High Places
Throughout the Old Testament the times of the Kings are measured by the people’s relationship to “high places”. What are these places? How should we think about them when when we read the biblical text?
Following are images of a High Place in near Petra in modern day Jordan. While not precisely “Israelite”, these are a reasonable representation of what the people of Ancient Israel might have used as their “High Places”.
Photos courtesy of Todd Smith
It’s clear that these places were designed for sacrifices. Essentially they contain an altar and are clearly places of worship.
High Places featured significantly in the time of the kings of Israel & Judah. Kings in Israel (the Northern Kingdom) used pagan high places heavily. In Judah (the Southern Kingdom) the evaluation of the king (godly or wicked) often involved a statement about how they responded to the people’s practice of worshipping at “high places” where some times they were worshipping idols, other times worshipping Jehovah – all in violation of God’s command to worship Him in the one place He chose to present Himself on earth – the tabernacle or the Temple.
To learn more about the role of High Places in the life of Ancient Israel, you’ll want to get a copy of Give Us A King! – a study of the Kings of Israel and Judah that will lead you in a Bible Study about Israel’s kings and God’s enduring faithfulness.
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