Altars

Recently I read through the books of 1st and 2nd Kings in the Old Testament. These books recount the kings of Israel and Judah after their schism. Each king usually has a brief description of whether or not he did what was good or right in the eyes of the Lord; not to spoil the books, but most kings have a less than stellar track record. Many of them put up altars to false gods, namely Baal, Chemosh, and Molech. Some kings have favor in the eyes of the Lord, yet don't fully commit to tearing down altars to false gods. Joash (alternatively spelled Jehoash), king of Judah is one such king. Scripture tells us "Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued to sacrifice and make offerings on the high places" 2 Kings 12: 2-3 (ESV). By not removing the altars built by his predecessors, he demonstrates complacency in a situation where he should have shown action.

Although I am tempted to criticize this king's apathy from a distance, I realized that we all have built altars to idols in our lives that remain. For me, it is a daily task to acknowledge the things that I may be putting before God. Some examples of altars in our lives may be work, social life, sports, dating, and the like. Although these seem innocent enough, hyperfocusing on these things to the point where God takes a back seat is dangerous. As Christians, we must remember that Jesus asks us to give everything to him and to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" Matthew 22:37 (ESV). So I invite you to join me in asking the Lord to help us tear down these altars, remove our complacency, and to draw closer to Him.