Two-Minute Manna

The term “high places” appears throughout the Old Testament. The high places were groves or little gardens built by the Canaanites in which they would worship their gods in garden-like settings. When Joshua was told to conquer the land, he did a fairly good job, but let the high places remain. Why? Perhaps because they were pleasant to look at. But as the years progressed, the people of Israel were drawn to these little gardens and, there, learned of the worship rituals of the Canaanites.

The warning to us is that sometimes there are sins about which we say, “That’s not a big issue in my life. I don’t have to deal with that particular thing. It’s under control. Besides, it’s kind of pretty. I’ll deal with everything else and I’ll let that high place be.”

God, however, says the groves have got to go not because He doesn’t want us to have fun, but because He knows they’ll eventually destroy us.

“Oh, but it’s just a small part of my life,” we protest.

“It will destroy you,” a loving Father answers. “These groves have got to go - now.”

Satan’s biggest lie - one that he’s told ever since the garden of Eden - is to whisper in our ears that God is holding back something really good from us (Genesis 3:5). But that’s not true. God says to us that the groves must go because our bodies will be left on the floor of pagan altars. In other words, we’ll be destroyed.