Idolatry is likened to corruption and forgetting the covenant because it replaces the worship of the true and living God with something false and degrading. It violates the covenant relationship by turning from the Creator to created things. God warned Israel repeatedly that making or worshiping idols was an act of spiritual treason that defiled them and broke their agreement with Him.
“Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image…” (Deuteronomy 4:15–16)
To act corruptly is to spoil what was once pure. Israel was called to be holy, set apart for God. Idolatry dragged them into moral and spiritual decay. The corruption was not only in the act itself but in the heart that turned from the truth to a lie.
“When you beget children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land, and act corruptly and make a carved image… you will soon utterly perish from the land.” (Deuteronomy 4:25–26)
Forgetting the covenant does not mean mere mental lapse but deliberate neglect. Idolatry was a sign that Israel no longer feared or honored the God who had delivered them. Moses warned that such behavior would bring destruction and exile, proving that God does not tolerate divided loyalty. Idolatry was the ultimate betrayal.
