How does God view images that are objects of worship and what does His Word say about the making of them?

Ezek. 14:6, ASV: "Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Return ye, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations."

Ezek. 7:20, NLT: "They were proud of their gold jewelry and used it to make vile and detestable idols. That is why I will make all their wealth disgusting ["uncleanness," Dy; "refuse," NAB] to them."

Ex. 20:4, 5, JB: "You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them ["bow down before them or worship them," NAB]. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God." (Notice that the prohibition was against making images and bowing down before them.)

Lev. 26:1, ASV: "Ye shall make you no idols, neither shall ye rear you up a graven image, or a pillar, neither shall ye place any figured stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am Jehovah your God."

2 Cor. 6:16, JB: "The temple of God has no common ground with idols, and that is what we are—the temple of the living God."

1 John 5:21, NAB: "My little children, be on your guard against idols ["idols," Dy, CC; "false gods," JB]."


Jer. 10:14, 15, JB: "Every goldsmith blushes for the idol he has made, since his images are nothing but delusion, with no breath in them. They are a Nothing, a laughable production."

Isa. 44:13-19, JB: "The wood carver takes his measurements, outlines the image with chalk, carves it with chisels, following the outline with dividers. He shapes it to human proportions, and gives it a human face, for it to live in a temple. He cut down a cedar, or else took a cypress or an oak which he selected from the trees in the forest, or maybe he planted a cedar and the rain made it grow. For the common man it is so much fuel; he uses it to warm himself, he also burns it to bake his bread. But this fellow makes a god of it and worships it; he makes an idol of it and bows down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire, on the live embers he roasts meat, eats it and is replete. He warms himself too. `Ah!' says he `I am warm; I have a fire here!' With the rest he makes his god, his idol; he bows down before it and worships it and prays to it. `Save me,' he says `because you are my god.' They know nothing, understand nothing. Their eyes are shut to all seeing, their heart to all reason. They never think, they lack the knowledge and wit to say, `I burned half of it on the fire, I baked bread on the live embers, I roasted meat and ate it, and am I to make some abomination of what remains? Am I to bow down before a block of wood?'"

For more, see:
Should Idols / Icons be used in worship?

Should Idols / Icons be used in worship? (WBTS article)

Should Images, "Patron Saints" or the Rosary be used in prayer? (WBTS article)

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