CROWNED | 2 Kings Chapter 17
- Jul 30
- 6 min read
Week 8 / Day 38
Written by Rae Johnson
READ
If you haven’t done so already, go ahead and read 2 Kings 17 before we dive into today’s discussion and reflection time together.
REFLECTION
2 Kings 17 begins in the same way many of the chapters in our study in 1 and 2 Kings have begun…”Hoshea…began to rule over Israel…” and “he did evil in the Lord’s sight…”. But this chapter ends very differently! Where in previous chapters we read of the Lord sending yet another word of warning to His people of what was to come should they not return to Him, here in 2 Kings 17 we begin to read of that ultimate unraveling as it tells us of “the expulsion of the people of Israel from their land by the Assyrians.*”
Now remember, this “expulsion” isn’t a harsh punishment from the Lord for their disobedience, but rather a consequence of it, for after decades of disregarding and disrespecting God’s commands and ignoring His many warnings, “God allowed the Assyrians to conquer Israel and relocate most of the people to distant portions of the Assyrian Empire.*”
Verses 13 & 14 stated it plainly:
“Again and again the Lord had sent His prophets and seers to warn both Israel and Judah: “Turn from all your evil ways. Obey my commands and decrees - the entire law that I commanded your ancestors to obey, and that I gave you through my servants the prophets. But the Israelites would not listen. They were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to believe in the Lord their God.” 2 Kings 17: 13-14 (NLT)
Or, as British Bible teacher G. Campbell Morgan put it, “Their sin was first against law, but finally it was against patient love.” For with every warning of patient love and grace, God’s people became more stubborn and, ultimately, sank deeper into sin.
Imagine coming across someone trapped in quicksand. Your first instinct wouldn’t be to condemn them! Instead, you’d stretch out your hand and plead, ‘Grab hold!’ But what if, no matter how many times you cried out with “Let me help you!”, they only allowed themselves to sink deeper until, eventually, they became so trapped that rescue seemed nearly impossible!
The situation in which we find the Israelites is a very similar one! Again and again the Lord extended His hand through prophets, warnings, and acts of mercy. Yet instead of reaching for His grace, they dug in their heels. And with every refusal they sank deeper into the quicksand of sin. Until, finally the consequences they had ignored became the captivity they could no longer escape.
So what were these “commands and decrees” that verses 13 and 14 tell us the people simply would not listen to? The full answer to that question would be the entire Mosaic law, which is a vast collection of laws given to Moses on Mount Sinai. We obviously don’t have the time to dive fully into all of that today; however, there is a portion of the Mosaic law that we are all likely already somewhat familiar with and that is the portion known as the 10 Commandments. Just in case it’s been a minute since you read over those last, let’s revisit them together today. Exodus 20, verses 1-17 state:
“And God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them…You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God…Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy…Honor your father and your mother…You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not cover your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (NLT)
Right out the gate the Lord gives some indisputably clear directives: Don’t serve any other god’s, for I am the one true God, and don’t worship or even make any false idols, as the nations around you have done. And yet, what does 2 Kings 17 tell us they have done?
They worshipped other Gods.
“This disaster came upon the people of Israel because they worshiped other gods.” 2 Kings 17:7
They conformed themselves to the godless nations around them.
“They had followed the practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of them, as well as the practices the kings of Israel had introduced.” 2 Kings 17:8
And they practiced idolatry both secretly and publicly. Verses 9-11 tell us:
“The people of Israel had also secretly done many things not pleasing to the Lord…” and “They offered sacrifices on hilltops…”
Do you see a common thread in each of those verses? Long before the nation of Israel had a “sin” problem, it had a worship problem! In fact, this “worship problem” was apparent all throughout Israel’s history for as Moses is up on the mountain receiving these commandments from the Lord, what are the rest of the people doing? According to Exodus 32, while Moses is on Mount Sinai seeking the Lord on behalf of the people, the Israelites are down at base camp building and worshipping golden idols! This idol worship takes place a short 40 DAYS after the Lord spoke the commandments to His people. That’s it! That’s all it took! 40 days for the Israelites to go from hearing the word and warning of the Lord to their outright acts of wayward worship.
And it was from this place of ill placed worship that we see the nation of Israel fall through the ranks in each of the other commandments, leading them to eventually dishonor the sabbath, dishonor their fathers and mothers, murder, commit adultery, steal, give false testimony, and covet.
So, if they as a nation “worshiped wrong” does that mean there is a way to “worship right”? Yes…but also no! What do I mean?
Where there isn’t a right or wrong way to worship in FORM, there is a right or wrong way to worship in focus. Meaning, there’s no single right POSTURE for worship, but there is a right PERSON.
You see, our worship can take many forms!
We can worship while standing.
Nehemiah 8:5-6 tells us that the people stood as the Book of the Law was opened and worshiped the Lord.
Psalm 135:1-2 says that God’s servants stand in the house of the house of the Lord in praise.
We can worship while bowing or kneeling.
“Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” Psalm 95:6
Daniel knelt three times a day to pray. Daniel 6:10
Paul says, “I bow my knees before the Father.” Ephesians 3:14
We can worship by:
Lifting our hands: “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord.” Psalm 134:2
Singing: “Sing to the Lord a new song.” Psalm 96:1-2
Playing instruments, Psalm 150:3-5
Clapping: “Clap your hands, all people.” Psalm 47:1
Or dancing: “Let them praise His name with dancing.” Psalm 149:3
We can even worship with silence:
“The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him.” Habakkuk 2:20
“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
And we can worship while serving.
Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1
But no matter the form, the one thing that must NEVER change, is the focus! While scripture shows tremendous diversity in HOW God’s people worship, it is uncompromised about WHO and WHY we worship.
John 4:23-24 states:
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth…”
The Israelites were “wrong” in how they worshiped, not because of their physical posture but because of their spiritual position.
RESPOND
As we wind down our time today, here are a few questions for reflection.
The Israelites didn’t abandon worship - they redirected it. Are there any “modern idols” (success, comfort, approval, security, entertainment, relationships, control, etc.) that have slowly begun competing with God for first place in your heart?
God repeatedly reached out to Israel with patient love before judgment ever came. Is there an area where God is inviting you to return your heart to wholehearted worship today? Is there an area of ongoing struggle in your life where the deeper question isn’t simply, “What am I doing wrong?” but rather, “What or who am I worshipping most?” What practical step (or steps) of surrender can you take this week to place Him back at the center of your life and your worship?
Scripture shows us clearly that there are many biblical forms of worship, but only one rightful focus. When you worship - whether through singing, serving, praying, giving, or daily obedience - is your attention primarily fixed on honoring Christ, or are you more aware of and focused on your own preferences, emotions, or opinions?
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