[Brian Kopp DPM]

Exodus 37

1

Bez'alel made the ark of acacia wood; two cubits and a half was its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.

2

And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a molding of gold around it.

3

And he cast for it four rings of gold for its four corners, two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side.

4

And he made poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold,

5

and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark.

6

And he made a mercy seat of pure gold; two cubits and a half was its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth.

7

And he made two cherubim of hammered gold; on the two ends of the mercy seat he made them,

8

one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end; of one piece with the mercy seat he made the cherubim on its two ends.

9

The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim.

10

He also made the table of acacia wood; two cubits was its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height;

11

and he overlaid it with pure gold, and made a molding of gold around it.

12

And he made around it a frame a handbreadth wide, and made a molding of gold around the frame.

13

He cast for it four rings of gold, and fastened the rings to the four corners at its four legs.

14

Close to the frame were the rings, as holders for the poles to carry the table.

15

He made the poles of acacia wood to carry the table, and overlaid them with gold.

16

And he made the vessels of pure gold which were to be upon the table, its plates and dishes for incense, and its bowls and flagons with which to pour libations.

17

He also made the lampstand of pure gold. The base and the shaft of the lampstand were made of hammered work; its cups, its capitals, and its flowers were of one piece with it.

18

And there were six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it;

19

three cups made like almonds, each with capital and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almonds, each with capital and flower, on the other branch--so for the six branches going out of the lampstand.

20

And on the lampstand itself were four cups made like almonds, with their capitals and flowers,

21

and a capital of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out of it.

22

Their capitals and their branches were of one piece with it; the whole of it was one piece of hammered work of pure gold.

23

And he made its seven lamps and its snuffers and its trays of pure gold.

24

He made it and all its utensils of a talent of pure gold.

25

He made the altar of incense of acacia wood; its length was a cubit, and its breadth was a cubit; it was square, and two cubits was its height; its horns were of one piece with it.

26

He overlaid it with pure gold, its top, and its sides round about, and its horns; and he made a molding of gold round about it,

27

and made two rings of gold on it under its molding, on two opposite sides of it, as holders for the poles with which to carry it.

28

And he made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold.

29

He made the holy anointing oil also, and the pure fragrant incense, blended as by the perfumer.

[Unbeliever]

Nice try, but I fail to see where anyone is directed to "venerate" the cherubims.

EXODUS 25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubims [of] gold, [of] beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
EXODUS 25:19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: [even] of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
EXODUS 25:20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth [their] wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces [shall look] one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.
EXODUS 25:21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
EXODUS 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which [are] upon the ark of the testimony, of all [things] which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

EXODUS 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth:
EXODUS 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;

2132. "The Christian veneration of images is not contrary to the first commandment which proscribes idols. Indeed, 'the honor rendered to an image passes to its prototype,' and 'whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it.The honor paid to sacred images is a 'respectful veneration,' not the adoration due to God alone: Religious worship is not directed to images in themselves, considered as mere things, but under their distinctive aspect as images leading us on to God incarnate. The movement toward the image does not terminate in it as image, but tends toward that whose image it is.

So the question still stands.:

Where in the Holy Bible did Jesus or any of the Apostles teach anyone to "venerate" idols, images or whatever term you prefer?