The Fall of the Northern Kingdom (Israel) to Assyria: A Divine Judgment
The history of ancient Israel is a profound testament to God's faithfulness and His unwavering justice. Among the most sobering chapters is the demise of the Northern Kingdom, Israel, at the hands of the formidable Assyrian Empire. This was not merely a geopolitical event but a direct consequence of generations of apostasy, idolatry, and a steadfast refusal to heed the warnings of the Lord's prophets. The narrative, meticulously recorded in the books of 1 Kings and 2 Kings, serves as a timeless admonition against spiritual rebellion and the abandonment of divine covenant.
The Seeds of Apostasy: Jeroboam's Sin
Following the death of King Solomon, the united monarchy fractured, largely due to the harsh policies of his son, Rehoboam. Ten tribes seceded, forming the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and elected Jeroboam I as their king. Fearing that annual pilgrimages to Jerusalem for worship would foster loyalty to the Southern Kingdom (Judah) and its Davidic dynasty, Jeroboam instituted a catastrophic religious innovation. He erected golden calves at Bethel and Dan, declaring them to be the gods that brought Israel out of Egypt. This act of spiritual rebellion became the foundational sin that plagued the Northern Kingdom throughout its existence.
Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went with the one to Dan, and with the other to Bethel.
This idolatry was compounded by Jeroboam's establishment of a non-Levitical priesthood and the alteration of sacred feast days. This deliberate deviation from God's law (Leviticus 23:1) set a precedent of disobedience that every succeeding monarch of Israel would follow, earning the chilling refrain in scripture: "he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin."
A Succession of Wicked Kings and Endemic Corruption
For over two centuries, the Northern Kingdom was characterized by political instability, assassinations, and a succession of twenty kings, none of whom reigned righteously in the eyes of the Lord. From the Omride dynasty to the tumultuous final years, the nation plunged deeper into moral decay. Baal worship, Asherah poles, and other pagan practices became entrenched, often endorsed by the monarchy itself. The people, following their leaders, indulged in widespread injustice, oppression of the poor, and rampant immorality, completely forsaking the covenant made at Sinai.
For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. Nevertheless the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.
Prophetic Warnings Ignored
Despite Israel's persistent rebellion, God, in His mercy, sent numerous prophets to warn His people and call them back to repentance. Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Hosea, and Micah all delivered impassioned pleas and dire prophecies of impending judgment. They spoke of Israel's spiritual adultery, their reliance on foreign alliances, and their abandonment of justice. Hosea graphically depicted Israel's unfaithfulness as a harlot, while Amos thundered against their social injustice and hypocrisy.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
Amos called for righteousness to flow like a river:
But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Yet, the kings and the populace largely dismissed these divine messengers, often persecuting them. Their hearts were hardened, their ears deafened to the voice of God. This consistent rejection of God's word sealed their fate.
Political Instability and Reliance on Foreign Alliances
Internally, Israel was plagued by regicide and coups, particularly in its final decades. Kings like Zachariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, and Hoshea rose and fell, often through violent means. Externally, instead of trusting in the Lord, Israel sought security through alliances with powerful nations like Egypt and Assyria, frequently shifting allegiances in a desperate bid for survival. This strategy, explicitly forbidden by God, demonstrated a profound lack of faith and further angered the Almighty.
For they have gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.
Assyria: The Rod of God's Anger
Meanwhile, to the northeast, the Assyrian Empire was rapidly expanding, becoming the dominant power in the ancient Near East. God, in His sovereign plan, used Assyria as His instrument of judgment against His disobedient people. Isaiah prophetically described Assyria as "the rod of mine anger" (Isaiah 10:5), sent to chastise Israel for its iniquity.
O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
Beginning with Tiglath-pileser III, Assyria began to exert pressure on Israel, demanding tribute and annexing territories. Menahem paid tribute to Tiglath-pileser (2 Kings 15:19-20), and later Pekah, in alliance with Rezin of Syria, attacked Judah, prompting Judah's King Ahaz to appeal to Tiglath-pileser, resulting in the deportation of many from Galilee and Gilead (2 Kings 15:29).
The Final Years and the Fall of Samaria
The end came during the reign of Hoshea, Israel's last king. Hoshea initially submitted to Shalmaneser V of Assyria, paying tribute. However, he later conspired with So, king of Egypt, and ceased paying tribute to Assyria. This act of defiance provoked Shalmaneser V to besiege Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom.
Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents. And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no 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. Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.
The siege lasted for three grueling years (c. 724-722 BC). Though Shalmaneser V died during the siege, his successor, Sargon II, completed the conquest of Samaria in 722 BC. The city fell, and its inhabitants were deported to various parts of the Assyrian Empire, particularly to Halah, Habor, and the cities of the Medes. This mass deportation, a standard Assyrian policy, aimed to break the national identity of conquered peoples and prevent future rebellions. Foreign peoples were then brought into Samaria, leading to the mixed population that would later form the Samaritans.
In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
Why They Fell: A Summary of God's Judgment
The book of 2 Kings 17 provides a comprehensive divine explanation for Israel's downfall, leaving no doubt that it was a righteous judgment from God. The reasons are clear:
- Idolatry: They walked in the statutes of the heathen and of the kings of Israel, making molten images, even two calves, and worshipping all the host of heaven, and serving Baal (2 Kings 17:7-12).
- Rejection of God's Law: They rejected His statutes and His covenant and the testimonies which He testified against them (2 Kings 17:15).
- Hardheartedness: They stiffened their neck, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God (2 Kings 17:14).
- Ignoring Prophets: They would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God (2 Kings 17:14).
- Imitation of Heathen Practices: They followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them (2 Kings 17:15).
The passage concludes with the poignant summary:
Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight. For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin. For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.
Lessons for Today
The fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel stands as a stark warning to all generations. It underscores several crucial biblical truths:
As believers today, we are called to learn from Israel's tragic history. We must guard against the subtle idols of our age, diligently study God's Word, and obey His precepts. The Lord remains faithful to His covenant, but He also remains just. May we, unlike the Northern Kingdom, choose to walk in righteousness and unwavering devotion to the King of kings.