“The people were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days.” 1 Kings 2:3-5
As we read through the history of Judah and Israel in 1st and 2nd Kings we notice a glaring point that, in my mind, rises above all others. Judah had a number of obedient kings but they remained guilty of one particular sin: “They didn’t destroy the High Places”
So, why is this worth noting 31 times throughout these two books? Before the temple was built, the high places were not absolutely contrary to the law, provided only Yahweh was worshipped there.
Well, the ancient Pagans worshipped their idols upon “high places”; hills, mountains, and artificial elevations. Under the judges, they seem to have been tolerated by Israel in some exceptional cases. Samuel offered sacrifice in several places where the ark was not present. Even in David's time, the people sacrificed to the Lord at Shiloh, Jerusalem, and Gibeon. Eventually the Israelites were commanded to destroy these places of idol worship, but they didn’t. Instead, they imitated the heathen. “At first they worshipped Jehovah in high places and after the Temple was built...worshipped idols.” The high places were much frequented in the kingdom of Israel; and on these hills they often adored idols, and committed a thousand abominations.
And...we serve a jealous God.
We see from the beginning of the kingdom that “worship in High Places” was not Yahweh’s design. God never wanted to live apart from His people and still doesn’t. He wants to live “with, and in” His people. “The people were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD.” So, King Solomon built the First Temple in Jerusalem...in the heart of the kingdom...as a monument to God and as a permanent home for the Ark of the Covenant. It was the only place where Jews were allowed to worship.
One of the obstructions against cultivating a spiritually prosperous life is our human tendency to love the “high places,” the places we can worship our own gods in our own way. And, their names are given to us in scripture. “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” (1 John 2:16). It is upon the altars of these high places that we can worship sex, money, fame, self...or any of the gods we can imagine. It’s our human condition. God still loves us and credits us with loving Him in the midst of our idolatry. Yet, He will not allow it to go unpunished. We see each of these kings who “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” suffer varying consequences for their failure to destroy the high places.
The question is simple...am I struggling to achieve the peace and prosperity God designed for me? I should take a look at the landscape of my life. Notice any high places? They need to be torn down. Also, I should take a look at the “Temple of Yahweh” that the Holy Spirit has built in my heart. Does it need any restoration or...at least...a good cleaning?
You know that I’m talking about.
