Check out the last two verses (Num. 21:8–9 and John 3:14) in the article used to call iconoclasm a heresy. They both deal with the bronze serpent on a pole that Moses was commanded by God to make. There is a third mention in the Bible about this bronze serpent, but it is conspicuously missing:
You can imagine that this would not only upset those who worshiped it, but also all the other Jews. For they saw this as a relic of Moses, something that miraculously saved their people and had been designed by God.
So was Hezekiah right in destroying the bronze serpent? If we look at the preceding verse, it says "He did what was right in the LORD's sight" so yes, God approved.
This holds a great lesson for us today. Even though an image is made with good intentions or for a good purpose, it can become an idol even to the faithful.
These very same verses this article uses to argue against iconoclasm are the same ones our church uses to explain why we do not use statues or images in our church.
Do you have a family photograph on a mantel at home or on your desk at work?