Title: The Fall of Israel / 2 Kings 17
Content: The destruction of Israel (2 Kings 17)
This lengthy chapter records the last king of Israel and how the Northern Kingdom eventually came into exile. After the Assyrians conquered the people in 722 B.C., they took Samaria (the capital of the Northern Kingdom). What could have been a great victory for the glory of God was turned into a defeat, and this turned the real thing into the most insignificant thing.
1. The fall of Samaria (17:1-6)
Hosea, with the help of Assyria, became king of Israel. for he had promised to pay tribute to the king of Assyria. Hosea is known as an evil king (there were 20 wicked kings in Israel's history), but his sins were not as bad as those of his forefathers. Verse 2 alludes to Hosea's desire to lead the nation in a better way. 2 Chronicles 30:6-11 suggests that he allowed his people to participate in the great Passover invited by the godly King Hezekiah. But the king sold himself to Assyria, and it was too late to change. Sad to say, he tried to revolt in Assyria by refusing to pay annual tribute and making a secret pact with Egypt. How pleased Israel was to “go down to Egypt” to ask for help! Just as God's people today look to "the world" for support. Jeremiah 17:5-7 and Hosea 7:11-13 describe the Prophet's attitude toward his brother and sister in Egypt.
Assyria did not take this rebellion lightly. Their armies trampled the Northern Kingdom, and eventually assembled in the capital, Samaria. Samaria was a well-defended city, and it took the Assyrians three years to capture it. But the situation was hopeless. The people had forsaken Yoho, and God had already told them that they would be taken captive. Assyria had a policy of taking the “essence of the crops” (the best citizens) from their lands and colonizing the stolen lands with foreigners who had been taken prisoner from elsewhere. After 250 years of continuous sin and treason, the nation of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) was eventually captured by the enemy and left in a barren land of shame and defeat. Israel's history would have been different if Jeroboam, Israel's first king, had walked in the way of the Lord and led his people to obey the law. However, we see that Jeroboam disobeyed Jehovah and led the nation away from God. His successors also “walked in the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel fall into sin (1 Kings 16:19, 26 / 2 Kings 3:3, etc.). The golden calves at Dan and Bethel led Israel astray (1 Kings 12:25-33).
2. Captive Inspector (17:7-23)
History is not simply a series of human events. Because there is God's plan and purpose behind each nation. In these verses the Holy Spirit tells us why Samaria fell. Today we will have to keep this in mind. Because God does not respect nations. If he had disciplined his people Israel so harshly, what would God do to the rebellious nations against him today! “History is His story.”
① The people forgot God (verse 7) - God redeemed them from slavery in Egypt, bought them with a price, and made them his own people. The Passover, an annual event, reminded them of God's grace, but they forgot all that God had done for them. In Deuteronomy Moses several times begged the people to remember the Lord and not forget his mercy (see Deuteronomy 10:6ff / 8:1ff).
② The people secretly disobeyed (verses 8-9) - God had warned them not to mix with the Gentile nations in Canaan (Deuteronomy 7). But Israel secretly disobeyed. Their hearts were filled with carnal lust, and they gradually succumbed to the pagan worship around them.
③ The people openly rebelled (verses 10-12) - What began as a secret sin ultimately became an open sin. They provoke God (see Exod. 20:4 / Deut. 4:16 / Deut. 5:8).
3. Colonization of Samaria (17:24 -41)
After the king of Assyria sent out the best men, he drew his citizens from other peoples under his rule. This migration policy was to prevent the organized rebellion of the Israelis. These verses explain the origin of the Samaritans, who are the mixed races found in John 4 and Acts 8. The stump Jews of the faith, orthodox Jews, who later returned to Samaria had no dealings with this “half-blood” people. Jesus made it clear to the Samaritan woman that the Samaritans did not know what they were worshiping and that salvation came from the Jews (John 4:22).
“Blessed is the nation that believes in Jehovah God!” These tragic events in Israel's history motivate every Christian citizen to pray for their leaders in awe of the country. Unholy leaders produce a generation of unholy citizens (v. 41), and compromised priests lead worshipers further away from the Lord. When the word of the Lord is rejected (34-38), there is no hope for the future of the nation. Mercy may be extended (God endured 250 years for Israel!), but judgment will come in the end. The fact that there is no condemnation for apostasy” is an important lesson. Once a church, denomination, or nation turns their back on Jehovah, God cannot help but judge. He saves the “stump” of faithful faith for himself and begins the witness again. However, we cannot bless those who reject the Word of God and reject His call.