What role did the exiled priest play in teaching the new inhabitants? Setting the Scene in Samaria After Assyria deported Israel’s northern tribes, the king resettled people from five foreign nations in the land (2 Kings 17:24). Unfamiliar with the LORD, they suffered deadly lion attacks. The solution? Send back an exiled Israelite priest to instruct them. The King’s Directive “Then the king of Assyria commanded: ‘Send back one of the priests you exiled from there; he is to go and live there to teach them how to worship the God of the land.’ ” (2 Kings 17:27) The Priest’s Commission and Actions • Returned from exile and “lived in Bethel and taught them how they should fear the LORD” (2 Kings 17:28). • Explained the covenant requirements—sacrificial system, moral commands, and exclusive worship of Yahweh. • Functioned as God’s representative, echoing the priestly mandate: “so that you may teach the Israelites all the statutes” (Leviticus 10:11). • Modeled worship at Bethel, the historic (though compromised) northern sanctuary (1 Kings 12:28-29). Teaching the Fear of the LORD Scripture repeatedly assigns priests the role of instructors: • Deuteronomy 31:9-13—priests read the law publicly every seven years so “they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God.” • 2 Chronicles 17:7-9—Jehoshaphat’s priests “taught throughout Judah, carrying the Book of the Law of the LORD.” • Nehemiah 8:8—Levites “read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning.” The returned priest followed this same pattern, grounding newcomers in God’s revealed Word. Impact and Limitations • Positive: The nations gained basic knowledge of the LORD, curbing the lion judgment (2 Kings 17:25). • Negative: They practiced syncretism—“They feared the LORD, yet served their own gods” (2 Kings 17:33). Knowledge without wholehearted obedience produced a mixed religion, foreshadowing later Samaritan worship conflicts (John 4:20-22). Lessons for Today • God values faithful teaching; even one priest, armed with Scripture, can influence an entire region. • Right worship hinges on accurate doctrine (John 4:24); partial truth mixed with error invites judgment. • The priest’s mission anticipates Christ’s commission to His followers: “teach them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). |
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