Does statue and image worship such as Icons violate Exodus 2-:4-5?
Orthodox and Catholics do not worship statues, icons, holy images or anything created. Only God is to be worshipped, to worship anything created is to commit the very serious sin of idolatry. In Exodus God prohibits the making of images for the purpose of worshipping them. But God does not prohibit image making altogether. In Exodus 25:18-19, God commands Moses to make statues of angels (cherubim). In Numbers 21:8 God again tells Moses to make a bronze serpent (seraph), which the Israelites had to look upon in order to be healed. The Church has long understood this event to be a pre-figurement of Jesus being raised up on the cross. The Jews also used many carved images in the Temple, including cherubim, oxen, lions, palm trees, and flowers (1 Kings 6 and 7). Orthodox and Catholics uses statues, icons, and religious medals to call to mind the holy people they represent: Jesus, the angels, and the saints. For the same reason , Protestants use Christmas nativity scenes to depict the same
