P a g e | 1
Third Presbyterian Church Tuesday Bible Study Old Testament Tour – 2 Kings Lesson 93 – The Battle for God’s worship
2 Kings 17:24-41 (NIV) 24 The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. 25 When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people. 26 It was reported to the king of Assyria: "The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires." 27 Then the king of Assyria gave this order: "Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires." 28 So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the LORD. 29 Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places. 30 The men from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men from Cuthah made Nergal, and the men from Hamath made Ashima; 31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 They worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. 33 They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought. 34 To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the LORD nor adhere to the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel. 35 When the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: "Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. 36 But the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. 37 You must always be careful to keep the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. 38 Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. 39 Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies." 40 They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. 41 Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.
P a g e | 2
Questions
1. God has been working with Israel and Judah for a while to make them a people set apart until it came to a head and God allowed them to be taken captive by the Assyrians. Share a testimony where our disobedience to God led to a season of “captivity” in our own lives. How did the captivity end? 2. What emotion do we provoke in God when we knowingly disobey His commands? How do you respond that emption in God with your behavior? 3. The king of Assyria sent one of the priests taken captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires. So that happened and the people were taught but still didn’t follow what was taught to them. A. Why do you think Christians have been taught to worship yet still don’t incorporate worship of the Lord with the same passion as they worship idols? 4. Why isn’t God endlessly patient with sin in individuals and nations? 5. Why isn’t God satisfied when people merely add worship of Him to their other spiritual practices? 6. Why does God command us not to serve other gods at the same time He commands us to serve Him? 7. What does God consistently do for those who serve Him and Him alone? 8. What idolatries in modern life are Christians tempted to mix with their worship of God? 9. How can we tell when some person or thing has usurped God’s proper place in our lives? When has that happened in your life and what did you do to stop it? 10. As group come up with a list of questions that would help you know when something or someone has become an idol to you?
P a g e | 3
E. The Tragic Fall of Israel, Its Conquest and Deportation of the People by the Assyrians (721 or 722 B.C.): The End of God's Patience and the Execution of His Judgment, 17:1-41 (17:1-41) Introduction— Patience, Traits of— Patience, Difficulty— God, Patience, Ends— Northern Kingdom of Israel, God's Patience with: patience is one of the most important qualities a person can possess. Bear in mind that a patient person is slow to speak, not easily angered, not prone to overreact. A patient person is more likely to understand, to be merciful and compassionate; more likely to be gentle and kind, a better listener. A patient person is also more open to receive others, even when a mistake is made. But, in reality, it is sometimes very difficult to be patient. A family member or fellow worker aggravates us or moves too slowly or fails to do what he or she promised. A parent becomes impatient with a child or a child with a parent. In the workplace, a supervisor or employee becomes impatient with others. The list of scenarios is endless. The great subject of this passage is the patience of God and the end of His patience with the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The day came when God's patience finally ended and His hand of judgment struck. For over 200 years God's patience had endured Israel's sin. He had been longsuffering with their wicked behavior, their turning to false gods and worship, and their rejection of Him. Imagine the patience and forbearing needed to put up with the sinful, rebellious Israelites of the Northern Kingdom for over 200 long years. Because of Israel's wickedness and their rejection of Him, God had no choice. The people had reached a point of no return, a day when their hearts would never repent nor turn back to Him. Consequently, there would be nothing but evil and wickedness flowing out of their lives. This, God could not allow. If there was no hope of the Israelites' ever repenting and living righteous lives as a testimony to the only living and true God, it was time for them to face the judgment of God. Sadly and tragically, the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell under the assault of the Assyrians and the people were transplanted into other conquered nations. This is: The Tragic Fall of Israel, Its Conquest and Deportation of the People by the Assyrians (721 or 722 B.C.): The End of God's Patience and the Execution of His Judgment, 17:1-41. 1. The reign of Hoshea, the last king of Israel: a picture of reaping what one sows (v.1-4). 2. The climactic fall of Israel: the end of God's patience and His final judgment (v.5-6). 3. The terrible sins that caused Israel's fall: a tragic picture of sin's consequences (v.7-23). 4. The settlement of foreign refugees in the land of Israel: a clear warning to the reader (v.24-41).
1. (17:1-4) Reaping, What One Sows, Example— Sowing, Principle of— Evil, Results of— Northern Kingdom of Israel, Kings of: Hoshea, the last ruler of the Northern Kingdom, had assassinated his predecessor Pekah. He had led an uprising of pro-Assyrian supporters. Because of Pekah's opposition and war against Assyria, much of the territory of Israel had been lost to the Assyrians. Now the Assyrian troops were stationed all along Israel's eastern border, right across the Jordan River.Israel as a nation and people was facing annihilation, extinction. A cloud of hopelessness swept the nation. Because of this, Hoshea and his pro-Assyrian supporters made a secret agreement to become a vassal state of Assyria, that is, to pay an annual tax if Assyria would allow them to keep their land. Agreeing with the proposal made by Hoshea and the pro-Assyrian supporters, Tiglath-Pileser apparently backed or at least encouraged the uprising against King Pekah (see outline—• 2 Kings 15:27-31 and note—•2 Kings 15:27-31 for more discussion). Once the secret agreement had been settled upon, Hoshea assassinated the Israelite king and assumed the throne for himself.
Hoshea took the throne in the twelfth year of King Ahaz of Judah, and he reigned nine years (2 Kings 17:1- 2). Throughout his life, Hoshea had lived wickedly and, as ruler of Israel, he continued to do evil in the eyes of the LORD (2 Kings 17:2). But note what Scripture says: he did not do as much evil as the kings who had ruled before him had done. Nevertheless, he stood guilty before God because of his wicked life and because he did P a g e | 4 not lead the people to repentance. He failed to encourage them to turn away from their false worship back to the LORD. The downward spiral into more and more wickedness continued; consequently, the whirlwind of God's judgment became a force that was unstoppable. The citizens of the Northern Kingdom would now reap the consequences of their sins, and Hoshea would be the king sitting upon the throne when the tragic fall of Israel took place. At some point in his reign, Hoshea made the decision to break the yoke of Assyrian bondage (2 Kings 17:3- 4). Forming an alliance with Egypt against Assyria, he refused to pay the tribute or taxes to the Assyrian king. Note this fact: by this time, Tiglath-Pileser III had died and his son Shalmaneser had become king of the foreign power. As soon as Shalmaneser heard of the revolt, he immediately arrested and imprisoned Hoshea.
Thought 1. Hoshea lived a life of wickedness that climaxed in a plot of intrigue and murder. Then, after securing the throne, he quickly launched a foolish plan of conspiracy against the king of Assyria, the greatest power of that day. Throughout his adult life, Hoshea sowed one wicked seed after another— deception, intrigue, conspiracy, and murder. In the end, the law of sowing and reaping struck a heavy blow. He sowed corruption and reaped arrest and imprisonment. If there is any lesson God's Holy Word teaches, it is this: we reap what we sow. It is a law that has been established by God Himself, established throughout the whole universe. If a certain condition exists, there will be a particular result. In the area of human behavior, if we sow righteousness, we will reap good and fruitful lives and build up society. We will set examples of righteousness, justice, compassion, kindness, and love for all with whom we come in contact. But if we sow lives of sin and wickedness, we will ultimately reap lives that suffer catastrophic consequences. Sinful, wicked lives tear down society, promoting immorality, injustice, lawlessness, violence, murder, abuse, assault, rape, profanity, unbelief, idol worship, and a host of other evils. But of even more significance, wicked lives will eventually suffer the doom of God's eternal judgment, being separated from His presence forever and ever. Anything a man does—good or bad—has consequences. God has established certain principles or laws throughout the universe that always take place: 1) There is the law of sowing and reaping. If a man sows wickedness, he reaps corruption.
"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2).
2) There is the law of measure. If a man measures, doles out, distributes wickedness, he will be measured by wickedness. Whatever a man measures, he receives.
"For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again" (Matthew 7:2).
3) There is the law of seeking. If a man seeks, he finds. The harder he seeks, the more he finds. P a g e | 5
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7).
4) There is the law of willful hardness and impenitence. The more a man hardens himself and refuses to repent, the harder and more impenitent he becomes. In fact, a man can become so hardened that he never repents, never even thinks about repentance. Such a man stores up wrath against himself.
"But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds" (Romans 2:5-6).
5) There is the law of being fitted for destruction. The more a man refuses to believe the LORD, the more he is fitted and conditioned for destruction. In other words, a man prepares and conditions himself for destruction through unbelief.
"What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction" (Romans 9:22).
6) There is the law of God's patience. God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Therefore, God allows the world to continue to exist, allowing more and more people to be saved. He endures with patience the unbelievers who harden themselves and store up wrath against themselves in order that some might be saved and given the privilege of knowing the riches of His grace (Romans 2:5; cp. Romans 2:22-23)
"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.…But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:3-4, 8-9).
P a g e | 6
7) There is the law of God's supreme purpose. God's supreme purpose is that His Son "be the first among many brothers" (Romans 8:29). God wants Jesus Christ to have many brothers and sisters who will be conformed to His image and count Christ as the One who is to be worshipped and served eternally. In order for Christ to gain more and more brothers who will honor Him, God is willing for unbelievers to continue on in their unbelief, ever hardening themselves under the just and judicial laws He has established. Men are allowed to go on in their unbelief, condemning themselves under the just and judicial laws of the universe.
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified" (Romans 8:28- 30).
2. (17:5-6) Longsuffering, of God— Judgment, of God— Northern Kingdom of Israel, Fall of— Assyria, Conquered Israel— Samaria, Fall of: the tragic and climactic fall of Israel was now about to take place. God's patience ended and His final judgment fell upon the sinful, evil people of the Northern Kingdom. Note that King Hoshea of Israel seems to have been seized and imprisoned prior to the invasion of Assyria (2 Kings 17:5; cp. 2 Kings 17:4). Whatever the case, immediately after Hoshea's foolish rebellion, Shalmaneser quickly marched in and conquered the entire land of the Northern Kingdom except for the capital Samaria. Once he had the Northern Kingdom under his control, he turned against the capital and laid siege to it. But it took three years to conquer Samaria, for the city was like an impregnable fortress. During the three-year siege, King Shalmaneser of Assyria died and his brother Sargon II succeeded him. Thus, Samaria finally fell after three long years (725-722 B.C.) during the reign of Sargon II.
Once the Assyrians had captured Samaria, they deported or exiled many of the Israelites to various parts of Assyria: Halah, Gozan, and the towns of the Medes (2 Kings 17:6). Later the Assyrians would resettle the Northern Kingdom with foreign refugees from other lands they had conquered (2 Kings 17:24). About 200 years earlier, right after Jeroboam I had led a rebellion that split Israel into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, the LORD had sent a prophet to pronounce the future prophetic judgment upon Israel. The LORD was going to strike Israel, uproot the nation, and scatter the people in exile beyond the Euphrates River. Why? Because of their wickedness and their rejection of Him. They had turned to false gods and engaged in false worship (2 Kings 14:15-16). The shocking prophecy regarding Israel was now fulfilled. What God had predicted had happened. The Northern Kingdom of Israel fell, with many of its people being deported, exiled into the cities of Assyria beyond the Euphrates River.
Thought 1. God's patience had run its course. He had given the people of Israel countless opportunities to repent over a period of 200 years. But the people refused to turn away from their wickedness, refused to give up their false gods and false worship. They rejected the LORD for so long that they became obstinate in their unbelief. They were a stubborn, stiff-necked people who stood against the LORD God Himself. Allowing their hearts to become hardened by their sinful, evil behavior, they reached a point of no return, a point when they would never repent and turn back to God. Only God knows when a person reaches the point of no return, the point when he has sinned so much he will never repent. No man can ever know when that point arrives in another person's life. But God P a g e | 7
knows. And He knew when the Israelites reached this point. Consequently, His patience had reached its end. No longer would God be longsuffering with them. For they would no longer respond to His love and appeal to return to Him. Consequently, it was time for judgment to fall. And judgment did fall. So it is with us. There is a limit to God's patience and longsuffering. Any one of us can sin so much that we become enslaved by sin. We can reach the point of no return, the point when we will never repent or turn back to God. But again note this fact: only God knows when a person has become so steeped in sin, wickedness, and evil that he has gone beyond repentance. No other person can ever know when any of us has reached that point. But God does know. However, this one fact must be heeded. Right now God is patient with us, appealing and calling us to repentance, to turn to Him, worshipping and serving Him. But if we come to the end of life having never trusted Christ as our Savior, we will slip out into eternity without God. We will face the terrifying judgment of God. Therefore, today is the day of salvation! Today is the day to receive Christ! 1) Listen to what the Word of God says about the patience, the longsuffering of the LORD.
"Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down" (Luke 13:7-9).
"Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5:31). "What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction" (Romans 9:22). "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephes. 1:7). 2) Listen to what God says about the coming final judgment.
"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left" (Matthew 25:31-33). "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:28-29). Thought 2. Paul R. House gives an excellent application that speaks to the heart of the reader:
A long time has passed since the prophet Ahijah told the wife of Jeroboam I that idolatry would lead to Israel's exile (1 Kings 14:14-16). Over these two hundred years Israel has seemed determined to make this prophecy come to pass. No reform occurs. No real repentance emerges. No leader calls a halt to pagan worship. No prophet is taken seriously. Thus the spare, unadorned description of Samaria's fall is dramatic only in the sense that it is Israel's final scene. God's grace alone has delayed the fall this long.
P a g e | 8
3. (17:7-23) Sin, of Israel— Wickedness, of Israel— Evil, of Israel— Israel, Sins of— Northern Kingdom of Israel, Fall of, Reasons— Sin, Consequences of, Threefold— Israel, Fall of, Caused by— Israel, Northern Kingdom, Fall of, Caused by: simply stated, Israel fell because of her terrible sin, her evil and wickedness. A graphic description is given of the failure.
1. What an indictment, a condemnation against any people! Yet this is just what this list of sins is: God's indictment against the Israelites of the Northern Kingdom. Charge after charge of sin and evil—at least 22 charges—are leveled against them. Glancing back at the list of sins, note how serious, how grievous they are. How they must have broken and cut the heart of God time and again. And note when their sin and rebellion against God began: right after He had freed them from Egyptian slavery under the leadership of Moses (2 Kings 17:7). From the earliest days of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage, there was a tendency to forget God and His wonderful salvation. From the very first, they began to turn away from the only living and true God to false gods and false worship, living lives of sin, wickedness, and evil. Sadly, despite God's obvious leading in their lives and His miraculous deliverance from oppression, the Israelites continued to reject the LORD and His Holy Word. They chose instead to follow the immoral, lawless, and violent ways of their neighbors, disobeying the LORD and His commandments. 2. As a result, the Israelites suffered the consequences of their sins, evil, and wickedness (2 Kings 17:18-20). Three very specific consequences are covered, and these three always follow upon the heels of sin—whether committed by the ancient Israelites or by us today. a. In their sin, the Israelites aroused God's anger and judgment against them. Judgment is always the inevitable result of sin. Therefore if any person sins—unless he repents and turns to God—the judgment of God will eventually fall upon him (2 Kings 17:18). Because of the Israelites' sin—their evil and wickedness—Israel was removed from God's presence. As a nation with a separate identity, they were erased from the face of the earth—never again to exist as the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Only the kingdom of Judah, the Southern Kingdom was left. Going too far in their sin—beyond the point of repentance—the citizens of the Northern Kingdom aroused God's anger and judgment. They chose to live apart from God while on this earth, so they were given their desire. God removed them from His presence forever. b. In their sins, the ancient Israelites became stumbling blocks to others (2 Kings 17:19). They set a bad and sinful example, influencing the people of Judah to follow their wickedness. Sadly and tragically, the people of Judah chose to follow in their footsteps, committing the very same sins as the Israelites. Consequently, the inevitable result of sin would take effect in their lives and upon their nation. Judah itself would collapse and the Judeans would be taken into captivity by the Babylonian empire in 587– 586 B.C. (See outline—• 2 Kings 25:1-30 and notes—•2 Kings 25:1-30 for more discussion.) c. A third consequence of sin is that of chastisement, God's discipline against the sinner (2 Kings 17:20). The ancient Israelites were not exempt from God's chastisement. During the 200 years of their rebellion against God, the LORD had disciplined them by sending plunderers and enemy invaders against them. In mercy, God used enemy nations to attack them, attempting to arouse the Israelites to turn to God for help, to cry out for deliverance. If they had just turned to Him and cried out, He would have delivered and saved them from any and all enemies. But after 200 years of rejecting His discipline, God was left with no choice. Finally, He cast them out and thrust them from His presence (2 Kings 17:20).
Note this fact: the major blame for Israel's fall lay upon the shoulders of Jeroboam I (2 Kings 17:21-23). He committed three terrible evils that were bound to have catastrophic results: ⇒ He split the nation by leading the ten northern tribes away from the tribe of Judah (the Southern Kingdom). P a g e | 9
⇒ He instituted a new religion for the people of the Northern Kingdom and led them away from the LORD (see outline• —1 Kings 12:25-33 and note—• 1 Kings 12:25-33 for more discussion). ⇒ He set a pattern, an example of wicked behavior that was followed by the Israelites down through the 200 years of their history. Hence, God's judgment fell upon the nation Israel. God removed the Northern Kingdom from His presence, but only after warning them for over 200 long years. Because of their sin—their evil and wickedness—Israel fell. The people were taken from the promised land and scattered as exiles throughout the land of Assyria. And to this day, the Northern Kingdom of Israel has not stood as a separate nation. Furthermore, the Northern Kingdom never will. The people had been displaced, scattered all over, never again to be united as the Northern Kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 17:18, 20, 23).
Thought 1. Sin has its consequences. When we break God's commandments, we will suffer the penalty. And Scripture is clear: there is a penalty for sin, for living wicked lives and walking in the wicked ways of unbelievers. If we follow in the footsteps of unbelievers—committing immorality, lawlessness, and violence—we will suffer the penalty for our sinful behavior. Listen to what God's Holy Word says about the penalty of sin:
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Romans 5:12). "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Romans 8:6).
Thought 2. Russell Dilday makes an excellent application that is worth quoting in full:
The ten tribes of the North disappeared after this, never to be heard from again. These ten lost tribes of Israel have been a mystery through the years. People have tried to find them in the Jewish communities of southern Arabia, in various tribes in India, in China, in Turkey, in Cashmir, in Afghanistan, in the American Indians; but not a trace remains. Verse 23 says, "the Lord removed Israel out of His sight." Only Judah remained, and in verse 19 the writer inserts a parenthetical reminder that within 160 years, Judah also would follow in the same tragic pattern. Unlike technical secular historians, the purpose of the Old Testament historians was not to catalogue various events in chronological order, nor to analyze the various movements in history, but to declare God's righteous dealings with His people. Therefore, great events like the fall of a kingdom were of little significance to them unless they revealed the righteous purpose of God. The main thing about this passage then is not the details of the siege, nor the names of the Assyrian kings, nor the military strategies, nor the political maneuvering—items which secular historians would have emphasized. The main thing for the biblical historian is the long list of the reasons for God's judgment on Israel. P a g e | 10
Here, the important message is the postmortem inquiry into the spiritual diseases that killed the kingdom, because that message becomes a warning for nations of all ages. In this passage are warnings against the danger of ingratitude, the danger of stiff-necked resistance to the word of God, the danger of yielding to the unhealthy influences of godless people around us, the folly of secret transgressions, the impotence of cheap, convenient religion, the danger of pride, the peril of provoking God to anger, the hazards of idolatry (which is still practiced in many diverse forms today), the warning of inevitable judgment. But one of the most vivid lessons in this passage is in verse 15. The New King James Version translates the phrase, "They followed idols, became idolaters." The original is more accurate at this point: "They worshiped emptiness and became empty." The word here is hebel meaning "air," "delusion," or "vanity." The idea is that they became like the gods they worshiped. They bowed down to nothingness and became nothing."
4. (17:24-41) Warning, to Whom, the Reader of Scripture— Warning, to Whom, the Believer— Promised Land, the, After Israel's Fall— Land, the Promised, After Israel's Fall— Believers, Warning to— Foreigners, in the Promised Land: sometime after Israel's fall, the Assyrians repopulated the land with foreign refugees from other conquered nations. A close study of this point needs to be made, for the point closes with a striking warning to the reader (see 2 Kings 17:35-41). Under the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III, a policy was begun of transferring or transplanting the populace of conquered nations into foreign nations. By switching the inhabitants, the king hoped to break the loyalty of the people to their own land and to transfer their allegiance to Assyria. Moreover, the transfer or transplantation policy helped eliminate the possibility of any major uprisings. It also assured intermarriage between various nations and the elimination of distinctive nationalities, which helped weaken the allegiance of people to their homeland.
1. In resettling the land of Israel, the Assyrians chose foreign refugees from five conquered nations to populate the territory (2 Kings 17:24). Coming from the regions of Babylon and Syria, the refugees were scattered throughout the towns of Samaria, that is, the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Through the following generations, the mixing of these races with the few Israelites who had been left behind became known as the Samaritans, especially during the times of the New Testament.
2. When the settlers arrived in the land of Israel, they soon faced a problem (2 Kings 17:25-26). Lions were roaming all over the land since the Assyrians had depopulated it. As a result, some of the new settlers were soon being attacked and others killed. Scripture says this was a direct judgment of God, a judgment being executed due to the settlers' false worship. No doubt, the LORD was attempting to arouse them to turn to Him, the only true and living God. In their desperation, the new settlers appealed to the king for help. Being polytheistic—worshippers of many gods—the settlers felt that the god of this particular land was displeased with their worship. So they shared this fact with the Assyrian king, apparently requesting the return of a priest from Israel who could instruct them in how to worship the God of Israel (2 Kings 17:26). Note how little help the Israelites who had been left behind were, how ignorant they were of the LORD. Obviously, they knew so little about the LORD and His Word that they were unable to instruct or point the new settlers to Him. 3. Granting the request of the settlers, the Assyrian king sent a priest back to help them (2 Kings 17:27-28). Although unnamed, the priest was an Israelite who had been taken from Samaria to Babylon during the exile. The priest, settling in Bethel, began to teach the people how to worship the LORD, the only living and true God. P a g e | 11
4. Sadly, however, the settlers corrupted the true worship of the LORD (2 Kings 17:29-34). They committed four serious errors: a. Each national group of foreigners continued to worship its own false gods and shrines (2 Kings 17:29- 31). None of them worshipped the LORD, not as the LORD instructed and demanded. Rather, the settlers worshipped as they had always worshipped: ⇒ The Babylonians worshipped Succoth Benoth. ⇒ The Cuthahians worshipped Nergal. ⇒ The Hamath citizens worshipped Ashima. ⇒ The Avvites worshipped Nibhaz and Tartak. ⇒ The Sepharvites offered human sacrifices to the false gods Adrammelech and Anammelech. Knowing any details about these false gods with any accuracy or certainty is simply impossible. b. Being polytheistic (believing in or worshipping more than one god), the settlers had no problem adding another god to their agenda. They worshipped the LORD and even appointed their own priests to lead them in worship (2 Kings 17:32). c. Of course, their own priests combined the worship of the true LORD with the worship of their own false gods (2 Kings 17:33). This led to a religion of syncretism—a religion of compromise, of accommodation—a religion that accepted the viewpoints of all religions. d. The settlers continued living sinful, wicked lives (2 Kings 17:34). They had no fear of the LORD; consequently, they did not worship Him nor obey His Word and commandments. They ignored the fact that God had given His Holy Word to the world through Israel. 5. With this verse, the author gives a strong warning to the reader (2 Kings 17:35-41). Four specific warnings are issued. a. You, the reader, must remember God's covenant, His basic commandment (2 Kings 17:35-36). What is the basic—the foundational, primary—commandment? You must not fear or worship other gods: neither bow down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them. You must remember that the LORD alone saved and delivered His people from Egypt (a symbol of the world). Therefore, you must worship the LORD alone, bowing down and offering sacrifices to Him alone. b. You, the reader, must always obey God's Word (2 Kings 17:37). You must keep all of God's Word, heeding this commandment in particular: you must not fear, worship false gods. c. You, the reader, must heed and never forget God's covenant (2 Kings 17:38-39). You must not worship false gods, but must worship the LORD and Him alone. You must know that the LORD alone saves you from the hand of all your enemies. d.You, the reader, must remember Israel's failure: they would not listen, but continued to walk in their wicked ways (2 Kings 17:40-41). They worshipped the LORD, but they also worshipped false gods. And sadly, to this very day, they have continued to follow this false and empty religion of syncretism (mixing the worship of the LORD with false gods.)
Thought 1. Note how all four of the warnings given to the reader focus upon the first of God's Ten Commandments. The first commandment says this: thou shalt have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3). In this commandment, God is making a forceful declaration and demand: people are to know and acknowledge the only living and true God, the LORD God Himself. 1) God declares that people who think there is no God are wrong (atheists). He says "I AM the LORD God, the true and living God." Atheists may deny God, and agnostics may question if God really exists, but God is forceful in His declaration. ⇒ "I AM—I AM the LORD your God" (Exodus 20:2). P a g e | 12
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" (Psalm 14:1).
2) No other object and no other being are ever to be set up as a so-called 'god.' Taking ideas or objects and beings and calling them God is forbidden, absolutely forbidden. ⇒ The LORD Himself (Jehovah, Yahweh) emphatically declares:
"I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images" (Isaiah 42:8).
⇒ The great apostle Paul declared:
"For though there be [many] that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things" (1 Cor. 8:5-6).
We make a god out of anything that we esteem or love, fear or serve more than God. Again, whatever the heart clings to, that is a person's god. It may be oneself. Frankly, many people focus upon pleasing and satisfying themselves. They live by their own values and are concerned primarily with their own feelings, comfort, desires, and pleasures. They simply live like they want and do their own thing. They have exalted themselves to be their own god. Other people make gods out of... • heavenly • a career bodies • power • science • family • force, energy • sex • animals • food • images • pleasure • money • the latest • property fashions • position • cars, trucks • recognition • sports • fame • recreation A god can be anything or any person. Man's first allegiance, first loyalty, first devotion is to be to the LORD God. The LORD God is to be first in a man's life; He is to be enthroned in the heart of man. Man is to know and acknowledge that there is one God and one God alone. The first commandment of the LORD is to be obeyed:
P a g e | 13
"You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3)
Note several points. ⇒ The so called gods of heaven and earth are nothing more than the creation of man's imagination and hands.
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things" (Romans 1:22-23).
"Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led" (1 Cor. 12:2). "Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them" (Psalm 115:4-8).
⇒ There is only one true and living God, the LORD Himself (Jehovah, Yahweh).
"And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord" (Mark 12:29). "And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he" (Mark 12:32). ⇒ There is only one sovereign Creator who meets the needs of man.
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). "Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee" (Neh. 9:6).
Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary - The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – 2 Kings.