2 Kings 17
The last king of Israel in Samaria is Hoshea who killed the previous king of Israel, the chapter before last.
Hoshea ruled as king for 9 years.
The Bible records that Hoshea did evil in the eyes of God but was not like the other kings of Israel before him.
Israel had been a vassal state to the Assyrians for some time and paid tribute annually. However word reached Shalmeneser the king of Assyria that Hoshea had tried to broker a deal with Pharaoh in Egypt
Shalmeneser invaded the land of Israel, imprisoned Hoshea and laid siege to Samaria.
It took 3 years for Samaria to fall but eventually they surrendered.
Shalmeneser deported the Israelites to towns elsewhere in the empire and only tiny Judah remained in the land flowing with milk and honey that Israel had taken possession of all those years before.
The Bible is quite clear that the exile from the land of their ancestors and the loss of the promised land was due to the sins of the people. As well as idol worship started by the kings, the people in secret did many things that were against the law of God - anywhere there was a hill somebody built some kind of alter, under every shady tree there was some kind of standing stone or pagan fertility symbol like an Asherah pole.
Israel did nothing to separate themselves from the wicked deeds of the people God drove out of the land before them, they sacrificed their children to foreign gods, something that God says later "I did not command this, nor did it even enter my mind" They practised sourcery and divination and sought omens - all forbidden by God in the law.
During the time of Israel as a nation, God sent judges, seers and prophets to warn the people, but they would not listen
Only Judah remained and this chapter says they were no better.
God has finally had enough - he abandoned Israel to their own devices - they relied on other gods, let them now take care and love them.
Shalmeneser, having deported the people of Israel from their land then gave the land to people he had deported from somewhere else - People from Babylon, and places a long way off were bought in to settle the now vacant land.
These people did not worship God and to start with they were attacked by lions, which the Bible attributes to God.
A priest is sent for to teach the new people something about God, the people moved in were taught about God of Israel but they also worshipped their own gods.
The people became know as Samaritans - they were still in the land at the time of Jesus and are still there to this day
We have looked and struggled with how God could want peoples wiped out in the book of Joshua and Judges. The Bible records that this was due to the evil deeds that they were carrying out, and when Israel do the same - they too are removed. God is loving and patient yes, but he is also just.
The last king of Israel in Samaria is Hoshea who killed the previous king of Israel, the chapter before last.
Hoshea ruled as king for 9 years.
The Bible records that Hoshea did evil in the eyes of God but was not like the other kings of Israel before him.
Israel had been a vassal state to the Assyrians for some time and paid tribute annually. However word reached Shalmeneser the king of Assyria that Hoshea had tried to broker a deal with Pharaoh in Egypt
Shalmeneser invaded the land of Israel, imprisoned Hoshea and laid siege to Samaria.
It took 3 years for Samaria to fall but eventually they surrendered.
Shalmeneser deported the Israelites to towns elsewhere in the empire and only tiny Judah remained in the land flowing with milk and honey that Israel had taken possession of all those years before.
The Bible is quite clear that the exile from the land of their ancestors and the loss of the promised land was due to the sins of the people. As well as idol worship started by the kings, the people in secret did many things that were against the law of God - anywhere there was a hill somebody built some kind of alter, under every shady tree there was some kind of standing stone or pagan fertility symbol like an Asherah pole.
Israel did nothing to separate themselves from the wicked deeds of the people God drove out of the land before them, they sacrificed their children to foreign gods, something that God says later "I did not command this, nor did it even enter my mind" They practised sourcery and divination and sought omens - all forbidden by God in the law.
During the time of Israel as a nation, God sent judges, seers and prophets to warn the people, but they would not listen
Only Judah remained and this chapter says they were no better.
God has finally had enough - he abandoned Israel to their own devices - they relied on other gods, let them now take care and love them.
Shalmeneser, having deported the people of Israel from their land then gave the land to people he had deported from somewhere else - People from Babylon, and places a long way off were bought in to settle the now vacant land.
These people did not worship God and to start with they were attacked by lions, which the Bible attributes to God.
A priest is sent for to teach the new people something about God, the people moved in were taught about God of Israel but they also worshipped their own gods.
The people became know as Samaritans - they were still in the land at the time of Jesus and are still there to this day
We have looked and struggled with how God could want peoples wiped out in the book of Joshua and Judges. The Bible records that this was due to the evil deeds that they were carrying out, and when Israel do the same - they too are removed. God is loving and patient yes, but he is also just.
No comments:
Post a Comment