Bible Question: Is it right to display a nativity scene?

Bible Question:Is it right to display a nativity scene at Christmas? Isaiah 42:8 says, "I am the Lord , that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images." Isn't a nativity scene going against that?

Bible Answer: The context of the passage in which this verse occurs is important when answering your question.

Meaning of Isaiah 42:8. Isaiah 42:5-9 is a passage in which God declares that He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth.

Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk in it, I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, and I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, and those who dwell in darkness from the prison. I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images. Behold, the former things have come to pass, now I declare new things; before they spring forth I proclaim them to you. (NASB) Isaiah 42:5-9

This verse is part of a long section in which God wants us to know that there are no other gods but Him. This long section starts with Isaiah 40 and continues through Isaiah 48. One of the key opening verses in this section is,

Then the prophet Isaiah presents the truth about God. These are encouraging words to us. They remind us that there is no other god(s) but the God of the Bible. Here are a few of the statements that God made through this prophet.

For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place. (NASB) Isaiah 43:3

. . . I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me. (NASB) Isaiah 44:6

Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.’” (NASB) Isaiah 44:8

I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other . . . (NASB) Isaiah 45:5-6

Both in the beginning of this section and in the middle God makes a statement that many know is true.

The man shapes iron into a cutting tool, and does his work over the coals, fashioning it with hammers, and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary. Another shapes wood, he extends a measuring line; he outlines it with red chalk. He works it with planes, and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of man, so that it may sit in a house. Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak, and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow. Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image, and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for thou art my god.” . . . he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” (NASB) Isaiah 44:12-20

But we give our time, money, and efforts to idols today. They are made of wood, hay, metal, and clay. They may be cars, money, houses, herbs, doctors, the media, or fame. We worship other things and not Him.

Nativity Scenes. Is it wrong to have a nativity scene in our homes or in the church? The answer is found in your attitude towards it. If you worship it, then it is wrong. If it is only a reminder of God's great love to us and that Jesus was willing to become like us so that He could die for our sins, then there is nothing wrong with it. The Old Testament only prohibited the worship of these things.

You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am the LORD your God. (NASB) Leviticus 26:1

Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. (NASB) Colossians 3:5

God wants us to be consumed with Him and nothing else. He wants us to love and seek Him with ALL our hearts.