See Monday, Aug. 31, 2026 for the explanation of this 2-week limited series in 2 Kings.
2 Kings 17 Chapter Summary
Breakdown:
1-2 Hoshea’s short reign in the northern kingdom was not as evil as the earlier Israelite kings
3-4 Hoshea paid Assyria to become its vassal, but was imprisoned when Assyria found he broke the deal
5-6 Assyria besieged Samaria three years and took Hoshea and others captive
7-8 Israel sinned against the God who delivered them from captivity to Egypt, only to take up idols in Israel
9-12 Israel actively participated in building places of false worship and served idols, which the Lord forbid them to do
13-18 Israel rejected the commandments of the Lord, angering Him, so He removed them
19 Judah started following Israel’s idols.
20-23 The Lord carried away Israel because Jeroboam had caused the people to turn from God
24 Assyria planted people inside Israel from other lands
25-28 The Lord caused lions to attack them, so the Assyrians returned an Israelite priest there to appease God.
29-41 A long, sad message of why Israel was cast out.
Comparisons/Parallels:
- King Hoshea became a vassal to a foreign power, Assyria. The greater King, Jesus, will break the reign of all foreign powers (Dan. 2:36-45).
- Assyria uncovered the plot of king Hoshea and imprisoned him. Jesus will uncover Satan’s plot and imprison him (Rev. 20:7-10).
Meaning:
In some Christian child training books, parents are taught to let the children know what the rules are for their behavior, and what the consequences are for disobeying the rules. In this way they learn the standards of the house and what kind of behavior is expected, both in the home and in the community.
Deut. 28 spells out the blessings of obedience and curses of disobedience should the people of Israel and Judah were to follow the laws of Moses, or not. From Joshua through 2 Chronicles we see the consequences of how well they followed the law. We see what doing good looks like and doing evil. Chapters like this one shows how faithful the Lord is to keep His promises, to prosper or to destroy.
The New Testament shows us that the Lord will respond to our steps of faith with blessing (Heb. 11), and of unbelief with lack (Heb. 3). He wants us to show our love by obedience to His commandments (John 14:21), and demonstrate fruitfulness by mutual abiding in Him and His word (John 15:1-8). Those cities and nations that heard and rejected the words of Jesus will receive greater judgment than those that did not hear (Matt. 11:21-24).
All the OT laws of Moses was to center the people’s attention on God and order their lives in holiness to reflect His holiness. All the NT principles and commands are continue the same idea, but they are lived out in the kingdom of God, with the new wine of faith and grace empowering us to communicate the Lord’s love and holiness through us.
Application:
Memory Verse:
