In commanding the making of images for the Temple and other instances, it is clear that God is not by-passing his own rules at all. After all, the First Commandment doesn't forbid the making of images; it forbids making them for the purpose of worshipping them:
“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them... (Exodus 20:4-5)
“the First Commandment doesn’t forbid the making of images; it forbids making them for the purpose of worshipping them”
No, there’s two sentences which both contain a prohibition on a different thing. Both are forbidden.
If I said to my kid: “Don’t borrow the car without my permission. Don’t return the car without filling up the gas tank.”, then nobody would assume I meant the kid could borrow the car without my permission as long as he filled up the gas tank.