2 Kings 15: The Subtle Trap of High Places

“And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. However the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate of the house of the Lord.”

—II Kings 15:34–35 (NKJV)

It is rare to read that a king did what was right, yet it is almost expected to read that he left the high places standing. These “high places” are like a pattern of compromise—a foothold the enemy used again and again to drag Israel back into idolatry.

Isn’t that similar to how it looks in our lives too? May not be the obvious sins, not the glaring or horrific failures, but the normalized patterns that feel so familiar we hardly notice them. Maybe that’s why these kings left the high places—they didn’t see the danger, because compromise was so woven into the culture.

I believe the Lord is saying: “My people have tolerated high places in their lives for far too long. You’ve called them normal, even harmless, because you’ve grown used to their presence. The truth is these footholds create lukewarmness—half-hearted devotion I cannot accept. Did I not say, ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm… I am about to spit you out of My mouth’ (Revelation 3:15–16)? Tear down what feels normal but is not holy. Break the patterns you’ve inherited, the compromises you’ve excused, the footholds you’ve normalized. Do not be satisfied with half-obedience. I am after the whole heart.”

This was the Word I got today! Praise the Lord for such clarity.