They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had been carried away. They worshiped the LORDThis phrase indicates a superficial acknowledgment of Yahweh, the God of Israel. The Hebrew word for "worshiped" is "yare," which can mean to fear, revere, or respect. In this context, it suggests a form of worship that lacks depth and sincerity. Historically, the Israelites were commanded to worship Yahweh exclusively, as seen in the first commandment ( Exodus 20:3). However, this verse highlights a syncretistic approach, where the worship of Yahweh is mixed with other religious practices, diluting the true worship that God desires. but they also served their own gods
The phrase "served their own gods" reveals the divided loyalty of the people. The Hebrew word for "served" is "avad," which implies labor or service, often used in the context of worship or religious duty. This indicates that while they acknowledged Yahweh, their hearts and actions were devoted to other deities. This dual allegiance is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, where the Israelites often fell into idolatry, despite God's clear instructions against it (Deuteronomy 6:14-15). according to the customs of the nations
The term "customs" refers to the practices and traditions that were adopted from surrounding nations. The Hebrew word "mishpat" can mean judgment, ordinance, or custom. This suggests that the Israelites were influenced by the cultural and religious practices of the nations around them, which were often contrary to God's laws. Historically, this was a significant issue, as the Israelites were called to be a distinct and holy people (Leviticus 20:26), yet they frequently assimilated pagan customs. from which they had been carried away
This phrase refers to the Assyrian exile, where the Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered and its people were deported. The historical context is crucial here, as the Assyrians had a policy of relocating conquered peoples to prevent rebellion and to promote cultural assimilation. The Israelites, therefore, found themselves in foreign lands, surrounded by foreign gods and customs, which they began to adopt. This exile was a direct consequence of their disobedience and idolatry, as warned by the prophets (2 Kings 17:7-23). Persons / Places / Events 1. The IsraelitesThe Northern Kingdom of Israel, which had been taken into exile by the Assyrians due to their disobedience to God. 2. The AssyriansThe empire that conquered the Northern Kingdom and resettled people from various nations into the land of Israel. 3. The NationsVarious peoples brought by the Assyrians to inhabit the land of Israel, each with their own gods and customs. 4. The LORD (Yahweh)The one true God whom the Israelites were commanded to worship exclusively. 5. The ExileThe event where the Israelites were taken from their land due to their persistent idolatry and disobedience. Teaching Points Exclusive Worship of GodGod demands exclusive worship. The Israelites' attempt to serve both God and other deities was a direct violation of the first commandment. Believers today must examine their lives for any divided loyalties. Cultural Influence and CompromiseThe Israelites were influenced by the customs of the nations around them. Christians must be vigilant against cultural influences that lead to compromise in their faith. The Consequences of DisobedienceThe exile was a direct result of Israel's disobedience. This serves as a warning that turning away from God can lead to severe consequences. The Danger of SyncretismMixing true worship with other religious practices dilutes and distorts faith. Believers are called to maintain purity in their worship and doctrine. Bible Study Questions 1. What are some modern-day "gods" or idols that can compete with our worship of the one true God? 2. How can we guard against cultural influences that may lead us away from exclusive worship of God? 3. In what ways might we be tempted to serve two masters, and how can we overcome this temptation? 4. Reflect on a time when you faced consequences for disobedience. How did that experience shape your faith journey? 5. How can we ensure that our worship and faith practices remain pure and undiluted by external influences? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 20:3-5This passage emphasizes the commandment against idolatry, highlighting the Israelites' failure to worship God alone. 1 Kings 18:21Elijah's challenge to the Israelites to choose between God and Baal reflects the divided worship seen in 2 Kings 17:33. Matthew 6:24Jesus' teaching that one cannot serve two masters parallels the divided loyalties of the Israelites. James 1:8The concept of being double-minded is relevant to the Israelites' attempt to worship both God and other deities. People Adrammelech, Ahaz, Anammelech, Avites, Avvites, David, Elah, Hoshea, Israelites, Jacob, Jeroboam, Nebat, Pharaoh, Sepharvites, ShalmaneserPlaces Assyria, Avva, Babylon, Bethel, Cuth, Cuthah, Egypt, Gozan, Habor River, Halah, Hamath, Samaria, SepharvaimTopics Accordance, Carried, Custom, Customs, Exile, Feared, Fearing, Gods, Honour, Manner, Nations, Prisoners, Removed, Served, Serving, Thence, Whence, WorshipDictionary of Bible Themes 2 Kings 17:33 5286 custom
6213 participation, in sin
8304 loyalty
8345 servanthood, and worship
8752 false worship 2 Kings 17:24-33 4215 Babylon 2 Kings 17:24-41 7560 Samaritans, the 2 Kings 17:27-34 8720 double-mindedness 2 Kings 17:29-33 7442 shrine 2 Kings 17:32-33 5811 compromise Library Divided Worship
'These nations feared the Lord, and served their own gods.'--2 KINGS xvii. 33. The kingdom of Israel had come to its fated end. Its king and people had been carried away captives in accordance with the cruel policy of the great Eastern despotisms, which had so much to do with weakening them by their very conquests. The land had lain desolate and uncultivated for many years, savage beasts had increased in the untilled solitudes, even as weeds and nettles grew in the gardens and vineyards of Samaria. …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureA Kingdom's Epitaph
'In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 7. For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, 8. And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture September the Eleventh a Fatal Divorce
"They feared the Lord, and served their own gods." --2 KINGS xvii. 24-34. And that is an old-world record, but it is quite a modern experience. The kinsmen of these ancient people are found in our own time. Men still fear one God and serve another. But something is vitally wrong when men can divorce their fear from their obedience. And the beginning of the wrong is in the fear itself. "Fear," as used in this passage, is a counterfeit coin, which does not ring true to the truth. It means only the …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year Upon Our Lord's SermonOn the Mount
Discourse 9 "No man can serve two masters; For either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: For they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father …
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions Mongrel Religion
I. I shall first call your attention to THE NATURE OF THIS Mongrel Religion. It had its good and bad points, for it wore a double face. These people were not infidels. Far from it: "they feared the Lord." They did not deny the existence, or the power, or the rights of the great God of Israel, whose name is Jehovah. They had not the pride of Pharaoh who said, "Who is Jehovah that I should obey his voice?" They were not like those whom David calls "fools," who said in their hearts, "There is no God." …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 27: 1881 Building in Troublous Times
'Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel; 2. Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto Him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. 3. But Zerubbabel, and Joshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Profession and Practice.
18th Sunday after Trinity. S. Matt. xxii. 42. "What think ye of Christ?" INTRODUCTION.--Many men are Christians neither in understanding nor in heart. Some are Christians in heart, and not in understanding. Some in understanding, and not in heart, and some are Christians in both. If I were to go into a Temple of the Hindoos, or into a Synagogue of the Jews, and were to ask, "What think ye of Christ?" the people there would shake their heads and deny that He is God, and reject His teaching. The …
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent The Original Text and Its History.
1. The original language of the Old Testament is Hebrew, with the exception of certain portions of Ezra and Daniel and a single verse of Jeremiah, (Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:12-26; Dan. 2:4, from the middle of the verse to end of chap. 7; Jer. 10:11,) which are written in the cognate Chaldee language. The Hebrew belongs to a stock of related languages commonly called Shemitic, because spoken mainly by the descendants of Shem. Its main divisions are: (1,) the Arabic, having its original seat in the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible The Prophet Hosea.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. That the kingdom of Israel was the object of the prophet's ministry is so evident, that upon this point all are, and cannot but be, agreed. But there is a difference of opinion as to whether the prophet was a fellow-countryman of those to whom he preached, or was called by God out of the kingdom of Judah. The latter has been asserted with great confidence by Maurer, among others, in his Observ. in Hos., in the Commentat. Theol. ii. i. p. 293. But the arguments …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament A Sermon on Isaiah xxvi. By John Knox.
[In the Prospectus of our Publication it was stated, that one discourse, at least, would be given in each number. A strict adherence to this arrangement, however, it is found, would exclude from our pages some of the most talented discourses of our early Divines; and it is therefore deemed expedient to depart from it as occasion may require. The following Sermon will occupy two numbers, and we hope, that from its intrinsic value, its historical interest, and the illustrious name of its author, it …
John Knox—The Pulpit Of The Reformation, Nos. 1, 2 and 3. Of the Power of Making Laws. The Cruelty of the Pope and his Adherents, in this Respect, in Tyrannically Oppressing and Destroying Souls.
1. The power of the Church in enacting laws. This made a source of human traditions. Impiety of these traditions. 2. Many of the Papistical traditions not only difficult, but impossible to be observed. 3. That the question may be more conveniently explained, nature of conscience must be defined. 4. Definition of conscience explained. Examples in illustration of the definition. 5. Paul's doctrine of submission to magistrates for conscience sake, gives no countenance to the Popish doctrine of the obligation …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion A More Particular view of the Several Branches of the Christian Temper, by which the Reader May be Farther Assisted in Judging what He Is, And
1, 2. The importance of the case engages to a more particular survey what manner of spirit we are of.--3. Accordingly the Christian temper is described, by some general views of it, as a new and divine temper.--4. As resembling that of Christ.--5. And as engaging us to be spiritually minded, and to walk by faith.--6. A plan of the remainder.--7. In which the Christian temper is more particularly considered with regard to the blessed God: as including fear, affection, and obedience.--8, 9. Faith and …
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
or, Gospel Light Fetched out of the Temple at Jerusalem, to Let us More Easily into the Glory of New Testament Truths. 'Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Isreal;--shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out hereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof.'--Ezekiel 43:10, 11 London: Printed for, and sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgate, …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 2 Kings 17:33 NIV2 Kings 17:33 NLT2 Kings 17:33 ESV2 Kings 17:33 NASB2 Kings 17:33 KJV
2 Kings 17:33 Commentaries
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