2 Kings 17

In this chapter we get details of the northern kingdom's downfall and deportation. By now the northern kingdom is no longer called Israel but Samaria, after it's capital. Hoshea has become king. He is a vassal to the king of Assyria but he tries to trick him and get the king of Egypt to protect him. This is foolishness. The Egyptian king has no power to protect him. So the Assyrian king puts Samaria under siege for three years. There is a lot of horrible suffering as a result of that. Then Assyria takes Samaria and deports them. The region where they are resettled is described but it does not mean anything to me. He mentions the land of the Medes. From this time forward the northern ten tribes are lost, never to return to the promised land. Likely subsequent generations learn the language of the region they live in and they are assimilated.

I think it instructive that now God thinks it important to review all the evil and unfaithful things his people did, finally causing him to cut them off. God does not owe us an explanation and yet he felt it important to do so. Verses 7-17 summarize all the ways God's people had worshiped other gods and done what was evil. Verse 18 declares God's conclusion to cut them off. Only the tribe of Judah is left.

"It is impossible to worship God unless we worship only God." This seems the heart of the Old Testament teaching. I think Jesus agreed with this view. Yet we all fall short. God states along with this that Judah is not acting rightly either. But they are still left. Perhaps God thinks they will learn from the example of Samaria.

God repeats his judgment three times, verses 18, 20, and 23. I sense God mourned doing this. He did it regretfully. He was looking for any repentance on the part of his people. But they are permanently removed from the covenant of God. Now, by the blood of Jesus all men are given the opportunity to become part again of God's covenant. This is the new covenant brought about by the sacrifice that Jesus made for all of us.

I wonder, if only the tribe Judah is left how can Anna, the prophetess be described as of the tribe of Asher. And Saul (Paul) said he was the tribe of Benjamin. Is there something I am missing? I do not remember the other tribes coming back. The southern kingdom is exiled and then brought back 90 years later. Do some of the other tribes come back after the exile?

In the conclusion of the chapter we are told Assyria relocated other nation groups to the area vacated by the northern kingdom. Several groups are named. They brought their own gods. Yet they decided that they must also worship the local god. So the Assyrian king sends back a priest to live at Beth-el and tell them how. Beth-el means "house of God". Is there some irony here? The men of the northern kingdom had not worshiped rightly so how could they tell another group how to do it correctly?

But the writer of kings details all the other gods they also so worshiped. Worshiping the local deity "El" was just superstition. But this is at least one version of how the Samaritans got into the land. They were not Israelites yet they worshiped the Israelite God, after a fashion.

Verses 32 and 34 seem to say opposite things. Verse 32 says these new people fear the Lord. But they also worship other gods. Verse 34 says they do not fear the Lord. One version translates 32 as worships as in sacrifices. So perhaps what God saying is that they worship with their sacrifices but they do not do so with their hearts. They do not fear (respect) God because they also worship other gods.

Let us resolve to worship the only one God with all our heart and mind and soul. Lord help us to do that more and more. Amen