In the year 721 B.C. the Assyrian Empire conquered the northern kingdom of Israel. The people were deported and scattered among many nations. These deportees are remembered as “the ten lost tribes of Israel.” The historical situation caused profound soul searching on the part of the Jewish people. Why did God not protect them? Weren’t they the chosen people? The answer the Bible proposed: “This came about because the children of Israel sinned against the LORD, their God … and because they venerated other gods.” But that raises a question in our minds: is God ready to smite those who mess up? One way to understand this is that actions have consequences. When the Israelites abandoned the worship of God they lost their reason for being.
JUNE252018
By Church Staff
