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“When the Lord spoke to you from the fire on Mount Sinai, you did not see any form. For your own good, then, make certain that you do not sin by making for yourselves an idol in any form at all—whether man or woman, Deuteronomy 4:15‭-‬16 GNT

Even though is speaking to Jewish people that is to be his Priestly nation and light to the world

The Lord said to me, “I have a greater task for you, my servant. Not only will you restore to greatness the people of Israel who have survived, but I will also make you a light to the nations— so that all the world may be saved.” Isaiah 49:6 GNT

a people dedicated to me alone, and you will serve me as priests.” Exodus 19:6 GNT

hence indirectly telling the world that God of the Hebrew has no form and not to associate God of Israel like god(s) of the world as we can see:

Do not be tempted to worship and serve what you see in the sky—the sun, the moon, and the stars. The Lord your God has given these to all other peoples for them to worship. Deuteronomy 4:19 GNT

So in context of these verse is telling Jewish nation not to worship idols that can be seen? and whatever the other nations (gentiles) is worshipping physically (can be seen or has forms) is given by God of the Hebrew to keep them away from God?

edit: Question is - Does Deuteronomy 4:15‭-‬16 indicates God has no form and whatever form we seen is for gentiles to worship (idolatry)?

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    I don't see a question, here. There are two question marks in the last paragraph but I can see only statements, not enquiries, myself.
    – Nigel J
    Commented Oct 4, 2022 at 20:35
  • It says the people couldn't perceive any form, which is not the same as saying God has no form.
    – curiousdannii
    Commented Oct 5, 2022 at 11:59
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    well boss, the next verse // that you do not sin by making for yourselves an idol in any form at all—whether man or woman, Deuteronomy 4:16 GNT, hence affirms God of the Hebrew has no form.. isnt it?
    – VNPython
    Commented Oct 5, 2022 at 15:02
  • This question completes my question from different aspect hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/78894/…
    – Kapandaria
    Commented Oct 5, 2022 at 18:04
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    @Kapandaria i see your question. jesus is foreign no doubts about it. at most a rabbi at his time (jesus said to obey the law and return to God of the Hebrew). thanks for your link.
    – VNPython
    Commented Oct 6, 2022 at 2:11

1 Answer 1

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There are two main points here. First, the way God describes himself to his people (Israel) which impacts directly on his command that no image is to be attempted, as any kind of visual aid to worship. The second point is the idea that God might have "given" idolatrous images to the nations for them to worship.

(1) The entire Bible could not be clearer, that the one true God, who created everything, is Spirit. No human can see God because God is Spirit, as opposed to made of any kind of matter. God is not material. Jesus confirmed this in John 4:23-24. God is so utterly "other" to anything we can see or even imagine, that God uses words to convey what he wants us to understand about himself, his qualities, his commands.

That is stated in Deuteronomy chapter 4: "The Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice" (vs. 12). The next verse refers to some of his words being carved onto two stone tablets. There was no chiselled shape of any form, only Hebrew words. And at the outset, those written commands forbade the Israelites to have any gods, or to make any carved images for worship.

Even though God used words, like fire, to convey the truth about himself, that was not to say that God was fire. He spoke to them out of the midst of fire, and Moses heard a voice out of the midst of the burning bush. But God was not that fire despite saying in Deut. 4:24, "For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire". Hence, it would be equally wrong to worship fire as it would be to worship any man-made idol. Because God has no form, no image (likeness) can be made of him and is forbidden.

(2) You ask if "whatever the other nations (gentiles) is worshipping physically (can be seen or has forms) is given by God of the Hebrew to keep them away from God?" God did not give the sun, moon or stars to be worshipped. He gave them to serve functionally as seasons, and to give light on earth, to be involved in dividing day from night - Genesis 1:14-18 & Jeremiah 31:35. Worshipping anything God has created is forbidden.

However, there is a difference between God giving the gentiles 'things' that would keep them away from God, and God giving the gentiles up, or over, to futile worship. This is explained in Romans chapter 1 and I quote the relevant verses:

"For the invisible things of [God] from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, anad to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen." Romans 1:20-25 A.V.

The fact of the promise to Abraham that, through his faith, "all nations of the earth will be blessed" (Genesis 12:3 & 18:18 & 22:18 & 26:4 & Acts 3:25 & Galatians 3:8) shows that God is not keeping gentiles away from himself. The fact of Jesus' commission to his followers to spread out from Jerusalem to go to the whole world with the good news of his gospel (Matthew 28:29-20) shows how that promise of blessing to the gentiles would work out.

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    God was present in a similitude but that only with Moses and that only for the purpose of accurate communication, given the amount of information needed to be conveyed. No detail whatsoever is revealed of that 'similitude' so it is not possible to reproduce it in any way. Up-voted +1.
    – Nigel J
    Commented Oct 6, 2022 at 15:46
  • @Anne, does worshipping jesus falls into this? // that you do not sin by making for yourselves an idol in any form at all—whether man or woman, Deuteronomy 4:16 GNT // jesus is clearly a man
    – VNPython
    Commented Oct 7, 2022 at 6:37
  • @VNPython Orthodoxly Christian teaching is clear that the one who left heaven to be born of the virgin Mary was fully human and fully God - not a different God to the Creator, for John 1:1-14 shows he made everything that was made, prior to becoming flesh as the man, Jesus. He accepted worship even while on Earth (Thomas exclaiming the risen Christ to be "My Lord and my God") and now back in heaven is in the centre of God's throne as the Lamb, all heaven worshipping "him who sits on the throne, and the Lamb" Rev. 5:6-14; 7:17; 22:1-3. But to make an image of Jesus, to worship it, would be sin
    – Anne
    Commented Oct 7, 2022 at 7:27
  • @Anne sorry to disappoint you that the whole OT does not contains any one or God himself left his Heaven(s) to become human beings.
    – VNPython
    Commented Oct 10, 2022 at 4:27

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