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We Become 
What We Worship
A B i b l i c a l T h e o l o g y o f I d o l at r y

G. K. Beale

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 Contents

Abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

2 A Foundational Example of Becoming Like What We Worship

Isaiah 6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

3 Becoming Like What We Worship

Evidence Elsewhere in the Old Testament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

4 The Origin of Idolatry in the Old Testament. . . . . . . . . . . . 127

5 Becoming Like What We Worship

Judaism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

6 Becoming Like What We Worship

The Gospels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

7 Idolatry in Acts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

8 Becoming Like What We Worship

Paul’s Epistles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

9 Becoming Like What We Worship

The Book of Revelation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

10 The Reversal from Reflecting the Image of Idols

to Reflecting God’s Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

11 Conclusion
So What Difference Does It Make?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312

Author Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

Index of Ancient Sources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331

Scripture Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

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 Preface

P Y
CO
T
NO
This book had its birth in 1983, when I did some research on Isaiah 6.
This later became the basis for a sermon that I preached on Isaiah 6 in 1987 at
DO

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s chapel. In 1991, I decided to work

in more depth on Isaiah 6, and this resulted in a publication: “Isaiah 6:9-13:
E—

A Retributive Taunt Against Idolatry,” Vetus Testamentum 41 (1991): 257-78.

The article focused on the idea that Isaiah 6:9-13 was about idolatry, particu-
PL

larly a judgment on Israelite idol worshipers in contast to Isaiah’s faithfulness.

The idea that I formulated for Isaiah 6 was this: what you revere you resemble,
M

either for ruin or for restoration. I have made reference to this article in some
SA

of my subsequent publications that have discussed the use of Isaiah 6 in the

New Testament, especially in Revelation. Others likewise have made positive
reference to the article (which I note in chapter 2).
Then about two years ago, Joel Scandrett approached me and asked
whether or not I had any book projects that I might be interested in propos-
ing to him. I told him if I ever had the time I would like to write a book on a
biblical theology of idolatry, which would take the ideas that I had found in
Isaiah 6 and would try to trace how they occurred elsewhere in the Old and
New Testaments. I told him then that I did not think I had the time to do
this. But while working on another project, the idea again arose as important,
and so I decided to put the other project on hold and go on and try to write
this book on a biblical theology of idolatry.

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 12 We Be c ome Wh at We Wor ship

A word about the title of the book is needed. The title We Become What
We Worship is a metaphor, which is an implied simile, omitting the word like
between We Become and What We Worship. The thesis of the book is not that
people become the idols they worship or become the God they worship, but
they become like the idols or like God. The point of figuratively omitting the
word like is to emphasize that the worshiper reflects some of the important
qualities or attributes of the object of worship.
I want to make one recommendation that I believe will result in the read-
ers’ better comprehension of the book: because some chapters contain in-
depth analysis of some Old Testament texts (especially chapters 2 and 3,
which are foundational for the rest of the book), I recommend that the reader
read through the body of each of these chapters first to get the overall flow of
the argument before extensive consultation of the footnotes.
It is my hope that the biblical-theological perspective of this book will
provide greater fuel to fire the church’s motivation not to become conformed
to the idols that surround it in order better to fulfill its mission to the world,
which is to proclaim that people need to be conformed to Christ’s image for
the greater glory of God.
I am indebted beyond words to my wife, Dorinda, who has discussed
the theology of idolatry with me for the past couple of years and who re-
mains as excited as I am about the subject. She has been one of the main
instruments through which I have been able to understand this topic in
more depth.
I am likewise grateful to several churches that have invited me to come
and give a series of sermons on this topic of idolatry. Attempting to dis-
till the material for the church community has been essential in helping me
to understand it even better. In addition, being able to teach the subject at
Wheaton College Graduate School has been an enormous benefit, especially
with respect to student questions that have sharpened my perspectives.
I also want to offer appreciation to my students Ben Gladd and Stefanos
Mihalios, who helped do research in connection with this book. I am above
all indebted to my teaching assistants, Mitch Kim and Mike Daling, who
read and reread, double-checked, and helped to edit the manuscript of this
book, as well as composing some of the indexes. They were tireless in their
work and were always willing to help. Thank you, Mitch and Mike—you
contribution to this book was invaluable.

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 P re face 13

Above all, I am thankful to God for enabling me to conceive the idea for
this book and for giving me the energy and discipline to write it. It is my
prayer that God’s glory will more greatly be manifested as a result of the
reading of this book.
A few comments about some stylistic aspects of the book are in order.
English translations follow the New American Standard Bible unless oth-
erwise indicated or, when different, it represents my own translation. With
respect to all translations of ancient works, when the translation differs from
the standard editions usually referred to, then it is my translation or someone
else’s (in the latter case I indicate whom).
References to the Greek New Testament are from the NA 27. In making
references to the Septuagint, I refer to the Greek text of The Septuagint Ver-
sion of the Old Testament and Apocrypha with an English Translation (Grand
Rapids: Zondervan, 1972), which is dependent on Codex B, published by
special arrangement with Samuel Bagster and Sons, London. This will en-
able those not knowing Greek to be able to follow the Septuagint in a readily
available English edition.
My references to the Dead Sea Scrolls come primarily from the new edi-
tion of F. G. Martinez, The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated (Leiden/Boston/Köln:
Brill, 1994), and sometimes reference is made to The Dead Sea Scrolls Study
Edition, ed. F. Garcia Martinez and Eibert J. C. Tigchelaar, 2 vols (Leiden/
Boston/Köln: Brill, 2000). In addition, other translations of DSS were con-
sulted and, sometimes, preferred in quotations, though at other times varia-
tions from Martinez are due to the author’s own translation.
The primary sources of various Jewish works were ordinarily referred to,
and sometimes quoted, in the following English editions: The Babylonian
Talmud, ed. I. Epstein (London: Soncino, 1948); The Talmud of the Land of Is-
rael: A Preliminary Translation and Explanation (the Jerusalem Talmud), vols.
1-35, ed. J. Neusner (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1982-); Mekilta
de-Rabbi Ishmael, vols. 1-3, trans. and ed. J. Z. Lauterbach (Philadelphia:
Jewish Publication Society of America, 1976); The Midrash on Proverbs, trans.
Burton L. Visotzky, Yale Judaica Series 27 (New Haven, Conn.: Yale Uni-
versity Press, 1992); The Midrash on Psalms, trans. and ed. W. G. Braude,
Yale Judaica Series 13:1-2 (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1976);
Midrash Rabbah, vols. I-X, ed. H. Freedman and M. Simon (London: Son-
cino, 1961); Midrash Sifre on Numbers, in Translations of Early Documents,

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 14 We Be c ome Wh at We Wor ship

Series III, Rabbinic Texts, trans. and ed. P. P. Levertoff (London: Golub,
1926); Midrash Tanhuma vols. 1-2, trans and ed. J. T. Townsend (Hoboken,
N.J.: KTAV, 1989); Midrash Tanhuma-Yelammedenu. An English Translation
of Genesis and Exodus from the Printed Version of Tanhuma-Yelammedenu with
an Introduction, Notes, and Indexes, trans. Samuel A. Berman (Hoboken, N.J.:
KTAV, 1996); The Minor Tractates of the Talmud, vols. 1-2, ed. A. Cohen
(London: Soncino, 1965); The Mishnah, trans. and ed. H. Danby (Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1980); The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, vols.
1-2, ed. J. H. Charlesworth (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1983) (though
sometimes reference was made to the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old
Testament, vol. 2 [Pseudepigrapha], ed. R. H. Charles [Oxford: Clarendon,
1977]); The Pesikta de-rab Kahana, trans. and ed. W. G. Braude and I. J. Kap-
stein (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1975); Pesikta
Rabbati, trans. and ed. W. G. Braude, Yale Judaica Series 18:1-2 (New Ha-
ven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1968); Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer, trans. and ed.
G. Friedlander (New York: Hermon, 1916); Sifre: A Tannaitic Commentary on
the Book of Deuteronomy, trans. and ed. R. Hammer, Yale Judaica Series 24
(New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1986); Tanna debe Eliyyahu, trans.
and ed. W. G. Braude and I. J. Kapstein (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication
Society of America, 1981); The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel
on the Pentateuch, with the Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum from the Chaldee,
on Genesis and Exodus, trans. and ed. J. W. Etheridge (New York: KTAV,
1968); the available volumes published in The Aramaic Bible: The Targums, ed.
M. McNamara (Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical, 1987).
References to ancient Greek works, especially those of Philo and Josephus
(including English translations), are from the Loeb Classical Library. Refer-
ences and some English translations of the apostolic fathers come from The
Apostolic Fathers, translated by J. B. Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer, and edited
by M. W. Holmes (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992).
G. K. Beale

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