[quote=“-Axiom-”]
What does Commandment #2 have to say about this?[/quote]
Excellent question.
First, that it was God who commanded that these idols be created in his place of worship automatically supercedes anybody’s personal interpretation of #2.
But, most people don’t take #2 literally…they take it figuratively using it to apply to whatever they want to instead of just accepting God’s Word “as” written.
Let’s take a look at #2:
Exodus 20:
4
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, 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.
5
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;
6
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Now, verse 4 states that one shouldn’t make a carved image, yet God Himself commands the creation of graven images, correct? So, is God contradicting Himself? No…God never said make no graven images period…He said make no graven images of any thing that is in heaven above (which is imossible because we don’t know what heaven looks like), or that is in the earth beneath, (which is impossible because we don’t know what is “in” the earth beneath the earth often called the “netherworld”) or that is in the water under the earth (which again is impossible because man has never encountered any underearth oceans).
So, right there we see that when Christians use Jesus fish idols, they are not violating God’s Law. Why? Because fish are in the waters “on top” of the earth. If they were to make an idol of a creature from waters “under” the earth, then that would be wrong.
As for the snake idols that God used to heal people with, snakes are creatures from “on” the earth (not underneath it).
As for the idols of angels that God commanded to be created, when man saw them, they weren’t present in heaven…these angels made themselves present to man that’s how they don’t violate God’s Law.
Therefore, there are only certain idols that are “not” permitted and God has clarified which could not be created and He never disallowed those not mentioned in the 2nd Commandment.
If one just follows the Bible as written and doesn’t add unto it, they will be guided by The Scriptures.