Judgment Comes to Israel

GOLDEN TEXT: “Who is wise and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.” —Hosea 14:9

II KINGS 17:5-14, 18

THE judgment of the Lord fell upon the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel during the reign of Hoshea. It was then that they were taken captive into Assyria. We read that the “Lord rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of the spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.”—II Kings 17:20

But this was not done until the people were given every possible opportunity to repent and to serve the Lord as they had covenanted to do. Verse 13 of the lesson reminds us of how faithful the Lord had been in sending prophets to warn them of their sins. One is impressed with the extent to which this was true simply by glancing through the messages of the many prophets whom the Lord raised up for that purpose.

Under the circumstances, however, little heed was given to these messengers whom the Lord sent. As we have noted in previous lessons, a lack of faith in God seems to have been one of the major contributing causes of the sins of Israel. Because they lacked faith in God and in his ability, either to care for or to punish them, they gave little heed to his prophets. They seemed to take the view that if they could dispose of the prophet by imprisonment or otherwise, they need have no concern over what he had prophesied.

So Israel continued to sin against the Lord, particularly in the worship of false gods. Finally, however, the hour of her judgment came. God withdrew his protecting hand, and the ten tribes were taken into Assyria, where they became what is sometimes referred to now as the “lost tribes” of Israel.

It is well to keep in mind, however, that the captivity in Assyria was experienced only by the ten tribes. The kingdom of Judah, or southern kingdom, made up principally of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, continued in Canaan for a considerable time longer—until the reign of Zedekiah. The two tribes were only slightly more faithful to God than the ten tribes, and finally they lost their national independence and were taken into captivity in Babylon. This was in 606 B.C.

However, because God had made unalterable promises relating to the tribe of Judah, and the house of David—the “sure mercies of David”—he did not permit the two-tribe kingdom to be “lost” in Babylon, but in due time—that is, at the end of seventy years—raised up Cyrus to give them their liberty to return to Judea and to remain there intact until the rightful “offspring” of David, the Messiah, presented himself to them.

When their Messiah came, and they rejected him, even this remnant of Israel lost their national identity. Even so, God continued to love the people of all twelve tribes, as evidenced by the many promises and prophecies of their final restoration which are interspersed with the prophets’ warnings and pronouncements of judgments. We have an example of this in the chapter of which our Golden Text is the last verse. In verse 1 the prophet pleads, “O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou host fallen by thine iniquity.” Then, in verse 4, the Lord answers, “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.”

The “backsliding” of Israel was not healed in Hosea’s day. As today’s lesson indicates, they did not repent, and ultimately both the ten-tribe kingdom and the two-tribe kingdom came under the judgment of the Lord and were taken into captivity. While there was a return from the Babylonian captivity, the nation continued their iniquitous course, which came to fullness in their rejection of the Messiah.

So the healing of their backsliding is yet future, although, we believe, in the very near future. Then they will realize as never before how much the Lord loved them, and how much he continues to love them. “Those who are wise,” our Golden Text indicates, “shall understand these things.” There is none wise except those who have been favored with “wisdom from above.” These understand the divine plan, and the place the nation of Israel will yet occupy in that plan.

These know also that the “ways of the Lord are right,” and that ultimately all who love righteousness, all the “just,” shall gladly walk in them. Israel did not learn that lesson in ancient times. The people as a whole considered the laws of God to be burdensome. They preferred to serve other gods. But when the Lord ordains peace for them, they will say, “O Lord our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.”—Isa. 26:13

QUESTIONS

Who was king over the ten tribes when they were taken into captivity?

When was the two-tribe kingdom of Israel taken into captivity?

Why were these tribes not “lost”?

When, and under what circumstances will all Israel be saved?—Rom. 11:25-27

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