Happy Sunday, friend!
It’s that time: the Israelites are about to get scattered.
And if you’re like me, you probably grew up thinking there was just one big moment in which they were scattered.
But it turns out that it happened over HUNDREDS of years!
Let’s dive into this week's Come Follow Me reading: 2 Kings 16-25!
Watch this week's video here!
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5 Key Events
- SOUTH: King Ahaz is king in southern Judah and is the worst, even killing his son in a pagan sacrifice (2 Kings 16)
- NORTH: The Assyrians conquer the northern kingdom of Israel and scatter the ten tribes who have been incredibly wicked (2 Kings 17)
- SOUTH: King Hezekiah is awesomely righteous and restores temple worship in southern Judah, trusts the Lord against Assyria, and Jerusalem is miraculously delivered from Sennacherib (2 Kings 18–19)
- SOUTH: King Manasseh is the new king in southern Judah and leads them into wickedness (2 Kings 21)
- SOUTH: The new southern king Josiah is righteous and tries to turn things around, but eventually the Babylonians conquer Jerusalem under the reign of King Zedekiah (2 Kings 22–25).
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Questions your kids (or church class) might ask: Was the house of Israel scattered all at once? |
The scattering of Israel (like the gathering!) took place over generations.
First, it’s important to remember that when a major tax dispute arose around 975 BC, the united Israelites divided into two kingdoms:
- the northern kingdom of Israel (consisting of 10 tribes: Asher, Dan, Ephraim, Gad, Issachar, Manasseh, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, and Zebulun)
- the southern kingdom of Judah (the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, as well as the temple priests of the tribe of Levi)
So here’s a basic (roughly estimated) timeline of how the scattering happened:
NORTHERN ISRAEL
- 740 BC – The Assyrians took the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh (see 1 Chronicles 5:26). That leaves 7½ tribes still in the Northern Kingdom.
- 724 BC – The Assyrians took control of Samaria, the capital of northern Israel. The Israelites paid tribute to Assyria.
- 724–721 BC – When the Israelites later refused to pay tribute, the Assyrians laid siege to Samaria for three years.
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721 BC – At the end of the siege, the Assyrians captured Samaria and carried the remaining 7½ tribes into captivity (see 2 Kings 17:5–6). There are now no whole tribes left in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, though some individuals escaped.
- Side note: After conquering the Northern Kingdom, the Assyrians brought in people from other conquered nations to live in the land. They did this for many reasons, including to weaken their national identity and social cohesion. The mixed people of Israelite and other nationalities became known as Samaritans. By the time of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, Jews viewed Samaritans as religiously unclean and socially separate.
SOUTHERN JUDAH
- 605 BC – Babylon began invading the Southern Kingdom of Judah (the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and the Levite priests) and demanded tribute.
- 597 BC – Judah’s vassal king Jehoiakim rebelled by refusing to pay tribute. Nebuchadnezzar II crushed the rebellion. Jehoiakim died, and captives were taken to Babylon, including Daniel and his three friends.
- 597 BC – Jehoiakim’s 18-year-old son Jehoiachin became king and reigned for three months. Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, took Jehoiachin prisoner, plundered the temple of its gold, and carried away 10,000 captives, including the prophet Ezekiel. The poorest people were left in the land.
- 587 BC – Zedekiah was placed on the throne as a puppet king under Babylonian rule. He also rebelled, and Babylon besieged Jerusalem for about 18 months to 2 years.
- 586 BC – Jerusalem fell. The Babylonians burned the temple and many homes and carried the people into exile, leaving only the very poorest in the land to work it.
Sources:
https://www.gotquestions.org/Israel-conquered-by-Assyria.html
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/old-testament-student-manual-kings-malachi/enrichment-d?lang=eng
https://biblehub.com/topical/t/the_siege_of_jerusalem.htm
https://www.gotquestions.org/Judah-conquered-by-Babylon.html
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This week's conversation starter: |
Read 2 Kings 18:5-6 which talks about King Hezekiah. It says Hezekiah trusted in the Lord and clave to him, and kept his commandments.
Ask your teens: What do you think "clave to him" means in real life, day to day?
Want to go deeper in your personal study this week? My Verse Mapping for Beginners PDF walks you through exactly how. Get it here!
Missed previous weeks? You can check out past Weekly Scripture Starter emails here!
You are awesome!