“So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; none was left except the tribe of Judah.” 2 Kings 17:18
The story of Apostate Israel is a very sad one. It began as King Solomon succumbed to Idol Worship (influenced by his foreign wives) and not long after, the foolishness of his son Rehoboam. In God’s Judgement against Judah, He would remove 10 Tribes from them and establish what would be called Israel, or the Northern Kingdom. He would give them a fresh start and Rule themselves, free from the foolishness and control of King Rehoboam.
But this was not to be. The fearful heir, and newly appointed King, Jeroboam, would institute Calf Worship as a solution to allowing his people to go to Jerusalem and worship at the Temple. He was afraid that if he let them go, they would defect back to Judah and their Rule. Now, to be fair, this could possibly have happened. But God had brought about this Separation and had Himself appointed Jeroboam as the King. The People were in agreement to this, and had he ruled well, they would have stayed loyal. They already traveled to Jerusalem to worship as it was. But instead, the newly instituted Calf Worship, known going forward as “the Sin of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat” would be their Downfall. After about 200 years, Today’s Verse describes that for us.
How is it for us today? Has the Church repeated their mistake? Do we take seriously the Word of God? Do we embrace the truth and reject the false? Or have we naively compromised and continue on our Merry Way? God’s patience doesn’t last forever!