Bringing Down High Places

The high place crumbles, and the light of YHWH pierces the darkness, His triumph over false worship.

“He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.”

(2 Kings 18:4, NKJV)

The story of Israel is marked by a constant struggle with high places. Even after the temple was built in Jerusalem, where YHWH placed His Name, the people continued to offer sacrifices on hills and mountains. These high places were not always dedicated exclusively to idols. Sometimes they were used in the name of YHWH Himself, but mixed with practices of the surrounding nations. They represented a divided heart — a people who wanted the benefits of God’s covenant, but who still clung to the familiar altars of the world.

King Hezekiah stands out as one who dared to be different. Scripture records that he “removed the high places” (2 Kings 18:4). This was no small act. The high places were deeply rooted in the culture of Judah. They were familiar, comforting, and often inherited from generations before. To tear them down meant confronting tradition, family patterns, and personal attachments. But Hezekiah understood that partial devotion is not devotion at all. He knew that covenant loyalty demanded a whole heart.

In our own lives, the high places are not stone altars on a hillside, but deeply rooted patterns of thought, desire, and behavior that compete for our loyalty to Yeshua. They are often formed in childhood, hidden in wounds, and reinforced through habit. They may even be places we retreat to for comfort when we are weary. But like the high places of Israel, they divide our hearts.

Bitterness, pride, unforgiveness, greed, fear, each of these can become a high place if we secretly run to them instead of running to YHWH. We may try to justify them, as Israel did, saying, “I can still worship God here.” But the Holy One does not share His sanctuary with idols. His call is the same as it was to Israel: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).

Notice that Hezekiah not only removed the high places, but he also broke apart the bronze serpent Moses had made. That serpent was once a holy instrument of healing in the wilderness (Numbers 21:9). But the people had turned it into an idol. Even good things, when misplaced in our hearts, can become high places. This shows us that idols are not only formed from sinful habits but can also come from once-legitimate sources of blessing. The moment we treat them as ultimate, they rise into competition with God Himself.

Bringing down high places in our hearts is not a one-time act of willpower. It is a covenant act of surrender to the Ruach HaKodosh. The Spirit alone can search our hearts, reveal hidden altars, and give us the courage to tear them down. The process begins with honesty. We must name the high place, confess its power, and renounce it. Then, through the cleansing blood of Yeshua, we can dismantle its altar and invite the King to rebuild His covenant sanctuary within us.

Yet, tearing down is only half of the journey. If the high place is not replaced with the true altar of Yeshua, it will rise again. Yeshua Himself warned that when an unclean spirit leaves a man, it seeks rest, and finding none, returns to the house left empty, swept, and put in order (Matthew 12:43–45). The key is not only removing the idol but filling the void with the Ruach HaKodosh. This is what Paul meant when he said, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).

When the high places fall, the presence of YHWH rises. Where shame once lingered, cleansing comes. Where fear once dominated, love is enthroned. Where lust once deceived, purity flows. The removal of high places makes way for covenant intimacy with the King, and it restores the heart to its true design — a sanctuary for His glory.

This work is not easy. Israel often left the high places untouched because it was costly, inconvenient, or unpopular to remove them. Many kings tolerated them, even while claiming to serve YHWH. But Scripture celebrates those few who dared to destroy them, because they demonstrated undivided devotion.

The same is true for us. The Spirit celebrates every altar we tear down in Yeshua’s name. Each broken high place is a victory of covenant love over compromise. Every act of confession and renunciation brings us closer to the fullness of His holiness.

As you enter Sabbath rest, reflect on the high places of your own heart. Ask: Where do I run when I am weary? What altar have I built in secret? What false comfort have I allowed to remain in my heart? Bring it to Yeshua. Tear it down. Rebuild in its place the true altar of covenant love. And let this Sabbath be remembered as the day you said: “No more high places — Yeshua alone is King.”

Father of mercy and holiness, I come before You in the name of Yeshua. I confess that there are high places in my heart — secret altars built on wounds, desires, and false comforts. I have run to them when I was weary instead of running to You.

Forgive me, cleanse me, and break every power of those high places over me.

By the authority of Messiah and the cleansing of His blood, I tear down every altar of lust, pride, fear, bitterness, or idolatry. I scatter their ashes and declare: my heart belongs to You alone.

Ruach HaKodosh, brood over me. Fill every place that has been swept clean. Be my Comforter and Helper. Write Your Royal Covenant upon my heart. Guard my eyes, my mind, and my desires, that they may be set apart for Yeshua alone.

Yeshua, You are my refuge when I am weary. You are my portion forever. I enthrone You in the sanctuary of my heart. Let my life be a living altar of worship and obedience. From this day forward, may every high place fall, and may Your covenant love rise.

I thank You for freedom, cleansing, and Sabbath rest. In Yeshua’s name, amen.