What other scriptures warn against adopting foreign religious practices? 2 Kings 16:10 – Seeing the Wrong Altar “Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria. When he saw the altar in Damascus, King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a model of the altar and its pattern, with detailed instructions for its construction.” Ahaz’s fascination led Judah to copy pagan worship. Scripture repeatedly warns against that very impulse. Old Testament Warnings • Exodus 20:3-5 – “You shall have no other gods before Me… You shall not bow down to them or serve them.” • Exodus 34:12 – “Be careful not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land you are entering, lest they become a snare in your midst.” • Deuteronomy 7:25-26 – “You must burn the carved images of their gods… Do not bring a detestable thing into your house, lest you become like it.” • Deuteronomy 12:29-31 – “Be careful not to be ensnared by their ways… You must not worship the LORD your God in their way.” • Deuteronomy 18:9 – “Do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.” • Joshua 23:6-8 – “Do not associate with these nations… or bow down to their gods.” • Judges 2:11-13 – Israel “served the Baals” and “provoked the LORD to anger.” • 1 Kings 11:4 – “When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart after other gods.” • 2 Kings 17:15 – “They followed worthless idols—and became worthless themselves.” • Psalm 106:35-36 – “They mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.” • Jeremiah 10:2 – “Do not learn the way of the nations.” • Ezekiel 14:6 – “Repent… turn from your idols.” New Testament Echoes • Acts 15:29 – “Abstain from food sacrificed to idols… You will do well to avoid these things.” • 1 Corinthians 10:14, 20-21 – “Flee from idolatry… the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons.” • 2 Corinthians 6:16-17 – “What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols?… ‘Come out from among them and be separate.’” • Galatians 4:8-9 – “How can you turn back to those weak and worthless principles?” • 1 Thessalonians 1:9 – “You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” • 1 John 5:21 – “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” • Revelation 2:14, 20 – Rebukes for tolerating idolatrous teaching. • Revelation 18:4 – “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins.” Why These Warnings Matter • God alone deserves worship; rival practices challenge His glory. • Foreign rituals often smuggle in beliefs that contradict revealed truth. • Idolatry always spreads: what leaders copy, the people adopt (Ahaz → Judah). • Compromise weakens witness; separation preserves covenant identity. • Both Testaments affirm the same principle: love God wholeheartedly and steer clear of worship invented elsewhere. Living It Out Today • Measure every practice against Scripture, not cultural appeal. • Guard heart and home from symbols or activities that blur loyalty to Christ. • Stay distinct in worship so the world sees the difference a holy God makes. |
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