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The High Places (Part Two)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeThe high places, emblematic of idolatrous worship, were a persistent issue in the histories of Israel and Judah. In the northern ten tribes, after their separation from the house of David, paganism flourished, with Jeroboam, the first king, establishing high places, a profane priesthood, and altering the Feast of Tabernacles. All subsequent kings of Israel maintained these high places until Assyria carried the nation into captivity. In Judah, the relationship with high places was more complex, with God detailing the spiritual fluctuations of its kings, to whom much was given and from whom much was required. King Jehoash of Judah, despite many good deeds, lacked the resolve to remove the high places; the people continued to sacrifice and burn incense there. These high places, constructed under the influence of earlier kings and the house of Ahab during the reigns of his father and grandfather, remained as stumbling blocks because Jehoash was not sufficiently committed to the spiritual purity of his realm. Though he did what was right in the sight of the LORD while guided by Jehoiada the priest, the high places were not destroyed, reflecting his lack of personal abhorrence for them and his unwillingness to oppose the leaders of Judah who favored their continuation.
The High Places (Part One)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeIn the record of the kings of Israel and Judah, God's assessments often centered on whether they remained true to Him or encouraged idolatrous practices, with frequent reference to the high places as a measure of their faithfulness. The primal sin of Northern Israel was the establishment of high places, and their continuance was a chief cause of the evils that befell the nation. Some kings, like Jeroboam, Jehoram, Ahaz, and Manasseh, built idolatrous high places that became stumbling blocks to Israel and Judah, while others, such as Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah, loyal to God, ordered their destruction, though with varying thoroughness. God specifically noted the negligence of four successive kings of Judah—Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, and Jotham—who did not remove the high places, despite many kings neither building nor destroying them. The Hebrew terms for high place signify elevation, referring to natural or artificial heights where worship by sacrifice or offerings was made, either to the true God or false gods. Early altars, such as those built after the Flood and by Abraham for Isaac's sacrifice, were on high places, and God met Moses on Mount Sinai, an elevation. God was lawfully worshipped on high places by Samuel and others, and His Temple was ultimately placed on a hilltop. However, pagan peoples also used elevated locations for sacrifices, giving high places a negative connotation, and God instructed Israel to destroy such instruments of pagan worship after their exodus from Egypt. Solomon's embrace of high-place paganism led to the division of Israel, tearing the northern ten tribes from Judah, a separation that persists. Symbolically, a high place can represent anything that leads one away from the true God, causing spiritual weakness or distraction from the high calling, and if unchecked, the consequences can be as disastrous as those faced by the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
The High Places (Part Three)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeKing Jehoash of Judah, though surpassing his father's and grandfather's righteousness, failed to remove the pagan high places from Judah during his reign. His son, Amaziah, who became king at the age of 25 and reigned until he was 54, similarly declined to address the high places in his realm. God records in II Kings 14:3-4 that Amaziah did what was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like his father David, and the high places were not taken away, with the people still sacrificing and burning incense on them. Like Jehoash, Amaziah was lax in destroying these centers of idolatry within his kingdom, and later practiced idolatry himself. His tolerance of the high places exposed the lack of loyalty in his heart toward God, ultimately revealing his inner struggles and leading to his detriment and that of those under his rule.
The High Places (Part Five)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeDuring the reigns of Jehoash, Amaziah, and Uzziah, all of whom did what was right in the sight of the LORD, the high places were not removed from Judah. Despite their righteous beginnings, these kings neglected to eliminate these sites of pagan worship, which may have contributed to their spiritual regression over time. Similarly, Jotham, the fourth successive king of Judah who did right in the sight of the LORD, also failed to remove the high places during his 16-year reign. Though he remained true to God and did not personally worship at these sites, his tolerance of them had unintended consequences, particularly in the life of his son Ahaz, who embraced idolatry and even child sacrifice. The high places, a persistent feature in Judah for about 150 years by the time of Ahaz, likely influenced his path due to their continued presence. The reluctance of these four kings to rid Judah of the high places allowed an enduring evil to persist, ultimately contributing to the kingdom's later destruction and captivity.
The High Places (Part Six)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeAs God promised in Leviticus 26:30, the pagan high places of Israel and Judah were destroyed long ago. Though these high places might seem irrelevant today, they still contain instruction and warnings for us in these end times. The critical point of the high places is that they facilitated idolatry, serving as instruments by which Israel was led away from God. They introduced a belief system and a perspective of life contrary to the abundant life that God intended for His people. God commanded the Israelites to destroy these high places upon entering the land to safeguard their future, but they only half-heartedly obeyed. Beginning with Solomon's official sanctioning of the high places, alternatives to true belief became increasingly accepted, gradually squeezing the God who redeemed them from Egypt out of their minds. We find ourselves in a parallel circumstance, surrounded by behaviors and beliefs opposed to God. We can liken the pagan high places to outposts of the world in our lives, and upon our conversion, we became responsible to root out these outposts so that the true religion would be unimpeded. Yet, the apostles' warnings teach us that we may not have torn down all our spiritual high places initially or that some were rebuilt over time. Resisting the world's influence is a full-time obligation for those whom God has redeemed. Leaving these high places intact welcomes spiritual weakness and estrangement from God. If we tolerate these outposts of the world in our individual realms, we risk not only our own lives but also those who look to us as examples. For Israel and Judah, the high places led the people away from God and toward false gods. For us, the outposts of the world are more deceptive, and the stakes—eternal life—are far higher. If we have spiritual high places in our lives, we may not see God as clearly as we could, and His voice may be drowned out by the noise of this world. We may not fully trust Him to provide for us or to direct our steps, indicating that a high place needs to be torn down. Kings like Jehoash, Amaziah, Uzziah, and Jotham did what was right in the sight of God for part of their lives, but each failed to remove the high places as He commanded, contributing to Judah's eventual captivity. However, we need not follow their negligence, for God has given us the means to overcome the world through our faith. True faith in the Father and the Son will motivate us to remove anything that hinders our relationship with Them. God is willing to help us remove any high places in our lives if we are willing to make the effort.
The High Places (Part Four)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeUzziah, also known as Azariah, was the third successive king of Judah who failed to remove the high places from the land. These high places, initially torn down by Jehoshaphat and rebuilt during the reign of his son Jehoram, had persisted in the kingdom of Judah for over 76 years by the time Uzziah took the throne, and he permitted their existence for another half-century. Despite doing what was right in the sight of the LORD, like his father Amaziah and grandfather Jehoash, Uzziah's reign reflected the ongoing presence of these high places, which were tied to idolatry and pagan worship practices. The prophets during Uzziah's time, such as Isaiah and Hosea, highlighted the widespread idolatry associated with these high places. Hosea notes the nation burning incense to the Baals, offering sacrifices, and burning incense on high places, describing them as the high places of Aven, symbolizing vain exertion in idolatry. Uzziah's tolerance of these high places, where the people engaged in such practices, shaped the environment of his reign. Though he did not directly serve idols or bow to foreign gods, the pagan influences from the high places and his upbringing in a multicultural setting likely contributed to his eventual transgression of entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense, an act reserved for priests. Uzziah's ambivalence toward the high places, combined with his pride from worldly success, led him to overlook God's clear instructions on worship. The paganism he tolerated, reflected in the continued use of high places for incense and sacrifices, influenced his approach to worshipping God, mixing the holy with the profane, which God would not accept.
High Places Left Standing
CGG Weekly by Gary MontgomeryWe have heard many messages about evaluating ourselves, auditing our lives and our commitment to God. Have we left high places of false worship standing?
Manasseh
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughEven though Manasseh was absolutely the worst king ever to lead Judah, Manasseh finally got the message that God only is God, and sincerely repented.
Passover (Part Eight)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe temple Passover commanded by Hezekiah was a very unusual circumstance in which the king centralized worship to keep Baalism from defiling the Passover.
Searching for Israel (Part Six): Israel Is Fallen, Is Fallen
Article by Charles WhitakerAfter 200 years of rejecting Davidic rule, Israel fell to Assyria, and its people were carried to Media. Judah lasted about 150 years longer.
Sandcastle Virtues
Sermon by Mike FordModern Israel still worships Astarte, now known as "mother earth," and crusades on behalf of fornication and all forms of sexual perversion.
Josiah
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughJosiah may have been the most righteous of Judah's kings, having fewer foibles than David, but having equivalent leadership skills and a love of God's law.
Passover (Part Seven)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughMajor reinterpretations have significantly distorted the meaning of Passover and Unleavened Bread, blurring the distinction between the two events.
Jehoshaphat
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughAfter several catastrophes, Jehoshaphat finally became convinced that any decision without God in the picture is patently stupid.
Asa
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughAsa left a few things undone, losing steam in his later years and playing it safe. Idolatry was so ingrained in the land that Asa grew weary in well-doing.
Behold Your King!
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsJesus' sinless and faithful life qualifies Him as King of Kings, in contrast to the kings of Israel who seriously fell short God's requirements.
Israel's Immigration Problem
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Economically, the alien has enslaved modern Israel by becoming the lender, putting an iron yoke around the necks of the people in the host nations.
Deuteronomy and Idolatry
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)We are admonished to internalize the book of Deuteronomy in preparation for our future leadership roles.
In God We Trust
Sermonette by Ryan McClureWhen the Assyrian monarch Sennacherib tried to intimidate Hezekiah, attempting to sow doubt and division, God intervened, destroying 185,000 soldiers.
The Faith Once Delivered
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Kim MyersJude 3-4 cautions us to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. There are many who would attempt to turn the grace of God into lasciviousness.