So they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone. (2 Kings 17:16-18)

Is Commandment Keeping Necessary?

The final king of Israel was Hoshea, the son of Elah, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. His reign lasted nine years. Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, made Hoshea his vassal, and after learning of a plot against the Assyrian king, Hoshea was bound and put in prison. The end of the northern tribes of the nation of Israel were gone; only the tribe of Judah remained. It had only been two hundred years since the nation of Israel was divided by civil war, and now a small remnant remained.

At one time, Israel was the most powerful nation on earth. No nation could defeat the people of God because the Lord was fighting their battles. God had promised Israel that if they obeyed Him, the Lord would fight for them and protect them. How could the Assyrians come against the people of God and so easily defeat them? The children of Israel had sinned against the Lord, walking in the fashion of the nations around them. Idolatry had permeated the fiber of Jewish society, government, religion, and the hearts of the people. They build high places for them to worship the many gods. Sacred pillars and wooden images were set up on every high hill and under every green tree. They burned incense on all the high places and served idols. God had warned them not to do such a thing, but they ignored the word of the Lord.

Prophets went among the people, warning them of God’s wrath, but they would not listen. The prophets and seers told the people to turn from their evil ways and keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord. They would not hear and stiffened their necks against the messengers of the Lord. Rejecting the statutes and covenant God made with them, the people went after idols like the nations around them. They rejected all the commands of the Lord and made two calves from metal. The people’s hearts turned to worship the Asherah pole and worshiped Baal and all the forces of heaven. Their sons and daughters were sacrificed in the fire. They consulted fortune-tellers and practiced sorcery. The hearts of the people angered the Lord, and He destroyed them.

Shalmaneser conquered the people of the Lord because He allowed the Assyrian king to do so. God warned Israel to repent, and they refused. Israel was carried captive to Assyria as a warning to Judah, but Judah did not listen. One-hundred-thirty-six years later, the Babylonians burned the Temple of Solomon. The lesson for modern man is that God means what He says. Refusing to obey the commandments, statutes, and covenants of the Lord will bring the judgment of God. Israel was the apple of God’s eye, but in their rebellion, they refused to honor God, and the Lord destroyed them.

Obedience is a necessary part of salvation. Being a descendant of Abraham did not keep the Assyrians and Babylonians from conquering Israel. Christians made a covenant with God when they were baptized into Christ for the remission of sins. That covenant requires obedience to the will of the Father. Saying, “Lord, Lord,” will not save a man. Obedience is what leads the heart to grow in faith and love toward God. The writer James illustrates this by saying that hearing only the commands of God will not suffice; doing the will of the Father is necessary. Israel and Judah are examples that we should learn from. Take heed.