idol or molten image… and sets it up in secret.” • 2 Kings 17:15 – “They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless.” • Psalm 31:6 – “I hate those who cling to worthless idols, but in the LORD I trust.” • Psalm 115:4–8 – Idols are “the work of men’s hands… Those who make them become like them.” • Psalm 135:15–18 – Repeats the warning that lifeless idols fashion lifeless people. • Isaiah 2:8 – “Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands.” • Isaiah 44:9–20 – Makers of idols “know nothing; their witnesses see nothing… their idols are nothing.” • Jeremiah 2:5 – “They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.” • Jeremiah 10:3–5 – “The customs of the peoples are worthless… these idols cannot speak.” • Ezekiel 14:3–6 – Idols set up in the heart separate people from God. • Hosea 8:4–6 – “With their silver and gold they made idols for themselves, to their own destruction.” • Jonah 2:8 – “Those who cling to worthless idols forsake His loving devotion.” • Habakkuk 2:18–19 – A carved image is “a teacher of lies.” Additional New Testament Warnings • Acts 14:15 – “Turn from these worthless things to the living God.” • Romans 1:22–23 – People “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images.” • 1 Corinthians 10:14 – “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” • Galatians 4:8–9 – Warns against returning to “weak and worthless principles.” • Colossians 3:5 – Greed is labeled “idolatry” to be put to death. • 1 Thessalonians 1:9 – The believers “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” • 1 John 5:21 – “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” • Revelation 9:20 – People refuse to repent of worshiping “idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—which cannot see, hear, or walk.” • Revelation 21:8 – Idolaters have their part in the lake of fire. Key Themes • Idolatry devalues God’s glory and dehumanizes the worshiper. • “Worthless things”—whether carved images or heart-level desires—promise what they cannot deliver. • The Living God alone profits, saves, and delivers; all substitutes are empty. • Scripture’s call is consistent: turn, flee, and keep yourself from idols in any form. Living It Out • Compare every affection or pursuit with the worth of Christ; reject anything that rivals Him. • Guard the heart (Ezekiel 14:3) as vigilantly as ancient Israel was to guard the land. • Replace “worthless things” with worship—regular Scripture, prayer, fellowship, and obedience keep allegiance fixed on the Living God. |
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