Table of Contents
Apostasy in the Bible
Apostasy is a Christian doctrine that is used to describe the situation where a Christian decides not to be a Christian or a follower of Jesus anymore; he defects from the Christian faith. However, apostasy is used in other ways. Apostasy also means a turn away from God or from serving God. We also use the term to refer to a defection from one religion to another. The concept is very widespread throughout the Bible in both the Old and the New Testament. And it would be proper for us to learn how to identify it. Since time immemorial, the nations, apart from Israel, have worshiped idols and deities of all kinds but none of this is what we call apostasy. Apostasy is the situation where the people of God or a believer forsakes God to worship something else.
Apostasy at Mt. Sinai
The apostasy of Israel at Mount Sinai was a significant event in the history of the Israelites. After Moses had been on the mountain for forty days and forty nights receiving the Ten Commandments from God, the people grew impatient and they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” Aaron made them bring the gold earrings that their wives, sons, and daughters were wearing, and they made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf and began to worship it. As if making an idol was not enough, they also stole the glory of God and bestowed it upon their idol by saying, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt. (Ex 32:4)” By so doing, they forsook God who had delivered them from slavery in Egypt.
This act of apostasy angered God, and He instructed Moses to go down the mountain to see what the people were doing. When Moses saw the idolatry and chaos, he was filled with righteous anger and smashed the tablets containing the commandments. He then destroyed the golden calf and punished those who had led the people astray. Despite this grave sin, God showed mercy to the Israelites and allowed them to repent. Moses interceded on their behalf, and God forgave them, renewing the covenant with His people. Reference Exodus 32
Apostasy at Shittim
When Israel was still on the exodus to the Promised Land, they came to the land of the Moabites. The Moabite king, Barak, found the Israelites to be a threat to his kingdom. So he hired a prophet called Balaam to curse the Israelites. Though Balaam made several attempts, he failed in all to curse the Israelites because the hand of God was upon them. Since Balaam failed to destroy Israel with a curse, Balaam sought to bring destruction to Israel in another way, which is he advised the Moabite women to lure the Israelites into sin so that the judgment of God would come upon them.
Now when the Israelites stopped and camped at Shittim. Balaam’s plan began to bear fruit for the Moabite women went out to the Israelite men to lure them into worshipping Baal Peor in exchange for sex. Many of the men concerted and went to join in the worship of Baal; they sacrificed to Baal, ate food offered to Baal, and bowed themselves to Baal. And they had sex with the Moabite women as a reward. So they committed apostasy to indulge in fornication with the Moabite women. (Numbers 25:1-5)
Apostasy in the era of the judges
During the time of the judges in Israel, apostasy was a recurring issue among the people. Despite the leadership of judges like Deborah, Gideon, and Samson, the Israelites often turned away from their faith and followed other gods. This led to a cycle of disobedience, oppression, repentance, and deliverance throughout this period. The Book of Judges in the Bible highlights several instances of apostasy among the Israelites and these instances of apostasy were marked by the saying ‘the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD’ or ‘the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD’.
They would forsake the worship of the one true God and instead worship idols and false gods such as Baalim. This disobedience not only angered God but also left the Israelites vulnerable to attacks from neighboring nations. Despite the repeated warnings from God through the judges, the Israelites continued to stray from their faith. Hence, apostasy was a reoccurring theme among the Israelites from the days of the first judge Othniel to the last judge Samuel. Reference The Book of Judges
Apostasy in the Northern Kingdom of Israel
After the era of the judges, with Samuel being the last judge, Israel became a nation headed by kings. There was the reign of Saul, Ishboshet, David, and Solomon. During the time of Solomon, the temple of God was built in Jerusalem where all religious activities were conducted. After the reign of Solomon, Israel split into two kingdoms, the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. The first king whom God put in charge of the Northern Kingdom of Israel was Jeroboam.
King Jeroboam was afraid that if his people went to Jerusalem to worship, their loyalty would switch to the house of David. So to prevent them from going to Jerusalem to worship, contrary to God’s commandment, he founded the religion of the two golden calves which was also called the sin of Jeroboam in the Bible. He made two golden calves and put one in Dan which was in the north and the other in Bethel which was in the south of his kingdom.
Then he appointed priests who were not from the tribe of Levi, disregarding the traditional religious hierarchy established by God. This move undermined the authority of the Levites and further eroded the spiritual foundation of the nation. In addition to the golden calves, he built high places – places for offering sacrifices on top of hills. He also set up a festival on the 15th day of the 8th month during which they would honor the idols with offerings and sacrifices. The consequences of his decisions were felt for generations, as idolatry became deeply ingrained in the culture and traditions of the nation.
The king’s actions not only defied God’s commands but also set a dangerous precedent for future generations, leading Israel further away from their true faith. All the kings who came after King Jeroboam followed in his footsteps such that the Northern Kingdom of Israel could not recover from idolatry and apostasy. The consequences of King Jeroboam’s actions were severe for their idolatry and the abandonment of the true God brought about a decline in moral values and societal cohesion. The nation of Israel faced divine judgment for their apostasy, ultimately leading to their extinction. Reference 1 Kings 12:25-33
Apostasy in the Kingdom of Judah
Idolatry was a prevalent issue in the Kingdom of Judah during various periods of its history. Despite the strict prohibition of idol worship in the Mosaic Law, many kings and people of Judah succumbed to the temptation of worshipping foreign gods. After the reign of Solomon, Israel split into two the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. For the Kingdom of Israel, it was completely led into apostasy by King Jeroboam and the subsequent kings until its extinction. The Kingdom of Judah, however, was led by a mix of good and bad kings. The bad kings were those kings who chose idolatry over Yahweh the God of Israel.
In the regime of these evil kings, the kingdom was led into apostasy which led to the establishment of pagan altars, the worship of idols, and even sacrificing children in the name of false deities. One such as King Ahaz, in his regime, even had the nerve to shut the doors of the temple of Solomon so that none would worship the Lord (2Ch 28:24). Other kings defiled the temple of God by setting up idols there. Idolatry and apostasy in general led to moral decay and spiritual corruption among the people of Judah.
The prophets of Judah, such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, vehemently condemned these practices, warning of the impending judgment from God. Despite occasional reforms by righteous kings like King Hezekiah and King Josiah, idolatry remained a persistent challenge in the spiritual life of Judah, ultimately contributing to the downfall of the kingdom.
Individuals who apostatized
Idolatry was prevalent in ancient times. All the nations of the world worshiped idols and did not know the true God except the nation Israel. Even among the Israelites, apart from the fact that the nation itself often slipped into idolatry, many individuals chose to serve idols rather than the God of Israel. Among those who served idols were those who, at first, were serving God, but, at some point, they turned away from the Lord to serve idols. These are those who have committed apostasy. We are going to look at some examples of them:
King Solomon
King Solomon was the son and successor of King David and he ruled the nation of Israel from 970–931 BCE. He had a humble beginning as one of the most pious kings of Israel and God blessed him abundantly with wisdom and wealth beyond measure. However, amidst the glory, wealth, and fame, King Solomon could not help marrying into idolatrous nations and these pagan women were a bad influence on him when he grew old. They influenced him to commit apostasy by turning away from the worship of the one true God to follow the gods of his foreign wives such as Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. (1 Kings 11:1-13). King Solomon, later in his life, was described as one who did evil in the sight of the Lord. This same description was made about any adulterous and apostate king of Israel and Judah. This act of apostasy led to the downfall of his kingdom and the division of Israel after his death.
King Jeroboam
Because of the apostasy of King Solomon, God decided to divide the nation of Israel and give the greater part, ten tribes, to whoever He would choose. In all of Israel, God chose Jeroboam. Without a doubt, Jeroboam was a staunch follower of the God of Israel, hence God chose him. After the death of King Solomon, God divided the kingdom and put Jeroboam over ten of the twelve tribes to rule over them, whereas Rehoboam the son of Solomon would rule over the two.
However, when King Jeroboam began to rule, he feared that if his people went to Jerusalem to worship, they would turn to King Rehoboam and his kingdom would fall. Hence, he made and commissioned two golden calves for worship. These idols were placed in Bethel and Dan to prevent his people from returning to Jerusalem to worship at the temple. The golden calves symbolized that Jeroboam himself and the kingdom of Israel had departed from the true worship of Yahweh to idolatry.
The decision to make the golden calves was a strategic move by King Jeroboam to solidify his power and control over the people. Despite the golden calves being a symbol of rebellion against God, King Jeroboam’s actions set a dangerous precedent for idol worship among the Israelites. The consequences of his decision were severe, leading to a legacy of idolatry and spiritual downfall for the kingdom of Israel. Reference 1 Kings 12:25-33
King Rehoboam
King Rehoboam was the son and successor of King Solomon. As we say that the apple does not fall far from the tree, King Rehoboam was no different from his father. Though he made reckless and bad decisions at the start of his reign, he was a pious man and feared the Lord (2Ch 11:1-4; 1Ki 12:21-24) and he remained so for some time. The Bible has it that after Rehoboam’s position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him apostatized by abandoning God for idols (2Ch 12:1).
They set up for themselves high places, sacred stones, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land; the people engaged in all the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites (1Ki 14:23-24). Because they forsook the Lord, God paved the way for Shishak king of Egypt to invade the kingdom of Judah in the 5th year of Rehoboam with a large army he took Jerusalem and carried off the treasures of the temple of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace.
God sent His prophet Shemaiah to rebuke Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak and they humbled themselves accepted their fault and admitted that God was just in dealing with them in that manner. God spared them and the kingdom from destruction. But these men did not undergo any genuine repentance hence they would have undo the evil they had done. Their idols, Asherah poles, and male shrine prostitutes remained until the regime of King Asa and King Jehoshaphat then they were removed. Some of the high places they built survived into the days of King Josiah, and then they were removed. Reference 1 Kings 14:21-31
King Joash of Judah
It took the hand of God working through Jehosheba and Jehoiada the high priest for Joash of Judah to become king. Joash son of Ahaziah of Judah became king at the age of seven and ruled for 40 years in Jerusalem. From childhood, Jehoada nurtured, guided, and counseled him in the way of the Lord to become a pious king. Therefore, King Joash of Judah was a god-fearing king in the days of Jehoiada. However, when Jehoiada, the man who protected, nurtured, enthroned, and counseled him died (2Ch 24:15-16), the officials of the Kingdom of Judah negatively influenced Joash. And then Joash and his officials abandoned the temple of God, turned away from serving God, and began to worship idols just as the kings who were before them did. Then God’s wrath came upon the nation. (2Ch 24:17-19)
King Amaziah
King Amaziah was the son and successor of Joash of Israel. Like his father, he began as one who served the Lord and obeyed his prophets. One day, he went to war with the Edomites and by God’s help, won the war. After God helped him defeat the Edomites, he collected the gods of the Edomites, brought them to his kingdom, set them up as his gods, and worshiped them, making offerings to them. Therefore, God was angry with King Amaziah and sent to him a prophet, who rebuked him and wanted him to come to his senses that the gods he had adopted to worship were dead gods who could not even save their people from defeat. So why should he worship them? But King Amaziah silenced the prophet and responded with threats that he would have him executed if he continued to rebuke him. The prophets finally told Amaziah to his face that for his sin of idolatry and for refusing to listen to his counsel, God would certainly destroy him. (2Ch 25:14-16)
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, committed apostasy by betraying Jesus to the authorities for thirty pieces of silver. His actions led to the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus, fulfilling the prophecy. Judas’ betrayal is a significant event in Christian history, symbolizing greed and betrayal. After betraying Jesus, Judas Iscariot regretted his actions and attempted to return the money to the chief priests and elders. Overwhelmed with guilt, he threw the silver coins into the temple before hanging himself. This tragic end to Judas’ life is a cautionary tale of the consequences of betrayal and the weight of guilt. (Matthew 26:14-16; Matthew 27:47-50)
Some disciples of Jesus
Jesus was teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum to a multitude of people, who were described as His disciples. His teachings were revolutionary and different from anything they had heard from any priest, prophet, wise man, or king. He spoke passionately about being the bread of life, stating that those who come to Him will never hunger or thirst. Jesus further explained that He is the living bread from heaven, and anyone who eats this bread will have eternal life. He emphasized the importance of consuming His flesh and drinking His blood, claiming that without doing so, there is no life in them.
The disciples were shocked and disapproved of it, finding these teachings hard to accept. They questioned how Jesus could give them His flesh to eat and they took offense at Jesus so much for this act of consuming another’s body and blood was considered abominable in Israel. Their offense led them to abandon Jesus, ending their discipleship. This multitude of disciples never followed Jesus again. This event marked their apostasy. (John 6:60-69)
Demas
Demas, a companion of the apostle Paul, is mentioned in the New Testament. He is described as someone who initially shared in Paul’s ministry but later abandoned him. This abandonment is recorded in the second letter to Timothy, where Paul mentions that Demas loved the world and left him to pursue worldly desires. While the specifics of Demas’ actions are not elaborated upon in great detail, his love for the world and his decision to desert Paul’s ministry in pursuit of worldly things marks his apostasy. It also serves as a reminder of the struggles faced by believers in remaining faithful to their calling amidst worldly influence. (2 Timothy 4:9-11)