"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image...

[AngelInTraining93]

...or any likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." Exodus 20:4.

How did it slip my mind to ask this until now?

What is the proper interpretation of this scripture? I understand why Christians should refrain from drawing/making pentagrams and those such things, but what exactly is God saying here? I have heard pastors using this commandment to rebuke people for wearing necklaces with images of the moon. Is that the proper interpretation? What scriptures can I read to gain a full understanding of this?

[other one]

don't take a single scripture by itself, but read at least the whole paragraph...   that sentence may just be a piece of what's being said and if one applies that one sentence to everything it can go way beyond what was meant.  It also helps to understand the history and the general thought processes at the time.  

[dhchristian]

3 hours ago, AngelInTraining93 said:

...or any likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." Exodus 20:4.

How did it slip my mind to ask this until now?

What is the proper interpretation of this scripture? I understand why Christians should refrain from drawing/making pentagrams and those such things, but what exactly is God saying here? I have heard pastors using this commandment to rebuke people for wearing necklaces with images of the moon. Is that the proper interpretation? What scriptures can I read to gain a full understanding of this?

A Graven Image is an idol, a representation of God that is worshipped. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; (The Next verse, Exodus 20:5)

[Justin Adams]

2 minutes ago, other one said:

don't take a single scripture by itself, but read at least the whole paragraph...   that sentence may just be a piece of what's being said and if one applies that one sentence to everything it can go way beyond what was meant.  It also helps to understand the history and the general thought processes at the time.  

Agreed. Context is king.

Many use the Tanakh to rebuke etc., but the many Mentions of keeping the Sabbath Holy and set apart seem to be ignored.. Wonder why??

[other one]

26 minutes ago, Justin Adams said:

Agreed. Context is king.

Many use the Tanakh to rebuke etc., but the many Mentions of keeping the Sabbath Holy and set apart seem to be ignored.. Wonder why??

Because when Jesus came he changed the commandments from physical laws to spiritual laws and placed them in our heads (or hearts as the Bible would put it)  The sabbath is no longer a physical something to do on Friday night and Saturday day time, it is a total way of life.     We were given the Sabbath as a day to focus on God and replenish our relationship with him....   today we have the Holy Spirit living within us and are (or should be) involved with him every moment of our lives, not just one day....    

Personally I carry on a close friend relationship with him all day/night every  day...     Ask him about things and receive nudging's from him off and on all day.      People before the Holy Spirit being poured out on us did not have the Spirit living within them so they were still estranged from God.   Everyone was after Adam sinned.    The spirit would come upon people short term in the Old Testament days but didn't live in a constant relationship with them.

 

Remember the Sabbath....   that's actually the day that God came to live with me and I him.  We don't have a Sabbath day, we have a Sabbath life.     We live in the day of rest because of Jesus

 

[appy]

The entire chapter of Isaiah 44 gives a pretty good explanation and picture of the meaning of the passage in Exodus 20 : 4. Yes most definitely avoid drawing/making pentagrams and the like as those things belong to the occult. There are groups that carry the command to the extreme in one direction and other groups that totally disregard the command all together in the other direction.

There is nothing inherently wrong with drawings, paintings, sculptures, etc. . . in and of themselves. What makes them wrong is when people place hope, trust, expectation in the created picture or sculpture, etc. . . to bring them blessings of hope and salvation, safety, etc . . .

Isaiah 44 : 17 He falls down before it and worships it and prays to it. “Deliver me,” he says. “You are my god!”

Verse 19, “he is trusting what can never give him any help at all”

I'm reminded of an unbeliever I hung out with once in a while yrs ago. I've forgotten where we were headed one day, but we stopped in at a convenience store for gas and what not, and on the counter at the register was a box with the words “good luck charms” “provides protection from any harm” printed on the outside. Inside, were different colored necklace like charms. The person I was with picked up one of the charms and looking at me said, that the charm would prevent her from having automobile accidents, all she had to do was hang it on the review mirror and with that, purchased the thing. As we walked out the door, she related to me all the minor fender benders that she had gotten into in the last 6 months. She proudly hung the thing on the mirror of her car and we left the store parking lot.

The next day, late in the afternoon I get a phone call from her, telling me that she was involved in a minor accident that morning. She was very disappointed and disgusted that the thing hanging from her review mirror hadn't done its job as advertised on the box. She really did believe that thing would protect her. She put her faith in it. And I said to her. . . “what did you expect? Its a cheap piece of plastic, that someone made. It can neither see, nor hear.

In the above story, we can see that although the friend didn't bow before it or pray to the thing. But she had placed her ultimate trust and hope in it to save her from something, instead of placing hope and trust in God to meet her needs.

 

[Jostler]

I also think context is king.  I honestly don't believe the Lord was forbidding us to have decorative sculptures.  If all images were evil, could we even have pictures of our family?  Our intention to bow down, or serve ANYTHING but Him is prostrating ourselves before an idol.  Even if it's as immaterial as an idea....or the pursuit of money and wealth consumes time He desires us to use otherwise....

Obviously some symbols identify us with things He hates...but we know what those are....we don't need a list of rules to avoid those IMO.    If it's not something we should be associating with, I trust He'll give me that little nudge in my heart that says "no". 

Edited February 1, 2020 by Jostler

[BeauJangles]

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image...

13 hours ago, AngelInTraining93 said:

How did it slip my mind to ask this until now?

That's a very good question. How did it? 

[AngelInTraining93]

1 hour ago, BeauJangles said:

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image...

That's a very good question. How did it? 

For real! Better late than never I suppose lol.

[SimonB]

I believe that here the context is that the image is being used as a focus of worship which is clearly wrong.

Some have tried to say that you can't make any image of any living thing, so a painting of a person or a horse is not allowed for e.g..

That's clearly wrong. Lets face it in Exodus 25:18–22 God instructed the making of images of cherubim. So that can't be the correct interpretation as God would not contradict Himself would he?