[RobbyS]

my point is: what is the essential difference between "housing" a god in an idol, or housing him in the ark and temple? The purpose of the second commanment was to distinguish the Lord from the ba'als of Canaan. The pagans were so unused to this practive that when Alexander? Pompey? entered the Holy of Holies, he was astonished to find it empty.

[DouglasKC]

my point is: what is the essential difference between "housing" a god in an idol, or housing him in the ark and temple? The purpose of the second commanment was to distinguish the Lord from the ba'als of Canaan. The pagans were so unused to this practive that when Alexander? Pompey? entered the Holy of Holies, he was astonished to find it empty.

Exactly my point. Even the Hebrews wouldn't dare to have anything earthly try to represent God. Nowadays we just might throw a cross in the Holy of Holies and say that it really isn't Christ, it just represents him.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

God sin't just talking about idols that have been made. According to Romans 1:21-25 He is also talking about the imagination of our hearts with which we make the gods we want.

When we give God traits that WE want him to have, such as, as long as we believe in God we'll be OK, or God is so loving and merciful in the end he will forgive everything and every one will go to heaven and live happily ever after, we are inventing and idol in our minds, and God condemns this.