Your Life is a Reflection of Who/What You Worship

The Impact of Idolatry

(2 Kings 17:6-16)

Basis Dictionary Definition of an Idol

Person(s) or object(s) of worship

Some Biblical Definitions of an Idol (from the Hebrew)

Aven & Elil, "nothingness;" "vanity" (i.e. futile, useless, unreal) (Isa. 66:3; 41:29; Deut. 32:21;
1 Sam. 12:21, 1 Kings 16:13; Ps. 31:6; 97:7, Isa. 19:3, Jer. 8:19) Is there something in your life
on which you are wasting significant amounts of time & energy?

Shikkuts, "filth;" "impurity" (Ezek. 37:23; Nah. 3:6, see also Eph. 5:5) Is there something
impure in your life which is defiling your “temple of God”, see 2 Cor. 6:16-17)

Tselem, "a shadow" (Dan. 3:1; 1 Sam. 6:5, see also Jer. 10:15) Shadows fade away (Ps. 102:11,
109:23, 144:4) Do you worship that which is transitory or that which is eternal?

Atsab, "a figure fashioned by man's labor (Isa. 2:8-9, 48:5; Ps. 139:24) Are you obsessed
with any material thing(s)? (see Phil. 3:7-11)

Maskith, "a device", “a snare” (Lev. 26:1; Num. 33:52, Ps. 106:35-36) Designed by Satan to
capture human hearts.

Other Biblical Associations with Idolatry

Covetousness is idolatry (Col. 3:5, Eph. 5:5)

Stubbornness towards God is like idolatry (1 Sam. 15:23)

The pride of life (the pursuit of self glory and honor) = self-worship = idolatry (Daniel 4:30-33)

Other possibilities (excessive pursuit of beauty, strength, knowledge, sensual pleasure,

acquisition/ownership, etc.) (see Ecc. 1:17, 2:4-11, 5:10, Jer. 9:23-24)

Both great & small are vulnerable to idolatry (Is. 2:8-9)

Wrong association leads to idolatry (Ps. 106:35-36) “peer pressure”

Bottom Line Definitions of Idolatry

Anything which usurps the place of God in the human heart.

Anything that robs God of the worship and glory properly due Him.

Give God the glory due Him (1 Chron. 16:29, Ps. 29:2, Rom. 1:21-23)
God Forbids Idolatry

God said, "You shall have no other gods before Me!" (Exodus 20:3-5, Ps. 81:9, 1 John 5:21, 1
Cor. 10:14)

The Consequences of Idolatry

“They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless.” (2 Kings 17:15, Isaiah 44:9-
10, Jer. 13:1-10, Ps. 115:8)

Worshipping idols causes us to become estranged from God (Ezek. 14:1-5)

Worshipping idols causes us to be confounded (i.e. confused, perplexed, bewildered, annoyed,

failing without understanding why) (Ps. 97:7)

Worshipping idols causes us to forget God, and in doing so, ultimately to perish (Deut. 8:19,
30:17, 1 Kings 9:6-8, Eph. 5:5)