You forgot forget about the many passages where the Lord commands the making of statues. For example: "And you shall make two cherubim of gold [i.e., two gold statues of angels]; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end; of one piece of the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be" (Ex. 25:18–20).
David gave Solomon the plan "for the altar of incense made of refined gold, and its weight; also his plan for the golden chariot of the cherubim that spread their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord. All this he made clear by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning it all, all the work to be done according to the plan" (1 Chr. 28:18–19). David’s plan for the temple, which the biblical author tells us was "by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning it all," included statues of angels.
Similarly Ezekiel 41:17–18 describes graven (carved) images in the idealized temple he was shown in a vision, for he writes, "On the walls round about in the inner room and [on] the nave were carved likenesses of cherubim."
Catholics use statues, paintings, and other artistic devices to recall the person or thing depicted. Just as it helps to remember one’s mother by looking at her photograph, so it helps to recall the example of the saints by looking at pictures of them. Catholics also use statues as teaching tools. In the early Church they were especially useful for the instruction of the illiterate. Do you instruct children in Bible Study using books without pictures?
Yes, I do realize that God commanded images to be made on occasion.
I suppose that it depends on the whose idea it was and what it’s for to some extent.
Even if the part about not making images can be debated due to other examples such as you gave, there’s still the problem of the *bowing down to* part.
Bowing is bowing. Someone kneels down or stands in front of a statue and bows their head to it, they are bowing, something that is commanded to NOT be done.
And I’ve seen enough prayers to Mary that are outright idolatrous. Not simply requests to her to pray for people but prayers to her FOR things and asking HER to answer and grant them.
I don’t know anyone who bows down or worships photographs of their mother. If they did, I don’t think there’d be a person around who wouldn’t recognize that there was something wrong with that.