2 Kings 23:5
“He got rid of the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the army of the sky.”
What does 2 Kings 23:5 mean?
King Josiah is clearing out religious corruption that had built up over generations, removing priests who led people into worship of false gods and heavenly bodies instead of the Lord. The "high places" were unauthorized worship sites scattered throughout the land where people had drifted into practices their ancestors brought from neighboring cultures, treating the sun, moon, and stars as divine beings worthy of honor. This passage shows what genuine spiritual renewal looks like: it's not just personal, but involves honestly confronting practices that have become normalized in a community, even when those practices are deeply rooted and widespread. For those of us today, it's a quiet reminder that following God sometimes means being willing to question traditions we've inherited and turn away from them, no matter how established they seem.