Hezakiah and Nehustan

Thought this would be an interesting topic of discussion. How in Exodus chapter 32 while Moses is getting the Decalogue, or Ten Commandments, the Israelites are activly turning their jewelery into a gold calf and worshipping it, breaking the first two commandments. Of course, as most of know and have seen the reinactment by Charlston Heston, Moses angerly throws down the tablets, has a fit, destroys the calf, grinds it to powder, throws it in a river and forces the Israelites to drink it.

However after God tells him not to make any idols, not even of God, he tells Moses to make a snake staff to heal snake bites in Numbers chapter 21. But as we learn from 2 Kings chapter 18, Hezakiah broke the snake staff because people were starting to burn incents for it and called it Nehustan, as if it were a god. It became an idol. (in my imagination I can't help but imagine Hezakiah grinding it up and throwing it into a river like Moses had done)


Even more ironically is that God tells Moses to put golden cherubims on the Ark of the tabernacle. And despirte the popular version of "Cherubs" we have today which are little chubby angels:

Some scholars think that cherubim, as understood by the original audience, would of more likely resembled a wingled lion or bull with a human head:



which makes chapter 32 seem even more ironic. What exactly is the Bible's stance towards graven images? I'm defintly not sure but I do collect Batmobile minitures.

Is there a lesson to be learned from all this? Probably but you'll need to find somebody that cites their sources if you're looking for something with that deep of a meaning.