The Bible speaks against idolatry, warning against the worship of statues or images. However, not all statues are viewed negatively. Let’s explore what scripture says about the use of statues in worship and how to maintain a focus on God alone.
Also Read: What Does The Bible Say About Making Excuses
What Does The Bible Say About Statues
Exodus 20:4-5
“You shall not make for yourself an idol or worship any other gods. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.”
This verse highlights the commandment of God to not make or worship idols or statues. It emphasizes God’s jealousy and the exclusivity of worship that should be directed towards Him alone.
This commandment reminds believers to focus their worship on God alone and not to place their trust or devotion in any physical representation or man-made object.
Deuteronomy 27:15
“Cursed is anyone who makes an idol—a detestable thing—the work of skilled hands—and sets it up in secret.”
Here, the curse is pronounced upon those who craft and set up idols in secret. It serves as a warning against the creation and worship of false gods.
God’s desire is for His people to have sincere and genuine worship, rooted in a relationship with Him, rather than placing their faith in objects or statues.
Leviticus 26:1
“You must not make idols for yourselves or set up a carved image or sacred pillar, or place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the LORD your God.”
This verse reiterates the commandment against creating idols and emphasizes that nothing should be worshiped other than the Lord God.
It serves as a reminder to resist the temptation to create physical representations of God or to give reverence to anything other than the one true God.
Psalm 115:4-8
“Their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, noses but cannot smell. They have hands but cannot feel, feet but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.”
This Psalm emphasizes the futility and worthlessness of idols. It highlights the fact that idols are merely human-made objects, incapable of any power or understanding.
Believers are warned not to put their trust in lifeless statues, for they are incapable of responding to prayers or providing any guidance or salvation.
Isaiah 44:9-20
“All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit nothing? They are all senseless and foolish; they are instructed by worthless wooden idols. But Israel will be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you will never be put to shame or disgraced, to ages everlasting.”
This passage emphasizes the foolishness of idolatry and those who worship false gods. It contrasts the emptiness of idols with the salvation that comes from the one true God.
It serves as a reminder that our trust should be placed in the eternal God who offers true and lasting salvation, rather than in lifeless idols.
Jeremiah 10:14-15
“Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols, for his molten images are deceitful and there is no breath in them. They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will perish.”
This passage highlights the emptiness and deceitfulness of idols. It declares that idols are worthless and subject to destruction.
It reminds believers that idols are incapable of providing true satisfaction or salvation and will ultimately lead to disappointment and destruction.
Habakkuk 2:18-19
“Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it.”
This passage challenges the value and reliability of idols created by human hands. It exposes the falsehood and ineffectiveness of idols.
It cautions believers against placing their trust in idols that lack the ability to provide guidance or bring life, as they are lifeless and powerless.
Acts 17:29
“Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.”
Paul, in his address to the philosophers in Athens, emphasizes that God cannot be encapsulated or compared to physical objects or images created by human craftsmanship.
As God’s offspring, believers are called to recognize and honor the true nature of God, understanding that He transcends any physical representation.
Romans 1:22-23
“Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”
These verses highlight the foolishness of those who exchange the worship of the immortal and glorious God for worshiping created beings and objects.
Believers are reminded to honor and worship the Creator rather than giving reverence to that which has been created.
1 Corinthians 8:4-6
“So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that ‘An idol is nothing at all in the world’ and that ‘There is no God but one.’ For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.”
This passage addresses the issue of food sacrificed to idols but also emphasizes that idols are nothing and that there is only one true God.
It affirms the centrality of God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Lord, as the sole objects of worship for believers, dismissing the significance of idols.
1 John 5:21
“Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.”
In this verse, believers are urged to guard themselves against idolatry and to maintain a pure and devoted focus on God.
It serves as a reminder of the importance of avoiding the worship and dependence on idols in order to remain faithful to the one true God.
Jeremiah 10:3-5
“For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk.”
This passage speaks to the emptiness and foolishness of idol worship. It describes the process of creating idols and highlights their inability to communicate or move on their own.
Believers are reminded that these statues and objects made by human hands lack genuine divinity and should not be revered or trusted.
Deuteronomy 4:15-16
“Therefore, watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman..”
God commands His people to be vigilant and cautious to avoid falling into idolatry by crafting or worshiping any physical representation.
This serves as a reminder that believers should keep their hearts and minds focused on the true and invisible God, rather than relying on visual aids.
Psalm 135:15-18
“The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.”
Similar to other passages, this psalm highlights the lifelessness of idols and the folly of trusting in objects made by human hands.
Believers are reminded to place their trust in the living God who can hear, see, and respond, rather than in lifeless idols.
Isaiah 42:8
“I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.”
God declares His divine sovereignty and affirms that He alone deserves glory and praise.
This verse reinforces the exclusivity of worship that should be directed towards God and the rejection of idolatry.
Acts 19:26
“And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.”
This verse references the impact of Paul’s teaching that emphasizes the inadequacy of gods made by human hands.
It highlights the truth that idols, being man-made, lack the divine attributes and power that belong only to the true God.
2 Kings 19:18
“They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.”
This verse illustrates the destruction of idols, emphasizing their worthlessness and the acknowledgment that they are mere wood and stone.
It serves as a reminder that idols are incapable of providing help or salvation and should not be regarded as gods.
Psalm 97:7
“All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols—worship him, all you gods!”
This verse reveals the futility and shame associated with idol worship. It directs worship solely towards God, highlighting His superiority over false gods and idols.
Believers are called to worship and honor God alone, turning away from the empty promises of idols.
Isaiah 2:18
“And the idols shall utterly pass away.”
This simple but powerful statement declares the ultimate destiny of idols. They are destined to pass away, being unable to endure or fulfill their promises.
Believers are encouraged to place their faith in the everlasting God rather than in temporary and fading idols.
1 Thessalonians 1:9
“For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.”
This verse celebrates the Thessalonians’ transformation from idol worship to serving the living and true God.
It serves as a reminder that the true worship of God involves turning away from idols and fully dedicating oneself to serving Him.
1 Chronicles 16:26
“For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.”
This verse emphasizes the superiority of the Lord over all other gods and idols, declaring that they are worthless in comparison to the Creator of the heavens.
Believers are encouraged to put their trust in the one true God who has the power and authority to create and sustain all things.
Revelation 9:20
“The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.”
This verse describes the unrepentant nature of those who continue to worship idols despite witnessing divine judgment.
It serves as a warning against the persistent adherence to idolatry and highlights the inability of lifeless statues to possess any power or communication.
Exodus 32:4
“He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt!'”
This verse recounts the story of the Israelites creating and worshiping a golden calf as a physical representation of God while Moses was on Mount Sinai.
It serves as a cautionary tale against the temptation to associate God with man-made objects or images.
Psalm 96:5
“For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.”
This verse highlights the contrast between the idols worshipped by nations and the Lord who is the Creator of the heavens.
Believers are called to recognize and worship the true God who is all-powerful, rather than placing their trust in idols that lack any divine attributes.