To this day they are still practicing their former customs. None of them worship the LORD or observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom He named Israel. To this dayThis phrase indicates a continuity of behavior from the past into the present. In the historical context of 2 Kings, it refers to the persistent disobedience of the Israelites. The Hebrew root for "day" is "yom," which can signify a literal day or an extended period. Here, it underscores the enduring nature of Israel's rebellion, highlighting the stubbornness of the people despite God's repeated calls for repentance. they persist
The Hebrew word for "persist" is "asah," which means to do or make. It implies a deliberate and ongoing action. This persistence in former practices suggests a willful defiance against God's commands. It reflects a heart condition resistant to change, emphasizing the Israelites' commitment to their own ways rather than God's. in their former practices
The phrase refers to the idolatrous and pagan customs that the Israelites adopted from surrounding nations. Historically, these practices included worshiping false gods and engaging in rituals contrary to the worship of Yahweh. The term "former" indicates a return to old habits, suggesting a regression rather than progression in their spiritual journey. They do not fear the LORD
The "fear of the LORD" in Hebrew is "yirat Yahweh," which encompasses reverence, awe, and obedience to God. The absence of this fear indicates a lack of respect and acknowledgment of God's sovereignty. Biblically, fearing the Lord is foundational to wisdom and understanding (Proverbs 9:10), and its absence leads to moral and spiritual decay. nor do they follow His statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments
This comprehensive list underscores the totality of God's instructions to His people. "Statutes" (Hebrew: "choq"), "ordinances" (Hebrew: "mishpat"), "laws" (Hebrew: "torah"), and "commandments" (Hebrew: "mitzvah") represent different aspects of God's covenantal requirements. Their failure to follow these reflects a complete disregard for the covenant relationship established at Sinai. that the LORD gave
The giving of the law is a divine act, emphasizing God's initiative in establishing a relationship with Israel. The Hebrew word "natan" means to give or bestow, highlighting God's grace in providing guidance and structure for His people. This divine gift was meant to set Israel apart as a holy nation. the descendants of Jacob
Jacob, later named Israel, is the patriarch from whom the twelve tribes descended. This reference serves as a reminder of the covenantal promises made to the patriarchs. It underscores the identity and calling of the Israelites as God's chosen people, who were to live in a manner reflecting their unique relationship with Him. whom He named Israel
The renaming of Jacob to Israel (Genesis 32:28) signifies a transformation and a new identity. "Israel" means "he struggles with God," reflecting both the personal struggle of Jacob and the collective struggle of the nation. This name is a constant reminder of their covenantal relationship with God and their calling to live according to His ways. Persons / Places / Events 1. The IsraelitesThe descendants of Jacob, whom God named Israel. They were chosen by God to be His people and were given specific laws and commandments to follow. 2. The LORD (Yahweh)The God of Israel, who established a covenant with the Israelites and provided them with statutes and commandments to guide their lives. 3. JacobAlso known as Israel, he is the patriarch whose descendants became the twelve tribes of Israel. 4. The Assyrian ExileThe context of this passage is the period after the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, leading to the exile of many Israelites. 5. The SamaritansA group that emerged from the intermingling of Israelites left in the land and foreign settlers brought by the Assyrians. They adopted a syncretistic form of worship. Teaching Points The Importance of ObedienceThe Israelites' failure to follow God's commandments serves as a warning about the consequences of disobedience. We are called to live in obedience to God's Word. Fear of the LORDTrue reverence for God involves more than ritual; it requires a heart aligned with His will. We should cultivate a genuine fear of the LORD in our daily lives. Avoiding SyncretismMixing true worship with other beliefs leads to spiritual confusion. We must guard against allowing cultural or secular influences to dilute our faith. The Legacy of FaithfulnessOur actions and faithfulness (or lack thereof) can have lasting impacts on future generations. We should strive to leave a legacy of faithfulness to God. Repentance and RestorationDespite past failures, God offers a path to repentance and restoration. We should seek His forgiveness and return to His ways when we stray. Bible Study Questions 1. What specific practices did the Israelites persist in that demonstrated their lack of fear of the LORD, and how can we identify similar tendencies in our own lives? 2. How does the concept of fearing the LORD in 2 Kings 17:34 relate to the wisdom literature in Proverbs, and what practical steps can we take to cultivate this fear? 3. In what ways can we ensure that our worship remains pure and free from syncretism, as warned against in this passage? 4. How does the history of the Israelites' disobedience and exile inform our understanding of God's justice and mercy? 5. Reflect on a time when you experienced the consequences of not following God's commandments. How did that experience shape your relationship with Him? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 6:1-2This passage emphasizes the importance of fearing the LORD and keeping His commandments, which the Israelites failed to do as described in 2 Kings 17:34. Exodus 20:3-4The first two commandments highlight the exclusive worship of Yahweh and the prohibition of idolatry, which the Israelites neglected. Hosea 4:6This verse speaks to the destruction that comes from a lack of knowledge of God, reflecting the Israelites' failure to adhere to God's laws. John 4:22Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman highlights the incomplete understanding of worship among the Samaritans, a legacy of the syncretism mentioned in 2 Kings 17. 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 Adhere, Command, Commanded, Commandment, Commandments, Commands, Customs, Decrees, Descendants, Earlier, Fear, Fearing, Follow, Former, Jacob, Keeping, Law, Laws, Manner, Manners, Named, Orders, Ordinances, Practices, Rule, Sons, Statutes, Worship, WorshippingDictionary of Bible Themes 2 Kings 17:34 7404 ordinances 2 Kings 17:24-41 7560 Samaritans, the 2 Kings 17:27-34 8720 double-mindedness 2 Kings 17:34-41 8831 syncretism 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 17:34 NIV2 Kings 17:34 NLT2 Kings 17:34 ESV2 Kings 17:34 NASB2 Kings 17:34 KJV
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