Topical Bible: Idolatry: Objects of, Worshipped with Sacrifices

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Idolatry, the worship of idols or images as divine, is a recurrent theme in the Bible, often depicted as a grievous sin against the one true God. The practice of idolatry frequently involved the offering of sacrifices to these objects, which were considered deities by their worshippers. The Bible provides numerous accounts of such practices, highlighting the spiritual and moral decline associated with idol worship.

Golden Calf
One of the most infamous instances of idolatry in the Bible is the worship of the golden calf by the Israelites. While Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments, the people grew impatient and demanded that Aaron make them gods to lead them. Aaron complied by fashioning a calf from their gold jewelry. The people then offered sacrifices to the calf and proclaimed, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" (Exodus 32:4). This act of idolatry provoked the wrath of God, leading to severe consequences for the Israelites.

Baal and Asherah
The Canaanite deities Baal and Asherah were frequently worshipped by the Israelites, despite God's explicit commands against such practices. The worship of Baal often involved sacrifices, including burnt offerings and even human sacrifices, as seen in the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:26-29). Asherah, often represented by wooden poles or carved images, was also worshipped alongside Baal, with sacrifices and rituals performed in her honor (Judges 3:7).

Molech
The worship of Molech, a god associated with the Ammonites, was particularly abhorrent due to the practice of child sacrifice. God explicitly forbade the Israelites from engaging in such detestable acts, stating, "You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD" (Leviticus 18:21). Despite this clear prohibition, some Israelites fell into the sin of offering their children to Molech, leading to divine judgment (2 Kings 23:10).

Chemosh and Milcom
Chemosh, the god of the Moabites, and Milcom, the god of the Ammonites, were also objects of idolatrous worship involving sacrifices. King Solomon, influenced by his foreign wives, built high places for these deities, leading Israel into sin (1 Kings 11:7-8). The worship of these gods often included sacrifices and rituals that were an abomination to the LORD.

High Places and Altars
Throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites frequently erected high places and altars for the worship of foreign gods. These sites were often used for making sacrifices to various idols, directly contravening God's command to worship Him alone at the designated place of His choosing (Deuteronomy 12:13-14). The persistence of high places in Israel and Judah was a continual source of divine displeasure, as they represented the people's ongoing infidelity to God.

Conclusion
The Bible consistently condemns the worship of idols and the sacrifices made to them, emphasizing the exclusive worship due to the LORD. Idolatry is portrayed as a betrayal of the covenant relationship between God and His people, leading to spiritual and moral decay. The biblical narrative underscores the futility of idol worship and the severe consequences that follow, calling God's people to repentance and faithfulness.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Numbers 22:40
And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Kings 10:24
And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that lets him go, his life shall be for the life of him.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Axe at the Root --A Testimony against Puseyite Idolatry
... rotten rags, called relics, are the objects of adoration ... be a slander upon them;
they worshipped Jehovah through ... they had so far gone into idolatry that they ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 12 1866/the axe at the roota.htm

On Idolatry
... to sin and of increasing the crime of idolatry; (1 Kings 12 ... take the gods of foreign
nations as objects of worship ... which is esteemed as a god be worshipped in an ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/disputation 23 on idolatry.htm

Paul in Athens.
... them this character, because he had observed that their city was "wholly given to
idolatry." The objects of worship ... "Neither is he worshipped with men's ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture xx paul in athens.htm

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

Whether There Can be any Suitable Cause for the Sacraments of the ...
... was contracted even by inanimate objects; for whatever ... this command aimed at the
prevention of idolatry. ... was, perhaps, because they worshipped heifers after ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether there can be any 2.htm

Refutation of the Gentiles --Continued
... The objects of worship formerly were varied and countless ... Dionysus is worshipped
among them, because he taught men ... the weakness of their own idolatry, at the ...
/.../athanasius/on the incarnation of the word/chapter 8 refutation of the.htm

Athenagoras.
... Demons, 143. tempt to idolatry, 143. ... and from laws of his nature, 161. and from the
objects of his existence, 162. ... Universe, not worshipped by Christians, 136. ...
/.../clement/who is the rich man that shall be saved/athenagoras.htm

The Danger of Deviating from Divine Institutions.
... Adoration offered to other than God, is idolatry. ... to inferior deities, who were
worshipped as mediators ... the worshippers entertained of the objects of their ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon xxviii the danger of.htm

Impiety of Attributing a visible Form to God. --The Setting up of ...
... aid is implored from dead and senseless objects, by beings ... that the moment images
appear in churches, idolatry has as ... but also that they were to be worshipped. ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 11 impiety of attributing.htm

The Case of all the Protestant or Reformed Churches, With
... that certain external things, which are objects of the ... whether that object ought
or ought not to be worshipped. (1.) The church of Rome commits idolatry of The ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/disputation 22 the case of.htm