““Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles, and the predicted signs or miracles occur. If they then say, ‘Come, let us worship other gods’—gods you have not known before— do not listen to them. The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul. Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him. The false prophets or visionaries who try to lead you astray must be put to death, for they encourage rebellion against the Lord your God, who redeemed you from slavery and brought you out of the land of Egypt. Since they try to lead you astray from the way the Lord your God commanded you to live, you must put them to death. In this way you will purge the evil from among you. “Suppose someone secretly entices you—even your brother, your son or daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend—and says, ‘Let us go worship other gods’—gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known. They might suggest that you worship the gods of peoples who live nearby or who come from the ends of the earth. But do not give in or listen. Have no pity, and do not spare or protect them. You must put them to death! Strike the first blow yourself, and then all the people must join in. Stone the guilty ones to death because they have tried to draw you away from the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery. Then all Israel will hear about it and be afraid, and no one will act so wickedly again. “When you begin living in the towns the Lord your God is giving you, you may hear that scoundrels among you are leading their fellow citizens astray by saying, ‘Let us go worship other gods’—gods you have not known before. In such cases, you must examine the facts carefully. If you find that the report is true and such a detestable act has been committed among you, you must attack that town and completely destroy all its inhabitants, as well as all the livestock. Then you must pile all the plunder in the middle of the open square and burn it. Burn the entire town as a burnt offering to the Lord your God. That town must remain a ruin forever; it may never be rebuilt. Keep none of the plunder that has been set apart for destruction. Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger and be merciful to you. He will have compassion on you and make you a large nation, just as he swore to your ancestors. “The Lord your God will be merciful only if you listen to his voice and keep all his commands that I am giving you today, doing what pleases him.”
Deuteronomy 13:1-18 NLT
In our permissive culture, it is easy to see how these passages might be difficult for some. We live in a time that is post modern. This means that truth is no longer seen as a solid thing. The effect of this is that we no longer see challenges to truth as life or death. This is not God’s view. From his perspective, the tiniest challenge to truth can destroy the entire trajectory of someone’s life path given time. This is true of small diversions. Idolatry is not a small lie. The life path of someone falling into idolatry has major consequences. To illustrate this better, we might consider swapping idolatry out for another sin, such as murder, and accelerating its consequences to something we can more easily perceive. Certainly someone who is murdering should be seen as an existential threat. No one would argue that they ought to stopped, with prejudice and immediately. Idolatry may not be as quick as murder, but its scope is much larger. Murder, in most cases, is a relatively confined impact. It is limited by the size of a clip and the convenience of physical presence. Idolatry is insidious and the toxic. It spreads and infects and does so over many generations if not stopped. It is easy to see why God would not allow it amongst his chosen people, if he cared at all for them.
Postmodern Perspective on Truth: In a postmodern culture, truth is not seen as absolute, leading to a diminished perception of challenges to truth.
God’s View on Truth: God views even the smallest challenge to truth as potentially destructive to someone’s life path.
Consequences of Idolatry: Idolatry, while not as immediately harmful as murder, has a wider and more insidious impact, spreading and infecting over generations.
JOSH McGARY.COM 