Topical Bible: Idolatry: Objects of, Worshipped in Secret Places

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Idolatry, the worship of idols or false gods, is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, often condemned as a grievous sin against the one true God. The practice of idolatry in secret places is particularly insidious, as it reflects a deliberate attempt to hide such actions from public view and, by extension, from God Himself. This clandestine worship often involved various objects and deities, reflecting the surrounding pagan cultures that influenced the Israelites.

Biblical Context and Condemnation

The Bible frequently addresses the issue of idolatry, emphasizing its incompatibility with the worship of Yahweh. In Deuteronomy 12:2-3, the Israelites are commanded to "destroy completely all the places on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. Tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and burn up their Asherah poles in the fire." This passage highlights the secretive nature of idol worship, often conducted in secluded or elevated locations, away from the public eye.

Objects of Worship

Idolatry in secret places often involved various objects that were considered sacred or imbued with divine presence. These included:

1. Asherah Poles: Wooden symbols representing the Canaanite goddess Asherah, often erected in groves or high places. The Israelites were repeatedly warned against setting up these poles, as seen in Deuteronomy 16:21: "Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build to the LORD your God."

2. High Places: Elevated sites used for worship, often associated with altars and idols. Despite God's clear instructions, the Israelites frequently turned to these high places for idol worship, as noted in 1 Kings 14:23: "They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree."

3. Household Gods (Teraphim): Small idols kept within homes, often used for divination or as protective talismans. Rachel's theft of her father Laban's household gods in Genesis 31:19 illustrates the personal and secretive nature of such objects.

Worship in Secret Places

The clandestine nature of idol worship is further emphasized in passages that describe the Israelites' secretive practices. In Ezekiel 8:12, the prophet is shown a vision of the elders of Israel worshiping idols in the dark: "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? For they are saying, 'The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.'"

This secretive worship often involved rituals and sacrifices that were abhorrent to God, as they represented a direct violation of the covenant relationship between God and His people. The allure of these hidden practices lay in their promise of immediate, tangible benefits, contrasting with the faith and obedience required by Yahweh.

Cultural Influence and Syncretism

The Israelites' propensity for idolatry in secret places was often fueled by the influence of surrounding pagan cultures. The syncretism that resulted from intermingling with these cultures led to the adoption of foreign religious practices, which were then integrated into Israelite worship. This blending of beliefs is evident in passages like 2 Kings 17:9-11, where the Israelites are described as setting up high places "in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city."

Divine Judgment and Call to Repentance

Throughout the Bible, God consistently calls His people to repentance, urging them to abandon their idolatrous practices and return to Him. The prophets played a crucial role in this call, often warning of impending judgment if the people did not forsake their idols. In Jeremiah 7:9-10, God questions the people's hypocrisy: "Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before Me in this house, which bears My Name, and say, 'We are delivered, so we can continue with all these abominations'?"

The Bible's consistent message is clear: idolatry, whether practiced openly or in secret, is a grave sin that separates humanity from God. The call to worship Him alone remains central to the faith and practice of His people.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 57:8
Behind the doors also and the posts have you set up your remembrance: for you have discovered yourself to another than me, and are gone up; you have enlarged your bed, and made you a covenant with them; you loved their bed where you saw it.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Paul and Barnabas in Lystra.
... true God continued to be known and worshipped long after ... All the objects around us
bear witness to the ... for our deliverance from that gross idolatry, which once ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture xv paul and barnabas.htm

False Brethren and False Principles in the Church: Spirit and ...
... have pictures in the church, lest that which is worshipped and adored be ... upon all
who assisted in the fabrication of these objects of the heathen idolatry. ...
/.../killen/the ancient church/chapter iii false brethren and.htm

In Palestine - Jews and Gentiles in the Land' - their Mutual ...
... Those who actually worshipped mountains, hills, bushes, &c. ... legislation kept certain
definite objects in view ... the moral obliquity, that even idolatry is allowed ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter vii in palestine -.htm

Faustus Repels the Charge of Sun-Worship
... unchangeable; for He alone is to be worshipped, in the ... The objects of your worship
can be shown to have ... that this very explanation of their idolatry, on which ...
/.../faustus repels the charge of.htm

The Prophecies
... around them and seen some pleasing objects, have given and ... a great number of the
heathen worshipped this only ... That then idolatry would be overthrown; that this ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pascal/pensees/section xi the prophecies.htm

The Knowledge of God Conspicuous in the Creation, and Continual ...
... the wicked and profane the special objects of his ... hear from his own mouth that they
worshipped they knew ... vice, or rush headlong into open idolatry, there was ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 5 the knowledge of.htm

The Iranian Conquest
... in his commentaries on the secret doctrines of ... phenomena which were the chief objects
of worship ... considers that the earliest Achaemenids worshipped Ahura-mazda ...
/.../chapter ithe iranian conquest.htm

Concerning Worship.
... For this kind of idolatry, whereby man loveth, idolizeth, and ... upon him, not to present
such objects as give them ... that God is neither to be worshipped in this ...
/.../proposition xi concerning worship.htm

'Other Sheep'
... selfishness and our indolence affect the objects of our ... In some broad regions, faith
in idolatry is dying ... seen the gods whom their fathers worshipped for the ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture i/other sheep.htm

Christian Cemeteries.
... Christian and anxious to abolish idolatry, left the ... me outlines of figures and objects,
I thought ... saints, Pomponius and his friends worshipped, and celebrated ...
/.../lanciani/pagan and christian rome/chapter vii christian cemeteries.htm