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Verse:“And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.” —Exodus 25:18
The second commandment of the Decalogue reads, “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).
But how should we understand this statement? One of the most famous Adventist sculptors was the British-born Alan Collins (1928–2016).
Several of his works are displayed in the Guildford Cathedral in England and some at Adventist university campuses in the United States.
For instance, on Sunday afternoon, May 3, 1981, Collins’s bronze sculpture Good Samaritan was unveiled on the campus of Loma Linda University.
On April 25, 1998, another impressive bronze sculpture, Legacy of Leadership —depicting J. N. Andrews and his two children leaving for Europe in 1874— was unveiled in front of Pioneer Memorial Church at Andrews University.
Victor Issa’s twelve-piece bronze sculpture The King Is Coming was unveiled at the 2000 General Conference Session in Toronto, Canada. It depicts ten individuals representing all the continents of the world, with radiant faces beholding Christ’s second coming.
After the session, the sculpture was permanently placed in the lobby of the General Conference headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Some people wonder whether these sculptures are a transgression of the second commandment. But we should remember that this prohibition was written on a table of stone placed within the ark of the covenant, which had two golden sculptures of cherubim on top. So, the commandment does not forbid all visual aids, many of which even adorned the earthly sanctuary. The command is meant in the sense of “You shall not make for yourself an idol” (Exodus 20:4, NASB). God instructed Moses to make “a bronze snake” (Numbers 21:9, NIV).
But later, when the Israelites were venerating it, King Hezekiah destroyed it (2 Kings 18:4). The problem is not so much what we see but how we see it.
Even nice people and useful things can end up being venerated.
Regardless of their nature, all idols must be removed from our lives, but some visual aids can be helpful and inspiring as we wait to set our eyes on Jesus.