2 Kings 17:1-23

17:1-6 | Hoshea became king in 732 BC, reigning for a time with his father, Jotham. During his reign (722 BC), the 10 tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel were captured by Assyria, leaving only the southern kingdom – consisting of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and its temple and carried away the southern kingdom of Judah to Babylon in 586 BC (25:11).

17:7-12 | God had commanded His people to fear (revere) Him for their good (Deut. 6:2,13,24; Ex. 20:20). Instead, the Israelites feared other gods (a violation of the first of the Ten Commandments). This was their chief sin, the one that led to their fall and exile (Josh. 23:16; Hosea 13:16).

17:15-16 | The people of God have always had to take care in a spiritually unfriendly world. Israel was warned about becoming like her neighbors when she inherited the Promised Land (Deut. 29:25; 32:21). Paul exhorted the church on the same subject: “Do not be conformed to this world” (Rom. 12:2).

17:18-23 | The sins of both Israel and Judah were so great that the Lord removed or cast them from His sight, which means they were taken captive by other nations and forced to leave their land.