Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“The king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Destruction, which King Solomon of Israel had built for Astarte the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. He broke the pillars in pieces, cut down the sacred poles, and covered the sites with human bones.”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, November 29, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Josiah went the extra mile. He didn’t just promise to stop worshipping other gods, he deliberately destroyed anything associated with said worship, making it so distasteful to his people that they wouldn’t be tempted to try it again any time soon. (Spreading human bones over those formerly sacred sites was a nice—if macabre—touch… I don’t actually know the significance, but I imagine it made the places seriously unclean.)
When we make significant life changes, it’s often not enough to just do things a little differently. Sometimes our old habits or patterns of behavior are so deeply ingrained, we need to take drastic action to root out their triggers. For some, like me, that’s involved therapy, recovery work, and lots and lots of writing. Still there are moments when someone can push my buttons in just the right way to kick up the old, grooved reactions, and I might find myself having to make an amends (see yesterday for more on that).
It takes work to tear down the old altars and pillars and sacred poles. It takes continued commitment to keep them torn down. But it’s worth it, and no matter what, God is right in the midst of it.
How have I addressed old patterns of negative behavior in my life?
