Mind the High Places
Years ago, I had a British soccer coach who often quoted Benjamin Franklin, saying, “Fail to prepare, Prepare to fail!”. His message was subtle, and he would interject his message at random times during or after practice. One would miss the message if it were not for the fact that he said it so often. He repeated the phrase because it was important to him. He repeated the phrase because he felt it was crucial for our future success. It was a message and a warning that he wanted to convey to us. Not only did he want us to hear the message, he hoped that we would mind the message and respond accordingly.
Repetition is an important technique that we find in Scripture as well. When reading the word, take heed of any phrase or theme that you see is repeated, especially if repeated word for word. God uses repetition in Scripture as a way of underscoring the importance of His message. Such is the case in the Old Testament Books of First and Second Kings, where “high places” are referenced on several occasions. This week’s reflection will explore the high places mentioned in the Old Testament and their implications on our spiritual life today.
High places are referenced on many occasions throughout the Old Testament. The Book of Kings, however, provides a unique look into these locations and their significance in the rule of the Kings of both Judah and Israel and the impact they had on the people's spiritual life.
Explore the Kings of Judah
Jehoash
“2 Jehoash did right in the sight of the Lord all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.” (2 Kings 12:3-4 NASB)
Azariah
“3 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 4. Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.” (2 Kgs 15:3-4)
Ahaz
“2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father David had done. 3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and he even made his son pass through the fire, in accordance with the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.” (2 Kgs 16:2-4)
Jotham
“34 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord; he acted in accordance with everything that his father Uzziah had done. 35 Only the high places were not eliminated; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord.” (2 Kgs 15:34-35)
Notice the pattern of repetition regarding the high places. Each verse references the high places after a judgement on the king's actions “in the sight of the Lord.” More about that later. In the meantime, it is helpful for us to explore the historical context behind the high places.
High places were places of pagan worship, usually located on the top of a mountain or a hill. Most high places were part of the worship of Baal, the Ammonite god Molech and the Moabite god Chemosh. (1 Kgs 11:5-8, 2 Kgs 23:10). Worship which included the sacrifice of animals and sometimes children (Jer 7:31). Other activities included the burning of incense, prayer, partaking of sacrificial meals and involvement with male and female cultic prostitutes (2 Kgs 17:8-12; 21:3-7; Hos 4:11-13)
*Note - According to the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, there are accounts of worship of the God of Israel, taking place at High places between the time when the Philistines destroyed Shiloh and Solomon's construction of the temple.” 1
God’s attitude toward the high places
The Book of Exodus tells us that God ordered the Israelites to drive out the inhabitants and destroy the high places when they arrived in Canaan. (Num 33:52) Why? Verse 55 tells us the consequence of disobeying God’s command:
“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live.” (Num 33:55)
However, despite all his wisdom, King Solomon constructed high places to appease his foreign wives and even participated in pagan worship. (1 Kgs 11:1-8) and many other kings followed his example.
So how do these high places apply to our lives?
1. Partial obedience is not enough. Returning to the accounts of the Kings of Judah above, note that each king that ruled the Southern Kingdom of Judah was evaluated by what they did with the high places where false gods were worshipped. This was also true for the Kings of Israel, despite some kings being noted to have “done right in the sight of the Lord.” Though they generally or mostly lived good lives and followed God’s commandments, they failed to obey him completely, and the consequences impacted their rule and the people's lives.
2. Unaddressed sin has its consequences. Just as the Lord commanded the people to “drive out the inhabitants of the land” (Numb 33:55), we are also called to address the sin in our lives. Some kings consciously disobeyed the Lord, while others allowed the high places to exist due to maintaining the societal norm. (Note how the presence of sin can slowly become the norm.) Regardless of the reason, the fact is that there are consequences for unaddressed sin, and like the “inhabitants of the land” in Num 33:55, sin becomes a prick in the eye or a thorn in the side.”
How should we respond? We should respond like King Hezekiah.
Hezekiah
3. He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. 4. He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan.” (2 Kgs 18:3-4)
God’s message regarding the high places was clear. He did not want His people just to hear His message; He expected that they would mind the message by responding accordingly. Hezekiah minded the message and obeyed by removing the high places from the nation. Similarly, we are called to mind the high places in our lives, those areas of unaddressed sin, before they become a prick in our eye and a thorn in our side.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart” Psalm 132:23-24
Join me this week by making Psalm 132:23-24 your prayer asking the Lord, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to reveal any “high places” in your lives.
“23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24 NKJV
If and when He responds, don’t just hear the message; mind the message and may you be blessed with the distinction of having done “right in the sight of the Lord.”
With much love and humility,
Yours in Christ,
Brad
Reference
Gary V. Smith,“High Place,”ed. Chad Brand et al.,Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary(Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003), 761.
