When the bronze serpent was later adored by the Jews, rather than simply
venerated, it was destroyed:
“He [Hezekiah] removed the high places, and broke the pillars, and cut
down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses
had made, for until those days the people of Israel had burned incense to it;
it was called Nehushtan” (2 Kgs 18:4).
In the construction of the Ark of the Covenant God gave the following
instructions:
“You shall make two cherubim of gold; you shall make them of hammered
work, at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at the one end,
and one cherub at the other; of one piece with the mercy seat you shall
make the cherubim at its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their
wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings. They shall
face one to another; the faces of the cherubim shall be turned toward the
mercy seat” (Exod. 25:18-20).
The Temple of Jerusalem was thoroughly decorated with statues of all
kinds:
“In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olivewood, each ten
cubits high” (1 Kgs. 6:23).
“The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was that of the other
cherub. He put the cherubim in the innermost part of the house; the wings
of the cherubim were spread out so that a wing of one was touching the one
wall, and a wing of the other cherub was touching the other wall; their
other wings toward the center of the house were touching wing to wing” (1
Kgs. 6:26-27).
“...on the borders that were set in the frames were lions, oxen, and
cherubim. On the frames, both above and below the lions and oxen, there
were wreaths of beveled work” (1 Kgs. 7:29).
“...for the altar of incense made of refined gold, and its weight; also his
plan for the golden chariot of the cherubim that spread their wings and
covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord” (1 Chron. 28:18).
 |
 |
 |