Topical Bible: Alliance and Society With the Enemies of God: Lead to Idolatry

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In the biblical narrative, alliances and associations with the enemies of God are frequently depicted as leading to idolatry and spiritual downfall. The Scriptures provide numerous examples and warnings against forming such alliances, emphasizing the spiritual dangers and consequences that accompany them.

Old Testament Examples

1. Solomon's Foreign Wives: King Solomon, despite his wisdom, formed alliances through marriage with foreign women who worshiped other gods. These alliances led his heart astray. As recorded in 1 Kings 11:4 , "For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been." This deviation from exclusive worship of Yahweh resulted in the introduction of idolatry into Israel.

2. Ahab and Jezebel: King Ahab of Israel married Jezebel, a Phoenician princess and a devoted worshiper of Baal. This alliance brought Baal worship into Israel, as noted in 1 Kings 16:31-33 : "He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him."

3. Jehoshaphat and Ahab: King Jehoshaphat of Judah formed an alliance with Ahab through marriage, which nearly led to disaster. 2 Chronicles 18:1 states, "Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage." This alliance led to military cooperation that was not sanctioned by God, resulting in near defeat and divine rebuke.

Warnings Against Alliances

The Law of Moses explicitly warned against forming alliances with the pagan nations surrounding Israel. In Exodus 34:12-16 , God commands, "Be careful not to make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land you are entering, lest they become a snare in your midst... Otherwise, when you make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land and they prostitute themselves with their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you, and you will eat their sacrifices."

New Testament Principles

The New Testament continues to caution believers against forming alliances with those who oppose God. In 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 , the Apostle Paul writes, "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?"

Consequences of Alliances

The consequences of forming alliances with the enemies of God are severe, often leading to spiritual compromise and idolatry. These alliances can result in the dilution of faith, the introduction of false worship, and divine judgment. The history of Israel serves as a sobering reminder of the dangers of such associations, as seen in the repeated cycles of apostasy and repentance throughout the Old Testament.

Conclusion

The biblical narrative consistently warns against forming alliances with those who oppose God, highlighting the spiritual dangers and the propensity for such relationships to lead to idolatry. Believers are called to remain separate from the influences of those who do not share their faith, maintaining their devotion to God alone.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 34:15,16
Lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice to their gods, and one call you, and you eat of his sacrifice;
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Numbers 25:1-8
And Israel stayed in Shittim, and the people began to commit prostitution with the daughters of Moab.
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Deuteronomy 7:4
For they will turn away your son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy you suddenly.
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Judges 3:5-7
And the children of Israel dwelled among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites:
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Revelation 2:20
Notwithstanding I have a few things against you, because you suffer that woman Jezebel, which calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols.
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Library

Covenanting a Duty.
... men, as worthy members of civil society, the servants ... the nature of the statute
forbidding alliance with the ... treaties, of whatever kind with the enemies of God ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter iii covenanting a duty.htm

The Empress Eudoxia from the Story of Christian Womanhood in Old ...
... to Cyprus; but the empress and his enemies would not be ... in office and hoped by his
new alliance to return ... on that account that select Byzantine society was not ...
/.../brittain/women of early christianity/ix the empress eudoxia from.htm

Covenant Duties.
... her interests, are the strongest that society can put ... denunciations and warnings
addressed to his enemies; he urges ... civil power; that seek the alliance of any ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter iv covenant duties.htm

John Calvin. His Life and Character.
... or small, which can agitate human society.' [809] It ... the principles of the Evangelical
Alliance, and dedicated ... all the calumnies and slanders of his enemies. ...
/.../creeds of christendom with a history and critical notes/ 56 john calvin his.htm

Funeral Oration on the Great S. Basil, Bishop of C??sarea in ...
... midst of the eddying tide of enemies assaulting the ... Accordingly he accepted the alliance,
and imagined himself the ... in which the true man of God, working for God ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xliii funeral oration on.htm

General Index.
... condition of society in, after rejection of Christ, 28. ... Jewish church, alliance of,
with heathen, 382. ... persecution of, by enemies, 592, 607-610, 626, 627; by ...
/.../white/the great controversy between christ and satan /general index.htm

The Puritan Conflict.
... They fairly represented in congenial alliance the principle ... in the English Church,
in English society, in English ... the esteem of the descendants of its enemies. ...
/.../ 92 the puritan conflict.htm

The First Epistle of St. Peter
... il daigne nous honnorer de cette doulce alliance paternelle, it ... are to maintain the
moral order of society. ... attitude of Christians towards their enemies in the ...
/.../moffat/the general epistles james peter and judas/the first epistle of st.htm

A Traveler's Note-Book
... even sufficient if you resort to the society of noble ... Man, wronged by his fellow,
cries to God, and can imagine no deliverance save by the ruin of his enemies. ...
/.../merriam/the chief end of man/iii a travelers note-book.htm

part ii
... easily obtained (money, position in society, honours, distinctions ... towards everyone,
even towards our enemies, readily excusing ... is the soul when it is with God! ...
//christianbookshelf.org/calvin/my life in christ/part ii.htm