*Creaks door open* *Steps inside dusting cobwebs* *Sees a roach* *Screams, panics, then gathers courage* Hello? Is anyone home? Helllooooooo?
Hey folks. Listen, I know it’s been a while. And by a while I mean years. To say I’m not a consistent blogger is the understatement of the year. But give me some time to whip out the fabuloso and the lysol and we may have this place sparkling clean by the end of the week. It seems I have suddenly come upon more time to blog. And by more time to blog I mean unemployment. Now, lest you fret it was a choice I made not one that was thrust upon me. But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been teaching me some very important lessons in the process.
I’ve been studying a lot in 1 Kings. I know, whoo! Exhilarating really. Truth be told it’s not a book of the Bible that immediately has me captivated and jumping up and down for joy. But, that doesn’t make it any less important to study. Somebody important and famous once said that if you don’t learn from history you are doomed to repeat it. I don’t remember who said famous and important person was so you can understand how I barely passed history. However, I do consider these wise words to live by.
Speaking of wisdom, the life of Solomon has been of particular interest to me lately. I mean here was a king who had it all. Riches, wisdom, women, the favor of God. The guy had a really great start. However, like most of the kings you will read about, he didn’t end so well. What was his downfall? He worshipped at the high places (1 Kings 3:3-14).
In order to grasp the full concept of this though it’s first important to understand what high places were. Here I take some help from the Lysa Terkeurst “Trustworthy” study. Now again, not the best at history so I also say do your own research. But here’s what I’ve been able to gather. The high places were once of importance to God. It was a place for the jewish people to go and worship the one true God. However, when God called Soloman to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, he also ordered the high places be destroyed. He knew based on their history that the Israelites had a pattern of falling into worship of idols. Spoiler alert, Soloman did not destroy the high places and that’s exactly what they became- idols. Now, why are such places important? Because they showed what the people truly revered. If you were infertile you would travel to the high place of fertility and pray for a child. If you were sick, desolate, etc etc. Whatever your attention was on so then was your affection.
The high places were a place where the people who worshipped there thought they could force the outcome. All the fellow control freaks raise your hands! They would fast. They would pray. They would offer sacrifices. They would do whatever they could. But that’s exactly the problem. Their trust never left their own hands.
Now, why do I bring this up? Well, remember how I was mentioning being unemployed? I’ve realized I’ve done the same thing as those people on the high places. I have pounded pavement, maxed out the number of applications on indeed, interviewed, networked, anything and everything I could. And then I pat myself on the back and say, “Well, that’s it; it’s up to God now.” But what would it look like if my trust in God wasn’t an afterthought? What would it look like if instead of saying “I’ve done what I can do,” it became “I’m going to trust You to do what You’re going to do, God.”?
The funny thing is, choosing the high places is choosing the hardest route. In Israel they are literally high places. It was quite a climb to trek up the mountains. In comparison, God ordered the temple be built on Mt. Moriah, literally the lowest mountain in the city. Isn’t that compassionate? He wanted to be so accessible to His people that He chose the smallest and most humble mountain to dwell. He wanted His people to have easy access to Him.
Time to get back to Solomon. Not only did he not tear down the high places like he was commanded to do, but eventually he worshipped at them. He sought fame, fortune, women, and political and economic status over the one true God. Because of this, part of the mount of olives was literally renamed the mount of corruption and Soloman’s life ended far more tragically than it had started.
So, are those of us who have set up high places in our hearts doomed to the same fate? No! Look at the way Soloman’s father David repented and was considered a man after God’s own heart. Look at the thief on the cross who acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God. Look at Jesus Himself. He prayed in the garden at Gethsemane at the base of the mount before his crucifixion. He ascended into heaven on the mount of olives and the Bible tells us that He will one day return again! God has never abandoned the true purpose of that mountain! Zachariah 14:4 says, “On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.”
So what does this mean? Christ is the reversal. He will come again and return to God’s glory that which was defiled. Zachariah tells us that the mountain will split. A physical representation of the old, misplaced affections being cut off from Him and His glory. And if he can do it to a mountain of idolatry he can certainly do it to our own hearts. From the very beginning Christ has been and always will be the redeeming solution.
Lord, tear down my high places and reverse what has been defiled. Help me to trust in You alone...
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