### Idols and False Gods The Bible consistently emphasizes the exclusive nature of Yahweh's deity. The Bible unequivocally rejects any notions implying that Yahweh is part of a group of divine beings. To Him alone is due all the honor and praise ( Psalms 96:5) and Israel is instructed to never bow down or worship these other false gods ( Deuteronomy 5:6-10) God expresses profound offense at the idea of idols ( Jeremiah 2:11), emphasizing the futility and ignorance of idol worship ( Deuteronomy 32:21). He addresses how humans create useless idols, praying to gods that cannot save and challenges to present any case in which idols have foretold or accomplished anything like He has ( Isaiah 45:21-23): >20  “Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save. 21  Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together! Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. 22  “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23  By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’ Isaiah 45 21-23 It was teachings like this that led ( 1 Samuel 12:21) King Asa to outlaw all the idols across the nation to worship the true God ( 2 Chronicles 15:3). Jeremiah 10:1-16 is one of the most famous passages to deal with idols, where Jeremiah proclaims: >10 Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the Lord: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, 3  for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. 4  They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. 5  Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” 6  There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might. 7  Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For this is your due; for among all the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like you. 8  They are both stupid and foolish; the instruction of idols is but wood! 9  Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz. They are the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith; their clothing is violet and purple; they are all the work of skilled men. 10  But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation. 11 Thus shall you say to them: “The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.” 12  It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. 13  When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses. 14  Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them. 15  They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish. 16  Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the Lord of hosts is his name. #### The Dark Influence Behind Idol Worship The Bible strongly condemns idol worship, not just as a vain pursuit but as a deeply evil practice. Deuteronomy 32:17 warns us, saying the Israelites "sacrificed to demons, not to God," revealing the hidden reality that idol worship is essentially demonic worship. Similarly, Psalms 106:37 states, "They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons," highlighting the tragic and evil acts associated with idolatry. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul reinforces this view in 1 Corinthians 10:20, cautioning, "What pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God," and urging believers to not be involved with such practices. Furthermore, in Galatians 4:8, Paul reminds the Galatians that before they knew God, they were "enslaved to those that by nature are not gods." This indicates the deceitful nature of idols, portraying them as nothing more than figments or, more alarmingly, as demons in disguise. These passages together make a strong case that idolatry is essentially giving honor and worship to entities that don't exist or, worse, to evil spirits pretending to be gods. This highlights the importance of recognizing and worshipping only the true God, distinguishing Him from the false gods of other nations. Certainly, in the Old Testament, numerous verses explicitly contrast the true God with false gods and idols, emphasizing the powerlessness of these man-made creations, such as Deuteronomy 32:21 and 1 Samuel 12:21 denouncing idols as "no-gods" and "useless idols," while Psalms 96:5 underscores the Lord's supremacy over all other gods. Isaiah 37:19, Isaiah 41:23-24, and Isaiah 41:29 mock idols and their worshippers, revealing their inability to predict or act. Jeremiah 2:11, Jeremiah 5:7, and Jeremiah 16:20 emphasize the folly of exchanging the true God for worthless idols, and 1 Corinthians 8:4 and 1 Corinthians 10:19-20 clarify that idols represent nothing and that sacrifices to them are offered to demons, not to God. These verses collectively convey the biblical perspective that idolatry amounts to worshiping non-existent entities or, in a darker sense, aligning with demonic forces masquerading as gods, thereby underscoring the uniqueness and exclusivity of the true God. ###### Did God Talk To Other Gods Or Angels In The OT? At least three times God speaks of or to himself using plural pronouns (Genesis 1:26; 3:22; Genesis 11:7), It's important to understand that these references do not necessarily imply the existence of multiple divine beings. The Hebrew word "elohim" (usually translated as "God") is grammatically a plural form. However, when it refers to the true God, it takes singular verbs and pronouns. The fact that "elohim" can refer to a single pagan god ( 1 Kings 11:5, 33) shows that it can denote a single deity. The Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) consistently translates "elohim" with the singular noun "theos" ("God"), and the New Testament also employs the singular form "theos."Therefore, the plural form "elohim," even when referring to an individual pagan deity, should not be regarded as evidence of the Trinity. 1. **Genesis 1:26**: In this verse, the phrase "our image" is clarified in Genesis 1:27 as "in God's image." This indicates that the use of the plural form is not about suggesting multiple gods but rather emphasizes the divine nature. 2. **Genesis 3:22**: The expression "like one of us" is a reference back to Genesis 3:5, which speaks of being "like God." Again, the intention is not to imply multiple gods but to underscore the divine nature. 3. **Genesis 11:7**: Here, the phrase "let us go down and there confuse their language" is immediately explained in Genesis 11:8-9, stating, "So the LORD [Yahweh] scattered them abroad from there … The LORD confused the language of the whole earth." While angels may have been present, they are not depicted as co-creators of humans. **Various Interpretations of Plurality**: Several interpretations have been proposed to explain this plurality, including Angels, the "literary plural," "plural of deliberation," "plural of amplitude," and "plural of majesty." However, none of these interpretations fully explain the specific usage in Genesis 3:22 and Genesis 11:7. - **He Was Talking To Angels**: A plural reference to God and the angels is not likely in these texts. Angels were evidently present when God created human beings (cf. Job 38:4-7), but the Bible never includes them as participants in creating human beings. Nor does the Bible ever speak of humans as being in the image of angels. - **plural of deliberation/cohortative plural**: The "plural of deliberation" is a linguistic concept where a speaker uses a plural pronoun or verb form to convey the idea of contemplating or deliberating, as if having a conversation with oneself. It is akin to saying, "Let's see now," when making a decision or thinking through something, even when the speaker is alone. In this case, the plural form is used for rhetorical effect rather than indicating the presence of multiple individuals and clearly cannot explain the plural in Genesis 3:22 ("like one of us"). - **plural of amplitude**: The "plural of amplitude" or "fullness" is a linguistic concept where a plural form is used to emphasize the greatness, majesty, or fullness of a singular entity. In this case, it's akin to referring to a singular person or thing in a grand or majestic manner by using plural language. It is a form of linguistic exaggeration or magnification. While this concept may help explain the use of the plural form "elohim" in the singular sense of "God" in certain contexts, it faces limitations when applied to passages like Genesis 3:22 and Genesis 11:7. In Genesis 3:22, when God declares, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil," the use of the plural pronoun "us" cannot be adequately explained by the "plural of amplitude" or "fullness." God is not emphasizing His majesty or greatness here. Instead, He is acknowledging a change in the state of humanity's knowledge. The plural pronoun "us" in this context appears to indicate something beyond mere linguistic amplification. It implies a sense of shared knowledge or involvement. Similarly, in Genesis 11:7, when God says, "Come, let us go down and there confuse their language," the use of the plural "let us" suggests a shared intention or action among divine beings rather than a mere linguistic flourish. It implies a coordinated effort. In both cases, the plural pronouns "us" and "let us" seem to convey more than just an emphasis on God's majesty or fullness. They hint at a shared deliberation or involvement among divine entities. This nuance goes beyond what the "plural of amplitude" or "fullness" can account for and raises questions about the nature of the divine dialogue or cooperation implied in these passages. - **plural of majesty**: The "plural of majesty" (the royal "we") is possibly attested in 1 Kings 12:9; 2 Chronicles 10:9; more likely Ezra 4:18; but none of these is a certain use of that idiom; and again, it cannot explain Genesis 3:22 and Genesis 11:7. There are two factors that may explain why these intra-divine plural pronouns occur only in Genesis 1-11. These plural pronouns express communication among the divine persons, rather than communication from God to human beings or angelic creatures. The use of the "plural of majesty" remains uncertain in biblical texts, even in the passages where it's suggested. The certainty of its application to these verses is still a matter of debate among scholars. Secondly, and more importantly, the "plural of majesty" primarily serves to emphasize the authority and grandeur of a singular ruler or figure. It doesn't inherently imply communication or interaction among multiple persons. In contrast, in Genesis 3:22 and Genesis 11:7, the plural pronouns "us" and "let us" seem to suggest a form of communication or shared deliberation among divine entities. These passages convey a sense of multiple participants in the dialogue or action, rather than simply emphasizing the grandeur of a singular divine being. - **Limited Use in Genesis 1-11**: Notably, these plural pronouns are primarily found in Genesis 1-11, a period that predates the revelations to Abraham. During this time, the focus of biblical revelation was on establishing a monotheistic faith, which may explain why overt references to the triune God were absents.