Deuteronomy. Day 20, Avoiding Idolatry

In yesterday's passage Moses told the congregation it was important to always remember the power and glory of the Lord when the mountain shook and was covered with smoke and when the Lord spoke to them with a thundering voice from the midst of the fire. The people were awestruck on that day and must never forget that this is the God they're dealing with---a God who is to be revered and worshiped. But at the same time they are not to create any images to try to commemorate the glory of that moment. They are not to attempt to paint any pictures or form any object to represent the Lord because this could lead to idolatry. Moses instructs them, "You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, or like any creature that moves along the ground or like any fish in the waters below." (Deuteronomy 4:15-18) 

The tribes of Canaan will have all sorts of images of pagan gods, along with images of human beings and animals. The Israelites must not fashion such things, not even for the purpose of artistic expression, because this could send them down a slippery slope. They've recently come from Egypt, a land filled with idols where images of gods, humans, and animals (and bizarre human/animal hybrids) were everywhere. They're going to a new land where the inhabitants are heathen idolaters who engage in all sorts of occult practices and immoral celebrations. It would be easy to become comfortable with the sight of idols because it was so commonplace where they've come from and where they're going. It would be tempting to want to make images to represent their own beliefs, since the other peoples of the world have such things, but the Lord calls Israel to be different. 

The Lord calls Israel to be sanctified and set apart, just as He calls the church of Christ to be sanctified and set apart. If that means we stick out like a sore thumb in a world filled with immoral imagery and in a world filled with idolatry (where the acquisition of material goods or the gratification of carnal desires or the attainment of status and fame have become more important to many than knowing and serving the Lord), then so be it, let us stick out like a sore thumb. Let us stand out in the crowd for not going along with the crowd. Just as in Chapter 3 of the book of Daniel when Meschach, Shadrack, and Abenego stood out in the crowd when they refused to bow along with everyone else before the golden idol fashioned by King Nebuchadnezzar, the Lord's people today must not be afraid to stand out in the crowd for standing up for what we believe in. Our faithfulness to the Lord may cause an unbeliever to want to find out more about Him. An unbeliever might be impressed by the boldness and courage we possess and want this type of boldness and courage for themselves in the Lord. Blending in with the crowd and living like the unbelieving world will do nothing but damage our testimony. We can hardly light the way for someone else if we appear to be living in the dark ourselves.

In addition to practicing a form of idolatry in which the images of men and women and animals are worshiped, some of the tribes of Canaan also practiced astrology and/or worshiped the heavenly bodies themselves. Many cultures of the world have believed in sun gods and moon gods instead of believing in the one true God who created the sun and the moon. Many cultures have consulted the position of the stars in the sky to guide their decisions instead of consulting the God who hung the stars in the heavens. The Israelites must never create images to represent celestial bodies because this could lead them astray. "And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars---all the heavenly array---do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. But as for you, the Lord took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of His inheritance, as you now are." (Deuteronomy 4:19-20) 

There is no way any work of art could even begin to capture or express the glory of the Lord. Any attempt we make to represent Him in this fashion is going to diminish Him. It's going to fall so far short that we disrespect Him with a project that was intended to honor Him. Even though Christians worship Jesus Himself and not the statues or paintings that have been created to represent Him, I feel we'd have been far better off to have adhered to the command the Lord gave to Israel not to create such imagery. The Bible doesn't tell us what Jesus looked like, although we can safely conclude that He looked just like all the other Jewish men of His era. This must be the case because everywhere He went He was immediately recognized as a Jewish man and also He was able to blend in with other Jewish men so well that He could not be picked out of a crowd based on His appearance. His manner of dress and His style of hair and beard were like that of all the men of His culture. He definitely did not look like the blonde, blue-eyed Jesus portrayed in the framed painting that hung in the church of my childhood, and I feel that representing Him this way in art (or attempting to represent Him in art at all) has done more harm than good. Jesus was not a Gentile. Jesus was not a Christian. He was a Jewish man who adhered to all the regulations of the Jewish faith. Portraying Him as a blonde Gentile is not only erroneous but has served to bolster racism in those who have a tendency toward it already. 

It is never good to try to make the Lord into our own image, yet throughout the ages mankind has attempted to do so. At all times we must remember that He made us and that He calls us to godly living. If we try to pull the Lord down to our level, we end up falsely believing that He thinks just like us and that He is okay with our sin and immorality. We can convince ourselves that, even though He may not approve of our sins, He understands why we commit them and He's not going to discipline us for them. Join us tomorrow when Moses warns the congregation of the discipline that will fall if the people try to make God into their own image and begin to forget how indescribably holy He is.