God blesses King Hezekiah’s efforts. The Judean king wins battles against the Philistines in Gaza and ceases to send tribute to Assyria. To the north, Assyria captures Israel’s capital, Samaria, after a three-year siege and enslaves the Israelites. God allowed their destruction and captivity because they did not obey the Mosaic law and unrepentantly worshipped idols.
King Hezekiah, known for his religious reforms (2 Kings 18:3-4) and defiance against Assyria, ruled the southern kingdom of Judah from approximately 715 to 686 B.C. The LORD was with him; wherever he went he prospered (vs. 7).
This statement of God’s favor reflects the biblical theme of divine favor towards rulers who display faithfulness to Yahweh. Hezekiah’s prosperity is attributed to his reliance on the Lord, contrasting with the downfall of Israel, which is blamed on their disobedience. The covenant/treaty God entered into with Israel specifically promised blessings for following His ways (Deuteronomy 28:1-14).
Much of this was the practical consequence of building a godly culture based on an ethos of loving one’s neighbor, in contrast to the pagan culture of exploitation. But God also promised divine blessings; and we will see an example of that in this story.
But we also see that Hezekiah made a political decision that will have great impact on this story: And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him (vs. 7). This means that Hezekiah stopped making annual tribute payments to the king of Assyria. We will see that when the Assyrian king comes to Judah, he will be coming to collect back payments, so to speak.
Hezekiah’s rebellion against Assyria was a significant political move. By refusing to serve the king of Assyria, he was rejecting the yoke of a power that had subjugated the region for decades. His military campaigns, particularly against the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city (vs. 8), showcased a period of expansion and consolidation of his kingdom, which extended Judah’s influence into Philistine territory.
The Philistines’ seat of power was along the coast, and Gaza was one of their five major cities. The phrase from watchtower to fortified city seems to be a word picture indicating “all that is between.” The watchtower would presumably be on the land’s border, while the fortified city would be at the center of its power. It seems that in light of these successes, Hezekiah made the political calculation that he could stop making payments to Assyria and would be able to stave off or withstand any subsequent retribution.
The historical context is further elaborated upon with reference to the Assyrian siege of Samaria, which began in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, aligning with the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel (v 9).
Samaria was the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel, and so the entire kingdom was sometimes referred to as Samaria. This places the event around 722 B.C., during the reign of Shalmaneser V who was king of Assyria (v 9) , although the final capture of Samaria is often attributed to his successor Sargon II due to the latter’s inscriptions claiming credit for the victory.
The Samaritans of the New Testament were descendants of the few remaining Israelites in the northern kingdom, who intermarried with the Assyrians (or others). As a result, they were despised by the Jews from Judah, which carried into the time of the New Testament. That the Jews despised the Samaritans is a primary reason Jesus used a Samaritan to illustrate what it meant to love one’s neighbor as one’s self (Luke 10:29-37).
The siege of Assyria upon Samaria lasted three years, culminating in the fall of the Israelite capital (2 Kings 17:5-7). The subsequent exile of the Israelites by the king of Assyria to places like Halah and Habor, the river of Gozan, and the cities of the Medes (see map), is a critical moment in Jewish history, commonly referred to as the Assyrian Captivity or Exile.
This event scattered the ten tribes of Israel and led to the “Lost Tribes” narrative in Jewish history. The Samaritans of the New Testament were descendants of the few remaining Israelites in the northern kingdom, who intermarried with the Assyrians (or others). They were despised by the Jews from Judah as a result of their intermarriage and comingling of worship (1 Kings 12:28). This prejudice carried into the time of the New Testament.
The exile of Israel/Samaria is ascribed to Israel’s disobedience (2 Kings 17:7). This was consistent with the provisions of God’s covenant/treaty with Israel where exile was a direct consequence of the people’s disobedience to His ways (Deuteronomy 28:49-52, 64).
This section of the text reemphasizes the Israelites of the northern kingdom’s failure to obey the voice of the LORD their God and their breach of the covenantal laws given through Moses the servant of the LORD (v 12). This disobedience and resulting exile of the northern kingdom is contrasted with Hezekiah’s obedience. In this episode we will see God deliver the southern kingdom of Judah from the same fate, showing that He is a God who keeps His promises, fulfilling the terms of His covenant/treaty with Israel.
It is inferred here that the written word of God is equal to the voice of the LORD (v 12). The covenant/treaty of Moses contains God’s instructions. To hear the words of His covenant/treaty, and to follow those words is to hear and obey the voice of the LORD.
Here LORD is Yahweh in Hebrew, the covenant name for God. It speaks of being the “I AM”— the One who is the essence of existence, and who made all things that were made. The I AM made His covenant/treaty with Israel. He will keep His word. He has enforced it, and He will enforce it.
Biblical Text
7 And the LORD was with him; wherever he went he prospered. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.
9 Now in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it. 10 At the end of three years they captured it; in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was captured. 11 Then the king of Assyria carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and put them in Halah and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, 12 because they did not obey the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed His covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded; they would neither listen nor do it.
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