Topical Bible: The Moon: Worshipping of Jews Punished For

◄ The Moon: Worshipping of Jews Punished For ►

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In the biblical context, the worship of celestial bodies, including the moon, is explicitly condemned as idolatry. The Israelites were repeatedly warned against adopting the pagan practices of surrounding nations, which often included the worship of the sun, moon, and stars. Such practices were seen as a direct violation of the first commandment, which demands exclusive worship of Yahweh.

The prohibition against worshiping the moon is rooted in the broader command against idolatry. In Deuteronomy 4:19, the Israelites are cautioned: "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 verse underscores the danger of being led astray by the beauty and grandeur of the celestial bodies, which were created by God for the benefit of all nations, not for worship.

Despite these clear warnings, there were instances in Israel's history where the people fell into the sin of worshiping the moon. One notable example is found during the reign of King Josiah, who initiated significant religious reforms to restore proper worship in Judah. In 2 Kings 23:5, it is recorded: "Then he removed the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem—those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon and constellations, and to all the host of heaven." This passage highlights the extent to which idolatrous practices, including moon worship, had infiltrated the religious life of Judah, necessitating Josiah's reforms.

The punishment for such idolatry was severe, as it represented a breach of the covenant relationship between God and His people. In Jeremiah 8:2, the prophet speaks of the judgment that would befall those who engaged in celestial worship: "They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and served and followed, which they have sought and worshiped. They will not be gathered or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground." This vivid imagery serves as a stark warning of the consequences of turning away from God to worship His creation.

The worship of the moon and other celestial bodies is consistently portrayed in Scripture as a grievous sin that leads to divine judgment. The Israelites were called to be a people set apart, devoted to the worship of the one true God, and any deviation from this path was met with severe repercussions. The biblical narrative underscores the importance of fidelity to God and the rejection of all forms of idolatry, including the worship of the moon.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 8:1-3
At that time, said the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

First Commandment
... We haven't got through worshipping the golden calf yet. ... the sun when it shined, or
the moon walking in ... The Jews were punished with seventy years of captivity ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/weighed and wanting/first commandment.htm

Faustus Repels the Charge of Sun-Worship
... persecuted by the Jews, and exists in the sun and moon? ... than to employ a heated
imagination in worshipping things which ... For in His words to the Jews, Christ by ...
/.../faustus repels the charge of.htm

Period ii. The Post-Apostolic Age: AD 100-AD 140
... fact evident by an act, that is, by worshipping our gods ... into life; they are assailed
by the Jews as foreigners ... of the stars, with the sun and moon, formed a ...
/.../a source book for ancient church history/period ii the post-apostolic age .htm

Rom. I. 18
... And the Prophets spake thus with the Jews, ever intermingling ... the second after it
is their also worshipping idols, as ... For as in a night without a moon, if any ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily iii rom i 18.htm

Naasseni Ascribe their System, through Mariamne, to James the ...
... But should the Moon pass into concupiscence for ... Worshipping, however, Cyllenius with
especial distinction, they style ... exaggeration passed from the Jews to the ...
/.../the refutation of all heresies/chapter ii naasseni ascribe their system.htm

Revelation of Paul.
... And often also the moon and the stars have come ... not understand; and I see the Gentiles
worshipping, and believing ... For, when the Jews hanged the Son of God upon ...
//christianbookshelf.org/unknown/revelation of paul/revelation of paul.htm

Book ii.
... 8] who, while they accuse us for not worshipping the same ... mankind; for no other people
but the Jews have avoided all ... the earth, the sun and the moon, the waters ...
//christianbookshelf.org/josephus/against apion/book ii.htm

The Second Commandment
... a false god is forbidden; in this, worshipping the true ... of anything in heaven, earth,
water,' sun, moon, stars, male ... The Jews have a saying, that in every evil ...
/.../watson/the ten commandments/2 2 the second commandment.htm

The Book of Jubilees
... 264] the lingering of some of the Jews in Canaan ... father about the folly and wickedness
of worshipping idols; and ... his twenty-second year at the full moon of the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the book of jubilees.htm

The Preface to the Commandments
... to the queen of heaven, that is, to the moon. ... How severe was God against Israel for
worshipping the golden ... The Jews say, that in every misery that befalls them ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/the ten commandments/1 3 the preface to the.htm