Topical Bible: Idolatry: Objects of The Heavenly Bodies

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Idolatry, the worship of created objects rather than the Creator, is a recurring theme in the Bible, often condemned as a grave sin. Among the various forms of idolatry, the worship of the heavenly bodies—such as the sun, moon, and stars—was prevalent in ancient cultures and is explicitly addressed in Scripture.

Biblical Condemnation

The Bible consistently warns against the worship of celestial bodies. In Deuteronomy 4:19 , Moses cautions the Israelites: "And when you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven." This passage underscores the temptation to idolize the grandeur of the heavens, a temptation that the Israelites were to resist.

In Deuteronomy 17:2-5 , the law prescribes severe consequences for those who engage in such idolatry: "If a man or woman among you in one of the towns that the LORD your God will give you is found doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God and transgressing His covenant by going to worship other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven—which I have forbidden—and if it is reported to you and you hear about it, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true and confirmed that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, you must bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing and stone that person to death."

Historical Context

The worship of heavenly bodies was common among Israel's neighbors, including the Egyptians, Canaanites, and Babylonians. These cultures often deified the sun, moon, and stars, attributing to them powers over fertility, weather, and fate. The Israelites, living amidst these influences, were repeatedly warned by God to remain distinct and faithful to Him alone.

Prophetic Rebuke

The prophets of Israel frequently rebuked the nation for succumbing to the idolatry of the heavenly bodies. In 2 Kings 23:5 , during the reforms of King Josiah, it is recorded: "Then he removed from the entrance of the house of the LORD all the articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley and carried their ashes to Bethel." This action was part of a broader effort to cleanse the land of idolatrous practices.

Jeremiah also speaks against this form of idolatry, as seen in Jeremiah 8:2 : "They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and served, and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped. They will not be gathered or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground."

Theological Implications

The worship of heavenly bodies represents a fundamental misunderstanding of the created order. The Bible teaches that the sun, moon, and stars are part of God's creation, serving specific purposes as outlined in Genesis 1:14-18 . They are not deities but rather instruments of God's design, meant to mark time and seasons.

The idolatry of heavenly bodies is a rejection of God's sovereignty and a distortion of His creation. It reflects humanity's tendency to elevate the created above the Creator, a theme that resonates throughout Scripture as a warning against turning away from the one true God.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Kings 23:5
And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense to Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Acts 7:42
Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O you house of Israel, have you offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Various Developments of Idolatry: Worship of the Heavenly ...
... Section 9. The various developments of idolatry: worship of the heavenly bodies,
the elements, natural objects, fabulous creatures, personified lusts, men ...
/.../select works and letters or athanasius/section 9 the various developments.htm

The Marcionites Depreciate the Creation, Which, However, is a ...
... Anaximenes air, Anaximander all the heavenly bodies, Strato the ... as divine, [2481]
which are objects of worship ... inspired by the common idolatry, when ashamed of ...
/.../the five books against marcion/chapter xiii the marcionites depreciate the.htm

Whether the Cause Assigned for the Production of the Lights is ...
... his works, and is most useful for perceiving objects. ... signs," rather than "causes,"
to guard against idolatry. ... of his soul, is nobler than the heavenly bodies. ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the cause assigned for.htm

The Danger of Deviating from Divine Institutions.
... Adoration offered to other than God, is idolatry. ... The heavenly bodies were adored
as the supposed residences of ... impress a reverence for the objects of worship ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon xxviii the danger of.htm

Select Works and Letters or Athanasius
... Section 9. The various developments of idolatry: worship of the heavenly bodies,
the elements, natural objects, fabulous creatures, personified lusts, men ...
//christianbookshelf.org/athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/

On Idolatry
... take the gods of foreign nations as objects of worship ... God, when the papists say
that our heavenly Father has ... the heathen did to the relics of their idolatry. ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/disputation 23 on idolatry.htm

Homilies on Galatians and Ephesians.
... 222]15; to be beneficial to the objects of it ... Idolatry of Christians is covetousness,
[339]134; its origin ... 39; paid divine honors to the heavenly bodies, [405]5. ...
/.../homilies on galatians and ephesians.htm

Faustus Repels the Charge of Sun-Worship
... perfection to his position among the heavenly bodies, you maintain ... The objects of
your worship can be shown ... this very explanation of their idolatry, on which ...
/.../faustus repels the charge of.htm

The Knowledge of God Conspicuous in the Creation, and Continual ...
... his favour, the wicked and profane the special objects of his ... God, is dull and blind
in heavenly mysteries ... vice, or rush headlong into open idolatry, there was ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 5 the knowledge of.htm

Oration on the Holy Lights.
... lives with the movements of the heavenly bodies, which cannot ... even divine, taking
refuge in the objects of his ... covetousness, which is a second idolatry; but he ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xxxix oration on the.htm