Psalm 85:6-7 (A new melody).

I was up very early seeking my Shepherd’s face. He found me pondering Amos 7, where in verse 9 the Mind of the Spirit engaged the spirit of my mind:

Amos 7:9 And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.

“The high places of Isaac”? The “high places” refer to altar-groves built on hills by the Heathen and used by them to worship their gods (e.g., “the high places of Baal”—Numbers 22:41). God forbade for His people to use this form of worship from the very beginning of His covenant with Israel (Leviticus 25-26; see 26:30), and commanded them to “pluck down all their high places” (Numberbs 33:52). He promised that His people would “tread upon their high places” (Deuteronomy 33:29). I cannot trace the history here, but the “high places” plagued Israel throughout her history with only two short seasons when they were pulled down (2 Kings 18:4—Hezekiah, and his great grandson, Josiah—2 Kings 23:19).

This practice corresponds to believers today who worship God in ways that resemble how the world worships the “god of this world”—Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4), who is represented in the name Baphomet. Like Israel never believed they were worshipping any god but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when they followed the practice of using the “high places of Baal,” Christians today never for a moment imagine they are worshipping any but Christ with their practices, patterned after the ways of the “god of this world.” It was a constant complaint, a reproach on the service of some of His greatest servants (1 Kings 3:2-3; 12:31—Solomon; 12:32; 13:2-33—Asa; 1 Kings 22:41-43—Jehoshaphat; and it goes on like this throughout the Kings). For their ignorance, God tolerated but never approved or accepted their worship in the “high places.”

Along the still waters, however, it was the use of Isaac in the expression “the high places of Isaac” that got my attention. Isaac is never used prophetically in this way except by Amos. We may trace the covenant of the kingdom from Abraham to Isaac (bypassing Ishmael), to Jacob (bypassing Esau), to Judah (narrowing it down to one of the twelve sons of Jacob), to David (narrowing the covenant down to the seed of David from among all his brethren), and then to its fulfillment in CHRIST. Amos writes during the covenant line of David. None of the prophets speaks of “the high places of David.” Although the phrase, “high places of Israel” is never used, we find clear witness from the Spirit against Israel for doing “secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities” (2 Kings 17:9; see also 2 Kings 21:3; see also 2 Kings 23:13 and the witness that it was Solomon that established this practice in Israel).

Nevertheless, the Spirit through Amos refers to this practice as “the high places of Isaac” (Amos 7:9). It’s the only place where the Spirit identifies the origin of this evil, and He finds its root in Isaac.*

We know that neither Isaac nor Rebekah countenanced idolatry. I remind you that few, if any, of the Jews considered the use of the “high places” as turning to the worship of idols. And while Rebekah clearly favored Jacob, and Esau’s attraction to idol-worshipping women vexed both, there is evidence that suggests Isaac preferred Esau and desired the covenant blessing to go to him. Is this the root: Jacob and Esau were in Isaac’s seed, and both were conceived together in Rebekah’s womb. Esau married idol-worshipping women, and this no doubt brought idolatry into his family (2 Chronicles 25:14). This crept into Jacob’s tents too (Genesis 31:19; 35:4). It was never spoken of concerning Abraham and Sarah. It started with Isaac’s sons—the “house of Isaac” (Amos 7:16).

In the valley, I thought about how easily the “world” creeps into our lives (1 John 2:15). I thought of how glad I am our LORD is longsuffering, and how deeply I long not to add grieving to His groaning (Ephesians 4:30; Romans 8:26). The character of the church is described within the meaning of “the high places of Isaac,” and is more the “house of Isaac” than it is the “House of God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). As we remember that we are kings and priests unto God, we can hope for two things: His mercy and longsuffering that He extended to the kings who did good, but tolerated the high places, and the rising of a generation of revival “kings” that will “remove the high places” like Hezekiah and Josiah.

Jesus spoke and said the secret is this: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

At the table, He anointed my head with His oil, filled my cup with His grace, and said, “Follow me.” I did, and goodness and mercy followed close.

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live asap:

https://rumble.com/v6zkg3a-shepherds-pasture.htm

[*I am familiar with the usual take on this verse: the Jews brushed it aside as a mere use of the name Isaac, the father of Jacob, to represent the covenant family, and used in place of Israel. Protestants tend to see a play on the meaning of Isaac’s name: Laughter. Most take it to mean Amos used the expression “high places of Isaac” as a way of mocking Israel, as if God’s naming of Isaac in the context of his mother’s scorn at the promise suggests God is here mocking Israel’s scorn against the promise given to Jacob. These do not work for me. I believe there is a prophetic message here.]