Bible references

Key NT Scriptures

• 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
• 1 Corinthians 10:14
• 1 Corinthians 10:19-20
• 2 Corinthians 6:16-17
• 1 John 5:21
• Romans 1:22-25

Key OT Scriptures

• Deuteronomy 4:23-28
  Click to retrieve Deuteronomy 4:23-28
  Jewish Commentary
• Deuteronomy 8:19
  Jewish Commentary
• Deuteronomy 11:16
  Jewish Commentary
• Deuteronomy 12:29-31
  Jewish Commentary
• Deuteronomy 14:15-19
  Jewish Commentary
• Deuteronomy 16:21-22
  Jewish Commentary
• Deuteronomy 18:10-11
  Jewish Commentary
• Deuteronomy 30:15-18
  Jewish Commentary
• Exodus 20:3-5
  Jewish Commentary
• Exodus 23:13
  Jewish Commentary
• Exodus 23:23-24
  Jewish Commentary
• Exodus 34:14
  Jewish Commentary
• Ezekiel 20:7
  Jewish Commentary
• Jeremiah 16:10-11
  Jewish Commentary
• Jonah 2:9
  Jewish Commentary
• Joshua 23:6-8
  Jewish Commentary
• Leviticus 17:7
  Jewish Commentary
• Leviticus 18:21
  Jewish Commentary
• Leviticus 19:4
  Jewish Commentary
• Leviticus 26:1
  Jewish Commentary
• Psalms 16:4
  Jewish Commentary
• Psalms 97:7
  Jewish Commentary

Supportive NT Scriptures

• 1 Corinthians 12:2
• Luke 12:16-21
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• Matthew 6:19-21
• Matthew 6:24

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Commentary

Rabbi Michael Rudolph

Most of the mitzvot promulgated in the Mosaic era appear to command against worshiping foreign gods of the supernatural kind - sometimes attributed to animals and natural objects (e.g. the Nile river god and the frog god of the Egyptians), and sometimes man-made objects (e.g. heathen carved statues and the golden calf). While not spoken of directly in the Mosaic Law, Satan and satanic influence is at the core of all idolatry and of all gods other than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was the archangel Lucifer (later named Satan) who first rebelled against God, and who was cast out of heaven and allowed to become the god of the earth to the extent that man would allow him. Satan's first attempt at seducing man away from God was successful (i.e. Adam and Eve), and the rest of the earth's history has been his war against God for the heart of mankind. There were (and still are) pagans who were/are susceptible to worshiping foreign gods, such as the Canaanites and Egyptians of old, and the Hindus and Satanists of today. The religions of the Canaanites and Egyptians severely impacted the Israelites in years gone by but, today, Satan's attack on God's people is more subtle. We get a hint of the kinds of idols that impact us most today from the following Scriptures: 1 Samuel 15:23: For rebellion is like the sin of sorcery, stubbornness like the crime of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of ADONAI, he too has rejected you as king. Ephesians 5:5: For of this you can be sure: every sexually immoral, impure or greedy person - that is, every idol-worshipper - has no share in the Kingdom of the Messiah and of God. Colossians 3:5: Therefore, put to death the earthly parts of your nature - sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed (which is a form of idolatry) 1 Timothy 6:10: For the love of money is a root of all the evils; because of this craving, some people have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves to the heart with many pains. These Scriptures indicate that stubbornness, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed for money and property are all idols. Other common idols are money, property, power, and security. An idol is therefore anything (or anyone) that we desire more strongly than we desire God, and idolatry is any giving-in to such a desire, such that we put that thing or person ahead of God. This Mitzvah commands us to put away all idolatry, both the worship of foreign gods, as well as those other idols that draw us away from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Anyone who allows such things to dominate his or her life is guilty of idolatry.

Classical commentators

Maimonides, Meir, and HaChinuch each wrote nine mitzvot that collectively express the principle of this one Mitzvah . Most of the commentators' mitzvot are self-explanatory, but there is one that bears special mention. In his mitzvah C27, HaChinuch criticizes Maimonides for making no distinction of culpability between making an idol with one's own hands, and commissioning one's agent to make an idol for him. HaChinuch writes that there should be such a distinction because of an established Talmudic rule ( TB Kidushin 42b ) that a person who commissions another to commit a wrong is not himself guilty of the wrong. In saying this, HaChinuch may be referring to Maimonides' RN3 and not RN2 which is described in this Mitzvah . Maimonides, Meir, and HaChinuch wrote separate mitzvot for bowing down to an idol (Maimonides RN5; Meir MN11; HaChinuch C28), and for worshiping an idol (Maimonides RN6; Meir MN 12; HaChinuch C29), which seems to me to be splitting hairs. In their mitzvot RN14, MN13, and C86 respectively, Maimonides, Meir, and HaChinuch interpret Exodus 23:13 narrowly to mean that we are not to swear in the name of idols, and in their mitzvot RN26, MN27, and C518 respectively, they interpret it to mean that we are not to prophesy in the name of an idol. In his mitzvah RN10, Maimonides admonishes the reader to not study or pay attention to idolatry, whereas Meir and HaChinuch (MN16 and C213 respectively) command the reader to not turn toward idolatry. While there is, indeed, the possibility that a spiritually weak person could become attracted to idolatry through learning about it, I do not believe that the Scriptures cited support such a broad restriction. Deuteronomy 12:30 is clear that the prohibition is against inquiring about foreign gods for the purpose of following them.

Copyright © Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster, The Law of Messiah, Torah from a New Covenant Perspective, Volume 1 & 2

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Based on The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective by Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster.

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