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2 Kings 15 - 17
Chapter 15:
Another GOOD King Reigns in Judah
So, how did Azariah do as king? Quite well. “He did what was RIGHT in the eyes of the Lord” (verse 3). But “the high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.” To make things a bit more confusing, Azariah was also known as Uzziah.
Azariah is going to end up with leprosy for disobeying God, his son Jotham will have to step in and rule for a while until he recovered. Uzziah was struck with leprosy for disobeying God (2 Kings 15:5, 2 Chron. 26:19–21).
He reigned for 52 prosperous years. In his early years he was influenced by the prophet Zechariah. There were technological advances in weaponry made during this time. He made machines designed to shoot arrows and hurl large stones from towers. According to 2 Chron. 26, Uzziah conquered the Philistines and the Arabians and received tribute from the Ammonites. He fortified the country, organized and equipped the army, and personally engaged in agricultural pursuits.
Then his pride led to his downfall. He entered the Temple to burn incense on the altar of incense. Azariah the high priest saw this as an attempt to usurp the prerogatives of the priests and confronted him with a band of eighty priests, saying, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense." (2 Chron. 26:18). Does this sound like what Saul did? In 1 Sam. 13:12 we find Samuel being rebuked for offering a sacrifice, which he was not authorized to do.
In the meantime, a great earthquake shook the ground, and a rent was made in the temple, and the bright rays of the sun shone through it and fell upon the king's face. Uzziah was suddenly struck with leprosy before he had offered the incense (2 Chron. 26:19), and he was driven from the Temple and compelled to reside in "a separate house" until his death (2 Kings 15:5, 27; 2 Chron. 26:3). The government was turned over to his son Jotham (2 Kings 15:5), a coregency that lasted for the last 11 years of Uzziah's life. When he died, his son Jotham succeeded him (verse 7).
A major earthquake is referred to in the book of the prophet Amos. Amos dates his prophecy to "two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel" (Amos 1:1). Over 200 years later, the prophet Zechariah predicted a future earthquake from which the people would flee as they fled in the days of Uzziah (Zech. 14:5). Geologists believe they have found evidence of this major earthquake in sites throughout Israel and Jordan.
Meanwhile, in the northern kingdom, Zechariah, son of Jeroboam, became king of Israel. He reigned only 6 months (verse 8), which is good since he was like his predecessors in Israel, an evil king. He was assassinated by someone by the name of Shallum, who succeeded him as king. How long did Shallum reign as King of Israel? Barely long enough to get his regal uniforms tailored to fit him, ONE month. Do you want to guess how he died? He was assassinated by Menahem, who reigned for ten years. During his reign the king of Assyria invaded (verse 19). Menahem gave the invading king a load of silver and the king withdrew. He died and was succeeded by Pekahiah, who reigned for two years. He too was assassinated, this time by Pekah (verse 25). Pekah reigned for twenty years. During his reign Assyria invaded again and deported some people to Assyria (verse 29). Then Hoshea conspired against Pekah and assassinated him and succeeded him as king (verse 30).
Meanwhile, down south in Judah, Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah began to reign. He reigned for 16 years, and he did what was right in the eyes of God
(verse 34). When he died, his son Ahaz succeeded him.
Chapter 16
The story now moves to the southern kingdom of Judah where there is a new king, his name was Ahaz. He was only twenty years old when he began his reign and ruled for sixteen years. And, as you might have guessed, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God. “He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire” (verse 3).
Then the king of Aram, by the name of Rezin, along with Pekah, the king of Israel, invaded Jerusalem (verse 5). Ahaz called upon the Assyrians for help (verse 7). To seal the deal, he took what valuables were left in the temple and sent this “gift” to Tiglath-Pileser, the king of Assyria (verse 8). The king of Assyria complied and attacked Damascus, found King Rezin and executed him (verse 9). Ahaz then went to Damascus to meet with the King of Assyria. While sightseeing in Damascus, Ahaz saw an altar, liked it, drew a sketch of it, sent it back home to have one built for himself.
When King Ahaz returned from Damascus, he was shown a “welcome home” present, a copy of the altar that he saw in Damascus. Someone is in for a promotion after this feat. The king offered up a bunch of different offerings. Notice verse 15, “I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance.” He was following the pagan practice of divination. Imagine a priest vacationing in India and then on his return, remodeling the church to look more like a Hindu temple. I guess in time he got bored with Judaism because in 2 Chron. 28:24 it says, “Ahaz gathered together the furnishings from the temple of God and took them away. He shut the doors of the Lord’s temple and set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem. In every town in Judah, he built high places to burn sacrifices to other gods and provoked the Lord, the God of his fathers, to anger.”
When Ahaz died, he too was not buried with the other kings in Jerusalem. Jehoram and Joash were two other kings who were not buried among the other kings. His son Hezekiah succeeded him. Good News! Hezekiah was a good king, in fact, a very good king.
Chapter 17:
The Last king of Israel
Meanwhile, back up north in Israel, Hoshea became the Last King of Israel, he reigned for nine years and “did evil” in the eyes of the Lord, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him. How did he get the job as king? He was a captain in Pekah’s army, and he assassinated him.
Then the king of Assyria, Shalmaneser, attacked Hoshea “who had been Shalmaneser’s vassal” (verse 3). Hoshea got tired of paying tribute to Assyria, so he rebelled.
Hoshea got tired of paying Shalmaneser tribute, so he stopped the payments. Rather than sending a debt collector to Samaria, Shalmaneser invaded Israel, arrested Hoshea (verse 4), laid siege to Samaria for three years (verse 5) and DEPORTED THE ISRAELITES to Assyria (verse 6). But not everyone was taken to Assyria. According to the records of the Assyrians, about 28,000 were taken. Then Sargon 11 of Assyria settled other captured people in the vacated towns of Israel.
What happened to Hoshea following the end of the kingdom of Israel, and when or where he died, is unknown.
The deportation of a defeated enemy is oftentimes done, but not everyone is taken. Only those with the skills and education that the victorious nation needed were taken. The U.S. did this in Germany at the end of WW 2. The United States did allow former Nazi rocket scientist, Wernher von Braun, along with about 1,600 other German scientists, engineers, and technicians to come to America. They developed the Saturn V super heavy-lift launch vehicle that propelled the Apollo spacecraft to the Moon. We didn’t depopulate Germany nor did Assyria depopulate Israel.
There’s an interesting story behind this event. In 1945 von Braun chose to surrender to the Western Allied, rather than the Russians because he wanted to share his technology with people who followed the Bible. In 1946 he underwent a religious conversion to Evangelical Christianity. He stated:
One day in Fort Bliss, a neighbor called and asked if I would like to go to church with him. I accepted, because I wanted to see if the American church was just a country club as I'd been led to expect. Instead, I found a small, white frame building...in the hot Texas sun on a browned-grass lot...Together, these people make a live, vibrant community. This was the first time I really understood that religion was not a cathedral inherited from the past, or a quick prayer at the last minute. To be effective, a religion has to be backed up by discipline and effort.
Later in life, he joined an Episcopal congregation, and became increasingly religious. He publicly spoke and wrote about the complementarity of science and religion, the afterlife of the soul, and his belief in God. He stated, "Through science man strives to learn more of the mysteries of creation. Through religion he seeks to know the Creator." He stated that "The farther we probe into space, the greater my faith."
OK, back to 2 Kings 17:24, “So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.”
There is a theory among some religious groups that claims that the Israelites, when they were taken to Assyria, migrated to other nations, such as northwestern Europe, England, and the U.S. This theory is called British Israelism (BI). Other nationalities also claim to be descendants of the lost tribes of Israel. BI became popular in the 1800’s to mid-1900’s.
But there are big problems with this theory. The first is the fact that these so-called lost tribes of Israel were never lost in the first place. Most of them remained in Israel. Those taken were those who would pose a threat to the Assyrians if they had remained. Israel wasn’t depopulated, only about 30,000 were taken into captivity. 2 Chron. 30:1-11 tells us that many were spared deportation. King Hezekiah of Judah sent invitations throughout Israel inviting them to come down to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover together. Just as many Jews left Germany prior to World War 2 and some Americans leave one state for another for political reasons, some Israelites relocated to Judah prior to the Assyrian invasion according to 2 Chron. 15:9.
Most of the exiles were settled in the towns of “Halah and in the towns of the Medes” (verse 6). The Assyrians were called the Nazis of their day. Many died of harsh treatment. But some did survive and returned to Israel (Isa. 10:22). Ezra 1:1-4 tells us that Persian King Cyrus II, released many of his Hebrew captives. Ezra compiled a list of the events, and he talks specifically of "Israelite people" returning (Ezra 2:70, 3:1, 11). 1 Chron. 9:2 tells us that, "the people of Judah were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. Now the first to resettle on their own property in their own towns were some Israelites, priests, Levites and temple servants.” Verse 3, lists the names of “those from Judah, from Benjamin, and from Ephraim and Manasseh who lived in Jerusalem.” These people returned to their homeland; they didn’t move to Europe.
After the captivity, Judah and Israel were again united and were referred to as “all Israel” (Ezra 2:70; 8:35; 10:5; Neh.12:47). For this reason, at Pentecost, Peter could address the Hebrews as "Men of Judea", and as "Fellow Israelites" (Acts 2:14, 29). The apostle Paul is referred to as a “Jew” (Acts 21:29), an Israelite (2 Cor. 11:22) and a “Hebrew" in Phil. 3:5. Paul wasn’t confused as to his identity. The term Israel and Jew became synonymous.
The Anglo-Saxons are not a Semitic race. The Human Genome Project DNA disproves the theory of BI.
The English language is not Semitic, nor does it contain any hints of having a Hebrew heritage.
There are no ancient records that indicate Britain has an Israelite history.
Matt. 15:24 says that Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of Israel. How could this be if he never made it to NW Europe?
How could the tribes be lost if James refers to the twelve tribes of Israel?
How could the prophetess Anna be from the tribe of Asher (Luke 2:36), one of the supposed ten lost tribes.
2 Chron. 34:5-9 says that the Levites collected money from Manasseh, Ephraim and the remnant of Israel, ninety years after the fall of the northern Kingdom. Did they go to Assyria or NW Europe to collect this money?
Why would Assyria, or later Babylon, or later Persia allow the Israelites to migrate outside of their territories? Further, if the Israelites had the ability to migrate, why wouldn’t they return to their ancestral homeland?
If the northern kingdom of Israel was taken to Assyria, then migrated to Europe, how could they have been with those who returned during the time of Ezra and Nehemia after the Babylonian captivity.
How could the U.S. be descendants of Manasseh when it is such a melting pot of nationalities?
Finally, God’s covenants with Israel always involved the specific land of Israel. How could these promises of the land apply to England or the U.S.?
Assyria wanted to solve their problem with Israel, not relocate it. They only took about 20% of the population, the elites, the leadership, etc. Some Israelites headed south to Judah before and after the Assyrian invasion. The Lost Tribes of Israel were never lost, they just merged with Judah, and some were absorbed in Assyria.
Now, let’s get back to 2 Kings 17.
Why would God allow this to happen to his chosen people? Verse 7, “All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God. . . They worshipped other gods and followed the practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced.” Verse 13, “The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers.” Among the prophets who warned Israel were Elijah, Elisha, Amos and Hosea. But they “would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the Lord their God” (verse 14). Verse 17, “They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sorcery and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, provoking him to anger.” Finally, verse 23, “So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.” Verse 24, “The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites.”
These immigrants from the outside didn’t worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but their own gods (verse 25). So, the Lord sent lions to attack them. So, they sent word back to Assyria as to what was happening so the king of Assyria ordered that some of the priests that were taken captive should go back to Israel to teach them how to worship God (verse 28). The newcomers to Israel ended up worshiping “the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought (verse 33). Verse 41, “Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols.”
The Samaritans were avoided by the Jews. Because they intermarried with these gentiles. Also, they worshipped a mix of Judaism and paganism (2 Kings 17:26-28) introduced to them by Jeroboam.
Because the Israelite inhabitants of Samaria had intermarried with the foreigners and adopted their idolatrous religion, Samaritans were universally despised by the Jews. Animosity grew between the groups when the Samaritans tried to prevent Nehemiah from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem (Neh. 6:1-14). The Samaritans built a temple on Mount Gerizim to compete with the one in Jerusalem. Samaria also became a refuge for outlaws in Judea (Joshua 20:6-7; 21:21).
And finally, the Samaritans received only the five books of Moses and rejected the writings of the prophets and all the Jewish traditions.
The Jews came to regard the Samaritans as the worst of humanity (John 8:48) and had no dealings with them (John 4:9). Despite this animosity, Jesus preached the gospel to the Samaritans (John 4:6-26), and the apostles later followed His example (Acts 8:25).
The story of Israel is a story of tragedy. Go back to Deut. 28 and read what might have been, if only they had obeyed God. Israel would have been set high above all the nations on earth. They would be blessed with great fertility, of the people and the land. Its enemies would be defeated. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. Instead of blessings, the people of Israel suffered through droughts, diseases, famines, invasions, became a debtor nation and, verse 36, “The Lord will drive you and the king you set over you to a nation unknown to you or your fathers.” taken into exile.
Recent Articles
Purim is a Jewish celebration, more like the Fourth of July or Mother’s Day, than a religious holiday like Passover. Purin is usually observed in February or March of each year. The word Purim means, “lots” as in a lottery, which was the means that the villainous Haman, an Amalekite, used to set the date for the massacre of Jews in Persia (previously Babylon). These events in the Book of Esther take place between chapters six and seven of the Book of Ezra. The setting is Persia, seventy years after they were taken into captivity by the Babylonians. Israel spent 70 years in captivity in Babylon, which was later taken over by the Persians in 539 B.C. Just a year later, the Persian King Cyrus decreed throughout his empire that any captive Jews in Babylonia who desired could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Cyrus even allowed the vessels of gold and silver stolen by Nebuchadnezzar’s troops to be returned. As we will read in Isaiah 48 , they all should have left, but some stayed behind. Let’s look at the cast of characters in this drama. The villain in the story was Haman, an Amalekite. The Amalekites were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. You might recall that these siblings had a long-standing conflict that revolved around the birthright. Esau, the firstborn, sold his birthright to his brother Jacob. The hostility that Jacob and Esau had for one another carried on through the generations like a bad gene. Esau had a grandson named Amalek, from which we get the name Amalekites. These cousins of the Israelites attacked them whenever they had the chance. When the Jews were led out of Egypt by Moses, the Amalekites attacked them in Rephidim, in the Sinai Desert. This unprovoked attack led God to promise to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven (Ex. 17:8-14) . Forty years later, in his last major speech to his people, Moses reminded the Jews of the command to go after Amalek (Deut. 25:17-19) . Saul, the first King of Israel, was commanded to wipe out the Amalekites (I Sam. 15:2-3) . But Saul disobeyed and spared the life of King Agag (I Sam 15:9) . This led to the premature end of the reign of Saul (I Sam. 15:23) . Saul, realizing his mistake, subsequently did kill Agag, but one of his sons survived. So not only was he disobedient, but he was also incompetent. Some 500 years later, one of his descendants was Haman. Others in the cast of characters included the royal couple, King Xerxes (some think it was King Ahasuerus or perhaps both names refer to the same person), and Queen Vashti. Then there was Esther, the Jewish maiden, and her uncle Mordecai. And so, with the setting in place, the cast of characters on stage, let the drama that led to Purim begin.
JOB SUFFERS AND DEMANDS FROM GOD AN EXPLANATION AS TO “WHY?”
Did it Really Happen? Does it Really Matter?
Ezra Comes to Jerusalem and Teaches the People
The Miracle of Passover: Zola Levitt
The Jews Journey to Jerusalem
The Israelites Head for Jerusalem and Rebuild their Temple.
How Israelites Should Behave When They Return Home
December 7-15, 2023, is Hanukkah (Festival of Lights)
Chapter 22: The Book of the Law was Found, Josiah leads a Return to God
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Why Study the Bible?
Don’t many consider the Bible to be just a book of myths? Why do we read the Bible rather than the sacred literature of other religions?
How do we know that it is from God? How do we know that what we have today is an accurate translation from the original? Is the Bible complete or have there been some books that have been lost?
We should be able to answer these questions, and there are answers! So start here!
Answers to Common Bible Questions
Lent is a six week period of spiritual devotion starting on Ash Wednesday and ending at Easter. Those who observe Lent usually give up something for Lent. Some might give up coffee, or soda pop, or alcohol, or chocolate. May I suggest that you give up something that will really impress God and make this season of Lent one of the most memorable and meaningful seasons of your life? May I suggest that if you are giving up something, why not give up some of the acts of our sinful nature mentioned in Gal. 5:19? Why don’t we give up lying about others? Do you think you can give up the hate you feel towards others? How about envy, can we work on putting envy aside this year? How about giving up on the naïve idea that all pastors are mature Christian leaders whose word should always be accepted, rather than wolfs in sheep’s clothing (Matt 7:15). How about giving up the idea that everyone in church is a real Christian (Matt 7:21-23). How about giving up your desire to seek revenge on those who have hurt you (Matt 18:21-22)? If you are insecure and feel threatened when you see the success of others in ministry, how about giving up efforts to hinder others who have been called to minister (Rom 12:4-8)? Of course it is easier to give up something like chocolate, etc. and make yourself feel like you are doing something that is pleasing to God. If you are not willing to give up unchristian behavior, might I suggest something that will really please God this Lent? Give up all evidence of your profession of Christian faith, such as books, pictures and jewelry. Don’t talk about God, Jesus or the Church. I think God would appreciate it if you would stop giving HIM a bad name by the way you live. Let’s give up what hinders our witness and become a better ambassador for Christ (2 Cor 5:20) this Lenten season.
In Matthew 2:1-2 is says that the magi saw "His star in the east." What was this star that guided these men to Jesus? Some have suggested that it could have been a comet, an asteroid, or perhaps a meteor or an especially bright star. The problem with these suggestions is that these physical things either quickly move across the sky and then disappear or are too far away to provide directions with any precision. It would be hard to get directions from such objects. The "star" had to move constantly or intermittently at the same pace as the magi. Then it says that it hovered over the house where Mary and Joseph had moved to with Jesus. It hardly sounds like a comet or meteor or a star as we know them. Can you think of another time that people in the Bible were guided by some form of light? How about the time when Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt? He didn't have a global positioning system with him. He did have a pillar of fire that led him at night (Ex 13:21-22). We see this light in Solomon's Temple (2 Chron 7:1-3) and when the Jews were about to go into Babylonian captivity, we see it leaving the Temple (Ezek 9-11). In the New Testament we see it at the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:9) at His transfiguration (Matt 17:5) and His ascension (Acts 1:9). What exactly was this guiding light? The word "star" can also be translated as "radiance." It appears that it was this "radiance" that guided Moses and the magi. The Jews call this the "Shekinah", a physical manifestation of the glory of God in the form of a supernatural radiance. This, I believe, is what the Star of Bethlehem was.
Imagine that you are the pastor of a church. A young married couple is having some difficulties in their relationship and they seek counsel from you. On Monday the wife comes in to give her assessment of their marriage. What do you think she will say? She might say that she is a hardworking, caring and supportive wife and that it is her husband who is the neglectful, insensitive brute and the source of all problems in the marriage. You feel so sorry for this wife and when you see her husband in the hallway, you think to yourself, "What a jerk." On Friday the husband comes in and gives his assessment of the marriage. He tells you that he is hard working and very generous and that she is the major problem in the relationship. As the pastor, you are wondering if they both are talking about the same marriage. Each person tells you what makes them look best and their spouse the worst. Where is the truth? The truth is probably somewhere in between Proverbs 18:17 says, "The first to present his case seems right, til another comes forward and questions him." There are conflicts in all relationships, between spouses, parents and children, employees and employers. When you hear one side of a story, don’t assume that what you hear is the complete truth. And don’t pass on to someone else what you have heard. Probably, at least some of what you heard is untrue to gain your support in a conflict.