1Padmuel12:20-21 "Then Samuel said to the people, do not be afraid. You have done all these evil things, but in no way turn away from the Lord, serve the Lord with all your heart. Do not turn away, if you are a follower of those things. Shall, those who can benefit and save as objects Idolatry, a sin, has been repeated throughout the history of God's people. The first instance of this happened in the family of Jacob. Notice that just before entering Bethel, Jacob ordered all their idols to be removed (Genesis 35:1-4). The first recorded instance in the Bible of Israel engaging in idolatry as a whole was when Moses was on Mount Sinai, worshiping the golden calf (Exodus 32:1-6). In the age of the judges God's people were often addicted to idolatry. Although there is no evidence of idolatry during the reign of Saul and David, a practice of idolatry appears to have continued in Israel during the last years of Solomon's reign (1 Kings 11:1-8). During the history of the divided kingdom, all the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel were idolaters. Similarly, most of the kings of the southern kingdom of Judah were also worshiping this idol. Only after the exile did the worship of gods cease among the Jews.

The attraction of paganism. Why was idolatry so attractive to the Israelites? There were many reasons for this (1) The pagan nations surrounding Israel believed that worshiping many gods was better than worshiping one God. That is, the more gods and goddesses are in number, the better they will be. God's people were influenced by these nations and instead of obeying God's commandments, keeping themselves holy and separate from others, they always imitated them.

(2) The gods of other nations did not demand the kind of obedience that Jehovah, the God of Israel, demanded. For example, in most pagan religions, fornication in temples was a special part of their rituals. This custom was no doubt amusing to many in Israel. Rather, God commanded that in order to maintain a saving relationship with Him, people must maintain the high moral standards set forth in His law. It was their duty to resist at all times the immoral tendencies of the evil practices of paganism which they despised, or outright supported.

(3) As idols were of the nature or nature of evil spirits (see next section), it seemed to those who worshiped them that paganism sometimes produced pure and visible fruits. The evil forces behind idols could provide momentary material and physical benefits, albeit on a limited scale. Fertility gods ensured childbearing, weather gods (sun, moon, rain, etc.) ensured favorable conditions for abundant harvests, and warrior gods ensured protection from enemies and victory in battle. The promise of such benefits was attractive to the Israelites, and many were willing to serve these idols.

Fundamental character of paganism. If we do not understand the true nature of paganism, we cannot understand its appeal. (1) The Bible clearly states that an idol has no value by itself (Jer 2:11; 16:20). A mere work carved by human hands or an image of stone or stone, which has no power of its own. Samuel refers to idols as "nonsense" (1 Samuel 12:21), and Paul clearly says, "We know that idols are nothing in the world" (1 Cor 8:4 and compare also verses 10:19-20). psalmists (see for example Psalm 115:4-8: 135:15-18) and prophets (for example 1 Kings 18:27 (see Isaiah 44:9-20; Jeremiah 10:3-5) often ridiculed idols.

(2) But behind all idols are demons, or evil spirits controlled by the devil. Both Moses (see Deuteronomy 32:17 et seq.) and the psalmist (Psalm 106:36-37) equate false gods with the devil. Also, notice what Paul says about eating meat sacrificed to gods in his letter to the Corinthians: "Whatever the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God" (1 Cor. 10:20), meaning the power behind idolatry, the devil, or evil. Power and function of spirits. Evil spirits actually have a lot of power in this world. Of course, Christians know that the power of Jesus Christ is greater than the power of evil spirits . Even so, Satan is called "the ruler of the world" (2 Cor. 4:4). In this respect he exercises destructive power in the present evil age (see his note on 1 John 5:19 and also compare passages such as Luke 13:16: Galatians 1:4; Eph. 6:12; Heb. 2:14). He has the power to produce false signs and strange works of error (2 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 13:2-8, 13:16:13-14: 19:20), and to bestow physical and material advantages on people. There is no doubt that this power sometimes brings about some improvement in wicked people (Ps. 10:2-6, 37:16, 35:49:6, 73:3-12 etc. (compare Prarabalti).

(3) The connection between paganism and evil spirits will be more clearly seen when we realize how closely the mythological religious practices are connected with exorcism, witchcraft, astrology, subjugation, dakini-yogini lore, incantations, and other such rites or sorceries (2 Kings 21: 3-6; compare Isa 8:19 preparation places: B:B: 18/9-11 et seq. and Eka 9:21 et seq.). According to the scriptures these mystical rites pay homage to evil spirits. For example, when Saul asked the demonic woman at Eindobe to raise Samuel from the grave, he saw "a god come up from you" who looked like Samuel (1 Samuel 2808-14). The woman expected an evil spirit to come out of Hades (see 1 Samuel 28:12 and its note).

(4) The New Testament calls covetousness a form of idolatry (Col. 3:5). This connection or comparison is obvious. Because, evil spirits are capable of giving some material benefits. People who are not satisfied with their present hopes, and covet more, will not hesitate to show their loyalty to the ideals and aspirations of those vatadias, and they too may obtain their marked objects. These people may not worship gods made of wood or stone. But they actually worship those evil spirits hidden behind greed. So, they are also pagans. Thus Jesus' saying 'You cannot serve both God and money' (Matthew 6:24) and Paul's warning that believers cannot drink at the same time from the cup of Satan and the cup of demons - express the same meaning (1 Cor 10:21).

(1) He repeatedly forbade the idolatry against it in the Old Testament (Exod. 4 (see verse 4 and its taka). 4:23-24; Jeho 23:7. (c) Another commandment to not light the land of Canaan. 2 Kings 17:35-. Commandment to destroy idols (Exodus 23:24, 34:13: Deuteronomy 7:4-5, 12:2-3) P (2) Israel's history is often seen as a history of idolatry.His people in the Promised Land are all idols

The Lord punished the wicked people of God by allowing the enemies to rule over all the idols because they failed to do so and worshiped false gods instead. The account of the judges recounts the history of repeated events in circles; That is, the nations that Israel failed to drive out, worshiped the same idols in the stars; For this offense God gave their enemies dominion over them. When God's people cried out to the Lord, the Lord heard their cry and sent a savior or deliverer for their deliverance. (b) The paganism of the northern kingdom continued for nearly two centuries until God's patience ran out, and he brought in the Assyrians, who destroyed the capital of Israel and drove the ten tribes to different directions (2 Kings 17:6-18). (c) The southern kingdom of Judah had a number of godly kings, such as Hivites and Josiah, but idolatry continued among the Jewish nation thanks to wicked kings such as Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1-9). As a result, God sent prophets to say that He would also destroy Jerusalem (2 Kings 21:10-16). Despite these warnings, idolatry continued (Isaiah 48:4-5; Jer 2:4-30: 16:18-21 Ezekiel 8). In the end, God fulfilled his prophecy through the Babylonian king Nabrishdinazar. He came and captured Jerusalem, burned the temple and plundered the city (2 Kings 25).

(3) All believers are also warned against idolatry in the New Testament. Today, idol worship is appearing in various forms. Manifesting clearly in many of the world's false religions as well as occult, satanic and other occult forms. It is seen wherever men and women surrender themselves to greed and materialism instead of trusting in God alone. Finally, it comes to the church, when people believe that they can serve God and experience His salvation and blessings, and at the same time participate in the immoral and evil practices of the world. (b) As a result, the New Testament warns us not to be tempted by covetousness and immorality (see Col 3:5 and Matt 6:19-24; Rom 7:7; Heb 13:5-6 Compare places, etc. The Bible tells us to turn away from all forms of idolatry (1 Cor. 10:14; 1 John 5:21) God is again voicing his warning that those who indulge in any form of idolatry will not inherit his kingdom (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5: 20-21; Rev. 22:15).