2 KINGS
The Destruction of Israel
2 Kings 16:1-17:41
INTRODUCTION
There are certain words which Nancy and I agreed not to use early in our marriage: "always" and "never." Statements like "You NEVER do anything around the house," or "You are ALWAYS loafing about" are simply taboo around the house. The reasons we don't use these words are (1) they are seldom if ever true and (2) they are flash points in relationships. The moment you tell me that I NEVER do something is the moment I begin to point out all the times I actually did that thing.
Although these words should be used seldomly, sometimes they are appropriate, as in the present case. Most of the times when people cross a certain line spiritually, they seldom if ever return. Although some of the greatest ministers in U.S. history lived during the 20's, that decade was not called the Roaring Twenties for nothing. People in Chicago, along the New England seaboard, and California coastline practically went crazy during the 1920's. The only appropriate response to the prudish Victorian and Edwardian eras of the late 1800's and early 1900's was an abandonment to one's own lusts and inhibitions. It took a stock market crash to wake these people up. Right now we are in the midst of an encroaching socialism in the U.S., a philosophy which teaches that you entitled something even if you didn't work for it--the bulk of you Social Security, the prescription card for seniors, welfare, benefits for illegal aliens. I believe it was the French essayist Tocqueville (who visited the U.S. in the early 1800's) who said that the U.S. democracy was in trouble once the people discovered they could vote to take money away from others and give it to themselves. Although a dose of this philosophy may be needed and beneficial, it seldom stops at the point where it is needed and beneficial. What will stop it? It won't be the good will of the U.S. people. It will take something drastic. Once you experience "comfort," you seldom vote discomfort for yourself.
Well, the people of Judah and Israel have tasted the fruits of idolatry, especially that which endorses sexual promiscuity even in the worship services. Once they went down this slippery slope, there was really no turning back. Although it is true that all things are possible with God, the truth is that the only thing which can bring these people back is the Spirit of God. He has to convict them beyond all description and then empower them to live the life He wants them to live. On the whole though, whenever people cross that certain line spiritually, they normally do not return to God. Judah's and Israel's cases demonstrate just this very point. They reach a point of no-return. As a result, God bring great judgment first upon the northern kingdom of Israel and second later upon the southern kingdom of Judah.
THE REIGN OF AHAZ (16:1-20; 2 Chron. 28:1-27)
Following the death of Jotham, Ahaz ascends to the throne. According to the author of 2 Kings Ahaz marks a turning point in the history of Judah. Up until this time Judah has flirted with idolatry; with Ahaz idolatry becomes full blown in Judah. The author of 2 Kings makes one of the most devastating remarks about Ahaz in the book of 2 Kings when he writes that Ahaz walked according to the ways of the kings of Israel. Apparently he reintroduces the worship of the Baals and the Asherah into Judah. In addition to this he uses the multitudes of high places throughout Judah not for the worship of the Lord (Yahweh) but for the worship of idols. Things regress to such a point that Ahaz even makes his sons pass through the fire. From what we know of the ancient Near East Moab was one country which practiced making people pass through the fire. It was standard practice in the worship of the Moabite god Chemosh (pronounced KEY-mosh). Ahaz most likely practiced this whenever he was being beset by the hostile armies of the surrounding nations.
God is severely displeased with Ahaz and Judah. As discipline God has Pekah of Israel ally with Rezin of Syria (Aram) in order to invade Judah from the north. Syria (Aram) swoops down to the southeast of Judah and conquers the port city of Elath which Amaziah and Uzziah had conquered earlier for Judah. In addition to this the Philistines attack Judah and reduce Judah's territory on the southwest. (It is probably at this point that Ahaz engages in the acts of child sacrifice.)
Although Israel and Syria are unable to conquer Jerusalem, they do so much damage to Judah that they cart off over 200,000 captives from Judah and lead them to Israel to serve as slaves. Upon arriving in Israel, the army and captives are met by a prophet of the Lord who rebukes them for being overzealous. It was one thing to discipline Judah; it was quite another to enslave over 100,000 people. The prophet warns them that if they do not release the captives and allow them to return to Judah, then God will punish the northern kingdom. When the army hears the words of the prophet and sees that the leading men of the nation support the prophet, the army releases the captives and allows them to return to Judah.
In the meantime Ahaz has to determine how to respond to this situation. Should he go to Egypt or to Assyria for support? It is at this juncture that the greatest of the "writing" prophets emerges upon the scene of Judah--Isaiah. Isaiah warns Ahaz that it would be disastrous to turn to a foreign power for support. Had not God delivered Israel from the Syrians when all seemed lost? Had not Elisha led a blinded Syrian army into the clutches of the Israelite army? Years later God will deliver Hezekiah and Judah from the Assyrians. Isaiah challenges Ahaz to turn to the Lord God instead of to some pagan foreign power.
To prove that God will support Ahaz, Isaiah upon the command of the Lord orders Ahaz to ask for a sign. Ahaz with false humility says that he refuses to test the Lord. This is not humility because he is not obeying the Lord. The only humble response to the Lord whenever He gives a command is to obey it. (Ahaz is merely showing that he does not want the Lord in his affairs.) Isaiah rebukes Ahaz and tells him that God will nevertheless give him a sign. By the time a maiden is able to conceive a bear a son, God will drive the Israelites and Syrians out of Judah. The birth of this child will show that God was with Judah, his name "Immanuel" (God with us) as an indicator (Isaiah 7:1-16, especially v. 14). Ahaz though continues to pursue his foreign policy and invites Assyria to save Judah. Ahaz gets exactly what he asks for. Assyria agrees to come to Judah's aid. Assyria destroys Syria and turns both Syria and Israel into vassal states. Judah though gets more than she bargains for. She too is forced to become a vassal state of Assyria.
Unfortunately many times God allows us to have what we want. We will just die if we don't have this or that person for a spouse. We just won't be able to bear it unless we have this or that house. If our kids don't make the first string on any athletic team, then the coach is an idiot and needs to go. I've got to enter that line of work, or my business must do so and so. Then God allows us to have the house we want, the spouse we desire, the status we crave, etc. When we get them, they don't fulfill us. In fact many times they become the bane of our lives.
God dealt with me in this very area when I was a youth minister. Whenever it came time for a ski trip or for camp, I just thought that such and such young person had to go, otherwise, the trip would not be successful. So I would work hard at getting that young person to go (some would even call it "manipulation"). Guess which young person caused the most trouble on the trip? Yes, the one I had worked so hard to get to go. During my second youth ministry though, I would just cast a wide net, make it financially possible for any youth to go, pray about it, and leave it at that. Guess which trips/camps were the most successful? The ones during the second youth ministry.
At this point Ahaz completely loses it. First, he is so impressed with the Syrian gods because their army had devastated the army of Judah. As a result, he erects altars to the Syrian gods. Now he does not simply erect a few altars to these gods, he erects these altars on every street corner in Jerusalem. The man is in a panic. When a person does not fear the Lord, he will fear any and everything else. When people do not fear the Lord with their finances, they will obsess over the expenditure of every little dime. Fluctuations in the stock market drive them nuts. They go bananas whenever they get overcharged at a hotel or a restaurant. They will do anything to remain financially secure. When people do not fear the Lord in their relationships, they get paranoid that the people they love are either going to leave them, betray them, or die on them. They will do any and everything to hold tightly to these relationships. Well, Ahaz has not feared the Lord; therefore, he will experience panic and worship these Syrians gods wherever he goes.
Second, upon a visit to Damascus to visit Tiglath-pileser the Assyrian monarch, Ahaz sees an altar in Damascus the Assyrians had brought from Assyria upon which to worship their gods. In order to cozy up to Tiglath-pileser, Ahaz sends a detailed description of this altar to the high priest Urijah so that he will construct an exact replica and place it in the court of the priests in the temple compound. (To his everlasting infamy, Urijah complies with Ahaz's orders, the high priest of the Lord desecrating God's house.) At the entrance to the holy place which faced east stood the bronze altar Solomon had built 200 years earlier. Ahaz has Solomon's altar moved a little north and places his new altar in front of the entrance to the holy place. Upon this new altar the primary sacrifices are made: the morning sacrifice, the evening sacrifice, the sacrifice of peace-offering, etc.; at Solomon's altar Ahaz continues to inquire of the Lord either through prayer or through divining the entrails of animals (like reading tea leaves). Finally, in order to placate Tiglath-pileser even more, Ahaz removes the bronze sea (a huge basin which rested upon the rumps of 4 bulls), the Sabbath stand (probably a canopy Ahaz stood beneath on Sabbath days when he was worshiping in the temple), and the smaller basins and stands which the priests used for the purposes of purification. All this in order to appease Tiglath-pileser. Even though Ahaz successfully removes the threat posed by Israel and Syria, he has brought Assyria into the equation. This in the long run will prove even more disastrous for Judah.
Because Ahaz' deeds were so wicked, upon his death although he is buried in the city of David, he is not buried alongside the other kings. He had proved himself unworthy of such an honor.
THE FALL OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM (17:1-23)
Description of the Destruction (17:1-6)
In the meantime Hoshea ascends the throne of Israel, the northern kingdom. The author of 2 Kings is quite complimentary of Hoshea. Whereas he is not the ideal king, he nevertheless is not a bad king. In fact he's one of the better kings that Israel had, especially in the area of morals and religion. Yet it is during his reign that the Assyrians blot out the northern kingdom. This seems unjust. Should God not have destroyed Israel during the reign of Ahab and Jezebel, the most wicked rulers in Israel's history? From our perspective that might have been more just. Remember though that Ahab and Jezebel were the turning points in the history of the northern kingdom. It took some time for their influence to permeate entirely the population of the northern kingdom. A large mass of people do not necessarily change overnight. It took time for the wickedness of these 2 and their subsequent rulers to corrupt entirely the northern kingdom. By the time of Hoshea the northern kingdom is entirely corrupt. "But wasn't Hoshea's good reign sufficient reason to delay the destruction of Israel?" Not really. Although Hoshea was better than most of the rulers of the northern kingdom of Israel, he was not so good or so effective that he was able to change the hearts of the people of the northern kingdom. It was too late. God had patiently put up with the people of northern Israel. God is patient, just not eternally patient.
The circumstances which brought about the destruction of Israel were Hoshea's eventual refusal to pay tribute to Assyria and his overtures to Egypt to support him in a rebellion against Assyria. For 7 years Hoshea and Israel had paid tribute to Assyria. In the 7th year of his reign though Hoshea decides that enough is enough and refuses to pay another dime to Assyria. At the same time he sends envoys to the Pharaoh of Egypt residing in the city of So and seeks aid in a rebellion against Assyria. The Pharaoh though rejects these overtures, probably because he realizes he is no match for the Assyrian war machine.
Hoshea's actions incur the wrath of Shalmanezer IV, king of Assyria. Although 2 Kings does not tell us how, the Assyrian forces capture Hoshea early on during the invasion and lead him off to Assyria in chains. After devastating the countryside all around the capital city of Samaria, the Assyrians lay siege to the capital. The siege occurs during the 7th year of Hoshea's reign and concludes in the 9th year. As a result the siege lasts anywhere from 1 and 1/2 to 3 years maximum.
The Assyrians then conduct a scorched-earth policy in its treatment of Israel. In accordance with its conduct with other conquered territories, the Assyrians deport the vast majority of the population of Israel, scattering the Israelites throughout the Assyrian empire. Moreover, the Assyrians then deport other conquered peoples, e.g. the Babylonians, and settle them in the land of the northern kingdom of Israel. This action first unsettles the people, keeping them unbalanced so that they will not rise up in rebellion again against the Assyrians. Second, this action results in the lost of national identities. Most of the people deported began to intermarry with the people of the lands they have been deported to. Although the southern kingdom of Judah will not lose its identity when it is deported 100 later to Babylon, the citizens of the northern kingdom do lose their identity. For all practical purposes the tribes which made up the northern kingdom cease to exist. Only the tribes of the southern kingdom will continue to exist: Judah, Simeon (which had been swallowed up early on by Judah), Levi (the priests who ministered at the temple), and Benjamin (whose land actually housed the city of Jerusalem and the temple).
Reasons for the Destruction of the Northern Kingdom (17:7-23)
At this juncture 2 Kings explains why the northern kingdom experienced such devastation. Second Kings probably takes time out to explain this because of the inevitable criticisms God receives even from His own people whenever He brings judgment upon a people. The truth is that Israel absolutely was unjustified in the way she responded to God. She did not reject God because she was ignorant. Her rejection constituted nothing less than outright rebellion against God.
Second Kings first reminds us of the blessings God had poured out upon His people. He did not appear to them and command their allegiance simply because He was God. He had the absolute right to approach them this way; however, that is not the way He approached them. Rather God worked mightily for them by delivering them from the bondage of Egypt. "But," you might say, "that event occurred 500-600 years earlier, enough time for the people to forget." Well, first, they should not have forgotten. God told them always to remember this event because it created their relationship with God as a nation. Second, they were still enjoying the benefits of this deliverance because they lived in the land God had given them after their deliverance. For 500-600 years they enjoyed the fruits of this salvation; they should have known better. Lastly, they did not begin to reject God 500-600 years after God delivered them from the Egyptians. Moses informs us that within 2 months after this deliverance the people began to reject God, as seen in their making the idol of golden calf at the foot of Mt. Sinai WHERE GOD WAS RESIDING! That shows you how perverse and rebellious they actually were.
Moreover, God did not simply deliver them and command them to remember what He had done for them. He did not deliver them and then abandon them. Whenever they fell into trouble, God delivered them. Whenever they turned from God, He would discipline them or send them prophets to encourage to turn back to God in order to escape catastrophe. He blessed them to bring them back to Him; He disciplined them in order to bring them back to Him. No matter what He did, they always responded the same way--rejection and rebellion. Well, time was up. God is incredibly patient; He's just not eternally patient.
THE RESPONSE OF THE NEW INHABITANTS OF ISRAEL (17:24-41)
To highlight how rebellious the Israelites of the northern kingdom had been, 2 Kings shows us the response of the newly transported people of Israel to God. Apparently after Assyria depopulated the northern kingdom by transporting its inhabitants to northern Assyria, some time elapsed before its new inhabitants arrived. In the meantime lions (a feature of the ancient near east) descend upon the denuded land. When the new inhabitants from Babylon arrive, they are faced with the serious problem of the lions. How do they respond? Do they go to Egypt for help? Do they make a treaty with Assyria in order to wipe out the lions? Do they turn to the Asherah, Baals, Chemoshs, etc. in order to placate these angry gods? You might have thought these pagans would have done just this very thing since even God's people had done just this very thing for the past 200+ years. No, these pagans put God's people to shame because they request the king of Assyria for a priest of Israel's God who will teach them His ways. They believed that this land was the land of Israel's God and He should be respected accordingly. Israel who knew God rejected Him, while these pagans who did not know Him turn to Him. This positive response of the pagans demonstrates how evil and culpable the Israelites of the northern kingdom had been all along. They truly deserved the punishment they had received from the Lord.