grand display of Jehovah’s battle power at Armageddon.

19. What will happen to the desire or craving of the wicked, and who will have happiness, even in 1955?

¹⁹ “The desire [craving] of the wicked shall perish.” Their wicked schemes against the righteous will not prosper, except to their own destruction, and all the things upon which they have set their eyes as desirable in this world will perish with them, to their everlasting disappointment. In glorious contrast, the righteous Kingdom publishers will see their desire fulfilled as they gaze upon their adversaries, for they will be on Jehovah’s winning side and will survive into the triumphant new world where Jehovah’s vindication will forever be celebrated. Oh, the unhappiness of the man that does not fear Jehovah and that does not delight greatly in His commandments! But, oh, your own happiness if you will be a fearer of Jehovah in 1955 and keep his commandments with God-given freedom from fear!

Questions From Readers

● What is meant by the “high places of Isaac” mentioned at Amos 7:9, and is it not contradictory for the Bible to say that certain kings removed the high places, yet later on say they failed to abolish them?—A. M., Turkey.

The “high places” refer to the sacred high places of the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel, whose capital was Samaria, Jeroboam II being then king of Israel. The ten tribes were descendants of Isaac as well as of Jacob or Israel. Hence the expression “high places of Isaac” runs parallel with the “sanctuaries of Israel” mentioned in the same verse (Amos 7:9). The high places of “Isaac” (equivalent to Israel) refer therefore to the sacred high places of golden calf worship at Bethel and Dan, which were patronized by these ten tribes of apostate descendants of Isaac through Jacob or Israel.—1 Ki. 12:28-33.

Concerning King Asa of the kingdom of Judah it is written: “He took away the foreign altars, and the high places, and brake down the pillars, and hewed down the Asherim, and commanded Judah to seek Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun-images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.” Yet later it is recorded concerning his reign: “But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.” And of his successor Jehoshaphat we read: “And his heart was lifted up in the ways of Jehovah: and furthermore he took away the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.” But of his reign also we later read: “Howbeit the high places were not taken away.”—2 Chron. 14:3-5; 15:17; 17:6; 20:33, AS.

How can these apparent contradictions be explained? It seems evident that the high places in Judah fell into two classes, one where pagan gods were worshiped and the other where Jehovah was worshiped. There was to be no toleration of the high places of the Canaanites where their idolatries were practiced: “You must drive away all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their stone figures, and all their images of molten metal you should destroy and all their sacred high places you should annihilate.” But even after the tabernacle was established and still later the temple, there was some sacrificing done to Jehovah on high places which was acceptable to him, the sacrificing done by Samuel and David and Elijah, for example. Also, some improper modes of high-place worship were carried on in Jehovah’s name, and for this reason may have persisted longer than the high places devoted to pagan gods. Even the idolatrous calf worship at Sinai was called “a festival to Jehovah.”—Num. 33:52; Ex. 32:5, NW; 1 Sam. 9:11-19; 1 Chron. 21:26; 1 Ki. 18:30-39.

So it may be that these kings removed all the high places devoted to pagan gods but allowed those where Jehovah was worshiped to remain. If that is the case, then their purging work was not thorough and complete, because in general the proper place for sacrificing to Jehovah was at the tabernacle or temple, and