What other scriptures warn against idolatry similar to Jeremiah 7:17? Setting in Jeremiah 7:17 – God exposes Judah’s open-air idol worship: “Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?” (Jeremiah 7:17) – The next verse shows the whole family serving false gods (v. 18). The Lord’s jealousy is stirred because He alone must be worshiped. Foundational Warnings in the Law • Exodus 20:3-5 – “You shall have no other gods before Me… you shall not bow down to them or worship them.” • Leviticus 26:1 – “You must not make idols for yourselves or set up a carved image… for I am the LORD your God.” • Deuteronomy 4:15-19 – Guard your hearts lest you “make for yourselves an idol in the form of any figure.” • Deuteronomy 6:14-15 – “Do not follow other gods… the LORD your God… is a jealous God.” • Deuteronomy 32:16-17 – “They provoked His jealousy with foreign gods… they sacrificed to demons, not to God.” Idolatry Condemned by the Prophets • 1 Samuel 15:23 – “Rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the evil of idolatry.” • Isaiah 2:8 – “Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands.” • Isaiah 44:9-11 – Idol makers are “nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless.” • Jeremiah 2:11-13 – God’s people have “exchanged their glory for useless idols.” • Jeremiah 10:3-5 – Idols are “like scarecrows… they cannot speak… do not fear them.” • Ezekiel 14:3-8 – “These men have set up idols in their hearts… I the LORD will answer them Myself.” • Hosea 4:12-13 – Israel seeks counsel “from their wooden idols.” • Habakkuk 2:18-19 – “What value is an idol… it teaches lies?” Echoes in Wisdom and Poetry • Psalm 115:4-8 – “Their idols are silver and gold… those who make them become like them.” • Psalm 135:15-18 – “They have mouths but cannot speak… eyes but cannot see.” New Testament Reinforcement • Acts 15:20 – Gentile believers must “abstain from idols.” • Acts 17:29 – God is not “an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.” • 1 Corinthians 10:14 – “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” • 2 Corinthians 6:16-17 – “What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols?” • Galatians 5:19-21 – Idolatry listed among works of the flesh that bar one from the kingdom. • Colossians 3:5 – “Greed… is idolatry.” • 1 Thessalonians 1:9 – The Thessalonians “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 “did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons and idols.” • Revelation 21:8 – Idolaters share “the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.” Take-Home Truths – From Sinai to the New Jerusalem, Scripture consistently treats idolatry as spiritual adultery. – The living God sees every public act and hidden motive, just as He saw Judah’s streets in Jeremiah’s day. – Genuine worship demands exclusive loyalty; anything that rivals Him—whether carved, imagined, or coveted—must be cast down. |
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