Table of Contents
Israel worships the golden calf at Mt. Sinai
God called Moses onto Mt. Sinai to collect the Ten Commandments. Moses was up on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. When the Israelites saw that Moses was long in coming down from the mountain, they grew impatient and came in their numbers to Aaron, the high priest and Moses’ elder brother, and told him to make gods for them who would lead them to possess the Promised Land.
Aaron had them bring the golden earrings of their wives and children and he melted them and molded a golden calf out of it. Worse yet, they proclaimed that this golden calf they just made was the god who delivered them from Egypt, stealing and bestowing God’s glory on their idol.
When Aaron saw that it pleased them, he built an altar before the golden calf and proclaimed, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” According to this statement, Aaron seemed to be justifying his actions by creating the impression that the golden calf is a representation of the LORD God of Israel. The next day, they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to their idol. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
God had Moses come down from the mountain to stop them. Moses came down to meet a chaotic idolatrous feast. When he confronted Aaron for what he had done, he shifted the blame to the people. Then Moses stood at the gate of the camp and called out to those who were still loyal to the Lord to come.
The tribe of Levy responded and rallied before him. Then he made them go on a killing rampage to stop the idolatrous feast which was out of control. On that day about 3000 Israelites died. God was angry with Aaron to kill him but Moses interceded for Aaron and for the people and their lives were spared. (Exodus 32)
Israel worships Baal of Peor
During the Exodus, when the Israelites were on the match to the Promised Land, they came to the land of Moab. The king of Moab at that time, Balak, was troubled by the presence of the Israelites on his land, so he hired Balaam, a prophet, to come and curse the Israelites so that they would perish. However, Balaam could not curse the Israelites for God’s blessings were upon them. Therefore, he sought to bring destruction upon Israel in another way.
While the Israelites were camping in Shittim in the land of Moab, by Balaam’s advice, the Moabite women became a stumbling block to the Israelites. The Moabite women went to the Israelites and lured the Israelite men into worshipping Baal of Peor. They joined the Moabites to offer sacrifices to Baal of Peor, ate the sacrificial meal, and bowed down to Baal in worship. 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, twenty-four thousand Israelites were killed. Later, Israel also avenged itself on Balaam by executing him. Reference Numbers 25
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 on the Promised Land, with time, the remnants aged old and 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 repent and cry for help, he gave them judges to deliver them. Therefore there was a cycle of idolatry, oppression, repentance, and deliverance throughout the era.
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)
King Solomon’s idolatry
God commanded the Israelites that they should not intermarry with the heathen people; they should not give their daughters in marriage to their son nor take their daughters for their sons in marriage. However, some notable Israelites disobeyed this law and King Solomon was one of them. The first foreign woman Solomon got married to was an Egyptian princess. After her, King Solomon also loved and married many foreign women who were Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites (1 Kings 11:1).
Over time, these women requested a favor from King Solomon that he should build shrines where they could worship their native gods in the land of Israel. King Solomon consented out of love and built shrines and high places for his pagan wives so that they could worship their native gods such as Ashtoreth, Chemosh, Molek, etc. King Solomon himself partook in the worship of these gods aforementioned. (1 Kings 11:5-7).
Solomon was the first among the kings to perpetuate idolatry in Israel against God’s commandments. It is baffling that a pious man like Solomon fell away like that. His sin of idolatry led to the division of Israel into two kingdoms. He set a very bad example, which other kings followed such as King Jeroboam and King Rehoboam followed.
Israel worships the golden calves
Now because of the apostasy of King Solomon, during the reign of King Rehoboam, God caused the kingdom of Israel to split into two; the southern Kingdom of Judah and the Kingdom of Israel. The southern kingdom was ruled by King Rehoboam and the northern kingdom comprising ten tribes was ruled by King Jeroboam.
According to the Law of Moses, the Israelites cannot offer sacrifices at any place they deemed fit. Their religious obligations should be done at God’s chosen place of worship, which was Jerusalem in Judah. There, they should bring all their sacrifices. Deuteronomy 12:5-12. And that was what all Israelites had been doing ever since the Temple of Solomon was completed. Now if the Law of Moses is what they were to go by, then the people of the northern kingdom had to go to Jerusalem in Judah to worship God and offer their sacrifices in the Temple of Solomon.
But King Jeroboam saw an occasion to fear for he thought that if his people went to offer sacrifices in the temple of God in Jerusalem, their hearts would turn again to King Rehoboam of Judah, and he would lose his kingdom and his life as well. Therefore he took advice from his advisors and founded a new religion for his kingdom. He made two golden calves and built altars in Bethel and Dan and placed his idols in these towns. Further, he diverted the attention and devotion of the people from God and God’s chosen place of worship, Jerusalem, to these golden idols in Dan and Bethel (1 Kings 12:31).
This sin was later referred to as the sins of Jeroboam or the way of Jeroboam. King Jeroboam, in addition to the golden calves, built high places; that is, places for offering sacrifices on top of hills. King Jeroboam forsook the tribe of Levi and non-Levites as priests of the high places and for the shrines of the golden calves. He also ordained a feast on the 15th day of the 8th month on which burnt sacrifices and incense would be offered to the golden idols. He himself diverted his act of worship to these golden calves he has made and the whole kingdom followed suit. (1 Kings 12:25-33)
King Jeroboam’s actions set a bad precedent for idol worship among the Israelites for idolatry became part and parcel of the culture and traditions of the people. All the kings who came after King Jeroboam, from King Nadab to King Hoshea, followed in his footsteps such that the Northern Kingdom of Israel never recovered from idolatry. This religion of the golden calves only came to an end when the Kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria and was taken into exile.
Israel worships Baal
Since the day King Jeroboam established the religion of the golden calves, it replaced the worship of God and it became the nation’s religion throughout its existence. The northern kingdom was never restored from idolatry to God nor was it ever saved from apostasy throughout its existence. However, during the reign of King Ahab, idolatry reached its peak and assumed a more vicious form for Ahab added more idolatry to the already existing idolatry.
Ahab married a Sidonian princess called Jezebel whose native god was Baal. This couple successfully established the religion of Baal in Israel. With this religion came moral decay and the persecution of the prophets of God. This couple shed the blood of many prophets and hunted Elijah with the intent to kill him. God pronounced judgment on the house of Ahab that it would face extinction. After Ahab’s death, his son Ahaziah and Jezebel continued the religion of Baal in Israel. After the death of Ahaziah, his successor Joram, though idolatrous, did not follow the worship of Baal. But so long as Jezebel was alive, Baal worship flourished.
During the reign of King Joram, son of Ahab, God raised Jehu to put an end to the house of Ahab and their evil. Jehu killed King Joram and Jezebel. Later, he convened all the worshipers of Baal to a meeting in the temple of Baal. Then he had all the worshipers, priests, and prophets of Baal killed, ending the religion of Baal in Israel. However, the religion of the two golden calves continued in the kingdom until it fell.
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.