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2 Kings Chapter 17
Hoshea Reigns in Israel
- 2Kings 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.
- 5 Then the king of
Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria,
and besieged it three years.
Israel, in the days after the tribes
separated into two nations, Judah, and Israel, there were no kings
of Israel's portion that were righteous. All were evil but this king
was not as bad as the others yet by this time, their time as a free
nation was about to close. They were to be taken over by Assyria.
God waited this long and sent prophets to warn but they did not heed
the word of the prophets. Instead they preferred idols that could
not see or hear. Sad indeed to read these things. They now had to
pay tribute to the king of Assyria.
I never could understand much why
nations cannot stay in one place and mind their own business unless
there is one who rises up like Hitler of Nazi Germany. Otherwise
whoever the people elect is who they want and we need to stay out of
their business and not try to interfere in their elections like we
don't want them to influence our elections.
The Fall of Israel
-
2Kings 17:6 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.
Imagine being driven from one's homes
and sent to places not knowing how they were going to survive. This
has happened many times in history. If God is abandoned, His hand of
protection is removed. Anything can then happen to any nation. God
doesn't stay where He is not wanted. Any evil nation can come in to
steal, kill and destroy without God's protection.
Exile Because of Idolatry
- 2Kings 17:7 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.
The reason the Lord gave Israel the
land of the Canaanites was because of the idolatry of the Canaanites
which led to other abominations. That is what idolatry does. It
leads to evil and harms innocent children. God gave them space to
repent in not allowing Abraham to take that land but it was promised
to him and his seed after him. God knew ahead of time that the
Canaanites would not turn from their sin but He gave them over 400
years after the promise to Abraham to save any that would believe.
Now we see the 10 tribes of Israel went
into the same error and God had to allow them to lose their freedom
and be made slaves to the Assyrians. Later the same thing happens to
Judah when they become captives to Babylon.
We know from scripture that God will
regather them in the latter days. Because of their rejection of
Jesus Christ, they are still surrounded by enemies on all sides, but
His word will be fulfilled. They will be saved in the end during the
latter day tribulation that is to come. After the church is raptured
and taken to be with the Lord, all hell breaks forth upon the earth
but Jesus returns with His church and Israel is rescued and
redeemed.
- 2Kings 17:13 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.
Idolatry started it all. It is evil.
When anyone substitutes an idol or false religion even if it is
falsely called a Christian church, it starts them down the path
toward many other abominations. As one reads and studies the bible,
they will see clearly what causes the downfall of nations. Once God
is no longer believed in and loved, His hand of proteciton departs.
That is why faith and trust in the real God is so important for any
nation to survive. How do I know that? By reading history along with
the bible. It's plain to see.
- 2Kings 17:19 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.
God knows where they are and they will
be found in the latter days but it is sad to read about all this. No
one gets by with sin and harming the children. He has to stop it
sooner or later. I fear for the United States. We still have a lot
of good people that still believe in Jesus as the Son of God and
savior for all who believe, but those in the government are still
allowing abortion up until birth and some even after a baby is born.
So instead of openly sacrificing children to idols they are doing it
in another way and calling it a woman's right to choose. It is
deceiving and making us think it is a medical decision instead of
child murdering. It is no different than what was done in the past.
It doesn't stop there. Doctors are giving
hormones that cause much damage to children to try to alter their
gender. It does nothing but destroys their lives instead. Romans
chapter one tells us exactly what is happening and why. When we
reject God in our knowledge, we are in reality destroying ourselves
in the name of freedom but it is really bondage. We are destroying
our country. -DC
2 Kings Chapter 18
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