Every year, I read my Bible from cover to cover. About a week ago, I finished reading the books of Kings and Chronicles. Those particular books, with their lists of kings who “walked not in the way of the Lord” and the few who “followed God with their whole hearts,” have always befuddled me. Did the fathers simply not teach their sons how to obey God? Were they trying to “teach by example” instead of doing what God commanded in Deuteronomy 6 (“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”) There seems to be such a disconnect between kings and their progeny!
I know that we each have the freedom to decide for ourselves which way we will live our lives, and perhaps the kings who desired to follow God were battling the pull of the world on their children the whole time.
But even more concerning to me today is the comment the writer makes in regard to kings who chose to follow God, “but did not remove the high places.” “High places” were geographic locations where people worshipped idols. It appears that removing the idols, burning them, and stamping them out was not quite sufficient!
In my quiet time with the Word before my family was up and about, I began to meditate on high places in my own life. I prayed that the Lord would show me if there were things that I thought I was free from but really remain “high places” in my heart. I left it that and went on my way.
Later that morning, I was driving past a street that I’d recently learned housed a particular family who owns a local business. My mind started rehearsing a scenario from years ago where that business “did me wrong,” and I decided for a few years to take my business elsewhere.
Then my mind moved to another scenario in which I was “done wrong” by somebody I loved very much.
Then my mind moved to another instance in which I had been wronged by another person.
I thought, “What is going on? Why are all these instances in my life replaying in my mind today?” My thoughts immediately flew back to my prayer that morning that the Lord search me and reveal to me any “high places” that I’ve left standing in my heart.
It’s incredible how God cares so intimately about us and knows us better than we know ourselves!
I spent some time repenting that day and praying that God help me remove those high places. I don’t want to revisit them, nor be reminded of them when I pass a certain street! I want to count them as a time in my life when God was trying to either work something out of me that shouldn’t be there or offer me the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 4:13, KJV).
What a relief to know He’s still working on me!
And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places. (I Kings 22:43, KJV)
