Acts Theology 20: Host of Heaven

"God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven... I will send you into exile beyond Babylon." This verse describes how God abandoned Israel to worship other gods due to their idolatry, leading to their exile. This connects idolatry, exile, and the view that God disinherited the nations, as seen in the Deuteronomy 32 worldview.
This understanding is rooted in Deuteronomy 32:8-9, where God disinherits nations to divine beings after Babel, retaining Israel as His own portion. Deuteronomy 4:19 warns Israel not to worship the sun, moon, and stars—the host of heaven—which God "allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven." Yet, Israel itself began to worship these other gods. The Septuagint translation of Amos 5:25-27, which is quoted here, refers to Israel taking up "the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan," leading to exile "beyond Babylon." The Hebrew text refers to Sikkuth and Kiyyun, likely an Assyrian god associated with Saturn, emphasizing Israel's adoption of foreign deities.
The implication is that Israel, by pursuing idol worship, placed itself in the same position as the disinherited nations. This serves as a warning that aligning with pagan practices separates one from God. The New Testament uses this historical context to emphasize that if people do not embrace Jesus as the incarnate God, they risk being alienated from God's plan of redemption, which is now open to all nations through Christ.
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