EXILED

the story of Israel’s exile

The Kingdoms Fall

The Fall of Israel

II Kings 17:6-13

Israel, the Northern Kingdom, had always seemed a little bit more evil than
its southern brother Judah. Although Israel did have good kings and did have
reformations that brought it back to worship of the one true God, it was a
history that was only pock marked with such reformations.

For most of its existence, Israel was a nation that was infatuated with the
ways of its neighbors, constantly trading the One True God for gods they
could make out of their hands like their neighbors did.

It appears that as a consequence of its rebellion, Israel is the first of the two
Hebrew nations to fall.
 • What sorts of idols do we “trade” for the one true God today? How
might our idolatry affect our lifestyle? Can you draw some links
between idolatry and our current recession?

The Samaritans Explained

I Kings 17:34-41

The “they” that this verse begins with is the Samaritans, the inhabitants of
the capital city of Israel, Samaria.

The Samaritans were called “dogs” by all good Hebrews even up until the
time of Jesus’ ministry. The reason for this is outlined in this section of II
Kings wherein we understand that the Samaritans were impure in their
worship – trying to worship both the One True God and other Gods.

Additionally, the Samaritans that were left in the land and were not carried
away were the sick, the elderly, and the poor. The Assyrians did not want to
take these people with them into their homeland, even as slaves. There was
a feeling that if the Samaritans weren’t good enough for the Assyrians, they
weren’t good enough for the return of Israel either.
• Does knowing this about the Samaritans help explain the story of the
Good Samaritan or the healing of the Samaritan woman?

The Fall of Judah

II Kings 25:1-12

Although Judah continued to live as an autonomous kingdom for several

more years, it is eventually picked off by Babylon’s king Nebuchadnezzar
who kills Judah’s king, institutes his own, and then carries off the nation into
exile.

Several good and bad kings have ruled in Judah since the fall of Israel. The
idolatry of Judah continues to be an issue for the nation. As soon as things
start looking up, the Judaites go to the gods of their neighbors.

Additionally, in this section, we find the good king Hezekiah and Isaiah the
prophet. Both functioning during a traumatic time of Israel’s history.

• What can this period of Israel’s history teach us?

For next time…
Read Daniel 1-6. This is a view of what it was like to be an exile living
under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.

Applying the story…

Kingdoms and empires rise and fall throughout the course of history. Often
times we can learn things about our own times by looking at the kingdoms of
the past.

What do the kingdoms of Israel and Judah tell you about the kingdom of the
United States? How might we be caught in some of the same decisions,
mistakes, and how might our circumstances actually be different?

God’s kingdom, Jesus tells us, is not of this earth. It does not function in the
same ways as what political entities do. How does God’s kingdom function
differently?

Please don’t throw this away. If you’re not going to use it, leave it for someone else to use.