Bro. Bruce's commentaries for the books of Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus are
now available in hard copy for $7.50. Just mail your request for COMMENTARY ON GENESIS to the address above.

2KINGS
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. 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.

Hoshea murdered Pekah and took over Israel just about the time that Jotham died. The Bible says he didn't follow God's ways, but neither was he like the other kings of Israel. Perhpas he didn't LEAD them into idolatry. Personally, I think he just didn't have any religious aspirations at all - he was purely politically motivated.
Now we have some of those people in our country today. They will gladly SAY they are Christians, but really they are only politically motivated. Hoshea thought he could "play both ends against the middle" so to speak.
He sent his required payment to Assyria, but then he sent presents to So, king of Egypt. Hoshea thought he could pit Egypt against Assyria, and Israel would be left out of the fight.
This angered Shalmanezer (king of Assyria) and he went into Israel with force.

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.

Shalmanezer took hos forces to the capitol (Samaria) and kept it under seige for 3 years.
When finally Samaria fell, Shalmanezer took captives to Assyria and transported them to other areas of the world.
The importance of Israel as a nation to the world was GONE! God had allowed His people to be carried away from their home-land. They had refused God, and He could not protect them, because they wouldn't ask.

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 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, 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. 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. 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. 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.

Here is a listing of Israel's sins for which God removed them from the Promised Land.
They repeatedly and adamantly broke the first commandment and committed idolatry. They even participated in the most gross sin of offering children to an idol (verses 9-12 & 17).
God sent prophet after prophet to try and get them to repent, but they would not (verses 13-14).
And they refused to abide by God's written Word (verses 15-16).
So God allowed them to be taken captive and be swallowed up by the world.

19 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.

Sin is infectious. Even Judah began to participate in the sins of idolatry.

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.

But God will not allow His people to stray without consequence. He had promised by prophets that He would allow them to be taken into captivity if they didn't repent. And He did.

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. 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. 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.

Assyria repopulated Israel with people they had taken captive from other lands.
But God let them know that even though they had conquered His people, He was STILL GOD! He sent lions to destroy the people who moved in to the land. They sent notices to the king of Assyria, and he sent them a priest to teach them about "the God of the land."
God can use even the WORST circumstances to propogate His Word.
God is Lord of ALL lands! We need to learn HIS ways!

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 Succothbenoth, 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.

The people who were moved into the land corrupted the worship of God with worship of their own idols.
They would reverence God, but would also have their way. This corrupted the religion of them all, and that's why Jesus would say later, "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews." (John 4:22)

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.

The Jewish people who had KNOWN the Lord, determined to worship idols. And these people followed suit after they learned about God. Therefore the land was full of corrupted worship, and God's written will and way was not followed.
Do we have that problem in America today?

Please continue in Bible Study with us.