If you have ever read the books of 1 or 2 Kings in the Bible, you will notice a common trend in the writing. Such and such became king, he did what was right or wrong in the eyes of the lord, he lived this many years, he fathered this many sons, then he died. Sometimes you will get a bit more information on what he did or did not do.
There was something that struck me the other day as I was reading it. Many kings did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. Some did. Of those who did, many still had one problem: they did not tear down the high places.
What are high places? High places were where people went to worship idols. I imagine by building them up high they thought in some way that they were closer to their gods so the gods may hear them better or see them worshipping. Whatever the case, even the kings who did what was right in the eyes of God did not tear them down.
Why was this a problem? Well, even though those kings may have had a heart for God I imagine they had a people pleasing problem. See, if they were bold, had faith, and trusted in God’s plan for them they would have torn down the high places. Tearing down the high places would upset those who worshipped those gods. Thus, many kings left them, I imagine, in fear of what the people would do. See, even if they would have followed their heart for God fully and torn down the places, the people may have revolted.
There are times where we tolerate things because of fear. We fear what others will think of us. We fear what others will do to us. We fear discomfort. Yet, we forget what 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 says “We don’t look for the things that can be seen but for things that can’t be seen. Things that can be seen are only temporary. But things that can’t be seen last forever.” You can see a mob of people coming after you in anger for your choices, but that mob is temporary. You can see someone firing you from a job, a job that is temporary. You can see health concerns in your life, but those health concerns are temporary.
Thus, we face the same choice as those kings. Will we choose to keep up the high places, the things of this world that help us get ahead, that help us stay in comfort or peace, or will we choose to say no? Will we choose to walk in our lives reflecting God’s glory by not tolerating the high places or things of this world that may cause us or others to sin?
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