Topical Bible: Idolatry: They Who Practise: Go Astray from God

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Idolatry, the worship of idols or the excessive reverence for something other than God, is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, often leading individuals and nations astray from their devotion to the one true God. The practice of idolatry is consistently condemned in Scripture, as it represents a fundamental breach of the first commandment: "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3).

The Bible provides numerous examples of individuals and groups who fell into idolatry, resulting in their estrangement from God. In the Old Testament, the Israelites frequently struggled with idol worship, despite clear warnings and commandments from God. In Deuteronomy 32:16-17, it is written, "They provoked His jealousy with foreign gods; they enraged Him with abominations. They sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they had not known, to newly arrived gods, which your fathers did not fear" . This passage highlights how idolatry leads to spiritual infidelity and separation from God.

The account of King Solomon serves as a poignant example of how idolatry can lead even the wisest of men astray. Despite his initial devotion to God, Solomon's heart was turned away by his foreign wives, who led him to worship other gods. 1 Kings 11:4-6 states, "For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been. Solomon followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD; unlike his father David, he did not follow the LORD completely" .

The prophets frequently addressed the issue of idolatry, warning the people of its consequences. Jeremiah 2:5-6 captures the essence of this warning: "This is what the LORD says: 'What fault did your fathers find in Me that they strayed so far from Me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves. They did not ask, "Where is the LORD who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and ravines, through a land of drought and darkness, a land where no one travels and no one lives?"'" . Here, the prophet Jeremiah emphasizes the futility and self-destructive nature of idolatry.

In the New Testament, the apostle Paul addresses the issue of idolatry in his letters to the early Christian churches. In Romans 1:21-23, Paul writes, "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" . Paul underscores the spiritual blindness and folly that accompany idolatry, leading individuals away from the truth of God.

The practice of idolatry is not limited to the worship of physical idols but extends to anything that takes precedence over God in one's life. Colossians 3:5 warns believers, "Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry" . This passage broadens the understanding of idolatry to include any form of covetousness or misplaced priorities that detract from one's relationship with God.

Throughout Scripture, idolatry is depicted as a grave sin that leads individuals and communities away from the worship and service of the true God. The Bible consistently calls for repentance and a return to wholehearted devotion to the Lord, warning of the spiritual peril that accompanies the practice of idolatry.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ezekiel 44:10
And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Conclusion
... Baptism to learn and to practise all his ... these: Adultery fornication uncleanness,
lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred ... not lie to you and they know your ...
//christianbookshelf.org/luther/the large catechism/conclusion.htm

The Treatise
... children of God, the other only makes worse idolatry and the ... Here there is need that
a man practise the first works ... But they who set a limit for Him, sin upon ...
//christianbookshelf.org/luther/a treatise on good works/the treatise.htm

Faustus Asserts that Even if the Old Testament could be Shown to ...
... If any among this people fell into idolatry or demon ... He would see many who do not
practise the required ... to believe, I see no reason why they should continue ...
/.../faustus asserts that even if.htm

Twenty-Seven Articles Respecting the Reformation of the Christian ...
... and of faith, soon began to set up idolatry and their own ... and Poetic should be retained;
or they might be ... studied in a condensed form, to practise young people ...
/.../iii twenty-seven articles respecting the.htm

An Exhortation to Peace and Unity
... Oh how zealous were these to practise, and, with one ... he mainly insisted upon some
one sin, as idolatry, and shedding ... of the rest; not but that they were guilty ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/an exhortation to peace and.htm

Oration on the Holy Lights.
... efforts)...but besides fleeing from evil, practise virtue, making ... covetousness, which
is a second idolatry; but he ... which is Christ's way; but if they will not ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xxxix oration on the.htm

Scriptural Predictions of an Apostasy.
... not, and will not, experience and practise it in ... revelry, banqueting, money getting,
lewdness, and idolatry, as we ... USD]1,200.00, and go wherever they can get ...
/.../orr/the gospel day /chapter ii scriptural predictions of.htm

A Holy Life the Beauty of Christianity: Or, an Exhortation to ...
... off, though they do hear and look on, and practise lesser things ... Of their silver
and their gold have they made them idols.' The sin of idolatry threw their ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a holy life the beauty.htm

Doctrinal and Moral Treatises. Index of Subjects.
... why, [1241]360, [1242]361; before reason, no rashness, [1243]362; they are not ... of
Christ, none justified without, [1255]533; Faith, Hope and Love, God to be ...
/.../on care to be had for the dead /doctrinal and moral treatises index.htm

Introduction to Oration ii.
... and offer gifts, [2604] in order that idolatry might be ... art on a wine-jar, that is,
to practise ourselves in ... a king and princes, [2719] because they ruled for ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/introduction to oration ii.htm