2 Kings 17

2 Kings 17

Once again, remember that more of this story can be found by reading through the prophets, but 2 Kings 17 gives us the historical account of Israel’s exile and destruction. Due to a line of unfaithful kings that had led the nation away from God, God had decided to send the ultimate punishment on His people. This should not be a surprise to anyone who has read the story thus far, nor should it have been a surprise to the Israelites at that time. This very event had been predicted in Deuteronomy when God spoke to Moses. God, through Moses, gave the Israelites two choices: death or life. They could either choose to follow God and live or turn away from Him and die. In fact, God told Moses what Israel would eventually choose. He said that they would turn from Him and that He would send them into exile. A remnant would later return to the land, but that remnant would be out of Judah, not Israel. That day of exile had finally come.


At the time, Hoshea was the king in Israel, and during his reign, God raised up Shalmaneser, king of Assyria. He gave Shalmaneser victory over Israel and took them into exile. This was a result of their disobedience. Despite God’s initial warning back in Deuteronomy and despite the warnings that came from all of the prophets that God had sent their way, they would not turn back to Him. So God destroyed them, sending them into exile, leaving only Judah behind.

As for the land, the Assyrians decided to fill it with people from all the surrounding nations. They sent people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sephravim. They were sent to take care of the land so that it would not become a waste, but these people did not know God. They did not know the law of the land, and they disobeyed God’s commands. Therefore, He sent lions into the land that killed many of them. Seeing the death toll rise, the Assyrians sent in one of the Israelite priests to teach them the Law, which is ironic because the Israelites had not been following the Law. The people listened but did not obey. They continued to serve their own gods, trying to incorporate God’s Law into their worship of other gods. So the land was not blessed, and neither were the people. They continued to live in disobedience to God for several generations to come as the Israelites slowly became nothing but a memory.

Now while this is an extreme example of God’s judgment, it should grab our attention. God hates sin, and He commands us to put no one else before Him. When people begin to worship and follow other gods, He sends judgment on them. The Israelites were completely destroyed, and these other nations that took the land endured severe plagues as well. So we should not take sin lightly. This should be an encouragement for us to turn away from our sin and do our best to follow Him.

Matt