Question 110

Section 5: The third Part is of Man’s Thankfulness

1. a. Deuteronomy 4:15,&c; Isaiah 40:18,&c; Romans 1:23,&c; Acts 17:29

   Deuteronomy 4:15–49

   ^4:15 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: ^4:16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, ^4:17 The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, ^4:18 The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: ^4:19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven. ^4:20 But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day. ^4:21 Furthermore the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance: ^4:22 But I must die in this land, I must not go over Jordan: but ye shall go over, and possess that good land. ^4:23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee. ^4:24 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. ^4:25 When thou shalt beget children, and children’s children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger: ^4:26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. ^4:27 And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you. ^4:28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. ^4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. ^4:30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; ^4:31 (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. ^4:32 For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? ^4:33 Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? ^4:34 Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? ^4:35 Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him. ^4:36 Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire. ^4:37 And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt; ^4:38 To drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day. ^4:39 Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. ^4:40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever. ^4:41 Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising; ^4:42 That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live: ^4:43 Namely, Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites. ^4:44 And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel: ^4:45 These are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which Moses spake unto the children of Israel, after they came forth out of Egypt, ^4:46 On this side Jordan, in the valley over against Beth–peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote, after they were come forth out of Egypt: ^4:47 And they possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, which were on this side Jordan toward the sunrising; ^4:48 From Aroer, which is by the bank of the river Arnon, even unto mount Sion, which is Hermon, ^4:49 And all the plain on this side Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the plain, under the springs of Pisgah.

   ^4:15 So since you saw no form of any kind on the day the LORD spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb, be careful ^4:16 that you do not act corruptly and make an idol for yourselves of any form or shape, whether in the likeness of a male or female, ^4:17 of any beast that is on the earth or bird that flies in the air, ^4:18 or of any creature that crawls on the ground or fish that is in the waters below. ^4:19 When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars-all the host of heaven-do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. ^4:20 Yet the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of His inheritance, as you are today. ^4:21 The LORD, however, was angry with me on account of you, and He swore that I would not cross the Jordan to enter the good land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. ^4:22 For I will not be crossing the Jordan, because I must die in this land. But you shall cross over and take possession of that good land. ^4:23 Be careful that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God that He made with you; do not make an idol for yourselves in the form of anything He has forbidden you. ^4:24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. ^4:25 After you have children and grandchildren and you have been in the land a long time, if you then act corruptly and make an idol of any form-doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God and provoking Him to anger- ^4:26 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live long upon it, but will be utterly destroyed. ^4:27 Then the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive you. ^4:28 And there you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. ^4:29 But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. ^4:30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice. ^4:31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers, which He swore to them by oath. ^4:32 Indeed, ask now from one end of the heavens to the other about the days that long preceded you, from the day that God created man on earth: Has anything as great as this ever happened or been reported? ^4:33 Has a people ever heard the voice of God speaking out of the fire, as you have, and lived? ^4:34 Or has any god tried to take as his own a nation out of another nation-by trials, signs, wonders, and war, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors-as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, before your eyes? ^4:35 You were shown these things so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him. ^4:36 He let you hear His voice from heaven to discipline you, and on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the fire. ^4:37 Because He loved your fathers, He chose their descendants after them and brought you out of Egypt by His presence and great power, ^4:38 to drive out before you nations greater and mightier than you, and to bring you into their land and give it to you for your inheritance, as it is this day. ^4:39 Know therefore this day and take to heart that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other. ^4:40 Keep His statutes and commandments, which I am giving you today, so that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for all time. ^4:41 Then Moses set aside three cities across the Jordan to the east ^4:42 to which a manslayer could flee after killing his neighbor unintentionally without prior malice. To save one's own life, he could flee to one of these cities: ^4:43 Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau belonging to the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the Gadites, or Golan in Bashan belonging to the Manassites. ^4:44 This is the law that Moses set before the Israelites. ^4:45 These are the testimonies, statutes, and ordinances that Moses proclaimed to them after they had come out of Egypt, ^4:46 while they were in the valley across the Jordan facing Beth-peor in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon and was defeated by Moses and the Israelites after they had come out of Egypt. ^4:47 They took possession of the land belonging to Sihon and to Og king of Bashan-the two Amorite kings across the Jordan to the east- ^4:48 extending from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Siyon (that is, Hermon), ^4:49 including all the Arabah on the east side of the Jordan and as far as the Sea of the Arabah, below the slopes of Pisgah.

   Isaiah 40:18–31

   ^40:18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? ^40:19 The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains. ^40:20 He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved. ^40:21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? ^40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: ^40:23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. ^40:24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. ^40:25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. ^40:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. ^40:27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God? ^40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. ^40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. ^40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: ^40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

   ^40:18 To whom will you liken God? To what image will you compare Him? ^40:19 To an idol that a craftsman casts and a metalworker overlays with gold and fits with silver chains? ^40:20 To one bereft of an offering who chooses wood that will not rot, who seeks a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple? ^40:21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the foundation of the earth? ^40:22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. ^40:23 He brings the princes to nothing and makes the rulers of the earth meaningless. ^40:24 No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner have their stems taken root in the ground, than He blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like stubble. ^40:25 "To whom will you liken Me, or who is My equal?" asks the Holy One. ^40:26 Lift up your eyes on high: Who created all these? He leads forth the starry host by number; He calls each one by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. ^40:27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and why do you assert, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my claim is ignored by my God"? ^40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary; His understanding is beyond searching out. ^40:29 He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak. ^40:30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. ^40:31 But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.

   Romans 1:23–32

   ^1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. ^1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: ^1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. ^1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: ^1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. ^1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; ^1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, ^1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ^1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: ^1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

   ^1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. ^1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. ^1:25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen. ^1:26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. ^1:27 Likewise, the men abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. ^1:28 Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. ^1:29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, ^1:30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. ^1:31 They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless. ^1:32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them.

   Acts 17:29

   ^17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.

   ^17:29 Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man's skill and imagination.

   King James VersionBerean Standard Bible

2. b. 1 Samuel 15:23; Deuteronomy 12:30,&c; Matthew 15:9

   1 Samuel 15:23

   ^15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

   ^15:23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king."

   Deuteronomy 12:30–32

   ^12:30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. ^12:31 Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. ^12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

   ^12:30 be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, "How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise." ^12:31 You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods. ^12:32 See that you do everything I command you; do not add to it or subtract from it.

   Matthew 15:9

   ^15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

   ^15:9 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.'"

   King James VersionBerean Standard Bible