The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands
(media.conspiracies.win)
You're viewing a single comment thread. View all comments, or full comment thread.
Comments (23)
sorted by:
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they don’t speak. They have eyes, but they don’t see. They have ears, but they don’t hear. They have noses, but they don’t smell. They have hands, but they don’t feel. They have feet, but they don’t walk, neither do they speak through their throat. Those who make them will be like them; yes, everyone who trusts in them. (Psalms 115:4-8 WEBPB)
The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they can’t speak. They have eyes, but they can’t see. They have ears, but they can’t hear, neither is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, yes, everyone who trusts in them. (Psalms 135:15-18 WEBPB)
“You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:3-6 WEBPB)
“What value does the engraved image have, that its maker has engraved it; the molten image, even the teacher of lies, that he who fashions its form trusts in it, to make mute idols? Woe to him who says to the wood, ‘Awake!’ or to the mute stone, ‘Arise!’ Shall this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all within it. But the LORD is in his holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before him!” (Habakkuk 2:18-20 WEBPB)
Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practise such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom. (Galatians 5:19-21 WEBPB)
Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortionists, will inherit God’s Kingdom. Some of you were such, but you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 WEBPB)
The rest of mankind, who were not killed with these plagues, didn’t repent of the works of their hands, that they wouldn’t worship demons, and the idols of gold, and of silver, and of brass, and of stone, and of wood, which can’t see, hear, or walk. They didn’t repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts. (Revelation 9:20-21 WEBPB)
Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man. The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent, because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:29-31 WEBPB)
But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshippers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24 WEBPB)
Now they shall construct an [a]ark of acacia wood [b]two and a half cubits [c]long, one and a half cubits [d]wide, and one and a half cubits [e]high. 11 You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding [f]around it. 12 You shall also cast four gold rings for it and [g]fasten them on its four feet; two rings shall be on one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 13 And you shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. 15 The poles shall [h]remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it. 16 You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.
17 “And you shall make [i]an atoning cover of pure gold, [j]two and a half cubits [k]long and one and a half cubits [l]wide. 18 You shall make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work [m]at the two ends of the atoning cover. 19 Make one cherub [n]at one end and one cherub [o]at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece [p]with the atoning cover at its two ends. 20 And the cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the atoning cover with their wings and [q]facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the atoning cover. 21 Then you shall put the atoning cover [r]on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. 22 There I will meet with you; and from above the atoning cover, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about [s]every commandment that I will give you for the sons of Israel.
Thank you. Their "idol worship" arguments fall flat when presented with this.
God specifically commanded Moses to make cherubim in His tabernacle as a copy of the way it is in heaven (Exodus 25:18-22; Hebrews 8:5; Ezekiel 10; 11; Psalm 99:1; Isaiah 37:16). Similarly to the Tabernacle, David told Solomon he had received plans for the temple from God “by the Spirit” (1 Chronicles 28:12) and “in writing from the LORD’s hand” (1 Chronicles 28:19). As a result, Solomon also carved cherubim in the walls of the first temple and made two cherubim in the Most Holy Place (2 Chronicles 3:7, 10-14). Similarly, God specifically commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent (Numbers 21:8), but this was later destroyed after the people were idolising it (2 Kings 18:4). These objects and images were never intended to be “venerated”, or worshipped; they were made solely in obedience to God’s command for His specific purposes.
Meanwhile, today’s “icons” (or images) and idols are often prayed to, kissed, have incense burnt to them, and are adored. Furthermore, God’s second commandment explicitly forbids making images and idols for the purpose of bowing down to or serving them (Exodus 20:4-5). The Bible forbids making images and idols for worship, as substitutes for God, or as objects of devotion, and the serving of such images, all of which is idolatry. Common practices like praying to dead saints (even though Scripture teaches there is only one mediator, Christ Jesus—1 Timothy 2:5; and that the dead know nothing—Ecclesiastes 9:5), wearing or, for example, carrying or placing in your car or house religious objects such as icons or crosses for protection or special power, using items like rosary beads as prayer aids, or appealing to Mary (who has died) to intercede in place of Jesus, are all violations of God’s word in the Bible, idolatry, and in some cases necromancy.
The cherubim in the tabernacle and temple, and even the bronze serpent, were made by God’s command for specific purposes, not as objects or images of worship. When people later gave a name and burned incense to the bronze serpent, it became idolatrous, and righteous King Hezekiah destroyed it (2 Kings 18:4). This shows that even something God commanded to be made can become an idol if people misuse it.
As for artistic depictions of Jesus, Scripture nowhere commands, commends, or even shows the slightest example of creating images of God or Christ for “veneration”. In fact, it specifically warns against such practices numerous times; see, for example, John 4:23-24; Acts 17:29-31; Habakkuk 2:18-20. Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), not a painted, carved, or sculpted likeness based on man’s imagination. He is the living God, before all things, and in Him all things are held together (Colossians 1:17). Furthermore, the common portrayal of Jesus with long hair is misleading and dishonouring, as Scripture clearly states that it is a disgrace for a man to have long hair (1 Corinthians 11:14). Jesus, in His heavenly, glorified form, is depicted with hair “like pure wool” in Daniel 7:9 (refer also to Revelation 1:14), not with long, flowing, feminine hair. Furthermore, how can we verify the accuracy of these depictions of His supposed earthly form, and therefore, how can such images avoid violating the command to worship God in spirit and truth (refer to John 4:23-24)?
Therefore, the cherubim and the bronze serpent were obediently made according to God’s command for His purposes, not as objects or images of worship to be bowed down to, prayed to, and served. But making and worshipping images and idols, as is common practice today, is fundamentally different and violates God’s command against idolatry.
Joshua 7:6
Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads.
The Scripture is clear about what the Ark was. It was not an object of worship. It was a symbol of God’s presence, the place where God chose to speak, and the covenantal testimony of His relationship with Israel.