Most would say these are just idols or such graven images which the people worship, but there is a power of evil that exists behind it. We see at Mount Carmel when Elijah told Ahab to bring the "the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred" who stand for the false "gods", and all the people to see who is the true God, that God exposes the so-called "gods of the nations." And these are not "gods" which are mere figments of pagan imagination, but there was a real force of evil behind the false worship. We see that it had come into Israel from the surrounding nations and manifested itself among the people in many ways and levels, even families and tribes.
Deuteronomy 29:18
Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;
And God warned them of these "gods" when they came to the land of Canaan out of the bondage from Egypt..
Joshua 23:7
That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them:
And the even fact of the many "gods" the nations followed was well known by the kings around them
2 Chronicles 32:14
Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand?
And we might just say these were just mere idols of these nations and nothing more. But something put these ideas of false worship and spread it far and wide among the nations. Behind the "gods" of graven images they thought they were worshiping was a actual power of evil which wanted the worship that only God deserved. Think about it..
Deuteronomy 29:18
Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;
And God warned them of these "gods" when they came to the land of Canaan out of the bondage from Egypt..
Joshua 23:7
That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them:
And the even fact of the many "gods" the nations followed was well known by the kings around them
2 Chronicles 32:14
Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand?
And we might just say these were just mere idols of these nations and nothing more. But something put these ideas of false worship and spread it far and wide among the nations. Behind the "gods" of graven images they thought they were worshiping was a actual power of evil which wanted the worship that only God deserved. Think about it..
