IMAGE
Exodus 20:1-6
1 And God spoke all these words, saying:
No idols, no images, nothing that you will bow down to, nothing, no-one but the Lord God (of Israel). Here the tetragrammaton YWYH is used – Yahweh. This is a representation of the Name God gave to Moses. Its meaning is complex. There are numerous attempts at putting the name into human language. In fact, it is not a name it is a verb. God is “I Am”. This can be expanded (as it is in Scripture), “I will be what I will be”. Simply, we understand that God is BEING – eternal life, the source of all things. It is a similar thought when the Risen Lord Jesus proclaimed, “I am the Living One”.
We ought not to wonder why Yahweh made such a strong command about idols. The people of Israel had been immersed in the culture of Egypt with its many gods and carved idols in every house.
Moses wanted to see God but could only see what resulted from God’s Presence. He saw the glory of the Lord, the back parts, what God leaves behind when He move.
Exodus 33:18-23
And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”
The command of God is absolute, yet humans have carved all kinds of images to represent God. Many will protest that they are not bowing down to or worshipping these images. After all a photograph, a film, a painting, a sculpture is not produced with a view to declaring, “this is your God!” However, there are religions that worship statues and pictures as a gateway to their gods. There are images of ‘super’ people, aliens and the like which have become objects of desire and adoration. They are even called idols. False gods and idols are not far away from the sinful heart. This is what the apostle Paul writes about:
Romans 1:25
…who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Even God’s people, Israel, made carved images to worship them. The most obvious occasion is when Aaron collected all the gold jewellery from the people and threw it on the fire and it came out as a thing looking like a calf (a bull). At least that is what he said! Later, the people had begun to worship male and female images. They had priests and buildings dedicated to Baal. This god, in English, would be called ‘lord’. This form of worship continued through to the captivity of Israel and Judah. Before then Elijah arranged a stand-up competition with the priests of Baal.
1 Kings 18:21-24
And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. 24 Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.”
My point here is that the people had become deceived. They thought that Baal was their God – in fact, the false worship and ceremony was what Yahweh wanted! Jezebel had contributed to this deceit and, through it, control of the people. Also there was worship of an idol called ‘Ashtoreth’. This carved image was female. Both were part of the false worship going on in Israel. This idolatry ran in the veins of Israel until their return from captivity under the leadership of Ezra, Nehemiah, Zerubbabel and Joshua the High Priest.
…. More soon …
David Chapman
April 2026