#You shall not make any graven images windows

#You shall not make any graven images windows

There were splayed windows (and palmtrees) on both side walls of the vestibule, and the side chambers of the temple……” Before the vestibule outside was a wooden lattice. Carved upon them (on the doors of the nave) were cherubim and palmtrees, like those carved on the walls. From the ground to the lintel of the door the cherubim and palmtrees were carved on the walls…………Each door had two movable leaves two leaves were on one doorjamb and two on the other. Each cherub had two faces: a man’s face looking at a palmtree on one side, and a lion’s face looking at a palmtree on the other thus they were figured on every side throughout the whole temple. “….on every wall on every side in both the inner and outer rooms were carved the figures of cherubim and palmtrees: a palmtree between every two cherubim. The following verses depict how the inner walls and doors of the Temple in Jerusalem had graven images of cherub, palm trees, man’s faces and lion’s faces: If a graven image is made with the intentions to worship as a false god, then this is idolatry, but if the image is made to aid in the worship of God and not be worshiped itself as in the case of the Cherub and the Bronze serpent it is actually beneficial to the Christian people.Īnother place in the Bible where graven images are mention is in Ezekiel 14: 17-26. Twice here we have shown from scripture that God commanded the creation of graven images. Our God is a God of materials always working his grace through things and people he has created (prophets, priest, angels, water, mud, a bronze snake, Moses’ staff, wine, bread, oil, etc).

God is working his life saving grace through a graven image. “And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.” Another good reference to God commanding man to make graven images is in Numbers 24:8-9 with the bronze serpent. In Exodus 32:1 the people said to Aaron “Up, make us gods, who shall go before us as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” The above text is what God is condemning in Exodus 20, making images or statues and proclaiming them to be gods. Is God contradicting himself? No, God condemns the practice of making false idols to be worshiped as gods as in the case of the golden calf, not images that are used to aid in the worship of God as in the case of the cherub on the Ark of the Covenant. The cherubim shall spread out its wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim.” Make one cherub on the one end, and on cherub on the other end of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. “And you shall make two cherubim of gold of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Just 5 chapters later in Exodus 25: 17-22 God actually commands Moses to make graven images of two cherub (angels) to be part of the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. God is not condemning the making of all images, just images that one would worship as a false god.

In the above text God is making an direct condemnation of this practice when he says do not make a graven image of anything in heaven, the earth, under the earth and in the water. Many of the Egyptian gods were made in the images of jackals, birds and other animals. When the Jews were under the bondage of the Egyptians there was a temptation to worship the animal like gods of the Egyptians. In modern times those idols are: money, sex, status, etc. Throughout the history of God’s people, there is always a tendency to fall away from the worship of the One, True God and adopt the pagan practice of worshipping false idols. What they fail to do is understand the above text in its context. Many Protestant Christians will accuse Catholic Christians of making idols and quote the above text. “You Shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is the water under the earth for I the Lord your God am a jealous God….” (Ex 20:3-5).