Assyria takes Israel
2 Kings Chapters 16 – 17
The northern part of the divided kingdom—Israel—is taken captive by the Assyrians and deported to areas north and east of their homeland.
Deportation served several purposes for the captors. First, it provided slave labor. Also, moving people into unfamiliar territory where they would be separated from the native population by language and customs would help to demoralize them and reduce the chance of revolt. And, by spreading out the Jewish population into different areas the Assyrians were able to weaken the bonds of community (though, as we will see later, this was less effective than intended).
The southern part of the divided kingdom, Judah, would continue as an independent kingdom for about another century, though it also faced pressure from outside forces.
The Assyrians, believing gods to be regional, tried to keep the Jewish religion alive among the new inhabitants of what had been Israel, but were unsuccessful.

Tuesday meditation

Proverbs 24:23-26
These also are sayings of the wise:
To show partiality in judging is not good: Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.
But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them.
An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.

Prayer focus
God, we especially pray today for all of your people who, for whatever reason, are isolated from other believers.

-Rev. Mark Fleming