Topical Bible: Idolatry: Objects of Described as Stocks

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In the biblical context, idolatry refers to the worship of idols or images as gods, which is strictly prohibited in the Judeo-Christian tradition. The term "stocks" is used metaphorically in the Bible to describe idols made of wood, emphasizing their lifelessness and inability to act or respond. This imagery serves to highlight the futility and absurdity of worshiping man-made objects instead of the living God.

The prophet Jeremiah is particularly vocal in his condemnation of idolatry, using the term "stocks" to illustrate the foolishness of idol worship. In Jeremiah 2:27 , the prophet records the words of the Lord, saying, "They say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their backs to Me and not their faces. Yet in their time of trouble they say, ‘Arise and save us!’" Here, the "tree" and "stone" symbolize the wooden and stone idols that the Israelites wrongly attributed with divine power and authority.

Jeremiah further critiques the practice in Jeremiah 10:8 , where he states, "But they are altogether senseless and foolish, instructed by worthless idols made of wood!" This verse underscores the irrationality of idol worship, as these "stocks" are incapable of imparting wisdom or guidance, being mere creations of human hands.

The prophet Hosea also addresses the issue of idolatry, using similar imagery. In Hosea 4:12 , it is written, "My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God." The "wooden idols" or "stocks" are depicted as sources of false guidance, leading the people away from their covenant relationship with God.

The use of "stocks" as a descriptor for idols serves to remind the faithful of the impotence and worthlessness of these objects. Unlike the living God, who is active and sovereign, these idols are static and powerless. The biblical narrative consistently calls the people of God to reject idolatry and to worship Him alone, as He is the true source of life, wisdom, and salvation.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 3:9
And it came to pass through the lightness of her prostitution, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Hosea 4:12
My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declares to them: for the spirit of prostitutions has caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Acts 17:16-17. Athens.
... The result is told us: the interview is carefully described. ... He saw a "city wholly
given to idolatry." How did ... side by side; let the same objects be presented ...
/.../chapter ix acts 17 16-17 athens.htm

Answer to the Objection of the Heathen, that it was not Right to ...
... reward of your choice, therefore, as described by Sophocles ... evil one, and prefer
wisdom to idolatry, and take ... lest the multitude of pleasing objects which rise ...
/.../clement/exhortation to the heathen/chapter x answer to the objection.htm

A Holy Life the Beauty of Christianity: Or, an Exhortation to ...
... they made them idols.' The sin of idolatry threw their ... your minds and affections
upon other objects, and let ... see the fruits of repentance as described by the ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a holy life the beauty.htm

The Saints' Privilege and Profit;
... seized and beaten, and cast into jail, their feet being made fast in the stocks. ...
grace and mercy is very striking: 'Mercy signifies pitifulness to objects in a ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the saints privilege and profit.htm

Period iv. The Age of the Consolidation of the Church: 200 to 324 ...
... Basilides and Martial have been contaminated by the abominable certificate of idolatry. ...
the heresy of these Noetians, but we have carefully described his life ...
/.../ayer/a source book for ancient church history/period iv the age of.htm

Mr. Bunyan's Last Sermon:
The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3. <. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/mr bunyans last sermon .htm