Deu 4:15-19 | TNotes | STEP | 4:15 form: No image could capture the transcendent glory and power of the invisible God (Neh 9:20 ; Isa 63:10-14 ; Zech 4:6 ; John 4:24 ). Any form of the Lord could become an object of worship in lieu of worshiping God himself.

a4:15►

bNeh 9:20►

cIsa 63:10-14►

dZech 4:6►

eJohn 4:24►

f4:16►

g4:17-18►

h5:8-9►

iRom 1:23-25►

j4:19►

kGen 1:14-19►

lIsa 40:26►

mGen 1:28►

‏ Deuteronomy 4:15-19

4:15 ^a form: No image could capture the transcendent glory and power of the invisible God (Neh 9:20 ^b; Isa 63:10-14 ^c; Zech 4:6 ^d; John 4:24 ^e). Any form of the Lord could become an object of worship in lieu of worshiping God himself.
4:16 ^f idol: Idolatry inherently confined the Lord to the artist’s imagination. Israel was not to make idols in the form of any of his creatures (4:17-18 ^g). Idols and images could lead to worship of the creature rather than the Creator (5:8-9 ^h; Rom 1:23-25 ⁱ).
4:19 ^j forces of heaven: This phrase refers to the stars and other heavenly bodies, which, like earthly creations, were thought to embody or represent deities. Instead, they are servants of God, named by him to carry out their duties of marking the times and seasons (Gen 1:14-19 ^k; Isa 40:26 ^l).

• The Lord your God gave them: Rather than worshiping these heavenly bodies, the people of Israel were to recognize that God’s creation was made, among other reasons, to serve humankind (Gen 1:28 ^m).