Images – by Ken “Max" Parks, 08/08/2018

You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;”

(Exodus 20:4, NKJV)

Anyone who knows me also knows that I enjoy photography, or to put it eloquently “make images.” I have been making images since I was 6 years old with my newly acquired Kodak Instamatic 104 camera.  Film photography was my start of another form of art.  This has carried on even to the advent of Digital photography.  I still shoot some film, black and white, with my old 35mm cameras, Hassleblad, and Bronica medium format cameras. I then have to convert to Digital by scanning the negatives.

But for the most part, I shoot Digital for the convenience and, avoid the film photography chemicals and the hassles of then having to convert to Digital.

Most recently, I made images of my 45^th class reunion. It was a wonderful event, having seen old classmates for the first time in 45 years who never attended previous class reunions.  The made images were posted on the High School FB page and my personal FB page.  I received accolades for my created images.

However, the above verse, Exodus 20:4 had been quoted to me in the past in response to my liking in making images.  Basically it has come to this: I was making images and disobeying one of the Ten Commandments of God.  And I understood from this to mean that making any images or “likeness of anything" is a sin.  At first, I ignored this.  But it was introduced to me again.  So, I decided to do some research.  I did not have to look very far!

Taking the verse Exodus 20:4 alone, as is, and without looking at any other Bible verses, this appears to be a sin for making images, any images of anything.  Verse 5 follows:

”you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,” (Exodus 20:5,  NKJV)

What or who is this verse telling us?  “Not to bow down to them (the images) nor serve them (the images).  These images God is referring to are “graven images” or rather made images that are made out to be other gods to whom one worships.

So, when you go on vacation, take photographs of things that you have seen, family members, the dog, the car, the food, the hotel that you stayed and etc. that is a sin?  Or, you have a photograph taken for the purpose of an ID, Passport, or driver’s license, that’s a sin?  Or you have photographs of your children, grandchildren, parents, or other relatives and friends placed around the home, that’s a sin? God is a jealous God and does not want other gods to replace him, be worshiped and admired… or have images made of the same so as to be worshiped, admired, and served.

So, the extreme to Exodus 20:4, taken as is, alone, is not to have any images made, regardless of what they may consist of, how the image is created, or who made them and disregard the additional part of the sentence in Exodus 20:5.  If that be the case, then:

We are not allowed to have any mirrors, because looking into them makes an image;
We are not allowed to have most any books that contain images on the covers or inside;
We are not to watch any TV programs, any movies, or anything that is in a video image;
We are not to have any photographs, paintings, art of any form, or statues of angels (or anything) in our homes;

We are not allowed to have canned food, boxed food or any food because it has images on them;

We are not allowed to create any form of art, such as paintings, photographs, sculptures;
We are not allowed to draw crosses, angels, images of Christ, or anything in our Bibles;

We are not allowed to have Bibles that have the image of the cross or any image on the cover;

We are not allowed to have a T-shirt or any clothing with any images on it;
We are not allowed to have a created logo (image) for one’s ministry or business or any activity;
We are not allowed to create an image of anything in our minds;

I will maintain creating images with my cameras, draw images in my GoTo Bible as long as I don’t worship them nor serve them as stipulated in Exodus 20:5.