Overview
- Wednesday night verse-by-verse study in Old Testament (2 Kings); contrasts with Sunday's 2 Corinthians.
- Divided kingdom: North (Israel, capital Samaria); South (Judah, capital Jerusalem).
- Most wicked Judah king; child sacrifice (Molech worship, son/children burned on heated idol).
- Attacked by Pekah (Israel) and Rezin (Syria) as God's discipline for idolatry.
- Hires Tiglath-Pileser III (Assyria; not Syria) with temple gold/silver; Assyria conquers Damascus, kills Rezin (v.9); Pekah retreats.
- Ahaz visits Damascus, copies Assyrian altar; Uriah the priest builds replica in Jerusalem temple.
- Dismantles temple items (v.17: panels, bronze sea, Sabbath pavilion, king's entrance) to defer to Assyrian king (now Judah's vassal).
- Ahaz dies; succeeded by godly son Hezekiah.
Principles from Chapter 16
- God inserts Messiah hope amid sin (Isaiah 7:14: virgin birth, Emmanuel).
- Beware leaders pleasing men over God (Uriah obeys Ahaz, not Lord).
2 Kings 17: Fall of Northern Kingdom (Israel)
- Hoshea (son of Elah), last king; evil but less than predecessors; reigns 9 years.
- Vassal to Shalmaneser V (Assyria); conspires with Egypt's So, imprisoned.
- Assyria besieges Samaria (725-722 BC), conquers, exiles Israelites to Halah, Habor (Gozan River), Medes cities.
- Assyrian policy: deport elite/wealthy, import Assyrians; leave poor behind.
- Reasons (vv.7-23): 725 years (Exodus ~1450 BC) of sin—idolatry, high places, pillars/wooden images (sexual), child sacrifice, witchcraft; ignored prophets' warnings; stiff-necked rebellion.
- Judah also sinful, judged later (586 BC by Babylon).
- Jeroboam initiated golden calves/sin.
- Remnant: Northern priests/Levites migrate south (2 Chron. 11); tribes not lost (Ezekiel, Revelation: 144,000 from 12 tribes).
- Prophesied (Amos 4:2-3: fishhooks, broken walls).
Post-Conquest: Samaria
- Assyria resettles with pagans from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, Sepharvaim.
- God sends lions; settlers request exiled priest to teach "rituals of the land's God" (priests negligent).
- Result: Syncretism—fear Lord ritually + own gods (Succoth-benoth, Nergal, Ashima, etc.); child sacrifice continues.
Principles from Chapter 17
- God patient in mercy (~725 years), just in judgment.
- Compromise cedes ground to enemy.
- God sovereign over Israel's land (lions enforce).
- Avoid ritualistic appeasement; pursue surrendered life to Christ's lordship (not "check box" faith).
Verses Mentioned
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