“He did what was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like his ancestor David; in all things he did as his father Joash had done. But the high places were not removed; the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.”

Well the first of this statement sounds pretty good and in comparison to those kings “who did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” one might argue that this is much better and even good enough. Two little three letter words ‘yet’ and ‘but’ are indicators that a leader doing right as an individual isn’t enough. A leader has a responsibility to those he/she leads. Leaders are to give the hearts to God, to desire to have a heart like God’s. Leaders remove temptations thereby reducing the number of choices to good ones. In our time, making excuses for, pardoning and in some cases making legal, actions God deems are sins is much the same as leaving the high places in place, allowing the people to sacrifice and make offerings to false gods. Worship and sacrifice are wasted on idols, and those of us who go to the high places separate ourselves from God. “Separated from God we get picked off” (Tuttle). It is a king’s (leader’s) responsibility to protect those he/she leads, not allow them to wander away. Israel and Judah are deteriorating before our very eyes as we read through 1 and 2 Kings. Look around at the world today, governmental “leaders” are no better now. We need God, (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and we need to do away with the ‘yets and buts’ in our lives! O Lord lead me not into temptation and deliver me from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory!