The Book of Second kings

Chapter 17

[1] In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.
[2] And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

1) The Ruin of Israel

A. Coux of the kingdom (1,2)

Hoshea has become the king of Israel by assassination of the former king Pekah (2K 15:30)

Hoshea was an evil king but was not as evil as those before him… in other words he was not the worst king

Yet in this chapter we will see the fall of the nation and judgment does not come at the height of sin

[3] Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.
[4] And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.

B. Campaign of the king (3,4)

Hoshea paid tribute to the king of Assyria yearly, in order to keep his throne.

But the kingdom of Assyria had changed rulers from Tiglathpileser to Shalmaneser.

Therefore Hoshea thought he could defy Assyria and he did not pay tribute BUT conspired with Egypt for help

Hoshea’s conspiracy was found out and he was imprisoned

Rather than look to the Lord for help, he looked to Egypt

[5] Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.
[6] In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

C. Conquered by the kingly (5,6)

The Assyrians besieged the city of Samaria for 3 years. (Gods judgment may come thru human instruments)

200 yrs and 19 kings after Solomon, Israel is taken captive by the Assyrians. The kingdom of Israel is in ruins

Not because God was unable to help them BUT they had forsaken God

The people are attached together with ropes and humiliatingly marched naked for hundreds of miles to Assyria

[7] For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharoah king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,

2) The Reasons for the Fall of Israel

A. Regarding Not (7)

Israel had forsaken the Lord God who had delivered them from Egypt and the people served & feared other gods

They had been 200 years forsaking the Lord God but His judgment was held as long as possible

[8] And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.

B. Resistance (8)

Israel practiced the same sins as the heathens whom God had cast out of the land.

Israel shared the same conduct and practice of pagan nations and now they face the same judgment

Israel made many of these gods out of their own evil desire

[9] And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.
[10] And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:
[11] And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:
[12] For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.

C. Rebellion (9-12)

Israel thought they could sin secretly against the God who sees everything. Pr 28:13 (Omnipresence Pr 15:3)

Israel built high places which were unauthorized by the Lord (Dt 12:13,14) and Israel became idolatrous

[13] Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.
[14] Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.
[15] And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.

D. Rejection (13-15)

In love, the Lord God warned Israel by sending men of God to proclaim “turn ye from your evil ways”

Yet, Israel would not hear. They became more stubborn (14) as God called and they sunk deeper into sin

First Israel had sinned against the LAW OF GOD, now they sin against the LOVE OF GOD

[16] And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
[17] And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
[18] Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
[19] Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.
[20] And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.
[21] For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin.
[22] For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;
[23] Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.

E. Refusal (16-23)

Israel left the commandments of God and made molten calves, worshipping stars and served Baal

Israel burnt their children in the fire to the demon god Molech (Lev 20:1-5)

Israel practiced witchcraft, soothsaying and the occult (Ex 22:18, Dt 19:9-14, 1 S 15:23)

Israel refused the LORD, therefore the LORD refused them (Prov 1:24-26)

The LORD removed Israel out of his sight

(18,19) Judah still remained as a kingdom but would ignore the lesson of Israel and practice evil as well

[24] And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.

3) The Resettlement of Israel

A. Removal (24)

Israel was removed as the people of the land and was led away as captives to live in Assyria

In 1 Cor 9:27 Paul wrote “But I keep under my body, and bring it unto subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

Friend, lets do not reject the LORD and cause our falling away. Lets serve HIM and HIM only!

[25] And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them.
[26] Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.

B. Resettled (24-26)

The policy of Assyria was to remove the rebellious and resettle the land with their own people

They hoped to repopulate the land to prevent revolt. This people mixed in with the remaining people

But these new people did not fear the LORD and the LORD demands to be feared by the people of that land

Zech 2:12 says that it is a holy land. Therefore the LORD sent voracious lions and many people died

The new Assyrian officials believed this happened because they knew not the God of the land.

This mixing resulted in the beginning of what is known as the Samaritan people

Jn 4:9 “the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans”

The Jews felt this way because they believed the new people did not deserve to be in the land

These new people to the land were a wicked worldly fearsome people

In fact part of the group that opposed Nehemiah was Sanballat (Neh 4:1,2)

Sanballat the Horonite (Neh 2:19) was a Samaritan leader

As bad as the Jews feel about the Samaritans, please consider these same Jews also rejected Jesus

But still many of the Samaritans recognized they were sinners

Jn 4 the woman at the well was a Samaritan and she got saved!

Lk 17:11-19 10 lepers were cleansed by Jesus and one returned to give thanks and he was a Samaritan.

Listen what the Jews said to Jesus in Jn 8:48 “Then answered the Jews and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?” But in Lk 10:29-37 Jesus gave the parable of the Good Samaritan to the Jews. This Good Samaritan represents Jesus. You remember the story. When the Jewish priest & Levite passed the wounded man up and left him for dead the Good Samaritan helped the needy.

In fact, Acts 8:5-12 teaches that Philip went to Samaria and preached and a great revival broke out and many were saved. But the Jews, more and more so reject the gospel.

[27] Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land.
[28] Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.
[29] Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.
[30] And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
[31] And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
[32] So they feared the LORD, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.
[33] They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.

4) The Religion of Israel

A. Rituals (27-33)

The king of Assyria had a priest of Israel taken back to teach the new people of the land how to fear the LORD

The problem was the priesthood was corrupt. He did not tell the Assyrians they were to only worship the LORD

The priest did not teach it because he did not believe it

So they tried to serve the LORD GOD and other gods as well. (Ex 20:3)

They gave a measure of respect to the LORD (didn’t want to be eaten by a lion) BUT served other gods

· Typical church folk of today (let me be right and wrong, washed and filthy, white and black, a child of God on Sunday morning and a child of satan the rest of the time) Say believe God but have ungodly actions w/attitude

[34] Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;
[35] With whom the LORD had made a covenant, and charged them saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:
[36] But the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.
[37] And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods.
[38] And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods.
[39] But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
[40] Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.
[41] So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.

5) The Response

A. Reminder (34-41)

The writer reminds the reader of God’s Word that if Israel would be faithful to God they would be delivered

Instead, Israel rejected the LORD God and were conquered by Assyria for their sin and rebellion against God