Topical Bible: Idolatry: Hateful to God

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Idolatry, the worship of idols or the elevation of anything above God, is consistently portrayed in the Bible as an abomination and deeply offensive to the Lord. The practice of idolatry is not merely the physical act of bowing to graven images but extends to any form of allegiance or devotion that supplants the rightful place of God in the hearts of His people.

Old Testament Condemnation

The Old Testament is replete with admonitions against idolatry, beginning with the Ten Commandments. In Exodus 20:3-5 , God commands, "You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God." This foundational directive underscores the exclusivity of worship that God demands from His people.

Throughout Israel's history, idolatry is depicted as a recurring sin that leads to divine judgment. The prophets frequently rebuked the Israelites for their idolatrous practices. For instance, in Jeremiah 10:14-15 , the prophet declares, "Every man is senseless and devoid of knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols. For his molten images are a lie, and there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work to be mocked. In the time of their punishment, they will perish."

New Testament Perspective

The New Testament continues to affirm the abhorrence of idolatry. The Apostle Paul, in his epistles, warns against the dangers of idolatry and its incompatibility with Christian faith. In 1 Corinthians 10:14 , Paul exhorts believers, "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." This admonition reflects the understanding that idolatry is not only a physical act but also a spiritual condition that can manifest in various forms, including covetousness, as noted in Colossians 3:5 : "Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry."

Spiritual Implications

Idolatry is fundamentally a breach of the covenant relationship between God and His people. It represents a turning away from the Creator to the created, a substitution of the infinite with the finite. This act of spiritual adultery provokes God's righteous anger, as He is a "jealous God" (Exodus 34:14), desiring the undivided devotion of His people.

The spiritual implications of idolatry are profound, as it leads to a distortion of the truth and a hardening of the heart. Romans 1:21-23 illustrates this process: "For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."

God's Call to Repentance

Despite the severity of idolatry, the Bible consistently offers a call to repentance and restoration. God's desire is for His people to return to Him with sincere hearts. In Ezekiel 14:6 , the Lord implores, "Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.’"

The call to forsake idolatry is a call to return to the true worship of God, who alone is worthy of honor and praise. The biblical narrative underscores that God, in His mercy, is willing to forgive and restore those who turn from their idolatrous ways and seek Him with all their heart.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 16:22
Neither shall you set you up any image; which the LORD your God hates.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 44:4
However, I sent to you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Whether Idolatry is the Gravest of Sins?
... a grievous blasphemy, inasmuch as it deprives God of the ... that it may make the man
more hateful to himself and ... nature is less grievous than the sin of idolatry. ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether idolatry is the gravest.htm

On Idolatry
... of having made Israel to sin and of increasing the crime of idolatry; (1 Kings 12 ...
which is not expressly said in the Scriptures to be hateful to God, that no ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/disputation 23 on idolatry.htm

And for a Very Long While Wickedness Extended and Spread...
... substances, love-potions, aversions, amours, concupiscence, constraints of love,
spells of bewitchment, and all sorcery and idolatry hateful to God; by the ...
/.../irenaeus/the demonstration of the apostolic preaching/chapter 18 and for a.htm

Exhortation to Abandon the Impious Mysteries of Idolatry for the ...
... to Abandon the Impious Mysteries of Idolatry for the ... pleasures, living in malice
and envy, hateful, hating one ... that the kindness and love of God our saviour to ...
/.../clement/exhortation to the heathen/chapter i exhortation to abandon the.htm

The Flesh and the Spirit
... which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred ... because he knows them to be hateful to God, and ruinous to ...
/.../kingsley/town and country sermons/sermon xxiii the flesh and.htm

Believe Just Now
... a deadly poison to the soul receiving it, but hateful to God as blasphemy ... Man's guilty
conscience modifies this, turns it into idolatry; or his sentimental ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/bonar/gods way of peace/chapter ix believe just now.htm

Aron, Brother of Moses, 486, 487.
... Idols and Idolatry, refutation of, [567]477, [568]478; rage of idolaters against
Kingdom of Christ, [569]483; madness ... Lies and liars, hateful to God, [678]12 ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/aron brother of moses 486.htm

Whether There was any Reasonable Cause for the Ceremonial ...
... materials out of which idols were made, were anathematized as hateful in God's sight. ...
silver and gold, they should be led by avarice into idolatry to which ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether there was any reasonable.htm

Election Confirmed by the Calling of God. The Reprobate Bring Upon ...
... infer that all who are left in the blindness of idolatry are studious ... affect the
doctrine which I maintain, that the reprobate are hateful to God, and that ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 24 election confirmed by.htm

"Because the Carnal Mind is Enmity against God, for it is not ...
... and love of the world is idolatry, these things ... sought its own destruction, that
were a hateful enough object ... them beside the will and commands of God, and what ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xx because the carnal.htm