Idols of Old

When you read through the Bible, you will find many warnings against idol worship.

Exodus 20:3-6 makes it clear that God does not put up with idol worship. I think it is significant that this is the first of the ten commandments. While all ten are important, this one carries the most weight.

In this passage, God declares that He alone is God. He also states his intolerance for false religions, and for His people placing their love for other things above their affection for Him.

It's interesting that God says those who place Him above all else in their lives will be lavished with His love for a thousand generations. However, those who chase after idols will receive God's punishment. And, that punishment will be so severe that it will affect their children, grandchildren and even the great-grandchildren.

Elsewhere in scripture, God instructs the Israelites to not marry people from foreign nations. (Side note: Some have assumed this is an instruction against intermarriage of the races, but that's not really the case.) This order was designed to prevent the Israelites from introducing false religions into their homes and nation.

Sadly, as time passed, the Israelites didn't keep this command, and intermarried with other nations. Eventually, Israel was infected with these false gods, and their worship practices. These ordinances included temple prostitution, sorcery and human sacrifice.

Eventually, God displaced Israel and Judah as punishment for their violation of what Jesus called the first and greatest commandment: loving God first and foremost. But, it wasn't like the Israelites didn't have advance warning of what was coming.

Moses warned the people on several occasions about what would happen to them if they stopped following God. Many prophets provided ample opportunity for the people to turn from their evil ways, but each generation slid farther down the slippery slope of immorality. God was generous in the amount of time He gave the people. Eventually, though, judgement had to come.

What followed were several decades of exile and ruin. The people eventually returned, but the land God had given to the Jews remained occupied territory until the nation's sovereignty was restored in 1948.

God takes worship very seriously.