And they left all the commands of the LORD their God,

and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove,

and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

            A calf is a sacrifice but when it is worshipped, it becomes an idol. Casting idols from molten brass, copper or silver is a very ancient practice, and the idols found near the temples in the East today may have been formed more than five hundred years ago.

II Kings 17:16, 17

And they left all the commands of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

            Idols are frequently erected in the midst of a grove. In the Bible a grove is usually a small plot of ground higher than the surrounding land, on which there are trees that grow quickly and provide shade. These trees that grow quickly are known in the Bible as "green bay trees". The eastern people believe that the green bay tree indicates God’s presence and is symbolic of God’s prosperity and righteousness. Once every six months, during the full moon days, the women go to these groves to cook food and to call upon God, believing the presence is there in manifestation because the groves are green. The true God instructed His people that they were not to worship Him in the groves, but were to cut down the groves and high places, meaning "Don't worship idols, but rid yourself of them by destruction."

            In Jeremiah we read that the people baked cakes to the queen of heaven, who is supposed to be one of the goddesses in the stars of the sky. Some stars are also called the host of heaven. According to the superstition propagated by the priests, the people will suffer a severe plague if they do not have a grand festival in honor of the queen of heaven. Thus many people in the East are subjugated by fear. One of the foremost idols of the groves in the Bible is Baal.

            God is not pleased with such ungodly practices, and His people are constantly warned not to participate in such devilish acts. God's people are to be judged by Him and His standards and not according to any of man's ideas. God is a spirit, and they that worship Him are to worship Him in spirit and not according to any image or idol. A spirit has no form or comeliness. The true God is the Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Bishop K.C. Pillai, D.D.