“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9 (italics added)
The first two hundred and fifty-six pages of my current Bible study have been spent studying the mind-blowing list of kings of the divided Kingdom of Israel found in the Old Testament books, 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles. While there were a handful of faithful kings, the vast majority “did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” And most of the kings that were faithful to the Lord, like Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, fell short of ridding the land of idol worship. “In everything, he walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. The high places, however, were not removed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.” (1 Kings 22:43) Those high places were always the problem and the stumbling block for the people in both kingdoms. We call those high places idol worship today. The Bible doesn’t reveal exactly why the high places were overlooked or not considered a threat to the spiritual well-being of the people by even the faithful kings, and I suspect there were as many reasons as there were kings. But I submit one reason would be because the people had become cozy in the culture of pagan worship.
In Max Lucado’s book, “You were Made for this Moment,” he describes how the exiled Jews had become cozy in Persia. Far removed from their Jewish heritage and worship by years and miles, it was difficult to tell them apart from their idol-worshipping neighbors. One of my favorite quotes from the book is, “What if the glitz and glamour are only folly and foibles? What if the lure of lights is a hoax? All the red carpets. All the social media pictures. All the fancy parties and invitation-only clubs. What if all the whoop-de-do and la-di-da are one big field of winter wheat? Don’t romp in it. Don’t fall for it. Don’t buy the line. Don’t take the bait. Don’t take the bluff. Don’t get cozy in Persia. Stay faithful to your call as a covenant people.”
Amid today’s culture, we sometimes forget our calling. The high places lie to us, whatever those are in our lives. They lure us into lifestyles or thought patterns that leave us wounded, weary, and empty. We were not made to blend in and assimilate into a godless society. We were created to serve the almighty God and only Him. And when we fall short or “romp in it,” and we will, we are redeemed through sincere repentance! And when we tear down the high places and live like redeemed people, worshipping the one true and faithful God and loving our neighbors, family, and friends like ourselves, we shine the light on Jesus. That is our calling, and that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.
The picture was taken in Megiddo, Israel. It is a pagan temple area with a view of the Jezreel Valley in the background.