God is the only perfectly autonomous being and as such, has the sole right to reveal Himself if He wishes and how He wishes (cf. Dt. 10:17; Ps. 90:2; Rev. 1:8). God is spirit (John 4:24) and is not a physical being (Luke 24:39). Therefore He is invisible to the human eye and God only reveals himself according to His will in order for human beings to know Him. But since humans cannot see God Himself, then how do they know He is?
Fortunately, God has chosen to reveal Himself to humans in many ways, including:
- The special revelation of the word of God, the Christian Bible (Ezek. 12:25; 2 Cor. 2:17; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 Thess. 1:5; 1 Thess. 2:13);
- The guidance and counsel of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 1 Thess. 1:5; 1 Thess. 2:13);
- The creation; God’s natural world (Rom. 1:19, 20), and;
- In the person of Jesus the Christ ((Matthew 11:1-6; John 1:18; John 5:19-21; John 10:24, 25; John 14:5-11; John 15:26; 1 John 5:7, 8).
And, shortly before the Israelites entered the promised land, Moses taught them statutes and rules that inculcated the Ten Commandments so that they might know God’s law and obey it in the promised land (Deut. 4:13, 14).
GOD SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO THE ISRAELITES
God descended upon Mount Sinai (also Horeb) in fire and the mountain was engulfed in smoke (Ex. 19:10). Though the Israelites could not see Him, it was here that God spoke directly to the people. He first made it clear that the Israelites were His by right as their creator (Deut. 4:32) and as their savior from Egyptian bondage (Deut. 4:20). As their God, He proceeded to speak to them the covenantal “words” that expressed His moral principles, which are commonly referred to as the Decalogue or the Ten Commandments.
The Decalogue begins with “you shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3). God knew that His people lived in a polytheistic world among nations that worshiped many gods of their own making. Jehovah (or Yahweh or lord) was the only God of the Israelites and He was a jealous God intent on His people worshipping Him to the exclusion of all other gods, which other gods of course were all false gods of human origin. God understood that the Israelites would be influenced by the polytheistic nations to adopt pagan gods or even to create their [the Israelites] own gods.
So, God made no bones about the fact that He was their one and only God. He made as his first commandment the edict that He, Jehovah, and only He, was their sovereign God to the exclusion of any and all other gods they may embrace or effectuate. The first commandment forbids the Israelites from adopting any other gods and this leads in perfectly with the second commandment.
THE SECOND COMMANDMENT
Exodus 20:4 contains God’s second commandment to His people “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” This is a straightforward statement by God but what exactly does this commandment forbid?
John Calvin wrote the following explanation of the second commandment in his Institutes.[1]
As in the First Commandment the Lord declares that he is one, and that besides him no gods must be either worshiped or imagined, so he here more plainly declares what his nature is, and what the kind of worship with which he is to be honored, in order that we may not presume to form any carnal idea of him. The purport of the commandment, therefore, is, that he will not have his legitimate worship profaned by superstitious rites. Wherefore, in general, he calls us entirely away from the carnal frivolous observances which our stupid minds are wont to devise after forming some gross idea of the divine nature, while, at the same time, he instructs us in the worship which is legitimate, namely, spiritual worship of his own appointment. The grossest vice here prohibited is external idolatry.
The second commandment forbids idolatry by enjoining His created beings from making carved images as the representation of Jehovah God using anything He created and He expressly prohibited images or likenesses of any created thing to facilitate religious idolatry or the worship of anthropogenic[2] gods.
The first phrase of the second commandment forbids God’s people from creating a carved image to represent God. This term, carved image, probably refers to an image fashioned from substances from the earth, such as wood, stone, etc. Since God has already ruled out all other gods in the first commandment. The image refers presumably to the image of Jehovah God.
God continues in the rest of verse 4 and forbids any and all likenesses of any and all things in heaven, on earth, and underwater. Since God states “any likeness of anything,” it seems reasonable that He is including here both images of God as well as images of other gods. The reason that this last part of verse 4 is referring to both Jehovah God and false gods is what God says in the first phrase of verse 5.
Verse 5 and 6 are God’s further commands that necessarily arise from the second commandment in verse 4. Verse 5 and 6 state “5You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
God begins verse 5 with the phrase “You shall not bow down to them or serve them.” He is referring to the carved images as well as the images and likenesses mentioned in verse 4. So, the second commandment forbids human beings from creating anything to be worshiped, whether it be a putative image of God or an image of a false God. For example, worshiping and praying to a statue, a sculpture, a picture, a carving, a place, the site of an apparition, grave sites, the heavenly bodies (Deut. 4:19), the likeness of any human being, or anything else is forbidden by verses 4 and 5. Thus, prayers to Mary, the mother of Jesus, or to the Saints of the Roman church are strictly forbidden by the second commandment. Believers’ prayers and worship may only be directed to the one and only true God. Praying to any other entity, person or thing, living or dead, or concept, is rank idolatry and clearly prohibited by the second commandment.
Scripture teaches that human beings were created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26, 27) and that Jesus Christ is the true image of God (Col. 1:15; 2:19). But He prohibits humans from creating forms out of their own imagination to worship whether these forms are purportedly of God or of some false god.
The second phrase of verse 5 tells us that God is a jealous God. So, what does this mean, a jealous God? This is not human jealousy which involves feelings of envy, resentfulness, and animosity towards another for what the other person possesses along with a desire to have it for himself or herself. God’s jealousy is His ardent love for His holy name that requires a unique, dedicated, loyal devotion from His people.
The last phrase of verse 5 states “visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me” (cf. Ex. 34:7; Deut. 5:9; Nu. 14:18). Many people struggle with this phrase. It seems to say that even if a descendent did not commit the sins that the father committed that he would nevertheless be held accountable for his father’s sins. But that is not what this phrase means.
Elsewhere, the Bible teaches that children would not be punished for the sins of their parents (Deut. 24:16; Ezek. 18:19, 20). Since there are no contradictions in the Bible, this phrase in verse 5 must teach that when parents are idolatrous and raise their children in that kind of environment that the natural consequence would be that their children would emulate their parents’ idolatry and would be just as ungodly and idolatrous and thus would, because of their own sins, receive the same condemnation as their parents. The general idea expressed in verse 5 is that the consequences of one’s sins can affect one’s descendants. This is a warning to parents to raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). This portion of verse 5 teaches that the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate God will more likely than not also hate God as did their parents.
Prayer and worship to anyone or anything other than the one true God, Jehovah, is forbidden by verses 4 and 5. God has given prayer to his children as the one and only way to communicate with Him. Through prayer as Charles Hodge wrote:
[W]e manifest or express to Him our reverence, and love…our gratitude…our penitence for our sins, and our hope in his forgiving love, our submission to his authority, our confidence in his care, our desires for his favor, and for the providential and spiritual blessings.[3]
Prayer is a method of worshiping and glorifying God in that by our prayers we are acknowledging Him as the only sovereign lord of all and the only source of divine grace in our lives. Consequently, if we pray to any other, we are acknowledging the other as our god and to do this is to practice idolatry which the second commandment absolutely forbids.
In verse 6, God promises that in spite of what one’s parents believed, that he would show steadfast love to those who worshiped Him, instead of pagan gods. Neither the godly nor the ungodly children of the third and fourth generation will suffer for the sins of their parents. The godly children who love God would not be responsible for the sins of their parents. The ungodly, though they would also hate God as their parents did because of their upbringing, would not be guilty of their parents’ sins either, but would be under judgment for sins they actually committed themselves, not for the sins their parents committed.
IMAGES ALLOWED
Many Christians wonder in light of Exodus 20:4-6, what images are allowed, if any. The second commandment refers to religious worship. It does not forbid non-religious representations of visible or imaginary objects such as secular sculptures, paintings, etc. that are not worshiped. But the second commandment does forbid the worship of any objects, religious or secular and this prohibition includes religious relics. Bowing down before or reverently treating anyone or anything, including relics, in worship is strictly forbidden by the second commandment.
We suggest that images of Jesus of Nazareth may be allowed for teaching purposes. God created human beings in His image (Gen. 1:26, 27) and Jesus Christ is the true image of God (Col. 1:15; 2:19), both of which are visible images. Jesus was God made visible man. God forbids images and likenesses of Himself because He is spirit with no form and any attempt to imitate His image or likeness would be futile ab initio.
But this is not true of the incarnate Christ who was visible and who walked among human beings. Everyone saw Him since He was in physical form. Therefore, images and likenesses of humans and Jesus the man are allowed under the second commandment, provided these images and likenesses are not worshiped. Jesus was an historic man and we know when and where he lived, when he died, what his race was, the clothing worn in those times, etc. Thus we can reasonably create an image that is a facsimile, though not a reproduction of Him, for the purpose of teaching but not to worship.
Martin Luther is said to have been tolerant of the use of images in the church having stated “If the worship of images be avoided, we may use them as we do the words of Scripture, which bring things before the mind and cause us to remember them.”[4] The church must be extremely cautious with any image or likenesses especially of those depicting Jesus Christ. Our Lord is so revered that it is quite easy for believers to begin treating the thing― the picture, drawing, painting, statue, etc.―as if the thing itself is an object of worship. And this caveat should be discussed and guarded against in the church.
However, no image can be allowed to replace the teaching and preaching of the word of God. Pictures of Jesus in Christian books, videos, etc. are okay but the worship of any image or likeness of Jesus is not permitted. Only the triune Godhead may be worshiped and He must be worshiped in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).
CLOSING REMARKS
Making a carved image or any image or likeness of God is forbidden for He is spirit and has no form and worshiping such an image is also forbidden. God is spirit and is an eternal being. He cannot be envisioned or represented in physical form. Also, making any image or likeness out of anything of the created world for the purpose of worshiping that image or likeness is forbidden. Since Jehovah God is the only God, worshiping any other person, thing, or concept is absolutely forbidden.
One Christian denomination states in its catechism that its members may pray to and with Mary, the mother of Jesus. They also pray to “Saints” that have been “canonized” by the Roman Catholic Church. This dogma and practice of praying to persons other than the one true God, Jehovah, is strictly forbidden by the second commandment. Praying to Mary and the Catholic Saints amounts to rank idolatry. It has been said that Catholics make the distinction between worship of God and their veneration of Mary and the Saints but this is a distinction without a difference. Whomever or whatever one prays to is their god―period! So, praying to or worshiping anyone, Mary, the Saints, or other people, things, or concepts is idolatry and is prohibited by the second commandment.
Although God may not and cannot be imaged at all, images and likenesses of His creatures are allowed but they may not be worshiped. The issue in the second commandment was the prohibition of idolatry and false worship and forbidding the making of any representation or image or likeness of God who is spirit and incapable of duplication or imitation. However, the second commandment does not prohibit all artistic expression regarding images and likeness of God’s creation.
[1] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion.. Trans. by Henry Beveridge, Hendrickson, 2008.
[2] Anthropogenic means caused by humans or arising from their activities.
[3] Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, vol. III (The Banner of Truth Trust, 2012), 303-04.
[4] Hodge, 692.
