Dictionary of Bible Themes  »  8000 The life of the believer  »  8700 Threats to the life of faith  »  8768 idolatry  »  8771 idolatry, objections to

Scripture presents idolatry as absurd and irrational, offensive to God and a source of spiritual and moral danger.

Idolatry is disparaged

The absurdity of making idols

Habakkuk 2:18 See also Deuteronomy 4:28; Isaiah 40:18-20; Isaiah 41:6-7; Jeremiah 10:3-9; Hosea 10:6; Habakkuk 2:19

Idols represent falsehood and fraud

Psalm 40:4 See also Jeremiah 2:5; Jeremiah 10:14; Jeremiah 16:19; Jeremiah 51:17-18; Hosea 12:1; Amos 2:4

Bowing down to idols is inappropriate

Psalm 135:17-18 pp Psalm 115:5-8 See also Isaiah 2:8; Isaiah 44:15-17; Isaiah 46:6; Jeremiah 1:16; Micah 5:13

Idols contrasted with the LORD

Isaiah 46:5 See also Isaiah 40:25-26; Jeremiah 5:24; Jeremiah 10:10; Hosea 2:8; Acts 17:24-25

Idolatry is forbidden by God

Exodus 20:3-4 pp Deuteronomy 5:7-8

Idolatry incurs severe penalties

Zephaniah 1:4 See also Deuteronomy 13:1-9,12-15; Isaiah 66:4; Amos 5:27; Nahum 1:14

God abominates idols

Ezekiel 7:20 Two terms, that is “idols” and “vile images”, meaning “abomination” are found here in parallel. A third, punning on the word for “dung” is often used by Ezekiel for idols. See also Deuteronomy 7:25; 2 Kings 23:24; Ezekiel 5:9,11; Ezekiel 6:4

Pressure to worship idols must be resisted and idols abandoned

Daniel 3:18 See also Isaiah 2:20; Isaiah 30:22; Isaiah 31:7

The dangers of idolatry

Blindness

Isaiah 44:18

Becoming like idols

Psalm 115:8 See also Jeremiah 2:5; Hosea 9:10

Spiritual adultery

Deuteronomy 31:16 See also Judges 8:33; Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 13:27; Hosea 1:2; Hosea 2:7; Hosea 8:9

Injustice

Amos 5:7

See also

1080  God, living
1130  God, sovereignty
1185  God, zeal of
1240  God, the Rock
6103  abomination
6187  immorality
6218  provoking God
8138  monotheism
8462  priority of God
8759  fools
8764  forgetting God
8807  profanity