A Word about Idols

Throughout the minor prophets, and the whole Bible, we see references to idol worship. God declares Himself jealous, not allowing His people to engage with idols. When His people stray to idol worship, God withdraws His blessings, and the people suffer. When they abandon and destroy their idols and return to Him, He restores their favored status.

How is that fair? Is God a tyrant who can’t stand competition? An egotist? Needy, demanding all the attention?

What is the problem with idols? In our modern age we encourage religious diversity. What was wrong with the ancients, that they were so intolerant?

To rightly understand the Bible’s prophets, we need to make sense of idolatry.

There was a huge problem with idols. Each idol required its devotees to perform unwholesome, even horrible, acts.

Perhaps most extreme was the idol Molech (Zephaniah calls him Malcom), whose worshipers were required to burn their children alive in sacrificial rite. God’s feelings about this are similar to mine and (I imagine) yours, and He totally forbade it¹. Yet His people kept reverting to this murderous practice².

Another idol cult, the golden calf, was prominent in Israel throughout the entire divided kingdom era. The first time we see it, it involved “play”³ and promiscuous “dancing”⁴ and being “out of control”⁵.

Modern research shows that sexual “freedom” leads to poorer outcomes for the children⁶. That was no less true in ancient times. God’s prohibition of adultery was not an arbitrary “I don’t want you to have fun” rule; it was intended to benefit the children⁷.

During the divided kingdom period, the golden calf cult also dislodged the authorized, trained, and experienced priesthood, replacing them with people hired by the king for political reasons⁸. The levitical priests’ job was to call people away from evil behavior and toward God, but the golden calf priests had no such mission.

The idol Baal promoted sexual license similar to the golden calf. The first time Israel encountered Baal, a kingdom that hoped to conquer Israel sent their Baal-worshiping women to Israel to consort and influence them out from under the Lord’s protection⁹.

The astrology cult was per-household¹⁰, lacking organized gatherings. The Lord required such gatherings to remind people how He had cared for them and how they ought to respond. Astrology removed that positive influence. The same was true of household idol cults.

So when the Bible castigates the worship of idols, it isn’t about narrow mindedness or bigotry or senseless restrictions. God’s laws are always designed for the benefit of His people. The “no other gods” law is no exception.

And we violate His laws at great risk.