Anything Worshipped in Place of God.

The pagan world, which forms the background to the Bible, was totally obsessed with the worship of idols. Sometimes idols were representations of unseen powers which were believed to be capable of affecting the daily lives of the people, giving favourable weather, or fertility to the crops and animals. Others were carvings of wood and stone, which were thought to have power in themselves, and needed offerings to placate them. God, through His prophets had a constant battle to keep Israel from idol worship: "Why do the nations say, "Where is their God?" Our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases Him. But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men." (Psalm 115:2-4; see also Isaiah 40:18-20).

"Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. Then the word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of Man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling-blocks before their faces. Should I let them enquire of Me at all? Therefore speak to them and tell them, "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the Lord will answer him Myself in keeping with his great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols." Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!'" (Ezekiel 14:1-6).

When Jacob left his uncle Laban, Rachel his wife stole her father's household gods, or idols and hid them amongst her baggage. Possibly they were gold, and valuable, or perhaps she thought they might be a way of identifying her and her children with the family of Laban in the future. Rachel showed contempt for them as objects of worship, sitting on them while her tent was searched (in Genesis 31:30-35). Similarly King Saul's daughter Michal pretended that her husband David was ill by putting an idol in his bed (in 1 Samuel 19:11-17).

In New Testament times, the apostle Paul tried hard to persuade the gentile nations to give up their idol worship and serve God: "While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols…. [He said to them] 'Men of Athens… we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone-an image made by man's design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent.'" (Acts 17:16-30).

Today we may not worship carved idols of gold and silver, but it is possible to 'worship' things we value and people we admire too much. We can think more of things we like and enjoy doing, than we do of God and His ways. This also is idolatry.

"Dear children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21).

Idol
Immortal, Immortality
Inheritance
Iniquity
Inspiration
  Partial Inspiration
Israel
Israel and Judah