39 Israel is Taken into Exile in Assyria [2 Kings 17:5-23]
The Bible passage: [2 Kings 17:5-23]
The Story:
The king of Assyria invaded the land of Israel, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years.
In the ninth year of Israel’s King Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria. He deported the Israelites to Assyria. This occurred around 721 BC.
This disaster happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord God by worshipping other gods. They had followed the customs of the nations that the Lord had removed from the land. They also followed the customs of the kings of Israel, which were in opposition to God’s laws. They built worship places in all their towns and worshipped idols. They did many evil things, greatly provoking the Lord.
Still, the Lord warned Israel and Judah through the prophets, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep My commands and statutes.”
But they would not listen. Instead, they became obstinate like their ancestors before them. They rejected God’s laws and His covenant. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, following the surrounding nations the Lord had commanded them not to imitate.
They abandoned all the commands of the Lord. They made idols for themselves, two golden calves, and an Asherah pole. They worshiped the sun, moon, and stars, and served Baal. They devoted themselves to doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight and provoked Him.
The Lord was very angry with Israel. Finally, the Lord removed Israel from His presence, just as He had declared through all the prophets.
The Lessons:
- The northern Kingdom of Israel turned their backs on God and turned to worshipping the local gods. God finally had enough and removed His protection, allowing Israel to be overrun by Assyria.
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