May 21 Daily Devotional

2 Kings 17; Hosea; Amos

The kingdom of Israel departed more and more from the Lord their God, and heard not the voice of Elijah and Elisha. After these prophets God sent them yet Amos, the prophet of Tekoah, who said, “Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel … An adversary there shall be even around about the land … and the palaces shall be spoiled … Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land, because they obeyed not the voice of your God.” Also Hosea, the prophet, arose and called, “Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land … By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish … My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee,” saith the Lord God.

But Israel hearkened not unto the prophets, and continued to sin against the Lord. Then came Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, and besieged Samaria three years. After that he took the city, and carried the people away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor, and in the cities of the Medes. Thus Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria, as the Lord had foretold by the prophets.

And Shalmaneser brought men from Babylon, and from Hemath, and placed them in the cities of Samaria. And they feared not the Lord; therefore he sent lions among them, which killed some of them. Wherefore they said to Shalmaneser, “The nations which thou hast removed … know not the manner of the God of this land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them.” Then Shalmaneser sent one of the priests whom he had brought thence, to teach them the manner of the God of the land. The priest came and lived at Bethel, and taught the strange people how they should fear the Lord.

The heathen mingled with the few Israelites that were left in the!. land. So in their religion the Lord’s worship was mingled with the worship of idols and it became a mixture of right and wrong. In later times these people were called Samaritans, from Samaria, which was their chief city. They had their temple on mount Gerizim, near the city of Shechem. In that city a few Samaritans are found even at the present time.