DAY 14Deuteronomy 8:1 – 23:11
As God prepares the Israelites to possess the Promised Land; He commands them several times to destroy or tear down the high places of the people who live in Canaan. Specifically, he mentions tearing down the high places in Exodus 23:24; Numbers 33:52; Deuteronomy 7:5; and Deuteronomy 12:2-3.
In today’s reading in 12:2-3 it states “Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains and on the hills and under every spreading tree where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from their places.”
Unfortunately, as we will see in Joshua, Judges, and Kings; the Israelites fail to destroy the high places. Eventually due to their disobedience to God and the idol worship of other gods, their nation will be torn in two and later taken away in captivity again to Assyria and Babylon.
As we mentioned yesterday, God’s Covenant of Love involves warnings that are for our protection. One of these is to Tear Down our High Places! If we don’t destroy those idols in our lives, then eventually they will take over the high place that is only reserved for God.
We all have high places with our own idols. Some are things that God actually provides for us: Work, family, hobbies, interests, and church. Others are addictions that our sinful natures and Satan encourage: Alcoholism, Hedonism, Sexual perversion, Greed, etc.
But God is still warning you and I to destroy the idols on the high places. Only God deserves to be there.
I’ll let you borrow my hammer when I’m done.
2 comments:
I think a lot of generational dysfunction comes from not removing the high places in our families. Unfortunately, we pass that on to our children and leave strongholds in place.
Kiki,
Over and over again in the OT we find that obedience and disobedience affects future generations.
I think God was telling us that not only does our faith or sin affect us, but it also has a tendency of being passed down through generations.
Right now the multitude of people our age and younger that do not attend church are because many families the past twenty years did not make the fellowship of believers a priority.
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