Why did the high places remain in 2 Chronicles 20:33 despite Jehoshaphat's reforms? Biblical Text in View “Nevertheless, the high places were not removed; the people had not yet set their hearts on the God of their fathers.” (2 Chronicles 20:33) Historical Frame: Jehoshaphat’s Reign (c. 873-848 BC) Jehoshaphat ruled the southern kingdom of Judah roughly eighty years after Solomon’s temple was built (c. 966 BC). His reign is recorded in 1 Kings 22:41-50 and 2 Chronicles 17–20. Politically he enjoyed peace after God’s miraculous victory over the Moabite-Ammonite coalition (2 Chronicles 20:1-30). Spiritually he followed the earlier reforms of his father Asa yet pushed further by sending teaching priests throughout Judah (17:7-9) and by appointing judges who were warned to rule “in the fear of the LORD” (19:5-9). Still, 2 Chronicles 20:33 records that “the high places were not removed,” echoing 1 Kings 22:43. The Chronicler immediately explains the heart-issue: “the people had not yet set their hearts on the God of their fathers.” What Were High Places? 1. Hebrew bāmôt (בָּמוֹת) literally “heights.” 2. Typically open-air platforms or terraced hilltops with altars, masseboth (standing stones), or Asherah poles (cf. Deuteronomy 12:2-3; 2 Kings 23:13-15). 3. Archaeologically attested at Tel Dan, Tel Arad, Beersheba, Megiddo, and Gezer—stone altars, sacrificial bones, ceramic cultic stands, and pillar figurines indicate longevity of such worship centers well into the divided-kingdom era. The Theological Imperative Against Them Deuteronomy 12:5-14 centralized sacrifice exclusively at “the place the LORD your God will choose.” After Solomon, that place was indisputably the Jerusalem Temple (2 Chronicles 6:5-6). Hence any sacrifice elsewhere—even if ostensibly to Yahweh—violated covenant law and blurred the line with Canaanite syncretism (Leviticus 17:3-9; Deuteronomy 12:13-14; 1 Kings 12:31-33). Jehoshaphat’s Reform Record: Apparent Tension Resolved 2 Chronicles 17:6 says, “In his zeal for the LORD, he removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah.” Critics cite contradiction, yet the texts are complementary: • 17:6 describes an early campaign, focused on the more blatant Asherah cult (plural Asherim) and easily accessible bāmôt. • 20:33, decades later, notes recurrence; high-place worship continually resurged whenever vigilance waned. The Chronicler stresses the root issue: the populace never decisively embraced exclusive Temple-centered worship. Like Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:4) and Josiah (2 Kings 23), only the most radical reformers managed thorough, if still temporary, eradication. Why the High Places Remained: Six Converging Factors 1. Entrenched Popular Piety Rural Israelites had sacrificed on local heights for generations (1 Samuel 9:12-14). The practice felt “traditional,” so removing it met practical resistance. 2. Geographic Dispersion and Administrative Limits Hundreds of settlements dotted Judah’s hills (archaeological surveys list >200 Iron Age II sites). Even a godly king could not police every ridge continuously. 3. Distinction Between Idolatrous vs. Yahwistic High Places Some bāmôt served Baal or Asherah; others hosted Yahweh worship minus idols (cf. 1 Kings 3:2-3 where Solomon sacrificed “because no house had yet been built”). After the Temple’s dedication, however, the Law demanded sacrifice only there. Many Israelites rationalized that since the object of worship was Yahweh, location did not matter. 4. Insufficient Pastoral Penetration Jehoshaphat’s teaching delegation (2 Chronicles 17:7-9) covered major cities, yet literacy was low, copies of Torah scarce, and oral culture localized. Hearts remained unformed. Behavioral science confirms that entrenched communal rituals resist change unless deep worldview shifts occur. 5. Political Expediency Jehoshaphat allied with Ahab (2 Chronicles 18). Though rebuked (19:2), the alliance likely necessitated tolerance toward northern-style worship, lest reform offend vassal towns with mixed loyalties. 6. Foreshadowing of the New Covenant Need The Chronicler sees the persistent high places as evidence that external reforms cannot regenerate hearts. Jeremiah 31:31-34 anticipates the Spirit writing the Law within—a fulfillment only realized through Christ’s resurrection power (Hebrews 8:7-13). Archaeological Corroboration • Tel Arad sanctuary: two incense altars and standing stones; Carbon-14 and ceramic typology place use until late 8th century BC. • Beersheba four-horned altar: dismantled under Hezekiah’s reform; limestone blocks reused in a later wall, confirming biblical chronology that Hezekiah removed high-place altars (2 Kings 18:4). • Kuntillet ‘Ajrud inscriptions (“Yahweh… and his Asherah”) illustrate syncretism the prophets condemned, affirming the biblical contention that even nominal Yahweh worship at high places drifted into idolatry. Theological and Christological Implications High-place persistence exposes the human inability to self-purify. By contrast Jesus announces, “Believe Me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem” (John 4:21), relocating true worship from geography to Himself as the Temple raised in three days (John 2:19-22). The Chronicles narrative prepares readers for the necessity of a perfect Priest-King whose once-for-all atonement (Hebrews 9:26) replaces repetitive sacrifices at both Temple and high places. Pastoral and Behavioral Application • External compliance cannot replace internal consecration. Ritual without regenerated affection yields relapse. • Leadership, however godly, cannot coerce worship; discipleship must target the heart. • Modern “high places” (career, pleasure, autonomy) equally demand dismantling through repentance and new-creation life in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Summary The high places survived Jehoshaphat’s reforms because deep-rooted cultural practices, geographic dispersion, partial popular commitment, political realities, and unregenerate hearts combined to resist full obedience to Deuteronomy’s single-sanctuary command. Scripture’s transparent acknowledgment of this shortfall underscores its reliability and points forward to the Messiah whose resurrection alone secures the worship God seeks—“in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). |
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