There is no one who is truly lost by Jehovah. He doesn’t lose or lose track of anyone. He knows all whom He created in His image. So let us take a brief review of who are the lost tribes. They are lost because they were taken into captivity and never truly returned intact. Let us review this sad event in the history of the 10 northern tribes.
2 Kngs 17:1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned nine years. 17:2 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, only not as the kings of Israel who were before him.
Not one king in all of the history of the 10 northern tribes, known as Israel, was good but evil. Judah had both good kings and evil kings.
17:3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid him tribute.
17:4 But the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea, who had sent messengers to So king of Egypt and had offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; so the king of Assyria shut him up and bound him in prison.
People sin against Jehovah all the time but don’t always feel the consequences of their rebellious sins. However, worldly kings don’t tolerate deceit and rebellion.
17:5 Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land and went up to Samaria and besieged it three years.
17:6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
Three years is a very long time to be surrounded by enemies and held captive in your own cities without any chance of replenishing food or water.
17:7 Now this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they had feared other gods
17:8 and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced.
17:9 The sons of Israel did things secretly which were not right against the LORD their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city.
17:10 They set for themselves sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 17:11 and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did which the LORD had carried away to exile before them; and they did evil things provoking the LORD.
17:12 They served idols, concerning which the LORD had said to them, "You shall not do this thing."
It was Jehovah who sent the Assyrians to punish Israel. They had been warned repeatedly but ignored all the warnings. They had access to the truth, but instead persisted in living without it. This always leads to terrible depravity, debasement, and denial.
17:13 Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets."
17:14 However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God.
17:15 They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the LORD had commanded them not to do like them.
17:16 They forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.
17:17 Then they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and practiced divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him.
17:18 So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; none was left except the tribe of Judah.
Jehovah let this go one for generations. He sent prophets, who they ignored. His Temple remained in Jerusalem, which they ignored. Too far to travel. Too hard to take time out of busy lives. No real relevance to how we live today.
Does this sound familiar? Clearly Jehovah took them out of the very land He had promised to them. But, Jehovah’s blessings are all conditional on our behavior. He will not bless idolatrous, disobedient, self-righteous people.
Unfortunately for them as for us, Satan will flood us with false teachers who deceive us and cater to our sinful nature, flesh, and worldly desires. Since this is true, who came back to live in this land known as Samaria?
More next Saturday.