How does idolatry affect a nation according to the Bible?

The Bible illustrates clearly that idolatry has devastating consequences for nations. In the reign of Rehoboam, Judah engaged in idolatrous practices that provoked God's jealousy, as stated in 1 Kings 14:22-23. This moral decline did not only affect individual hearts but led to God's judgment upon the nation as a whole, resulting in external threats and the eventual loss of divine protection. The historical context reveals that when leaders turn away from God and allow idolatry to flourish, the entire populace suffers the ramifications of that unfaithfulness, evidenced by their oppression by foreign nations.