They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and themselves became worthless, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate. They rejected His statutesThe Hebrew word for "rejected" is "מאסו" (ma'asu), which conveys a strong sense of disdain or contempt. This rejection was not merely passive but an active refusal to accept God's laws. The "statutes" refer to the decrees and commandments given by God, which were meant to guide Israel in righteousness. Historically, this rejection signifies a turning away from the divine order established at Sinai, where God provided a framework for a holy and just society. and the covenant He had made with their fathers
The "covenant" (בְּרִית, berit) is a central theme in the Hebrew Bible, representing a solemn agreement between God and His people. This covenant was initiated with the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and reaffirmed at Sinai. It was a binding relationship that required faithfulness and obedience. The historical context here is crucial, as breaking the covenant was tantamount to severing the relationship with God, leading to dire consequences. and the testimonies He had decreed for them
"Testimonies" (עֵדוֹת, edot) are divine ordinances that serve as a witness to God's will and character. These decrees were not arbitrary but were meant to reflect God's holiness and justice. The Israelites' failure to uphold these testimonies indicates a deeper spiritual malaise, where they ignored the very signs that pointed them to God's truth and presence. They pursued worthless idols
The phrase "worthless idols" (הַבְלֵי הַגּוֹיִם, havlei hagoyim) uses the word "הַבְלֵי" (havlei), meaning "vanities" or "emptiness." This highlights the futility of idol worship, which offers no real substance or life. In the ancient Near Eastern context, idol worship was prevalent, yet the biblical narrative consistently portrays it as a departure from the worship of the one true God, leading to spiritual and moral decay. and themselves became worthless
The transformation into "worthless" (וַיֵּהָבְלוּ, vayehavlu) reflects the biblical principle that one becomes like what one worships. By turning to idols, the Israelites lost their distinct identity and purpose as God's chosen people. This phrase underscores the spiritual degradation that results from abandoning God for false gods, leading to a loss of value and meaning. going after the surrounding nations
The phrase "going after" (וַיֵּלְכוּ, vayelchu) implies a deliberate choice to follow the practices of the "surrounding nations" (הַגּוֹיִם, hagoyim). This was a direct violation of God's command to remain separate and distinct (Leviticus 20:26). Historically, this assimilation into pagan cultures led to the erosion of Israel's unique identity and mission. the LORD had commanded them not to imitate
The command not to "imitate" (לֹא תַעֲשׂוּן, lo ta'asu) the nations is rooted in God's desire for Israel to be a holy nation, set apart for His purposes (Exodus 19:5-6). This imitation of pagan practices was not just a cultural issue but a spiritual one, as it represented a rejection of God's sovereignty and a preference for human traditions over divine revelation. The historical and scriptural context here emphasizes the importance of obedience and faithfulness to God's commands as the foundation for a blessed and prosperous life. Persons / Places / Events 1. IsraelitesThe Northern Kingdom of Israel, who are the primary subjects of this verse, having turned away from God. 2. God (Yahweh)The covenant-making God who established statutes and laws for His people to follow. 3. CovenantThe sacred agreement between God and the Israelites, which they broke by turning to idolatry. 4. IdolsThe false gods and images that the Israelites pursued, leading them away from the true God. 5. Surrounding NationsThe pagan nations whose practices and idols the Israelites imitated, contrary to God's commands. Teaching Points The Danger of IdolatryIdolatry leads to spiritual and moral decay. Just as the Israelites became like the worthless idols they pursued, we too can become spiritually bankrupt when we place anything above God. The Importance of ObedienceGod's statutes and covenant are given for our benefit. Obedience to His commands leads to life and blessing, while disobedience leads to destruction. Influence of CultureThe Israelites' downfall was partly due to their imitation of surrounding nations. As Christians, we must be vigilant not to conform to the world's standards but to be transformed by God's Word. The Faithfulness of GodDespite Israel's unfaithfulness, God remains faithful to His covenant. This should encourage us to return to Him in repentance and faith. The Call to HolinessWe are called to be set apart, just as Israel was. Our lives should reflect God's holiness and not the values of the world around us. Bible Study Questions 1. What are some modern-day "idols" that can distract us from our relationship with God, and how can we guard against them? 2. How does understanding the covenant relationship between God and Israel help us appreciate our relationship with God through Christ? 3. In what ways can we ensure that we are not conforming to the patterns of the world, as the Israelites did with surrounding nations? 4. How can we apply the lessons of Israel's disobedience to our personal walk with God today? 5. Reflect on a time when you experienced the faithfulness of God despite your own shortcomings. How can this encourage you to remain faithful to Him? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 20:3-5This passage outlines the first and second commandments, which prohibit idolatry and serve as a foundation for understanding Israel's sin in 2 Kings 17:15. Deuteronomy 4:23-28Warns against idolatry and predicts the consequences of turning away from God, which is fulfilled in the events of 2 Kings 17. Romans 1:21-23Describes the futility and degradation that comes from exchanging the glory of God for idols, paralleling the Israelites' actions. Jeremiah 2:5Highlights the futility of pursuing worthless idols, echoing the transformation of the Israelites into worthlessness. 1 Peter 1:14-16Calls believers to be holy and not conform to the former lusts, similar to the call for Israel to remain distinct from surrounding nations. 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 Agreement, Although, Charged, Commanded, Covenant, Decrees, Despised, Fathers, Followed, Foolish, Forbidden, Heathen, Idols, Imitated, Laws, Nations, Nought, Ordered, Reject, Rejected, Round, Rules, Sense, Statutes, Surrounded, Testified, Testimonies, Themselves, Vain, Value, Vanity, Warned, Warnings, Wherewith, WorthlessDictionary of Bible Themes 2 Kings 17:15 5864 futility
6231 rejection of God
8217 conformity
8302 love, abuse of
8449 imitating
8616 prayerlessness
8748 false religion 2 Kings 17:3-18 7560 Samaritans, the 2 Kings 17:3-23 7233 Israel, northern kingdom 2 Kings 17:6-23 6659 freedom, acts in OT 2 Kings 17:7-20 8705 apostasy, in OT 2 Kings 17:7-23 6026 sin, judgment on 2 Kings 17:13-20 6195 impenitence, results 2 Kings 17:14-15 8719 distrust
8836 unbelief, response 2 Kings 17:14-16 5212 arts and crafts 2 Kings 17:14-20 8741 failure 2 Kings 17:15-16 7324 calf worship 2 Kings 17:15-17 8831 syncretism 2 Kings 17:15-18 8799 polytheism 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 17:15 NIV2 Kings 17:15 NLT2 Kings 17:15 ESV2 Kings 17:15 NASB2 Kings 17:15 KJV
2 Kings 17:15 Commentaries
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