Shorter Catechism Q. 51. What is forbidden in the second commandment? A. The second commandment forbiddeth the worshiping of God by images, or any other way not appointed in his word.
Commentary: The second commandment doesn’t forbid the making of carved images or of other art forms. After all, God told Moses at one point to make an image of a serpent. Art and artistic talent are divine gifts and should be cherished and celebrated. God, however, doesn’t want us to worship him by means of images, which is how people in the Ancient Near East worshipped their gods. They made carved images of their gods out of wood, stone and precious metals, which they worshipped by bowing down to them and praising them. God doesn’t want us to worship him like that. Hence, the Catechism says, “The second commandment forbiddeth the worshipping of God by images.”
According to Deuteronomy 4, God didn’t make his presence known by means of a carved image or form and therefore Israel mustn’t worship him as if he did. This means that we are to worship God as he wants us to, and not how we might want to. Hence, the Catechism rightly says that the second commandment forbids worshipping God by any way “not appointed in his word.”