If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of cut stones; for if you lift up your tool on it, you have polluted it.
thou shalt not build it of hewn stone, &c.--that is, carved with figures and ornaments that might lead to superstition.
God spoke to you from heaven itself, not as some prince condescending to beggars, yet you turn to silver and gold images as if He were absent or unknown. This is the sin He means to crush: you have seen no form, heard only His voice, and that very silence about His shape forbids you to make one. Keep communion with God by His word, not by idols.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 20:22-26
The altar of earth or rough stones symbolizes man's elevation to God on high; it must not be hewn, for the tool defiles it. The earth that lies under the curse of sin is to be renewed into God's kingdom not by sinful hands but by God's grace alone.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 20:24-26