Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – January 9, 2020
Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. 1 Kings 3:3
In 1 and 2 Kings, we read the accounts of the ancient kings of Israel and Judah. In these men we find the full range of humanity’s capacity for both incredible good and faithfulness to God, as well as unthinkable evil and brokenness. We are reminded of God’s goodness to his people, even in spite of their failures and betrayals. As I recently re-read these stories, I was struck by the persistence of the “high places.”
Solomon, lauded as one of the wisest men to have ever lived, faithfully ruled and continued the legacy of his father, David. And yet, like every human who lived before him and everyone since, Solomon had a divided heart. While genuinely and truly loving the Lord, his heart was at the same time pulled away, leading him to create shrines and centers of idol worship, “high places” dedicated to the pagan gods. Following Solomon’s example, the kings that follow him, even those who “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,” failed to remove the high places (see 2 Kings 12:2-3).
As our name implies, we believe Wisdom is something to be pursued, cultivated, hunted. This is a journey that demands nothing less than our entire lives, daily submitting to the Lord’s guiding hand. If you can view your life with God through this lens, I believe you will find both encouragement towards continual growth, as well as the peace needed to make it a life long pursuit.
Every breath you take is an invitation to grow. Every day brings with it a fresh opportunity to encounter God’s love and to offer your own life as a gift. And within this invitation, we are asked to examine our hearts and lives, identifying places of alignment and misalignment with God’s very best for us. This is, by design, what it means to be a human made in God’s image! God is infinite in his goodness and love, and we therefore will spend eternity ever more deeply entering into the very life of God.
The death and resurrection of Jesus means we experience a taste of eternity in the present. We as his beloved children even now begin this journey of transformation. And so, we celebrate and rejoice in his grace at work in our lives, yet we must also learn to tend to the “high places” in our lives. Learn from the lives of our forefathers in the faith: it is possible to walk the way of Wisdom in one part of life, while at the same time walk in disobedience in another.
You are a work in progress. Where you have seen progress in your life, give thanks to the Lord for his grace at work in your story. At the same time, pray for the courage to tear down every “high place” that remains, freeing you to offer to the Lord a life of total devotion.
Prayer
Father, thank you that you are patient and slow to anger, walking with us in our weakness and daily making us more and more like your son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Application
What “high places” have you allowed to persist, even if much of your life is lived in alignment with the way of Wisdom?
Related Reading
Deuteronomy 6:5; Psalm 31:23; 1 Corinthians 8:3
Post/Tweet today
Every day brings with it a fresh opportunity to encounter God’s love and to offer your own life as a gift. #highplaces #wisdomhunters #truth #Jesus
Worship Resource
6 minute video- The Church Sisters:
Donate
If you are blessed by these daily devotionals please prayerfully consider a donation to support Wisdom Hunters Resources. We are trusting the Lord for His provision.
Download our app!
