Some contemporary thinkers say that religion evolved in a progression from worshipping nature (animism) to worshipping idols and many gods (polytheism) to worshipping one supreme God (monotheism). But the Bible presents the opposite order: humans deteriorated to animism after rejecting the one true God (Deuteronomy 4:15-19; see also Romans 1:21-23). Moses says that people ″become corrupt″ when they embrace idolatry (v. 25). That term contains the idea of spoiling God's beautiful plan. Verse 19 says that objects of nature like the sun, the moon, and the stars were ″apportioned to all the nations″ for their benefit, but people could be ″enticed into″ making them objects of worship.

Our passage describes idolatry as forgetting the covenant made with God (v. 23). We must not forget that having a relationship with God is something that we do not deserve, but God graciously took the initiative to enter into a relationship with us. To give an idol a place would be to break the covenant relationship we have solemnly entered into with God. And God is so ″jealous″ (also translated as ″zealous″ from the Hebrew) for His people that He will not tolerate unfaithfulness. Worshipping other gods thus provokes His wrath, which is compared to ″a consuming fire″ (v. 24; Hebrews 12:29), a symbol of the destructive punishment that God will mete out to the disobedient. The best response to God's zeal is wholehearted commitment, which brings Him ″great delight″ (Zephaniah 3:17).

Moses warns that the people would be scattered to other nations if they succumbed to idolatry (Deuteronomy 4:25-27). That happened. From the eighth century BC onwards, the Israelites were successively taken captive by nations that had been consistent threats to their sovereignty: the Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans. The closest we come to this today is Paul's counsel that unrepentant Christians should be delivered to Satan so that they might repent (1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:19-20). He hoped that when unrepentant sinners were excluded from the protection experienced by God's covenant people, and exposed to the ravages of Satan's influence, they would be convicted to obey God once again.

Moses sees a day of repentance after idolatry when people would ″seek [God] with all [their] heart and with all [their] soul″ (Deuteronomy 4:29). Such seeking would include three ingredients. First, the people would be ″in distress″ over sin and its consequences (see Psalm 51). Then they would ″return to the Lord″, that is, repent and turn from their sinful ways. Third, they would ″obey him″ (Deuteronomy 4:30). In keeping with His ″covenant″ (v. 31), these repentant ones are promised that the ″merciful God . . . will not abandon″ them. Interestingly, the Israelites never went back to idolatry after they returned from the exile.

A schoolmate once told me, ″You Christians are lucky fellows. You can keep sinning freely and simply go to church to get God's forgiveness.″ My friend's comment would be justified if God forgives without also demanding repentance. When we sin, God calls us to return and repent. He longs to be merciful towards us. And, thankfully, God also supplies the strength to help us to repent.