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"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… for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…"-Exodus 20:4.
The second commandment forbids the creation of images of any sort for the purpose of worship. While the Israelites were at the foot of Mount Sinai waiting for Moses, they decided to make some tangible image of this powerful "god" that had delivered them from Egypt. When Aaron agreed to form an image of gold, the Apis Bull of Memphis was one of the most powerful deities they had worshiped back in Egypt, so he fashioned the, "Golden Calf" saying, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."-Exodus 32:4.
But God refuses to be imaged. Even his name, in Hebrew, YHWH, is more of a verb than a noun. When Moses boldly requested to have God's name, he is told, literally, "I AM WHO I AM" or "I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE"- Exodus 3:14. When God gives his résumé, he gives no form, but announces his character. He does, however, reveal spiritual attributes of who he is when he passes by Moses, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished...."- Exodus 34:6-7
In Genesis God said, "Let us make man in our own image." Though man failed miserably to live up to God's standard of holiness, there was One who was able to fill the bill. His name was Jesus. Jesus Christ came as the perfect man, living the Law flawlessly; living up to what was God's original intent for mankind. Jesus assured Phillip, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father."-John 14:9. One has only to study the life of Christ in the Gospels to know what God is like. For Jesus is "faithful…gracious… abounding in love…forgiving…and compassionate" to all!
It was John who said of Jesus, "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known."-John 1:18
It is through Jesus' life that Jehovah God is made known to the world. Perhaps it is when and only when you and I more closely resemble Jesus that God can be truly "known" to those about us. Perhaps then we will begin to understand what it means to "image" God. What image are you reflecting today?
Tom Nuckels |