ART & ENTERTAINMENT 04 - No Images and Art

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 04 - NO IMAGES & ART

Prohibition of depictions

Much of what fine arts does is depictions of various things. Is that in conflict with anything God says?

Deu 5:8-9 2nd commandment
“You shall not make for yourself an idol whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God.”
Deu 4:9-12
“But take care … so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from you mind all the days of your life…how you once stood before the LORD your God at Horeb…you approached and stood at the foot of the mountain while the mountain was blazing…you heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice.”

It seems that humans naturally and universally tend to make pictures, figures, statutes, carved pillars etc.
Are all depictions of any sort evil? No drawings of any sort? No pictures of humans? No busts? No sculptures? No representations? No photos even? How about using mirrors? Does this refer to humans only? Or (as here) to animals only? How about trees? Spirits?
Jewish practice: prohibition of sculptures of people, angels and heavenly bodies. Strict Islamic practice: No pictures of humans, no pictures of Mohammad (or he is painted with a veil before his face). No illustrated Bibles.

Neil Postman observes in his excellent book ‘Are we amusing ourselves to death?’ that this prohibition of depictions in worship forced the Jews up on a higher level conceptually. If forced them to not just bow before a statue but to think about that God’s character, qualities, principles, thoughts, reasons and morality. It developed the Jews in every way.
Clearly Christian practice has departed from this prohibition. The reason probably is: Since Jesus became the visible, hear-able, touchable representation of God, images can, no longer forbidden (Jhn 14:9, Col 1:15, 1 Jhn 1:1). But even so interestingly there is not one record of the physical attributes and looks of Jesus, nor the apostles.
Probably God’s command meant rather a prohibition to depict something (idol, carved image) in order to turn it into an object of worship to bow down before.

That raises the question whether even a depiction of Jesus can be problematic? Usually depictions of Jesus are not a problem, illustrated children’s Bibles or modern day Biblical films are fine, but they do contain a problem: Just how should you depict Jesus? Is he fair? Tall? Good-looking? Long-fingered? Distinguished? The problem is that first of all it’s all guess work, but second that we will project our current ideas unto Jesus. So in many pictures Jesus is so sweet, soft and harmless, that you could never have guessed he was a carpenter or uses the whip on the people in the temple.
Or more foundational: well-meant, revered pictures of Jesus (or symbols like crosses) can slowly turn into superstition. If I feel bad for taking down the Jesus picture because of a house painting, if I fear an accident because I forgot to wear my cross around the neck or if I clutch a Bible when I am afraid, then the objects have turned into superstitions and it may be better for me to remove them.
Maybe the 2nd command also had to do with the situation Israel finds itself in. Within weeks of Moses saying this, Israel will be walking into the promised land, and finding objects of Canaanite worship at every corner: shrines, pillars, groves, statutes, altars, household gods, amulets etc. Israel is given a stark command to destroy everything (Deu 7:5 and many more).
And also in general: they are surrounded by idol worshiping nations and – as history shows – this time an again proves to be a snare for Israel.

Maybe it was precisely the beauty and artistry in such Canaanite objects of worship that would tempt people to keep them. Deu 7:25 says “Do not covet the silver or the gold that is on them”.
Some idol depictions were probably made with intent to scare, amaze, overawe, reveal power etc. but many were made to be beautiful, for beauty tends to inspire worship.
How about in our time? Islamic State followed Deu 7:5 instructions to the letter by systematically destroying Babylonian and Medo-Persian statutes, bombing Buddha rock figures etc. Now we no longer live under theocracy, but in a pluralistic society with religious freedom, where artifacts of all peoples and religions must be protected. So we protect the beauty of the architecture of temples and shrines, though these places may be very dark spiritually.

All beauty reveals God

All beauty reveals God. But how about a beautiful idol depiction? Or a beautiful idolatrous temple? Does it reveal human creativity still at the very least, even if art and talent is put to ungodly uses? I don’t have to worship it, just because it is beautiful, though others may.
Is there beauty that is forbidden? Is there beauty that is not good?
God describes makers of idols and worshipers of idols as those who hate me. So can we use God-given gifts to create beautiful things that God hates? Yes.
One could say: It’s always a temptation to worship beauty itself, to worship a beautiful thing because it is beautiful, not God behind the beauty or the God-given creative talent behind the beauty.
In a sense this temptation is perennial, it is always a temptation to worship the gift instead of the Giver, the creature rather than its make, the talented person rather than the God who gives talent, beauty itself rather than the one who gave beauty.

The very nature of idolatry is to mistake the thing in front of our eyes for the real thing, the picture for the Maker, the creature for the Creator. Maybe that’s why the sentence “for I the LORD your God am a jealous God” really has to be here.
But more amazingly: It is God who creates ‘his own competition’: He doesn’t abolish beauty, just because we may worship it, he doesn’t leave animals un-created just because we might worship a depiction of them, he doesn’t prohibit any beauty in anything (rather he creates great beauty in everything), because we might not acknowledge him as the Maker behind the thing. He would rather have (and give) beauty and risk the abuse of it, than to not have it.
What does this say about God? It shows his lavish generosity, his great-heartedness. It also shows that he doesn’t believe in control, nor in prohibition, but rather that he is committed to have beings who can understand and are free to choose to worship the right thing.

God says in Rom 11:29 “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable”. How amazing is that! Even in the face of possible abuse of the gift and complete denial of the Giver, God would still rather give than not give. God is beautiful!
So God doesn’t revoke his God-given skills and talents, they are not conditional to repentance and faith in God, nor to a moral lifestyle, nor even to the artist confessing something bigger than himself.
As a believer I can confess beauty and beauty and God-given talent as God-given talent even if the person might not live a good life or might deny God.
But what music should I listen to? What things should I watch? Ask: Does this draw me to God or not? Does this music reinforce God’s truth or the opposite? Does this tend to amplify my own emotions (melancholy, depression, aggression)? Is that a good thing? Learn to evaluate messages given and practical effects.
Bangladesh: Christian children being forbidden to go see idols, later they they go anyway but end up fearing the idols. Maybe to face it with children and explain things to them is the far better approach.
Many prefer secular art simply because the quality is higher. And indeed Christians tend to bring out quite mediocre art (music for example) and expect people to be excited about it because ‘the message is right’.
There is a tremendous need for high quality godly art, where both the art form of telling and the message that is being told is good.

A Biblical example of great talent

Exo 31:1-6 Bezalel filled with Spirit, ability, intelligence, knowledge
“The LORD spoke to Moses: 2 See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: 3 and I have filled him with divine spirit, with ability, intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, in every king of craft. 6 Moreover I have appointed with him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have given kill to all the skillful, so that they may make all that I have commanded…”

Bezalel has a calling of God (Exo 31:2) to the domains of Arts and probably Science. Though his project here affects the church or religious domain, he is neither priest nor a Levite nor prophet nor has any other ecclesiastical function.
The project of the building of the tabernacle here occasions and outburst of creativity and skill. The religious domain is encouraging and supporting the young artist.
God says he filled Bezalel with “divine spirit” or in another translation “the Spirit of God” (Exo 31:3). The Hebrew word here is ‘ruach’, which is used throughout the Old Testament for wind, breeze, soul and spirit (both God’s Spirit and human and natural spirit).
Though the artist already has ability, intelligence and knowledge, the Holy Spirit will lead, guide and inspire him even more to be able to go beyond the natural and artistic design to work in multiple media. Here we see the confluence of already given calling, ability and intelligence, probably acquired knowledge and experience and the Holy Spirit.

In a work of art, what is from God? What is from the artist? What is from practice and skill development? What from attitude? … Not easily plucked apart. But the raw talent, the developed skill and the inspiration are lastly from God.
This passage also shows God’s and the Bible’s a very high view of work, practical work, craftsmanship, skill, ability .. God wants excellence in work. Practical work is not ‘lower work’. Practical skill and intelligence is a gift from God. Sweating from labor and getting dirty hands is a godly thing.
God grants many normal gifts, special gifts and then a few really exceptional talents in all nations and all people groups and all ages. Outstandingly gifted children may be found in slums and very poor settings. But their potential is not always reached, due to a lack of opportunity. But what a loss to the nation. In war efforts this is also visible, when nations had to draw on their very best to achieve something. Here God picks two persons out of a nation of about two million people (Exo 12:37)

Prv 22:29 “those who are skillful in their work… will serve kings; they will not serve the common people”.

Luk 12:48 “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.” Higher talent and natural skill also increases accountability to put it to good use for the benefit of all.

Mth 13:12 “For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance”. Those who put their talents and skills to good work, will only increase them. Those who do not put them to good use, will loose what they have.

A word to parents: Watch your children carefully. Give ample opportunity for them to engage in various activities and types of work. Do not project your wishes on them. Observe natural skills and interests. Give them wide exposure and as many options to try out as you can.
What God calls to and commands, for that he will give skill and ability. Sometimes he gives us special grace if we have to cover for something which we are not naturally very skilled for, if truly nobody else can help.

1 Cor 12:6 “and there are varieties of activities, but it it the same God who activates all of them in everyone.”

God is the source of skill. He can give any skill to anybody. No reason for pride or shame, rather for co-work, for not everybody has to have every skill.
Today we want spiritual leaders, who are high in skills and talents perceived necessary. But such ‘one-man-shows’ are not particularly wise, nor safe, nor encouraging to the followers. A healthy inter-dependence and mutuality is better.