“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. You 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 the fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments.” (Exodus 20:4-6)
Most ancient peoples worshiped visible gods, for example in the form of some animal statue, secret stone or carved wooden pole. The Israelites had seen this in Egypt. But God warns them not to make a carved image to bow down to. God is invisible, and nothing in the visible realm can present Him correctly. The immortal, spiritual God cannot be reduced to something material. If we try to make an image of Him, this would just be a god of our own imagination.
God chose to reveal Himself with words instead of images or statues. He describes Himself as “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty…” (Exodus 34:6-7). So, although we can’t see God and can’t fully understand Him, we do know a lot about his character!
In order to avoid biased and misleading mental images of God, it is important to read the Bible to learn how God reveals himself in words and deeds.
Are you ready to let God’s Word correct and complete your “image” of the Lord?