Grace Bible Church
Pastor-Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Sunday,
September 24, 2017
The first commandment is dealing with idolatry in the soul, while the second commandment deals with overt idolatry.
Both of these commandments deal with The Doctrine of Idolatry. Point 1. Definition.
- The worship of a physical object or objects as God.
2. Inordinate attachment or extreme devotion to something.
Idol = an object of extreme devotion, hence, it could be almost anything or anyone in a person's life.
Point 2. The Divine Viewpoint concerning Idolatry.
- The commandments of the Lord are against idolatry and are related to the fact that Israel was appointed as a client nation to God, EXO 19:4‑6.
- The first commandment prohibits mental idolatry, and the second commandment prohibits overt idolatry, EXO 20:1‑6; DEU 5:6‑10.
Inner manifestation = revealed by their worship of those idols.
Overt manifestation = those believers who have idols in their life is revealed by their service to them.
Sub-point 2 = The first commandment prohibits mental idolatry, and the second commandment prohibits overt idolatry.
- Idolatry was specifically forbidden because of the danger that lies behind the idol in EXO 20:23, DEU 5:7, 6:14.
- Idolatry is analogous to spiritual adultery; JER 3:8‑10; EZE 16:23‑43.
- Idolatry begins in the mind and proceeds to overt practice, JDG 2:10‑13; EZE 14:7.
- Baal-berith = the covenant Baal, or the lord and the guardian of the covenants - "let's make a deal god."
- Baal-gad = the lord of good luck, or the Baal of fortune, ISAa 65:11.
- Baal-hamon = possessor of abundance = the god of materialism.
- Baal Hermon = mountain god - the center of all Baal worship. (Worshipped in JDG 3:3, 1CH 5:23 - "mountain experience" god.
- Baal peor = the god of prostitution and sex, worshipped in NUM 25:1-3.
- Baal Zebub = the fly god, or the god of counterfeit. (Worshipped in 2KI 1:2-3.6:16.) = the god of deception.
Point 3. Demonism and Demon Possession is caused by Idolatry, ZEC 10:2; also called the devil's communion table, 1CO 10:19‑22.
ZEC 10:2 For the teraphim speak iniquity, And the diviners see lying visions, And tell false dreams; They comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep, They are afflicted, because there is no shepherd.
Idolatry is related to both scar tissue of the soul and emotional revolt of the soul, it produces psychotic and neurotic conditions; JER 50:38.
The worship of idols and false gods or religion is one of the main reasons for national and international disasters throughout the world.
Mad - halal = to act insane, to live in arrogance.
Dr. William Gesenius says on page 226 that this word which is in the hithpoel stem in the Hebrew means to be mad and to be foolish.
The Theological wordbook of the Old Testament by Harris, Archer and Waltke says in vol 1, page 219 that this word halal, translated mad, means the irrational aspect of insanity.
Halal is the opposite of chokmah, which of course means doctrine.
Because you don't want to fill your soul with thoughts that are negative, critical, judgmental, bitter, or angry, if so you will become halel, (mad) etc.
Point 4. Idolatry Distorts and Perverts the Divine Design of Sex.
In JER 9:14, "But they have walked after the stubbornness of their heart [the scartissue and hardness of the heart] and after the Baals, as their fathers taught them.
The relationship between idolatry and the Phallic Cult.
The Phallic cult came from the Phoenicians and includes immorality of all kinds, such as:
Incest;
FornicationAdultery;
HomosexualityLesbianism;
Bestiality, LEV 18:3‑25.
The Phallic Cult also worshipped Demons; LEV 20:6;
Human sacrifice; LEV 20:1‑5;
Rejection of authority; LEV 20:9;
And social degeneracy; LEV 20:10‑23.
The entire religious background of the Phoenician Phallic Cult is found in what is known as the "Epic of Ugarit"
God the Father is counterfeited by the god el. The son is counterfeited by Baal.
Baal has a struggle once a year with mot, the god of death, and he dies (the counterfeit of the cross).
Baal also had a wife‑sister, Anoth, who finds his body and brings it back to life (the counterfeit of the resurrection).
She becomes the goddess of sex, murder, warfare, and love.
In Phoenician she is Ashtarti;
In Latin she becomes Venus.
I gave it to show you the importance of idolatry as it relates to deception......because that is all an idol is = NOTHING= ---- a lie manifested by something or someone to blind believers from ISA 43:21; REV 4:11.
His goal is to lead all believers astray.
MAT 24:4 And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you.
Any area that you do not have sound doctrine in, is an area open to deception.
Idolatry leads to deception which leads to is demonization of the soul and personality of the believer or unbeliever living in the cosmic system.
Idolatry leads to deception where "thought transference" of demon doctrines are taught to the believer or unbeliever in the cosmic system.
COL 1:24 I keep on communicating these things in order that no one may delude you or deceive you with persuasive arguments.
1CO 3:18 "Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become foolish [realize that he is a fool] that he may become wise.
Even the woman in the garden, who was perfect and didn't have an OSN ended up deceived by the craftiness and subtlety of Satan.
2CO 11:3 But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray [deceived] from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
Deception is the invasion of the soul, especially the mind, emotion, and self‑ consciousness of the soul.
Deception is the infiltration of satanic thought which is why Satan's thoughts are called doctrines of demons, 1TI 4:1.
It just isn't expressed in terms of evil, but in terms of improving this world, doing nice things for your fellow-man, and supporting crusades.
Deception is the invasion of the soul with thought that is false thinking, i.e., the policy and principles by which Satan operated prior to the creation of man and afterwards as the ruler of this world.
Q - What does Satan want?
A - To promote sin and evil or to improve this world and try to make himself to be equal to God?
Here is where the alert pastor comes into the picture and reveals the spiritual and invisible purpose of "True Idolatry" which comes in by means of blinding and deceiving us from divine solutions.
For now we are deceived by looking at marriage, family, money, wealth, friends, social life, materialism, fame, fortune or power as a means of blessings and we forget the Blessor.
Without the Lord we are all said to really be nothing as man is called in PSA 39:5 "Behold, Thou hast made my days as handbreadths, And my lifetime as nothing in Thy sight, Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah.
PSA 96:5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens.