Topical Bible: Idolatry: Objects of Described as Senseless Idols

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Idolatry, the worship of idols or images as divine, is a recurring theme in the Bible, consistently condemned as a deviation from the worship of the one true God. The objects of idolatry are often described in Scripture as senseless, highlighting their inability to see, hear, or act, and thus underscoring the futility of worshiping them.

The prophet Isaiah vividly portrays the absurdity of idol worship. In Isaiah 44:9-20, he describes the process of crafting an idol from wood, emphasizing the irrationality of using part of the wood to warm oneself or cook food, and the other part to fashion a god. Isaiah 44:18-19 states, "They do not comprehend or discern, for He has shut their eyes so they cannot see and their minds so they cannot understand. No one considers in his heart, no one has the knowledge or insight to say, 'I burned half of it in the fire, and I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and ate. Shall I make a detestable idol from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?'"

Jeremiah also speaks against the senselessness of idols. In Jeremiah 10:3-5 , he writes, "For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman. They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter. Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good."

The Psalms also reflect on the impotence of idols. Psalm 115:4-8 declares, "Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them."

The New Testament continues this theme, with the Apostle Paul addressing the futility of idol worship in his letters. In 1 Corinthians 12:2 , he reminds the believers, "You know that when you were pagans, you were influenced and led astray to mute idols." Paul emphasizes the contrast between the living God and lifeless idols, urging believers to turn away from such senseless objects.

Throughout Scripture, the portrayal of idols as senseless serves as a powerful reminder of the folly of idolatry. These passages underscore the biblical teaching that true worship is directed toward the living God, who alone is worthy of honor and devotion.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 4:28
And there you shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 115:5,7
They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Impiety of Attributing a visible Form to God. --The Setting up of ...
... how aid is implored from dead and senseless objects, by beings ... pretexts in defence
of the execrable idolatry in which ... in the very way which has been described. ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 11 impiety of attributing.htm

Religious and Social State.
... involving considerable expenditure on objects and places ... a death of the kind described,
is naturally ... and the zeal displayed against idolatry is characteristic ...
/.../daubney/the three additions to daniel a study/religious and social state 3.htm

Original Sin
... Satan behind; we run into an idolatry whereof he ... that neither grand nor beautiful
objects please any ... of the ancient Heathens have largely described the vices ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 44 original sin.htm

The So-Called Letter to Diognetus
... The Stupidity of Idolatry. ... latter think that they are offering something to objects
which in ... In the rite of baptism described in Hippolytus' Apostolic Tradition ...
/.../richardson/early christian fathers/the so-called letter to diognetus.htm

Answer to the Objection of the Heathen, that it was not Right to ...
... reward of your choice, therefore, as described by Sophocles ... evil one, and prefer
wisdom to idolatry, and take ... lest the multitude of pleasing objects which rise ...
/.../clement/exhortation to the heathen/chapter x answer to the objection.htm

The Prophecies
... looked around them and seen some pleasing objects, have given ... Daniel 12:7. Having
described all the extent of ... That then idolatry would be overthrown; that this ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pascal/pensees/section xi the prophecies.htm

Christianity Misunderstood by Believers.
... faith, he would certainly have described this institution ... and even proximity to these
objects, touching them ... is an external observance of the rites of idolatry. ...
/.../the kingdom of god is within you/chapter iii christianity misunderstood by.htm

The Sibylline Oracles.
... These evils are a punishment for the idolatry which profane kings introduced into
Greece ... Greece will some day cast away its idols and turn to the true God, and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the sibylline oracles.htm

A Plea Regarding Christians by Athenagoras, the Athenian
... Idols and Idolatry. ... How much less can I call those objects gods, whose makers I ... gods
their names, assigned them honors and functions, and described their forms ...
/.../richardson/early christian fathers/a plea regarding christians by.htm

Against Jovinianus.
... too, what [4259] Virgil says of senseless noise ... But, if our adversary objects that
this saying relates to ... thy table." Therefore his grave is described as placed ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/against jovinianus.htm