You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. Ex 20:4-6

Whilst the first commandment deals with having other gods besides the one true God, the second commandment deals with attempts to represent the one true God.

The problem with man-made attempts to represent God, they are unworthy. After all, how can the handiwork of a finite being, using finite materials, even give a glimpse of the infinite God? The calf which Aaron fashioned in the desert might have given a tiny glimpse of God’s power, but completely left out God’s other attributes, such as holiness and love.

As such, graven images of God are unhelpful at best, and completely misleading at worst! Such images, whether fashioned from wood, metal or any other material, are the product of and will produce a limited mental understanding of God. Since they are the product of a limited being, they project a limited view of God which leads to a limited understanding of God, which ultimately shows itself in the actions of a believer. How many misunderstandings of God are because he has been misrepresented?

Ultimately, such graven images are unnecessary. For God is not remote and distant, leaving us to guess his attributes, but he has revealed himself in his word, and ultimately in his Son. While Aaron was busy fashioning a golden calf, God was revealing himself to Moses on Mount Sinai. Similarly, God revealed himself in his Son, and God speaks to us now in his word.

When we think about it, as Christians, we should not worry about what we need. For if God was willing to allow his Son to die in our place, why would he withhold anything we need form us? The sacrifice of his Son was the costliest thing in the universe, the sacrifice of God the Son. As such, God will provide everything we need, whether temporal or spiritual. For not only are these things small in comparison to the sacrifice of his Son, but he gives us according to his riches, which are infinite.