We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry

Beale has written an excellent theology of idolatry in this book. His main thesis is stated in the title of the book: we become like what we worship. We are by nature worshiping creatures, and we will eventually become like what we worship. If that is God, we will be molded into God's image (which is what we were created to do). But if we worship idols, we will become like idols.Beale demonstrates that this idea about idolatry and worship permeates the Scripture. He looks primarily at Psalm 135:18 and the account of the golden calf in Exodus 32, but shows how this same idea is entwined implicitly all throughout the Old Testament and into the New Testament. He does an excellent job and gives a compelling case for his assertions. He certainly has changed the way I read the Old and New Testament in light of idolatry.Disclaimer: This book is a heavy and academic (yet thoroughly biblical) study of idolatry. As such, there is a lot of deep exegesis and heavy theological groundwork - so it is not primarily directed to laypeople and is not a light read by any means. Beale does try to give some practical application at the end of the book, but even in doing so his insights tend to be more abstract and academic, and he shows himself to be a professor at heart. So if you are willing to spend some time working through his exegesis and theology, then I'd encourage you to read Beale's work.

What is the meaning of the various passages in the Scriptures that say Israel like an Ox, or Israel has a stiff neck? What are we to make of Yeshua's words, during the Incarnation, that he was speaking so those who heard him would not hear, and those who saw him would not see? What are we to think about God hardening the heart of Pharaoh through the ten plagues that resulted in Israel finally going free?This book is an attempt to answer those questions by considering the idea of becoming what you worship in the Scriptures. The author begins by examining what he considers to be a foundational example of Israel becoming what they worship in Isaiah 6. This section of the Scriptures is dealt with in great detail, providing the concepts and terminology used throughout the rest of the book.Mr. Beale then examines the rest of the Tanakh, marshaling evidence of those who become like they worship. The author moves into an examination of idolatry in the Tanakh, placing its origin at the first sin of Adam.After this survey of the meaning and origin of idolatry, Mr. Beale examines the concept of becoming what you worship specifically within the context of Judaism, and then in the context of the Gospels.The sin of the Jewish leadership in Matthew 13:10-15 is following that of the sins of the nation Israel; the terms in which this sin is described is in terms of Israel becoming like the idols they have chosen to worship. Hence, in their refusal to accept Jesus as the Messiah, they are in effect committing idolatry. To refuse God is to choose to worship something else.He examines idolatry in Acts, Paul's Epistles, and finally the Revelation.Overall, this is a well argued book. The author does subscribe to a slightly different hermeneutic than many in the evangelical world; he focuses on intertextual clues as well as textual clues to gain a stronger understanding of what a specific piece of text is saying. While there are some places where Mr. Beale might go too far in his search for meaning, the hermeneutic is sound, and could be a guide for more productive study of the Scriptures. Beyond going beyond what I would consider appropriate in some places, the author also assume some things in the Revelation are symbolic, and clearly indicates he is an amillennialist. This does flavor some portions of his work in a negative way, but these sections are easily spotted and accounted for.His final chapter, Why Does It Matter, is a tour de force in application. He shows how much that we would not consider idolatrous is, in fact, and how the principle that you become what you worship acts in our every day lives.

What an excellent book. Beale does a great job not only laying out what intertexuality should look like in Chapter 1, but then he actually nails it throughout the remainder of the book. His spot on exegesis of various passages shows not only a high level of scholarship, but also a man who has wrestled with and been impacted by the texts. I am very grateful for this work. I have studied passages like Is. 6, Ex. 32, Gen.3 and so on. He has opened doors and made connections that I had never even considered. This book is good for any serious student of scripture who seeks to discover a biblical theme that often goes overlooked. I would encourage all readers to have their highlighters and pens--you will need it.

The idea behind this book is intriguing and incredibly insightful. I believe Beale performed his task well in writing this book by explaining the relationship between an idol and its worshipper (who eventually becomes like the idol (deaf, dumb, and ineffective), which is the main theme of the book. However, I have three modest critiques of Beale. 1. This work is far too wordy. I don't think a person with amnesia would forget what Beale said in chapter 1 because he repeats himself all the way through the book. That makes the reading of the book more tedious than it should be. The book could honestly be about 50 pages shorter and still be excellent. 2. Some of the conclusions that Beale forms are unlikely or stretching the text. Some of his proof texts do not even seem to deal with the theme of idolatry (especially when he gets into the NT). 3. Beale leaves out (in my opinion) some factors that may well bolster his argument. I think either a second edition or a work along the same lines is needed but with more in-depth development of certain themes and texts as long as they coincide with the right interpretation of the text. However, all-in-all, the topic itself is thoroughly intriguing (sorry for the redundancy but that really is the right word in this instance) and deserves to be studied out. This is a great book for someone to start doing that.

This was a little above my level of understanding. Definitely a challenge for myself (I’m only about a year into reformed theology). But for some of you theology nerds who can keep up well with in depth studies, this is an amazing book.

Un livre de théologie biblique où l'auteur va parfois loin dans l'usage de l'intertextualité (en gros, les liens entre différents passages de la Bible: citations, allusions....). On n'est pas obligé de partager toutes ses analyses, mais l'ensemble est stimulant. A noter que ce livre a fait l'objet d'une traduction française "On ressemble à ce qu'on adore" aux éditions Excelsis.

Easy to read.