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For the recovery and preservation of the genuine, all-inclusive oneness, we must destroy the high places—1 Kings 11:7-8; 12:26-33; 13:33-34; 14:22-23; 15:14; 22:43; 2 Kings 12:2-3; 14:3-4; 15:3-4, 34-35:
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In His wisdom God required His people to destroy all the places in which the nations served their gods; to set up a high place is to have a division; hence, the significance of high places is division—Deut. 12:1-3.
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To preserve the oneness of His people, God required that they come to the unique place of His choice; the high places were a substitute and an alternative for this unique place—vv. 8, 11, 13-14, 18.
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A high place is an elevation, something lifted above the common level; in principle, every high place, every division, involves the uplifting, the exaltation, of something other than Christ—cf. Col. 1:18.
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The record of the building of the high places under Solomon and Jeroboam has a spiritual significance; it was written for our spiritual instruction—Rom. 15:4-6:
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According to this record, division is caused by lust and ambition; Solomon is an example of the former, and Jeroboam is an example of the latter.
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The high places built by Solomon and Jeroboam seriously damaged the ground of oneness—1 Kings 11:7-8; 12:26-33.
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In the church life we should not have any high places; instead, we should all be on one level to exalt Christ—Col. 1:18; 3:10-11.
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The divisions in Christianity are caused by selfishness and ambition—Phil. 2:21; 3 John 9-10; Rom. 16:17-18; 1 Kings 12:26-33.
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Spiritually speaking, we must destroy every place other than the church and every name other than the name of Christ; this means that we must destroy our culture, disposition, temperament, habits, natural characteristics, preferences, and religious background with its influence—everything that damages the genuine oneness—Gal. 2:20; 5:24; 6:14.
Morning Nourishment
Col. 1:18 And He is the Head of the Body, the church; He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that He Himself might have the first place in all things.3:10-11 And have put on the new man…where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.
In Deuteronomy 12 Moses charged the children of Israel to “completely destroy all the places where the nations…have served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every flourishing tree” (v. 2). He also charged them to tear down their altars…(v. 3). Having destroyed all these things, they were to come to the unique place of God’s choice. According to 1 Kings, the temple was built in Jerusalem, the place God had chosen,…a unique place for His presence. This one place protected God’s people from division.
Although the children of Israel destroyed the places wherein the nations served their gods,…eventually the very things that had been destroyed came back….In fact, Solomon, the very one who built the temple according to God’s desire on the ground of oneness, took the lead to build up the high places once again (1 Kings 11:6-8). (CWWL, 1979, vol. 2, “The Genuine Ground of Oneness,” p. 313)
Today’s Reading
To set up a high place is to have a division. Hence, the significance of high places is division….To preserve the oneness of His people, God required that they come to the unique place of His choice. The high places, however, were a substitute and an alternative for this unique place….The unique place, Jerusalem, signifies oneness, whereas the high places signify division. Just as all manner of evil and abominable things were related to the setting up of the high places, so, in New Testament terms, all manner of evil is related to division.According to the record in 1 Kings, two kings…took the lead to set up the high places. In the case of Solomon, the building of the high places was related to the indulgence of lust. Solomon had hundreds of wives and concubines….His wives had “turned his heart after other gods” (11:4). In the case of Jeroboam, the building of the high places was related to ambition (12:26-32)….Fearing that the kingdom would return to the house of David if the people went to Jerusalem to worship, Jeroboam “made a house of high places” (v. 31). A high place is an elevation, something lifted above the common level….In principle, every high place, every division, in Christianity today invol.ves the uplifting, the exaltation, of something other than Christ. The things that are exalted may not be evil. On the contrary, they may be very good and may include even Bible study or Bible teaching.
What was written concerning Solomon and Jeroboam was written for our spiritual instruction today [cf. Rom. 15:4]. According to the Old Testament record, division is caused by lust and ambition. Solomon is an example of the former, and Jeroboam is an example of the latter. The high places built by Solomon and Jeroboam seriously damaged the ground of oneness.
The ground of oneness is not simply a matter of one city, one church. The ground of oneness is deeper, richer, higher, and fuller than this. We all must learn that in this universe God has chosen only one place, and that place is the church. God requires us to go to this place He has chosen. Spiritually speaking, we must destroy every place other than the church and every name other than the name of Christ. This means that we must destroy our culture and religious background….The places that we must destroy include our disposition, temperament, and habits. We must destroy everything that damages the oneness of the one new man. (CWWL, 1979, vol. 2, “The Genuine Ground of Oneness,” pp. 314-316, 319, 288)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1979, vol. 2, “The Genuine Ground of Oneness,” chs. 5, 8