Table of Contents
1. Israel worships the golden calf at Mt. Sinai
God called Moses to Mt. Sinai for forty days and nights to receive the Ten Commandments. When he delayed, the Israelites grew impatient and asked Aaron, his brother, to make gods to lead them to the Promised Land.
Aaron had them bring the golden earrings of their wives and children, and he melted them down and molded a golden calf from them. The people proclaimed it as the god who brought them out of Egypt. Pleased by their response, Aaron built an altar and announced a feast to the Lord, making it seem the calf represented Yahweh. The next day, they offered sacrifices, ate, drank, and celebrated wildly.
God sent Moses down, and he found the people in idolatrous chaos. When confronted, Aaron blamed the people. Moses then called for those loyal to the Lord, and the tribe of Levi gathered to him. He sent them to stop the feast, and about 3,000 died that day. God was angry enough to destroy Aaron, but Moses interceded for him and for Israel, sparing their lives (Exodus 32).
2. Israel worships Baal of Peor
When the Israelites were traveling to the Promised Land, they camped in Moab. The king of Moab at that time, Balak, was troubled, so he hired Balaam, a prophet, to curse them so that they would perish. However, Balaam could not curse the Israelites, for God’s blessings were upon them. Therefore, he advised another plan to destroy them.
While the Israelites were camping in Shittim in the land of Moab, the Moabite women, following Balaam’s advice, went to the Israelites and lured the men into worshiping Baal of Peor. They joined the Moabites to offer sacrifices to Baal of Peor, ate the sacrificial meal, and bowed down to Baal. In return, the Moabite women offered themselves to the Israelite men to have sex with them.
This idolatry and apostasy sparked no small trouble in the camp of Israel as God’s anger was kindled. By God’s instructions, Moses ordered the killing of all the Israelites who joined themselves to Baal of Peor. On that day, 24000 Israelites were killed. Later, Israel also avenged itself on Balaam by executing him. Reference Numbers 25
3. Israel’s idolatry during the era of the judges
The idolatry at Shittim and the punishment thereof had a lasting impression on the remnants (the Israelites who survived the Exodus), such that they lived in staunch devotion to God for life. When they settled in the Promised Land, with time, the remnants aged, died, and were no more. And there arose another generation after them who knew not the LORD nor what he had done for Israel (Judges 2:10).
Throughout the era of the judges, idolatry was a recurring problem among the Israelites. These occurrences of idolatry 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’. The Israelites often forsook the Lord to worship the gods of the Canaanites, such as Baalim (Judges 2:11-13). God, out of jealousy, delivered them to their enemies’ oppression, and when they repented and cried for help, he gave them judges to deliver them. Therefore, there was a cycle of idolatry, oppression, repentance, and deliverance throughout that era.
4. Micah and his family’s idolatry
During the era of the judges of Israel, apostasy in the form of worshipping idols was very common in Israel. One such example was what happened in the family of Micah. There was a man from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. He stole his mother’s 1100 pieces of silver. The woman was hurt, and so she cursed the one who had stolen it. Later, Micah confessed and restored the money to his mother. Then the woman was so happy that she blessed her son and dedicated the money to God. However, she gave 200 pieces of the silver to the silversmith who made them into idols for her. She put the idols in Micah’s shrine. The man Micah had a shrine in his house, which was full of household gods, and he also made an ephod and ordained one of his sons to become his priest. (Judges 17:1-6)
5. King Solomon’s idolatry
God commanded Israel not to intermarry with heathen nations, but Solomon disobeyed. He first married an Egyptian princess, then many foreign women—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites (1 Kings 11:1). In time, these wives asked him to build shrines for their gods, and out of love, he consented, raising high places for Ashtoreth, Chemosh, Molek, and other gods (1 Kings 11:5-7). Solomon himself joined in the worship of these gods. Thus, he became the first king to introduce idolatry into Israel, setting a corrupt pattern later followed by Jeroboam and Rehoboam. His sin of idolatry caused the kingdom’s division.
6. The Kingdom of Israel worships the golden calves
Because of Solomon’s apostasy, God split Israel in Rehoboam’s reign into two kingdoms: Judah in the south under Rehoboam and Israel in the north under Jeroboam. According to the Law of Moses, sacrifices were to be made only at God’s chosen place—the Temple in Jerusalem (De 12:5-12). This meant northerners still had to go to Judah to worship. Fearing his people’s loyalty would return to Rehoboam and cost him his throne, Jeroboam devised a new religion.
He made two golden calves, set them in Bethel and Dan, built altars and high places, appointed non-Levite priests, and ordained a feast on the 15th day of the 8th month. He himself worshiped the calves, and the nation followed (1 Kings 12:25-33). This became known as the “sins of Jeroboam.” His idolatry set a lasting precedent, and every northern king after him—from Nadab to Hoshea—continued in it. Thus, Israel never turned from idolatry until its fall to Assyria and exile.
7. The Kingdom of Israel worships Baal
From the day Jeroboam introduced the golden calves, they replaced the worship of God and became Israel’s national religion. The northern kingdom never turned from this apostasy. Idolatry reached its peak under Ahab, who, through marriage to Jezebel, a Sidonian princess devoted to Baal, established Baal worship in Israel. This brought moral corruption, persecution of God’s prophets, and attempts on Elijah’s life. After Ahab’s death, his successor Ahaziah and Jezebel continued Baal worship in the kingdom.
Two years into his reign, Ahaziah of Israel died, and his brother Joram succeeded him. Though he was also idolatrous, Joram did not follow Baal worship, but his mother Jezebel kept it alive. During Joram’s reign, God brought judgment upon Ahab’s house. He raised Jehu to end Ahab’s house and Baal worship. Jehu killed Joram and Jezebel, then gathered Baal’s priests, prophets, and worshipers in the temple and destroyed them, wiping out Baal worship. Yet the sin of the golden calves continued until Israel’s fall.
8. Idolatry in the Kingdom of Judah
After the division of Israel into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah, the Northern Kingdom was composed entirely of idolatrous kings, whereas Judah had a mix of good and idolatrous kings. Idolatry in the Kingdom of Judah traces back to the days of Solomon. King Solomon lived in Jerusalem and built altars and high places in and around Jerusalem for his foreign wives to worship there (1Ki 11:1-13). Whatever Solomon did for idolatry was not destroyed after his death.
His son Rehoboam who succeeded him and inherited the Kingdom of Judah added more idolatry to Solomon’s. During Rehoboam’s reign, they set up for themselves high places, sacred stones, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree (1Ki 14:23). The consequences of idol worship were severe, leading to moral decay such as engaging in detestable practices and homosexuality (1Ki 14:24), social unrest, and ultimately divine punishment.
After King Rehoboam, many more idolatrous kings followed such as King Abijah, Jehoram of Judah, Ahaziah of Judah, Joash of Judah, King Amaziah, King Ahaz, King Manasseh, King Amon, Jehoahaz of Judah, King Jehoiakim, King Jehoiachin, and King Zedekiah. These kings constructed temples and altars dedicated to idols, disregarding the commandments of the one true God. Their actions led the people astray and invited divine wrath upon the kingdom.
Despite the prevalence of idolatry, there were also periods of reform led by righteous kings in Judah. These good kings sought to eradicate idol worship, restore the worship of God, and uphold justice and righteousness in the land. King Asa was the first of these good kings and reformers. The last reformer good king of Judah was Josiah. After him reigned three of his sons who were all idolatrous, leading the kingdom to its fall at the hands of the Babylonians.