What is the danger of following other gods?
The Bible presents a consistent warning against following other gods. From the earliest days of Israel’s covenant relationship with the Lord, idolatry was portrayed as the most destructive path a person or a nation could pursue. To follow other gods is not only to abandon the truth but to embrace lies, leading to sorrow, corruption, and judgment. Psalm 16 makes this contrast clear: while David confesses the Lord as his portion and cup, he also declares, “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips” (Psalm 16:4).
This psalm sets the framework for understanding the danger of idolatry. The worship of false gods undermines the covenant, leads to spiritual unfaithfulness, and ultimately brings divine judgment. Yet the Gospel reveals that Christ delivers his people from idols to serve the living God, offering a better inheritance and eternal joy.
1. Covenant exclusivity in worship
The covenant between God and his people is founded on exclusive loyalty. The first commandment declares, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). To follow other gods is to violate this most fundamental requirement of covenant faithfulness. The Lord did not merely call Israel to add him to their list of deities but to forsake all others.
This exclusivity is often described in marital terms. In Hosea 2:2, God charges Israel with spiritual adultery: “She is not My wife, and I am not her husband.” Idolatry is therefore not only disobedience but betrayal. Just as marriage demands fidelity, the covenant demands wholehearted devotion. To worship another god is to break the bond of love that God established with his people.
2. Corruption of truth through idolatry
Following other gods corrupts the knowledge of God and replaces truth with lies. Paul explains this in Romans 1:21–23: “For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him… and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.” Idolatry is therefore not neutral—it reshapes the heart and mind away from the Creator toward the created.
The psalmist recognizes this corruption when he refuses to even take the names of idols upon his lips (Psalm 16:4). By naming and honoring false gods, worshipers attribute authority and divinity to what is not God. The danger lies not only in outward ritual but in the inward transformation that takes place when the human heart bows before falsehood.
3. Multiplying sorrows of idol worship
Psalm 16 makes a direct connection between idolatry and sorrow: “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply.” This truth is repeated throughout Scripture. Jeremiah 2:13 declares, “My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” To follow other gods is to trade joy for emptiness and peace for grief.
Idolatry promises much but delivers nothing. Instead of satisfaction, it leads to bondage. Instead of blessing, it brings ruin. Israel’s history demonstrates this repeatedly: whenever the people turned to idols, they experienced defeat, exile, and despair. The multiplying sorrows of idol worship are both spiritual and physical, touching every aspect of life.
4. Threat to covenant community
The danger of following other gods is not only personal but communal. In Deuteronomy 13, the Lord warns Israel that false prophets, family members, or even entire cities may attempt to lead people astray. The response was to be decisive because idolatry threatened the very survival of the covenant community. Under the Mosaic covenant, leading others to worship other gods was considered treason against God as Israel’s king, punishable by death (Deuteronomy 13:5).
The seriousness of this command underscores that idolatry is not merely a private mistake but a public betrayal. It spreads like leaven through a community, corrupting worship and destroying unity. To tolerate idols within the covenant community was to invite disaster.
5. Symbolism of blood offerings to idols
The psalmist declares, “Their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out” (Psalm 16:4). In the ancient world, the worship of false gods often involved sacrifices that distorted or parodied true worship. The rejection of these practices shows that idolatry is not only an error but a counterfeit religion.
Leviticus 17:7 commands Israel, “They shall no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat demons with which they play the harlot.” These rituals were seen as abominations, mixing violence and spiritual corruption. To participate was to profane the holiness of God’s covenant. David’s refusal illustrates covenant faithfulness: he will not even touch the practices that belong to false worship.
6. Judgment on those who follow other gods
The Bible consistently connects idolatry with judgment. In Deuteronomy 8:19, God warns, “If you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish.” Israel’s exile to Assyria and Babylon became the most vivid historical demonstration of this warning fulfilled.
The prophets often described judgment in terms of the idols themselves becoming worthless. Psalm 115:8 declares, “Those who make them will become like them, everyone who trusts in them.” To worship what is lifeless is to become spiritually lifeless. Idolatry leads to a hardening of heart that ends in destruction.
7. Deliverance from idols through Christ
The Gospel reveals the only true escape from the danger of following other gods. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they “turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven” (1 Thessalonians 1:9–10). In Christ, the power of idols is broken, and believers are delivered from wrath to come.
Jesus himself bore the judgment of God, drinking the cup of wrath in the garden (Matthew 26:39) so that his people could drink the cup of salvation in the new covenant. The Lord’s Supper stands as a reminder that Christ is the true portion and inheritance of his people. To follow him is to embrace life, while to follow other gods is to embrace death.
The danger of idolatry is therefore not only ancient but present. Modern idols may not take the form of statues, but anything that claims ultimate loyalty apart from Christ is a rival god. Wealth, power, reputation, or ideology can enslave the heart just as surely as Baal or Molech. Only by clinging to Christ can believers escape the sorrows of false gods.
Conclusion
The danger of following other gods is multifaceted: it violates covenant exclusivity, corrupts truth, multiplies sorrows, threatens the community of faith, and leads to judgment. Psalm 16 offers a striking contrast between the sorrows of idolaters and the joy of those who find their portion in the Lord.
For Christians, the Gospel clarifies this even further. God delivers his people from idols through Christ, who gives himself as their portion and inheritance. At the Lord’s Supper, believers renounce false gods and proclaim that their hope, joy, and inheritance are found in Christ alone.
To follow other gods is to walk the path of destruction. To follow the Lord is to find life everlasting, for in his presence is fullness of joy and at his right hand are pleasures forevermore.
