The phrase “God gave them up to worship the host of heaven” comes from Acts 7:42, which says: “But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?'” (Acts 7:42)
This verse comes within the broader context of Stephen’s speech to the Sanhedrin in Acts 7. Stephen was one of the first deacons appointed by the early church in Jerusalem (Acts 6:5). He was accused of blasphemy by some Jews and brought before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council (Acts 6:11-14). Stephen then gave a lengthy defense, recounting the history of Israel and God’s work among them. His speech concluded by accusing the Jewish leaders of resisting the Holy Spirit and rejecting the Messiah, Jesus (Acts 7:51-53).
In Acts 7:42, Stephen was referring back to Israel’s idolatry during the wilderness wanderings recorded in the Old Testament. After God powerfully delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, they fell into idolatry and worshipped a golden calf at Mount Sinai (Exodus 32). This was the first of many times that Israel would turn to idolatry, worshipping false gods like Baal instead of the one true God who had redeemed them.
Stephen accused the Jewish leaders of his day of persisting in the same sins of idolatry and rebellion as their ancestors. Even though God sent them the Messiah, Jesus, they rejected and killed him. They were resisting the Holy Spirit just like their ancestors. Despite God’s persistent love and patience with Israel across generations, they continued to turn away from him.
So what does it mean, then, that “God gave them over to worship the host of heaven”? There are a few important things to understand:
- The “host of heaven” here refers to the sun, moon, stars and other celestial bodies. These were considered divine beings and worshipped as gods by Israel’s pagan neighbors. Worship of the host of heaven was strictly forbidden for God’s people (Deuteronomy 4:19).
- “Gave them over” indicates God withdrawing his restraining grace and giving people over to their sinful desires. Since Israel persisted in idolatry, he allowed them to go their own way.
- This does not mean God actively lured them into idolatry. Rather, he stopped intervening to hold back their sinful tendencies.
- God handing people over to their sinful desires is a form of judgment and punishment, essentially giving them what they want to their own harm.
- But even in judgment, God’s desire is for repentance and restoration. God’s righteous anger at sin calls people to turn back to him.
Stephen quoted this verse to accuse the Jewish leaders of following the same path of idolatry and rebellion as their ancestors. Despite generations of God patiently working in Israel’s midst, calling them to repentance, they continued to reject God and his purposes. They stood guilty of rejecting the Messiah, God’s ultimate revelation to his people.
There are several important lessons we can take from this verse:
- We are all prone to wander from God and must guard our hearts against idolatry.
- God is patient and merciful, constantly working to bring his people to repentance and restoration.
- Rejecting God’s revelation and persisting in sin has serious consequences.
- Judgment is ultimately meant to turn our hearts back to God and align our will with his purposes.
- Forgiveness is always available when we repent and turn back to God.
While directed as a rebuke against unbelieving Jewish leaders, this verse serves as a sobering reminder for Christians as well. We can easily slip into idolatry by putting anything else before God in our hearts. We should heed God’s word, avail ourselves of his mercy, and continually turn from sin back to our loving Savior. Ultimately, Acts 7:42 teaches us the urgency of pursuing right relationship with God above all else.
1. The historical background
To fully understand Acts 7:42, we need to look at the historical background leading up to this verse. Acts 7 records Stephen’s speech before the Sanhedrin, recounting God’s dealings with Israel (Acts 7:1-53). The events Stephen refers to took place hundreds of years earlier during the Exodus:
- God powerfully delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt through signs, wonders and the Passover (Exodus 7-12).
- He led them out towards the Promised Land through the Red Sea and provided for them in the wilderness (Exodus 14-17).
- At Mount Sinai, God established his covenant with Israel, giving them his law and instructions for worship (Exodus 19-31).
- While Moses was on the mountain receiving the law, the people grew impatient and persuaded Aaron to make a golden calf idol, which they worshipped in a wild revelry (Exodus 32).
- This provoked God to anger against their idolatry. Only after Moses’ intercession did God spare them from destruction (Exodus 32:7-14).
This calf worship was the first instance of Israel turning away to idolatry after God’s clear commands against it. Sadly, it foreshadowed a pattern of idolatry Israel would struggle with for centuries up through Stephen’s day. The people God had chosen and redeemed repeatedly turned from him to worship false gods and idols.
2. Israel’s persistent pattern of idolatry
Israel’s idolatry with the golden calf was just the beginning of a persistent pattern of idol worship. After entering the Promised Land, the people turned again and again to the pagan gods of the surrounding nations:
- They worshipped Baal and Ashtoreth, the Canaanite fertility gods (Judges 2:11-13).
- They worshipped Dagon, the god of the Philistines (Judges 16:23-24).
- They worshipped the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, Ammon (Judges 10:6).
- They worshipped Molek and sacrificed their children by fire (Jeremiah 32:35).
- They worshipped the sun, moon and stars in direct defiance of God’s commands (2 Kings 17:16).
This pattern of idolatry resulted in God’s judgment through famine, oppression and exile. Yet in mercy, God would raise up judges and prophets to call Israel back to himself. Over and over God showed his redeeming love by restoring them when they repented.
By Stephen’s day, hundreds of years later, Israel was still struggling with idolatry and resisting God’s work in their midst. The Jewish leaders opposing Jesus claimed to worship the God of their ancestors, yet they rejected God’s ultimate revelation through his own Son (John 5:39-40; Luke 20:9-18). As Stephen declared, they were as idolatrous and rebellious as their ancestors.
3. The meaning of God “giving them over” to idolatry
This persistent pattern of Israel’s idolatry provides the background for understanding Acts 7:42. The verse says God “turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies.” What does it mean that God gave them over?
- It means God removed his restraining grace and allowed them to pursue their sin.
- Rather than intervene, God stepped back and handed them over to their own sinful desires.
- This giving over was an expression of God’s righteous anger and judgment against their sin.
- It did not imply that God seduced them into apostasy; the people willfully chose to worship idols.
- But without God’s grace to restrain them, they were free to go down a path of rebellion and its consequences.
God’s giving people over to their sinful desires is a frequent theme in Scripture that expresses God’s just wrath against persistent rebellion. In Romans 1, the apostle Paul describes God giving people over to sexual impurity and idolatry as the consequence of rejecting him. Without God’s gracious intervention, people are left captive to the sinful nature (Romans 1:24-25, 28).
For Israel, being given over to idolatry resulted in divine discipline through foreign oppression, exile and hardship. But God’s punishment was meant to provoke repentance so relationship could be restored. God’s righteous anger always seeks people’s redemption. When Israel repented and turned back to God, he graciously forgave and redeemed them over and over.
4. The call to turn back to God
A major theme in Stephen’s speech was appealing to the Jewish leaders to turn back to God. Though steeped in the history of God’s work in Israel, they were making the same mistakes as their ancestors by rejecting the Messiah.
Stephen urged them not to persist in resisting the Holy Spirit and rebelling against God’s purposes (Acts 7:51-53). Though their ancestors had rejected lesser revelation through Moses, the prophets and the law, they were now rejecting the very Son of God himself. They needed to repent while there was still opportunity.
Today this same challenge applies to everyone. God makes his glory and truth known in creation, conscience, his Word and ultimately through Jesus Christ. Yet it is so easy to reject truth and persist in our own ways. Like Israel, we are prone to wander from God into idolatry of the heart.
Whether explicitly through false religions or implicitly by making anything more important than God, idolatry pulls us away from our Creator. This inevitably leads to pain, brokenness and separation from God. What we need is humility to turn back and avail ourselves of God’s mercy and grace. He is patient and willing to forgive all who repent and turn back to him (2 Peter 3:9).
Rather than give us what we deserve – being handed over to our sins – God’s desire is always restoration. Acts 7:42 teaches us that now is the time to turn to Christ and worship the true God alone while there is still opportunity.
5. Guarding against idolatry in our lives
Since idolatry is such a persistent temptation, here are some practical ways for Christians to guard against it based on Acts 7:42 and other Scriptures:
- Carefully examine your heart for what might be competing with God for your highest affections and allegiance.
- Reject explicit idolatry of false religions, mysticism or anything that diminishes God’s glory.
- Renounce both subtle and obvious idols that have become more important than God and his will in your life.
- Cultivate a heart of love and devotion to God above all else as the sole object of worship.
- Ask God to reveal any idolatrous tendencies you may be blind to.
- Study God’s truth in Scripture to understand what pleases him and stirs your affections towards him.
- Pursue intimate relationship with God through prayer, worship, obedience and fellowship with other believers.
- Trust fully in God’s grace and forgiveness when you stumble.
- Encourage other believers to guard against idolatry and turn from sin.
May we learn from Israel’s example not to allow idolatry to develop roots in our hearts. As we fix our eyes on Christ and his Word, may we turn from all idolatry to serve the one true and living God alone.
6. The urgency of pursuing right relationship with God
Acts 7:42 teaches us important truths about the dangers of idolatry, God’s response to sin, and the urgent need to walk rightly with him while there is opportunity. Here are some final takeaways on the importance of pursuing right relationship with God:
- Idolatry causes us to miss out on the fullness of joy, purpose and blessing God desires for us.
- Rebelling against God’s ways brings harm to ourselves and brokenness to our relationships.
- Though God is patient, rejecting his truth has eternal consequences if we remain unrepentant.
- God’s discipline is meant to turn us back to him and align our hearts with what is good.
- It is foolish and arrogant to assume we’ll always have unlimited chances to turn to God.
- Repenting and turning to God should be an urgent priority before our hearts grow cold and hardened.
- As long as we have breath, it is never too late to humble ourselves and return to God through Christ.
- Pursuing close relationship with God leads to the abundant, eternal life he desires for us.
May Acts 7:42 motivate us to passionately pursue walking with God in Spirit and truth. Let us turn from all idolatry to worship the Lord alone, who is loving, gracious and worthy of all our affection and allegiance.