2 Kings 17:1-23
The Fall of Israel

I confess I have Kings-fatigue. Week after week, we have heard about the blatant sins of kings and their people and been warned about idolatry in our own lives. The disastrous fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel to the Assyrians and their exile without return comes as a bit of a relief.

We are foolish, though, if we fail to take to heart the warning in the passage. Do we really need to hear about idolatry … again? we ask. Maybe we as human beings are so prone to idolatry that yes, we do. Like Israel, we are capable of losing reverence for God as we are enticed by the world, of sinning secretly at first but, soon enough, openly. One thing that strikes me in this week’s passage is its detail about Israel’s idolatry. The writer doesn’t gloss over their sin with a brief, vague statement like, They worshiped false idols. No. Reread the passage and underline all the specific details: high places, green tree, pillars, metal, two calves, Asherah, starry host, … etc. Maybe that’s the best way we can grow from failure and sin in our own lives – by facing and confessing in ugly detail how we strayed from obedience to the Lord.

Pastor Todd pointed out that God was patient with Israel over the course of 200 years and the reigns of 20 kings but that there was a limit to His patience. His patience with the whole human race also has limits. King Jesus is coming back, this time to judge. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you … But the day of the Lord will come like a thief … (2 Peter 3:9-10) Quoting that verse, Todd beseeched any unbeliever present to talk to someone about God’s gracious offer of salvation. Lord, give me an opportunity to be that person in someone’s life, the one to share the gospel with someone in dire need of the good news.

The story told in 2 Kings is very dark. Every chapter speaks of the sinfulness of man, as Pastor Dave keeps reminding us. Worse, the sinful men (and women) portrayed in 2 Kings belong to God’s chosen people. The apostle Paul says that people in general are without excuse for their godlessness and wickedness (Romans 1:20). The people of Israel had even less excuse, if that is possible; they had God’s law and a long history with Him. But I think the dark, depressing picture painted in 2 Kings can help us prepare for Christmas. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” The apostle John wrote in the prologue to his gospel, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” With Advent just around the corner, let’s sit in the darkness of 2 Kings and look forward to the light that is coming.

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert

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