The Danger of the "High Places"

The Danger of the “High Places.”
2 Kings 14-18
“He did what was right in the sight of the Lord…”
It can be difficult reading this section to keep track of who is who.  The writer jumps back and forth from the history of the kingdoms of Israel and the kingdoms of Judah to the point, making it difficult to keep track of who is the king of which nation.  It becomes even more difficult when they are given different names and when they share the same name.  The who’s who of the kings becomes “who is who” of the kings, and which nation is the king of.  However, as we look through history, what is unmistakable is that in God’s evaluation of the kings, he does not look at their accomplishments, military victories, or status among the other nations during that time.  The only assessment God gives is of their obedience to God and His word.  
The evaluation becomes redundant for the kings of Israel: “He did evil in the sight of the Lord.”  When Israel broke their union with Judah, the kings who reigned consistently failed to obey God and look to God for their salvation.  Time and time again, God set the prophets to warn Israel of their impending judgment if they refused to obey.  When adversity struck, God graciously brought deliverance (13:23, 14:26). The nations' repentance was only sorrow for the consequences of their sin, rather than being genuinely repentant of their sin.  As soon as the adversity passed, they returned to their idolatry.  God was the only one to turn to in times of trouble.  He was only a cosmic, “in case of emergency break glass” deliverer.  As a result, in 722 b.c, roughly 200 years after they split from Judah, God brought his judgment upon the nation and sent them into captivity.  They were defeated not because the armies of the Assyrians were greater; they continued to embrace the pagan culture of the nations around them (17:7-41).  
For a time, the southern nation of Judah fared better.  Unlike the northern tribes, the southern nation of Judah was, at times, led by kings who obeyed God and obeyed the law.  At other times, they too capitulated to the culture around them by embracing idolatry.  Perhaps none illustrated this more than Ahaz, who not only worshipped false gods but even embraced human sacrifice (16:3).  However, other kings, such as Uzziah and Jothan, walked in obedience to God and his commands.  Yet even those who did walk in obedience, there was always the addendum, “Only the high places were not taken away.”  Even though they worshipped God, there was still this underlying thread of the presence of “the high places” that would ultimately lead to the downfall of Judah as well.
This brings us to the critical question:  How do we measure success? What is our goal and desire?  Do we follow the crowds and embrace the philosophy and morality of our culture, or do we turn to the pages of Scripture for guidance and walk in obedience to God? Often, we look at our life from the standpoint of our accomplishments, financial portfolio, and career advancement. These things are not necessarily bad.  However, God looks deeper and examines our obedience to Him. He looks for the hidden sins.  Are we consistently obeying Him completely, or do we also have the presence of “the high places” in our lives, areas where we are not in obedience to God?  David understood the danger of the “high places” in his life when he prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart…and see if there be any hurtful way in me” (Psalms 139:23-24). We need to always be on guard against the hidden presence of sin in the deep recesses of our hearts.  What made David the standard for the kings was not his perfection, for he had his failures, but his repentance and refusal to allow the “high places” to remain.  The same is true for us today.  Do we have any “high places” where sin still lurks?  If so, we need to ask God to remove them as well.