ENTICED BY HIGH PLACES!

 

A Response to "Enticed by High Places!"

The Ancient Temptation

Have you ever wondered why the kings in the Old Testament repeatedly refused to destroy the shrines on the hills where the people sacrificed and burned incense? These were the shrines built on high places. They were mentioned 117 times in the Old Testament, far more than an archaeological curiosity. They were centers for Canaanite idol worship that the Jews were commanded to tear down. But instead, these places became idols that subtly seduced God's people year after year. They simply could not stay away. Even before Israel crossed the Jordan into Canaan, Moses exhorted the Jews to demolish all the high places, warning that they would become pricks in their eyes and thorns in their sides. The Canaanites had built these shrines on every high hill and beneath every luxuriant tree, and God's people were repeatedly drawn to them. The pull of the high places was powerful, persistent, and ultimately destructive.

The Gods of the High Places

The Canaanite deities worshiped on these high places were not harmless myths. They represented real spiritual forces that stood in opposition to the one true God. El was the supreme head of the Canaanite pantheon, the supposed father of creation. Baal was the lord of earth and rain, prerequisites for successful harvest in a dry land. Ashtoreth was the goddess of fertility, and Canaanite farmers visited her shrines to mate with cult prostitutes to guarantee crop fertility. Dagon was the principal god of the Philistines, associated with the wheat harvest. Molech was the Ammonite god to whom children were sacrificed—archaeologists have found clay jars containing the charred bones of babies. Chemosh was a Moabite deity honored with horribly cruel rites like those of Molech. And these were just six of twenty-six major Canaanite gods and goddesses. These were not innocent traditions; they were abominations that demanded the worship of God's people and the sacrifice of their children. Yet even King Solomon succumbed to wheedling from his Canaanite wives and built a high place for Chemosh and Molech on the mountain east of Jerusalem. If Solomon could be led astray, so can we.

The Subtle High Places of Today

As followers of Jesus Christ, are you enticed by high places in any way? Today we do not construct idolatrous clay figurines of Baal or attend worship services for Asherah, but our temptations are just as seductive and perhaps even more subtle. Believers today might avoid obvious high places such as theft, child abuse, or explosive anger. But we rarely speak of envy, worry, spiritual pride, sexual window-shopping, gossip, or strife as sin. These habits are nothing but sinful deeds of the flesh, as Galatians 5:19-21 makes clear. They are the high places of the modern heart—the hills upon which we erect our own idols, the shrines where we sacrifice our integrity, the altars where we burn incense to our own desires. We may not bow to Baal, but we bow to the god of materialism. We may not sacrifice children to Molech, but we sacrifice our time, our families, and our calling on the altar of career ambition. We may not worship Ashtoreth, but we worship the goddess of pleasure, allowing our eyes and appetites to lead us where they should not go.

The Isms of Our Age

Do believers sometimes succumb to today's ism-idols? Rampant materialism tells us that more is better, that our worth is measured by what we own, and that security is found in accumulating possessions. Impure sexism reduces people to objects of desire rather than bearers of God's image. Me-ism elevates the self to the center of the universe, making our comfort, our happiness, and our preferences the ultimate standard of what is good. These are the high places of our age. They are not built of stone but of cultural values, media messages, and personal desires. They are not located on physical hills but in the hidden recesses of our hearts. And they are just as seductive, just as destructive, and just as offensive to God as the shrines of Baal and Ashtoreth.

The Call to Tear Down High Places

God's command to Israel was clear: demolish the high places. They were not to be tolerated, compromised with, or incorporated into worship. They were to be utterly destroyed. The same command applies to us today. The high places of our hearts must be torn down. The idols that have taken root must be uprooted. The altars we have built to our own desires must be demolished. This is not a call to legalism but to freedom. It is not about earning God's favor but about removing the barriers that block His favor. It is not about being perfect but about being honest about what we have allowed to take the place of God in our lives. The high places are not harmless; they are thorns and pricks that will cause us pain and lead us astray. And they must be dealt with ruthlessly.

The Examination of the Heart

We must examine ourselves honestly. Where have we built high places? What idols have we allowed to take root in our hearts? What subtle sins have we tolerated because they are common, acceptable, or even celebrated in our culture? Envy is a high place. Worry is a high place. Spiritual pride is a high place. Gossip is a high place. Strife is a high place. They are not minor flaws; they are footholds for the enemy, thorns that prick our consciences, and barriers that separate us from the fullness of God's blessing. We cannot afford to ignore them. We cannot afford to make peace with them. They must be torn down.

Final Reflection

The high places of the Old Testament were a constant source of temptation and compromise for God's people. They seemed harmless, even attractive, but they led to destruction. The high places of the modern heart are no different. They are subtle, seductive, and deadly. But the same God who commanded Israel to demolish the high places calls us to do the same. He gives us the power through His Spirit to tear down every idol, to destroy every stronghold, and to walk in freedom. Do not be enticed by the high places. Tear them down. Remove the thorns. And give God the worship that belongs to Him alone.

Prayer for Tearing Down High Places

Lord, search my heart. Show me the high places I have built. Reveal the idols I have tolerated and the subtle sins I have excused. Give me the courage to tear them down. Remove every thorn and prickle that hinders my walk with You. Let me not be seduced by the gods of this age—materialism, pleasure, pride, or self. Let me worship You alone, with a heart that is wholly devoted to You. Cleanse me, refine me, and set me free. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.