Idol/Idolatry

Worshipping false gods. Idolatry includes not only the worship of objects made by people, but also the worship of the sun, moon, trees, or stars. Idols were statues or other images made of wood, stone, metal, or some other material. These were meant to represent a god. In the Old Testament, the nations around Israel worshipped many idols. That’s why one of the Ten Commandments speaks against the worship of idols. The Israelites often disobeyed, and God sent many prophets to warn them against this.

In the New Testament, Christians were told not to eat meat that had been offered to idols. Idolatry doesn’t just mean worshipping statues. Idolatry also means making anyone or anything a higher priority than God.

Some of the idols worshipped in Bible times include the following:

Baal and Asherah. Baal was the chief god of the people of Canaan. Asherah was his mother. Those who worshipped Baal believed that he ruled their land, crops, and animals. He was pictured as a warrior holding a thunderbolt spear in one hand and a shield in the other. Poles were set up and dedicated to Asherah. During the time of the prophet Elijah and during other periods as well, many Israelites worshipped the god Baal, thanks to kings like Ahab.

Dagon. The chief god of the Philistines. Scholars are not sure whether Dagon was a fish-god or a god of agriculture, but the people built many temples to honor this god. When Samson was blinded by the Philistines, they brought him to a temple of Dagon to make fun of him. Another time when the Philistines fought the Israelites, they captured the ark of God in a battle and took it to a temple of Dagon. The next day they found the image of Dagon facedown in front of the ark.

Golden Calf. An image Aaron made while Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments from God. The people had become impatient because Moses had been gone so long. The statue was probably similar to the Egyptian bull-calf statues that the people had known. Much later, King Jeroboam made two golden calves because he did not want his people to go to the temple in Jerusalem to worship.

Greek and Roman Gods. When Paul traveled throughout Macedonia and Asia Minor on his missionary journeys, he saw many temples and statues dedicated to the Greek and Roman gods (Zeus, the chief god; Artemis/Diana, the goddess of the hunt; Hermes, the messenger of the gods; and many others). Silversmiths in Ephesus grew wealthy making statues of Artemis/Diana. In Lystra, Paul and Barnabas were believed to be Hermes and Zeus, respectively, after they healed a crippled man by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Molech. A god worshipped by the Ammonites before Israel arrived in Canaan. The Phoenicians worshipped this god. Often children were sacrificed to Molech. God warned His people to have nothing to do with this horrible practice. But Solomon later allowed his wives to persuade him to worship Molech. God warned Solomon that most of the kingdom would be torn away from his family.

Others. During the time of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon ordered a ninety-foot statue built. This statue was to be worshipped whenever a certain tune was played.