The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 309

before their eyes; yet they go on heedless and blinded. It is not a question of reason, but of evil inclination, and wrong bent of will. Sin is truly named folly-it is the absolute unwisdom. 8, The origin of the mischief. A2;ain, the source of all these evils which came on Israel is traced to Jeroboam's fatal step in setting up the two calves. It was he who "drave Israel from following the Lord, and made them sin a great sin." One step in the wrong direction carries many others in its train. That act of Jeroboam had in the heart of it a. principle which logically meant the overthrow of the theocracy. It was not only a violation of the fundamental law of the second commandment; but it was an act of self-will in religion; the assertion of the rio>bt 0 to set human will above God's ordinances, and change and alter them at pleasure. Once a principle of that kind is introduced and acted on, it cannot be prevented from logically working itself out. The consequences of a wrong etep stretch far beyond the results immediately seen or intended.-J. 0. Vere. 24-41.-Heathen ocr,upants of the land. The narrative of the fall of the northern kingdom concludes with an account of the arrangements made by the King of Assyria for resettling the land of Israel. I. 'l'HE NEW SETTLERS. 1. Their foreign origin. The policy of removing rebellious populations to distant parts-at this time a favourite one with the Assyrians-led not only to the Israelites being carrieLl away to Assyria, but to foreign settlers being brought and put down in their place. The nationalities of the new inhabitants are mentioned. They were men from Babylon, and Cutbab, and Ava, and Hamath, and Sepharva.im. These'took possession of the cities of Samaria, and dwelt in them. Behold now God's holy land in the possession of aliens, men without one glimmer of knowledge of the true God and his ways I The Israelites had become heathen in heart, and were removed, and now real heathen were put in their place. In the sight of God the latter were less objectionable than the former. They had never known anything better than heathenism; while the Israelites had sinned against the clearest light and the strongest love. In the judgment-da.y, the heathen will rise up to condemn those who ha.ve abused the light of revela.tion (Matt. xii. 41). 2. The visitation of lions. Thick darkness bad now settled on the land. Even the outward ,vorsbip of Jebova.h had cea.sed, and the only gods known were those of the heathen colonists. Yet the land wa.s Jehovah's, and however he might "wink" at the ignorance of a rude, uninstructed people, it was not meet that something should not be done to arouse them to inquiry. 'fhe removal of the former inhabitants seems to have led to the multiplication of lions, and these now began to attack the people in a. way which convinced them that the God of the land was displeased with them. It is not only the colonists who took this view of the matter. The sacred writer gives the same interpretation. God has his own ways of speaking to the consciences of men, and this was the one now adopted. The people were right in seeing in the visitation a reminder of their neglect of " the manner of the God of the land ; " they were wrong in thinking that all that wa.s necessary to remedy this neglect was the performs.nee of certain extema.1 rites. It wa.s moral conduct, based on a right knowledge of himself, which" the God of the la.nu" required. But their error was only part of their da.rk heathen superstition. 3. Their request for instrnction. The people were much concerned about the visitation which ha.d befallen them, and their case was reported at once to the King of Assyria., who sent them one of the priests who had been carried awa.y ca.ptive, to teach them " how they should fear the Lord." Alas! how shall the blind lead the blind I '!'his priest was himself one who had no right knowledge of Jehovah. He was doubtless one of the priests of Bethel, who had been mixed up with the calf-worship and all the other sins for which Israel had been carried away. It is evident from the results that he gave the people no right in8truction. He probably set up again at the Bethel sanctua.ry the disused rites of the former idollltry, and taught the people some external observances connected with the Name of Jehovah. A religion so deeply corrupted was hardly better than those they already practised. Jehovah remained to tliem I\ local deity, of whose rea.l cba.racter they knew nothing, and whom they served from motives of fear. II. MIXED RELIGIONS. 1. E,rtraordinary syncretism. An extraordinary scene was now witnessed. The new-comers, once settled in their cities, lost no time in orga.nizing their religions-in this, a.t all events, setting an example to more enlightened peoples.  356 THE SEOOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. [on. xvm. 1-37.