The idolatrous worship at high places was a critical issue in the histories of Israel and Judah, with paganism especially prevalent among the northern ten tribes after their separation from the house of David, and also present in the southern Kingdom of Judah. Once Jeroboam, the first king of the northern tribes, set the stage for idolatrous worship by building high places, all the kings of Israel followed suit, and these high places remained until Assyria carried Israel into captivity. In Judah, there was a more complex relationship with high places, exemplified by King Jehoash, who did what was right in the sight of the LORD while under the guidance of Jehoiada the priest, yet failed to remove the high places where the people still sacrificed and burned incense. During Jehoash's reign, influenced by the earlier kings of Israel and the family of Ahab through his grandmother Athaliah, high places had been constructed, and he lacked the fortitude to destroy these spiritual stumbling blocks. Under Jehoiada's direction, the people of Judah tore down the temple of Baal, broke its altars and images, and killed the priest of Baal, temporarily ridding the land of Baal worship. However, after Jehoiada's death, Jehoash's uprightness waned, and he succumbed to re-instituting idolatry, aligning himself with other leaders of Judah and leaving the ways of God.

Baal worship, introduced by Jezebel in the northern kingdom, prevailed for about thirty years before being exterminated by Elijah, Elisha, and Jehu. It never returned to the northern kingdom, though it persisted intermittently in Judah. While every one of the nineteen kings of the northern kingdom followed the worship of the Golden Calf, some also served Baal, yet not one ever attempted to bring the people back to God. Despite the efforts to eradicate Baal worship, the deep-rooted idolatry of the Golden Calf continued to dominate, reflecting the persistent struggle against false gods in the history of God's people.

For Israel and Judah, the high places led the people away from God and toward Baal, Ashtoreth, Molech, and a host of other gods. These pagan high places facilitated idolatry, serving as instruments by which Israel was led astray from the abundant life God intended for His people. Despite God's command to destroy these alternatives to true belief, the Israelites only half-heartedly obeyed, and beginning with Solomon's official sanctioning of the high places, the worship of Baal and other gods became increasingly accepted. The God who redeemed them from Egypt and provided their every need was gradually replaced by gods and ways of worship directly opposed to eternal life. This tolerance of high places welcomed spiritual weakness and estrangement from God, ultimately contributing to Judah's captivity under kings who failed to remove them as God had commanded.

Baal worship, a pervasive and corrupting influence among the Israelites, emerged as they entered Canaan, a fertile land of farmers where the Canaanites credited their crops to fertility gods like Baal and Ashtoreth. Despite worshipping the One True God, the Israelites were drawn to Baal due to a lack of faith and the allure of sexual promiscuity that accompanied Canaanite practices. Unlike God's strict moral laws, the Canaanites embraced temple prostitutes and public indecency, believing such acts pleased their gods and ensured better harvests. This attraction marked the beginning of a long struggle for the hearts and minds of the Israelites. Over centuries, this syncretism and idol worship persisted, far longer than many modern nations have existed. The Israelites built high places, sacred pillars, and wooden images, burning incense and serving Baal, as seen in their rejection of God's commandments. They even caused their sons and daughters to pass through fire, a horrific practice of child sacrifice to gain personal prosperity, which provoked God's anger. This abomination, detestable to the Lord, involved burning children in the arms of bronze idols, often accompanied by drums and trumpets to drown out the cries, in places like Tophet in the Valley of Hinnom. King Josiah, one of Judah's best kings, took decisive action against these practices during his reign. Beginning at a young age, he sought God and purged Judah and Jerusalem of high places and idols, breaking down Baal's altars, cutting down incense altars, and destroying wooden and carved images. He scattered their dust on the graves of those who sacrificed to them and burned the bones of the priests on their altars, cleansing the land. Yet, after his death, Judah returned to these vile practices in the Valley of Hinnom. The worship of Baal and other false gods often surpassed the passion the Israelites showed for the true God, leading them to sacrifice their own children with a fervor that defied God's commands. Such acts, which God never envisioned or commanded, defiled His sanctuary and profaned His Sabbaths, as the people would sacrifice their children and then attend services in His house on the same day. This moral decay, likened to sandcastle virtues easily swept away, reflected a preference for Baal that extended to the ultimate betrayal of killing their own offspring.

Jeroboam, after leading a successful tax-revolt and establishing the northern Kingdom of Israel, instituted religious changes that became a sin for the nation. In his effort to strengthen his control, he created a designer religion with its own traditions and shrines, establishing a priesthood loyal to his government. This act was the sin of the house of Jeroboam, leading to its destruction from the face of the earth. The children of Israel continued in all the sins of Jeroboam, never departing from them, which angered the Lord, resulting in their removal from His sight. Subsequent kings of the northern kingdom persisted in this apostasy, never seeking to correct these errors, ultimately contributing to Israel's fall and mass deportation.