2 Kings 17:1-6 – Never take the grace of God for granted

Second Kings 17:1-6  is the fulfillment of the prophecy foretold to Jeroboam some 200 years before it happened. In 1 King 14, we are told that Jeroboam sent his wife in disguise to consult the prophet Ahijah concerning the future of Abijah his son, who was sick at that time. After telling her what would happen to Abijah, the prophet went on to describe what would happen to all of Jeroboam’s descendants. The prophet then said  in 1 Kings 14:16, “For the Lord will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger.” 

What God had prognosticated in 1 Kings 14:16 happened during the reign of King Hoshea, the son of Elah. He ascended to the throne in the 12^th year of the reign of Ahaz of Judah and ruled Israel for nine years. Second Kings 15:30 tells us he conspired against Pekah, killed him, and became king in his place. Hoshea was no different from the rest of the kings of Israel who did evil in the sight of God, except that he was not as bad as his predecessors.  

Several things happened during his reign. Shalmaneser of Assyria, who had succeeded Tiglath Pileser harassed Israel. Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute thus making Israel a vassal state to Assyria. Verse 4 tells us that the king of Assyria discovered that he had conspired against him by seeking help from So, the king of Egypt. Shalmaneser probably discovered this when Hoshea withheld the yearly tribute that he would usually pay to him.  So the king of Assyria came and had him imprisoned. Furthermore, verse 5 said that Shalmaneser invaded Israel and came to Samaria, and besieged it for three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea’s reign, Shalmaneser captured Samaria and took Israel into exile to Assyria. Verse 6 said that the captives were settled “in Halah and Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.”

The fall of Israel did not come as a surprise, for God had already foretold it. What is a surprise was how could Israel be so stubbornly refusing to respond to the grace of God, held out to them for so long? Romans 2:4 warns us never to take lightly the riches of God’s kindness, tolerance, and patience. In patience, God is extending His grace, He is not condoning our sin. So never take the grace of God for granted. Payback time is definite!