In the Old Testament, the prophets had a lot to say about idolatry, social injustice and religious ritualism. In this paper we will look at what the prophets had to say about each topic. We will also look at how we should use the teaching of the prophets on these subjects in our lives today.
Idolatry is according to Webster Dictionary the worship of idols or excessive devotion to, or reverence for some person or thing. In other terms it is the worship of anything other than the one true God. God was very clean to the Israelites, In Exodus 20:3 God told them, ‘You shall have no other gods before me.” The prophets were also very clear about idolatry. Habakkuk 2:9 Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this …show more content…
Today perceived social injustice is everywhere. In the news recently we have had protests against social, and racial injustice on college campuses. Ezekiel 16:49-50 says, Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it. God destroyed Sodom and one of the reasons was for social injustice, it is clear here that God does not tolerate, social injustice. The subject of social injustice is clear, Jesus said love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:35-37) Social injustice is what happens we do not listen to Jesus and his teachings and teach people as beings that are less than us. God was clear with the destruction of Sodom and in Amos 9: 8-15, Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” declares the Lord. “For behold, I will command, and shake the house of Israel among all the nations as one shakes with a sieve, but no pebble shall fall to the earth. All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, ‘Disaster shall not overtake or meet us.’ “In that day I will …show more content…
Religious Rituals are common place in the Old Testament. The book of Leviticus is filled with rules and rituals that the people of Israel had to follow. The Bible says is Hosea 4:6, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. The lack of knowledge is dangerous in any walk of life, but especially in knowing God. False teachers are everywhere spreading lies about who God is and using religious rituals to legitimize their teachings. One example of this is the recent killings of two teenagers at the Word of God Church in New York. Those teenagers were beaten to death as a part of a “religious ritual”. When Jesus died on the cross he paid our sin debt in full. The religious rituals of the Old Testament no longer applied to us. We if we trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we will be
Idolatry is according to Webster Dictionary the worship of idols or excessive devotion to, or reverence for some person or thing. In other terms it is the worship of anything other than the one true God. God was very clean to the Israelites, In Exodus 20:3 God told them, ‘You shall have no other gods before me.” The prophets were also very clear about idolatry. Habakkuk 2:9 Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this …show more content…
Today perceived social injustice is everywhere. In the news recently we have had protests against social, and racial injustice on college campuses. Ezekiel 16:49-50 says, Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it. God destroyed Sodom and one of the reasons was for social injustice, it is clear here that God does not tolerate, social injustice. The subject of social injustice is clear, Jesus said love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:35-37) Social injustice is what happens we do not listen to Jesus and his teachings and teach people as beings that are less than us. God was clear with the destruction of Sodom and in Amos 9: 8-15, Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” declares the Lord. “For behold, I will command, and shake the house of Israel among all the nations as one shakes with a sieve, but no pebble shall fall to the earth. All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, ‘Disaster shall not overtake or meet us.’ “In that day I will …show more content…
Religious Rituals are common place in the Old Testament. The book of Leviticus is filled with rules and rituals that the people of Israel had to follow. The Bible says is Hosea 4:6, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. The lack of knowledge is dangerous in any walk of life, but especially in knowing God. False teachers are everywhere spreading lies about who God is and using religious rituals to legitimize their teachings. One example of this is the recent killings of two teenagers at the Word of God Church in New York. Those teenagers were beaten to death as a part of a “religious ritual”. When Jesus died on the cross he paid our sin debt in full. The religious rituals of the Old Testament no longer applied to us. We if we trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we will be