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| 1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, began Hosea son of Elah to reign in Samaria, over Israel, [and he reigned] nine years. |
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| 2 And he did the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh,–only, not like the kings of Israel who were before him. |
That were before him – A rather doubtful compliment, of being less evil than some of his predecessors. R4819:3
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| 3 Against him, came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria,–and Hoshea became his servant, and rendered him a present. |
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| 4 Then found the king of Assyria, in Hosea, a conspiracy, in that he had sent messengers unto So king of Egypt, and had not brought up a present to the king of Assyria, as [he had done] year by year,–therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison. |
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| 5 And the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land,–yea he came up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. |
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| 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, did the king of Assyria capture Samaria, and carried Israel away captive to Assyria,–and settled them in Halah, and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and the mountains of Media. |
And carried Israel – The ten tribes. R4819:3
The fall of the ten tribes of Israel pictures the fall of Papacy. R2360:5
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| 7 And thus it came to pass that Israel sinned against Yahweh their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt,–yea they did reverence to other gods; |
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| 8 and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom Yahweh had dispossessed from before the sons of Israel,–and [in the statutes] of the kings of Israel, which they had made. |
Statutes of the heathen – Israel was quite willing to be God's special people, but seemingly they did not wish to be his peculiar people. R2359:1
Spiritual Israel must be "peculiar people" and not attempt to please and copy the world. R2360:4
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| 9 And the sons of Israel did, secretly, things which were not right, against Yahweh their God,–and built for themselves high places in all their cities, from the watchmen's tower, to the fortified city. |
Did secretly – Hypocritically, under the pretense that they were doing this in the service of the true God. R2359:3
Corresponds with the tendency of many in Christendom today of publicly showing an outward display in forms and ceremonies, thinking they are increasing in godliness. R2359:4
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| 10 And they set up for themselves pillars and Sacred Stems, upon every high hill, and under every green tree; |
Images and groves – As natural Israel had its groves and totem-posts, so many spiritual Israelites have their various creeds. R3464:6
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| 11 and burned incense there, in all the high places, like the nations whom Yahweh drave out from before them,–and did things that were wicked, so as to provoke Yahweh to anger; |
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| 12 and they served the manufactured gods, as to which Yahweh had said to them, Ye shall not do this thing. |
They served idols – Idols today are popularity, wealth, fame, self, denomination. R2359:5, R3464:6
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| 13 And Yahweh testified against Israel and against Judah, through all his prophets–every one who had a vision, saying–Turn ye from your wicked ways, and keep my commandments, my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers; and which I sent unto you through my servants the prophets. |
Keep my commandments – Israel's prosperity or defeat indicated the Lord's favor or disfavor, in a manner not applicable to other nations. R4820:1
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| 14 Howbeit they hearkened not,–but stiffened their neck, like the neck of their fathers, who trusted not in Yahweh their God; |
Hardened their necks – A figure of speech drawn from the stiffness of neck of a yoke of unruly bullocks. R3464:1
Symbolizing a self-willed and rebellious attitude of heart. R4820:2, R3464:1
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| 15 but rejected his statutes, and his covenant, which he solemnised with their fathers, and his testimonies wherewith he testified against them,–and followed vanity, and became vain, and followed the nations that were round about them, as to whom Yahweh charged them, so that they should not do like them. |
Rejected his statutes – Israel rejected God's Law, God's word; lost faith in God's promises; lost sight of the result of forsaking his counsel; followed foolishness, desiring to be not peculiar but popular. R2360:2
This applies to antitypical nominal Israel of today. R2360:4
Went after the heathen – The disposition to do like the world is the seductive point at which the great Adversary would switch us off from being the Lord's peculiar people. Let us remember John 15:19. R2360:4
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| 16 But they forsook all the commandments of Yahweh their God, and made for themselves something molten–two calves, and made a Sacred Stem, and bowed themselves down to all the army of the heavens, and served Baal; |
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| 17 and made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and used divinations and enchantments, and sold themselves to do the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, provoking him to wrath. |
To pass through the fire – The fire of Moloch, as sacrifices. The modern Moloch is a god of everlasting torture. R2360:1
We have today a Moloch on a much larger scale, the God-dishonoring imaginations of a god red hot with the flames of hell or purgatory. R3464:6
Divination and enchantments – God's Word warns us against having anything to do with occult powers. R5800:2
They held intercourse with the fallen angels. R2359:6
This same spirit of wilfulness and dissatisfaction with divine arrangements is not lacking today. R2359:6
Sold themselves to do evil – They became the slaves of their passions and self-deceptions, misled of the evil spirits. R3464:1, R2359:6
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| 18 So Yahweh shewed himself exceeding angry with Israel, and removed them from his presence,–there was none left, save the tribe of Judah, alone. |
With Israel – These other nations were not specially chastised for idolatry as was Israel. R3463:6
Removed them – Israel's overthrow was a judgment from the Lord. R4820:1
It was God's abandonment of the ten-tribe kingdom, his permission for them to have their way and henceforth to be treated of him as the heathen. R3463:6
An entire alienation from God. R3464:1
The greater religious faith and zeal was always to be found in Judah, and gradually many of the more religious in Ephraim (the ten-tribe kingdom) removed to Judah. R3464:2, R4819:3
Tribe of Judah only – There are analogies in spiritual Israel: the great "falling away" from the faith; the captivity to Papacy and the world (Babylon); the "Reformation," and the separation of "Israelites indeed." R3464:5
The fall of the ten tribes of Israel reminds us of the fall of Papacy for similar reasons. R2360:5
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| 19 Even Judah, kept not the commandments of Yahweh their God,–but walked in the statutes of Israel, which they had made. |
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| 20 So Yahweh rejected all the seed of Israel, and humiliated them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers,–until he had cast them out from his presence; |
All the seed of Israel – The Israelites were destroyed as a nation; but God's favor will return to the twelve tribes, and their regathering will be the first blessing to humanity under Messiah's reign. R4820:4
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| 21 for he rent Israel away from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam son of Nebat, king,–and Jeroboam thrust away Israel from following Yahweh, and caused them to commit a great sin. |
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| 22 And the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he had committed,–they turned not away therefrom; |
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| 23 until that Yahweh removed Israel from his presence, according as he spake through all his servants the prophets,–and so Israel was driven away from off their own soil, to Assyria, until this day. |
Removed Israel – See comments on 2 Kings 17:18.
So was Israel carried away – Whoever of them maintained faith in God and observed circumcision maintained his membership as an Israelite. Others ceased entirely to be Israelites. R4819:6, R3464:4
To Assyria – They gradually assimilated with the population surrounding them and lost identity as Israelites. R3463:6
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| 24 And the king of Assyria brought [men] from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avvah, and from Hamath, and [from] Sepharvaim, and caused them to dwell in the cities of Samaria, instead of the sons of Israel,–so they took possession of Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. |
Place them in ... Samaria – Thus the Samaritans of Jesus' day were Gentiles who had been transported to Samaria. R2574:1
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| 25 And so it was, that, when they first dwelt there, they revered not Yahweh,–therefore Yahweh sent among them, lions, which were slaying them. |
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| 26 Therefore spake they unto the king of Assyria, saying, The nations whom thou hast removed and settled in the cities of Samaria, know not the custom of the God of the land,–and he hath sent among them lions, and lo! they are slaying them, because they know not the custom of the God of the land. |
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| 27 So the king of Assyria commanded, saying–Carry thither, one of the priests, whom ye brought away captive from thence, that they may go, and dwell there,–and teach them the custom of the God of the land. |
Let him teach them – Thus the Samaritan Gentiles obtained a smattering of knowledge of Jewish hopes, combining them with false ideas of their own. R2574:1
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| 28 Then came one of the priests whom they had carried away captive from Samaria, and dwelt in Bethel,–and he began teaching them how they should do reverence unto Yahweh. |
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| 29 Howbeit the nations severally were making their own gods,–and did put them in the houses of the high places, which, the Samaritans, had made, each several nation, in their cities wherein, they, were dwelling. |
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| 30 So then, the men of Babylon, made Succoth-benoth, and, the men of Cuth, made Nergal, and, the men of Hamath, made Ashima: |
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| 31 and, the Avvites, made Nibhaz and Tartak, and, the Sepharvites, did consume their sons in the fire, to Adrammelech and Anammelech gods of Sepharvaim. |
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| 32 Thus became they reverers of Yahweh,–and yet made for themselves, from the whole compass of them, priests of high places, who became offerers for them in the house of the high places. |
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| 33 Yahweh, were they revering,–and yet, their own gods, were they serving, according to the custom of the nations from whence they had brought them away captive. |
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| 34 Unto this day, are they offering according to the former customs,–they are not revering Yahweh, neither are they offering after their own statutes, or their own custom, nor yet after the law and the commandment which Yahweh commanded the sons of Jacob, whose name he made to be Israel: |
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| 35 With, whom, Yahweh solemnised a covenant, and commanded them saying–Ye shall not revere other gods,–nor bow down to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them; |
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| 36 But, Yahweh–who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, with great might, and with arm outstretched, him, shall ye revere,–and to him, shall ye bow down, and to him, shall ye sacrifice; |
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| 37 And, the statutes and the regulations, and the law and the commandment, which he wrote for you, shall ye surely observe to do, continually,–So shall ye not revere other gods; |
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| 38 But, the covenant which I have solemnised with you, shall ye not forget,–So shall ye not revere other gods; |
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| 39 But, Yahweh your God, shall ye revere,–then will, he, deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. |
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| 40 Howbeit they hearkened not,–but, according to their own former custom, were they offering. |
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| 41 Thus were these nations doing reverence unto Yahweh, and yet, unto their own carved images, were they rendering service,–yea, their sons and their son's sons, as the fathers offered, so are, they, offering until this day. |
Feared the LORD – Comprehended through the light of nature; but not justified thereby. R1030:2*
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