A Complete History and Mystery of the Old and New Testament, Volume 3 · Appendix · Chapter 17
2 Kings CHAP. XVII.
THIS Chapter contains the Expiration and Extirpation of the Kingdom of Samaria or that of the ten Tribes, wherein Antecedents, Concomitants, and Conſequents are very conſiderable. Remarks firſt upon the Antecedents, are,
Firſt, A Deſcription of this laſt King of Iſrael, Hoſhea, whoſe Name ſignifies Salvation, yet his Traiterous and King-killing Nature (quite contrary to his Name) brought and wrought Deſtruction both to himſelf, and to his Samaritan Kingdom. Though this King was bad enough in ſlaying his Soveraign, Chap. 15.30. and ſetting himſelf in his ſtead, reigning four Years in the Days of Ahaz, and five Years in the Days of Hezekiah, ver. 14. yet was he not ſo bad, as thoſe Kings that went before him, ver. 2. for he ſuffer'd his Subjects to go up to the Paſſover (ſaith Lavater) celebrated by Hezekiah, when he invited them, 2 Chron. 30.11.
Remark the Second, Notwithſtanding this Hoſhea was not ſo notoriouſly bad as Jeroboam had been who forbad the ten Tribes to worſhip God at Jeruſalem, 1 Kings 12.28. yet the meaſure of the Iſraelites Sin… being now full, Vengeance comes upon them without Remedy, Chap. 23.26. of 2 Kings for now the Lord let looſe Shalmaneſer the Son of Tiglath pilezer, and Father to Sennacherib; he comes up againſt him, and brings him into Vaſſalage, ver. 3. and executed many other outragious Cruelties intimated in Hoſ. 10.14. N.B. This ſheweth, that God executeth his Judgments not only for the Sins of the preſent times, but alſo for the Sins of former times. Hoſhea's ſmaller Sins added to the greater Sins of his Predeceſſors, they were now greater Aggravations, and did ſtill more highly provoke the Lord to greater Indignation.
Remark the Third, Though this Hoſhea was Content to pay Tribute, according to his Covenant ſworn to the King of Aſſyria, yet ſoon was he weary of that Vaſſalage, and thereupon ſends to So King of Egypt (betwixt whom and the King of Aſſyria, there was continual Emulation) for his Aid and Aſſiſtance, ver. 4. which being promis'd Hoſhea by So, he paid no more the Annual Tribute to Aſſyria, according to Cuſtome and Covenant; this enraged Shalmaneſer, whereupon he came up and beſieged Samaria, the Septuagint reads it [foreign] of foreign to hedge up the City; and ſo ſtrong and well fortified was Samaria, that it held out three Years Siege, ver. 5. at the end the King of Aſſyria took it, put Hoſhea in Priſon to make ſure of him, when he had compleated his Conqueſt over the Country as well as City, and when he had done that Work, he then carries away both the King (till then fettered in Priſon) and his Subjects alſo all Captives into Aſſyria and into Media (then in Subjection to the Aſſyrians) ver. 6. not only to repleniſh thoſe Countrys, but alſo to cut off all Hopes of their returning into their own Country, ſeeing thoſe Captives were removed ſo far diſtant from Canaan.
Remark the Fourth; The procuring Cauſe of this Utter Rejection of Iſrael, or the Ten Tribes, is deſcribed from ver. 7. to ver. 18.
Mark 1. God Accuſeth them for Worſhipping ſtrange Gods, after the manner of the Heathen, ver. 7.8. which Grotius calleth (Gravis foreign gravium Malorum) a grievous Catalogue of the Peoples grievous Sins, and their long continuance in them, even from the time of their coming out of Egypt; which Deliverance did much aggravate their ſo ſoon learning to be Idolatrous after it, Ezek. 20.8, &c. but much more their continuing ſo long to be ſuch, tho' God long before this had Threatned [that their Land ſhould ſpue them out for ſuch Abominations] Lev. 18.26, 28.
Mark 2. They are blamed both for affronting the Right Object, and for Debauching the Right Office and Action of Divine Worſhip, ver. 9.10, 11, 12. The firſt they did in contemning God's Temple, preferring their High Places before God's Houſe, and adoring their own Images before Himſelf the Moſt High: And they did the ſecond in working wicked things on purpoſe to prooke God, inſtead of worſhipping Him according to God's Word, with any purpoſe to pleaſe him thereby.
Mark 3. They are likewiſe Arraigned for Adding to their Natural Obſtinacy, a notorious Impudency in their ways of Wickedneſs, ver. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. tho' God never left himſelf without Witneſs, Acts 14.17. but always left them without Excuſe, Rom. 1.20. by ſending ordinary Seers, and extraordinary Prophets, to teſtifie againſt their Sins, yet they added (ſaith Grotius) to their Sinews of Iron even Brows of Braſs, Iſa. 48.8. Rejecting God's Statutes, and contemning his Commands in many abominable Actions.
Remark the Fifth; The Vindication of God's Righteouſneſs, in writing Lo-Ammi and Lo-Ruhamah upon Iſrael, in cauſing their Kingdom to ceaſe, Hoſ. 1.4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. the Lord was provoked to do ſo by the Sins of the People, ver. 18, 20, 23. here: Nor was this all that God ſaw, how the Ten Tribes, had not only Debauch'd one another, but that they had done what they could to Debauch Judah alſo, ver. 19. which was become the worſe now by the ill Neighbourhood of Idolatrous Iſrael, Hoſ. 4.15. Judah became the worſe, becauſe ſhe ſhould have been better by ſuch a Warning in God's Rejecting Iſrael, Jer. 3.8. Woe to them by whom offences come, Matt. 18.7.
The Second Part is the Concomitants of the Ten Tribes Captivity; namely, the Colony tranſplanted from Babylon (then under the Power of Aſſyria) and from other Countries to Samaria in their ſtead, ver. 24. Theſe New-Planters of Iſrael from various Countries ſent by Salmaneſer now, and by his Grand-Son Eſerhuddon afterward, Ezra 4.2. made (ſay Junius and Piſcator) ſuch a mealy of Differing Minds and Manners, that an Horrible Confuſion came among them, ver. 30, 31. Theſe Colonies of Strangers were afterward called Samaritans, (Mat. 10.5. Luk. 9.52.) who laid claim to the Privilege of the Patriarchs, Joh. 4.20. becauſe their Prieſts (ſent them, ver. 27. here) had inhabited this ſame Land.
The Third Part is the Conſequents of Iſrael's Captivity.
Remark the Firſt, The Entertainment thoſe New Colonys found, when they came in the Room of the old Inhabitants of Iſrael now led away Captive, &c. [the Lord ſent Lions to ſet upon them for their unparallel'd Impiety,] ver. 25. Theſe Strangers worſhipped not God in any manner, having no knowledge of Jehovah, but of their own Idols only, ſo they fell ſhort of the Idolatrous Iſraelites, who worſhipped the true God but in a falſe manner. Therefore (ſaith Sanctius) God ſent Lions to ſlay ſome of them, whereby he vindicated his own propriety in that Holy Land above all other Lands, of which he ſaith, [the Land is mine] Levit. 25.23. And as he had ſaid of Iſrael, [they ſhall not dwell in the Lords Land,] Hoſ. 9.3. becauſe they would not live by the Lord's Laws, and therefore God had now Rejected and Removed them: ſo now theſe Lions muſt let thoſe Strangers know, the Lord will not ſuffer them to prophane his Land.
Remark the Second: This Malady ſtartl'd thoſe Strangers, whereupon they ſend to Salmaneſer for a Remedy, ver. 26. thinking (ſaith Grotius) that Jehovah was ſome Topical Deity, as 1 Kin. 20.23. to whom a particular Province was allotted, fooliſhly imagining that each Land had their proper Tutelar God: Therefore Salmaneſer ſent ſome of thoſe Captive Prieſts back, whereof one was Chief, ver. 27. and with them other Aſſyrians (ſaith Vatablus) to ſupply the places of thoſe ſlain by Lions in theſe new Plantations: Thoſe Prieſts placed themſelves at Bethel, ver. 28. or at leaſt the chief of them, which very place intimates they were Jeroboam's Prieſts, (tho' the Calf might be gone, becauſe it was of Gold) but more eſpecially it appears ſo by their manner of making Prieſts of the loweſt of the People, ver. 32. as Jeroboam had done, 1 Kin. 12.31. Such Prieſts taught theſe New Samaritans the manner of the God of the Land, as it was practis'd in Iſrael before.
Remark the Third: Hence came that Mongrel Religion of the Samaritans, a meer Gallima…frey, a mixture of true and falſe Worſhip, a Worſhipping they knew not what, Joh. 4.22. 'tis ſaid here, [they feared God] which thoſe Prieſts taught them, ver. 28, 22, 33. yet was this but a ſlaviſh fear, becauſe of his Lions that ſlew ſome of them; which Fear is not materially Evil (ſuch as the Idolatrous Iſraelites had) but formally and eventually: 'Tis ſaid [they fear'd not the Lord] ver. 34, they did, and they did not, becauſe they mingled his Service with that of their Idols; they fear'd him not rightly, becauſe not truly nor totally, ſo as good as none.
Remark the Fourth: So Gracious was God, that the Judgment of the Lions was undoubtedly Removed, (of which we hear no more) becauſe the true Jehovah was now Acknowledged, tho' each City had its own God, ver. 29. goodly Gods of their own making, Rom. 1.23. ſome in the form of an Hen hurkling over her Chicks, ver. 30. as Succoth benoth ſignifies, and others of other forms; as Nergol a Woodcock, Aſhima a Wolf; and ver. 31. Nibhaz a barking Dog; Tartak a braying Aſs, Adrammelech and Anammelech (the ſame with Molech) an Horſe and a Mule, ſignifying a glorious yet an afflicting King; ſo Satan was, who ſeduced them to ſacrifice to him their own Children by Fire. Tho' their Mongrel-Worſhip here, was 1. contrary to God's Law, which Rejects the Rites of Heathens, ver. 34.36, 37, 39, 40. and 2. contrary to God's Covenant, which Rejects the Perſons of Heathens, ver. 35, 38, yet God Removes the Lions, as he had done the Drought in Ahab's day, 1 Kin. 18.39, 41, &c. becauſe God was owned tho' the Calves were continued: Temporal Judgments may be Removed upon the Removal of ſome groſs Sins, tho' there be not a thorough-Reformation, &c.