“They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, “‘Do not do as they do,”’ and they did the things the LORD had forbidden them to do.”
~ 2 Kings 17:15
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you ever done or said something that made your dad and/or ma angry with you for what you did or said? Have you ever done or said something that made your teacher angry with you for what you did and/or said? Have you ever done or said something that made your coach angry with you for what you did and/or said? Do you think that you have ever done or said something that made God angry with you for what you did and/or said? How does it feel to have a guy or gal angry with you for something that you did and/or said? Your grandpaa knows that it does not feel good to have a guy or gal angry with him for something that he did and/or said. A punishment invariably happens to a kid who has made his or her dad and/or ma, teacher, coach or God angry with something that he or she did and/or said. What has happened to you after you have made your dad and/or ma, teacher or coach angry with you for something that you did and/or said? Has your dad and/or ma, teacher or coach ever had you take a timeout because you made your dad and/or ma, teacher or coach angry for something that you did and/or said? Ask your dad if he ever made his dad and/or ma, teacher or coach angry with him for something that he did and/or said. A kid sooner or later – for one reason or another, will make his or her dad and/or ma, teacher or coach angry with him or her for something that he or she did and/or said. A kid wants to find out what the boundaries or limits are that his dad and/or ma, teacher or coach has set for him or her. A kid knows that he or she has gone past a boundary or limit that his or her dad and/or ma, teacher or coach has set when his or her dad and/or ma, teacher or coach becomes angry with him or her for what he or she did and/or said. If a kid is never disciplined for challenging the boundaries or limits that his or her dad and/or ma, teacher or coach has set, the kid as he or she grows up to be an adult, will never have learned when to stop pushing the button that makes another guy or gal angry with him or her for what he or she did and/or said. A kid will never have a happy life as an adult if he or she when he or she is still a kid is never taught and learns to live within the boundaries or limits that his dad and/or ma, teacher or coach has set.
Even if a kid is taught and learns how to live within the boundaries or limits that have been set by his or her dad and/or ma, teacher or coach, he or she will never sense being secure with his or her life if he or she has not been taught and learned to live within the boundaries or limits that have been set by God. God – before He ever created planet Earth, chose a people group – which became known as the Israelite people group, to be His specially chosen guys and gals. God replanted the Israelite people group – who He had chosen to be His specially chosen guys and gals, back into the land of Canaan – which is the land area that He told His specially chosen guys and gals that they would always have to live in as their very own land if . . . the land of Canaan is the land area where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were the patriarchs of God’s specially chosen guys and gals. When God met with Moses on the top of Mouth Sinai, God gave Moses the boundaries or limits for Moses to pass on to His specially chosen guys and gals that He expected His specially chosen guys and gals to always obey. God’s specially chosen guys and gals would disobey God’s boundaries or limits which resulted in a southern kingdom – which was mainly the Judah tribal clan, and a northern kingdom – which was ten of the other Israelite people group tribal clans. God’s specially chosen guys and gals about 3400 years ago walked on dry ground through Jordon River’s dried up river bed into Canaan’s land area. Less than 700 years after God’s specially chosen guys and gals overran Canaan’s land area, the ten Israelite people group tribal clans that had split off to make the northern kingdom – which was known as Israel, had made God so angry that God prompted Shalmaneser and his Assyrian’s army to invade Israel’s land area. It took Shalmaneser and his Assyrian army three years to overrun the land area of Israel – which had become known as Samaria, but when it happened, Shalmaneser would deport to Assyria the Israelite people groups guys and gals who he captured. Later in 722 B.C. after Israel’s land area – which had become known as Samaria, had been overrun by the Assyrian army, Sargon II resettled into the land area of Samaria guys and gals from his own country – which was Assyria, and from the countries that the Assyrian army captured.
The Kings Book author – in 2 Kings 17, sorts through this infamous time period that is found in the annals of God’s specially chosen guys and gals. Verse 15 tries to explain the reasons why God became so angry with His specially chosen guys and gals that He . . . , “They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, “‘Do not do as they do,”’ and they did the things the LORD had forbidden them to do.” Some things that God’s specially chosen guys and gals who were living in land area of Israel specifically did that made God really angry with them included making two calf idols, Asherah poles, worshipping Baals, practicing divination and sorcery, bowing down to the stars, burning their own kids alive as sacrifices on altars, and selling themselves out to do depraved things. Your grandpaa knows that you will never live corrupt lives like the kind of lives that God’s specially chosen guys and gals were living who were living in the land area of Israel but . . . you do not want to begin doing things that would make God angry with you. You do not want to forget what happened to the guys and gals who were living in the land area of Israel when . . .
2 Kings 17 (602)