2 Kings 17:1-18

This is longer than usual but is needed.

Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in the twelfth year of Ahaz's rule in Judah, and he ruled nine years from Samaria. Hoshea disobeyed the LORD and sinned, but not as much as the earlier Israelite kings had done. During Hoshea's rule, King Shalmaneser of Assyria invaded Israel; he took control of the country and made Hoshea pay taxes. But later, Hoshea refused to pay the taxes and asked King So of Egypt to help him rebel. When Shalmaneser found out, he arrested Hoshea and put him in prison. Shalmaneser invaded Israel and attacked the city of Samaria for three years, before capturing it in the ninth year of Hoshea's rule. The Assyrian king took the Israelites away to Assyria as prisoners. He forced some of them to live in the town of Halah, others to live near the Habor River in the territory of Gozan, and still others to live in towns where the Median people lived. All of this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had rescued them from Egypt, where they had been slaves. They worshiped foreign gods, followed the customs of the nations that the LORD had forced out of Israel, and were just as sinful as the Israelite kings. Even worse, the Israelites tried to hide their sins from the LORD their God. They built their own local shrines everywhere in Israel--from small towns to large, walled cities. They also built stone images of foreign gods and set up sacred poles for the worship of Asherah on every hill and under every shady tree. They offered sacrifices at the shrines, just as the foreign nations had done before the LORD forced them out of Israel. They did sinful things that made the LORD very angry. Even though the LORD had commanded the Israelites not to worship idols, they did it anyway. So the LORD made sure that every prophet warned Israel and Judah with these words: "I, the LORD, command you to stop doing sinful things and start obeying my laws and teachings! I gave them to your ancestors, and I told my servants the prophets to repeat them to you." But the Israelites would not listen; they were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to worship the LORD their God. They ignored the LORD's warnings and commands, and they rejected the solemn agreement he had made with their ancestors. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves. The LORD had told the Israelites not to do the things that the foreign nations around them were doing, but Israel became just like them. The people of Israel disobeyed all the commands of the LORD their God. They made two gold statues of calves and set up a sacred pole for Asherah; they also worshiped the stars and the god Baal. They used magic and witchcraft and even sacrificed their own children. The Israelites were determined to do whatever the LORD hated. The LORD became so furious with the people of Israel that he allowed them to be carried away as prisoners. Only the people living in Judah were left, (2 Kings 17:1-18).

Three points:

1. There is punishment for rebellion.

God has rules. Consider the Ten Commandments. We have all sinned. We have all broken the Commandments, but consider the church of today. The New Testament has rules also for us. How many does the church mention today? How faithful are the people of today?

2. God’s people are to be different.

One of the issues in the northern tribes of Israel is “The LORD had told the Israelites not to do the things that the foreign nations around them were doing, but Israel became just like them.” When we become just like the world around us or nearly so, we are total failures as Christians. In most churches divorce is as high or higher than “nonchistians”. So too the way we treat our spouses and children. We need to start living a Biblical lifestyle.

3. Don’t make God angry.

It is said here: “The Israelites were determined to do whatever the LORD hated.” It is almost as if they studied what God wanted and then deliberately did the opposite. Consider these rules:
“See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:15-22)

Are they too hard to follow?