And removed them out of his sight— A very strong expression to signify God's rejection and total removal of this apostate people from his care and Providence.
REFLECTIONS.—1st, Hoshea, the last of Israel's kings, lost with shame the throne that he had ascended by perfidy and murder. We have here,
1. Israel become tributary, as a prelude to their final destruction. Though their king was not so bad as his predecessors, the people continued as bad as ever; and therefore God sold them into the hand of Shalmaneser. Note; (1.) God tries lesser judgments before he strikes the final blow. (2.) They who sell themselves to the service of sin, will shortly find the wages of it to be eternal ruin.
2. Utterly destroyed and dispersed, Hoshea, by the help of So, king of Ethiopia, rebelled against the king of Assyria; but he suffered for his falsehood: his country is ravaged, his capital besieged, and, after three years resistance, taken; himself made prisoner; and, effectually to prevent any future revolt, all the people of any note carried away captive, and dispersed in the north of Assyria, and in the cities of Media; whilst colonies of Assyrians are put in possession of their fruitful land, under whom the remainder of this miserable nation might be husbandmen and vine-dressers, and serve, in other menial employments, their proud conquerors. What guilty nation sinning against gospel-grace need not tremble, that reads the catastrophe of God's once favoured people!
Thus ended the kingdom of Israel, which, from its commencement under Jeroboam, had continued two hundred and fifty-five years.
2nd, To vindicate the ways of God to man, and show the causes why Israel was thus abandoned to ruin, the sacred historian, after relating their dispersion, declares the just reasons of God's procedure.
1. Their sins great, numberless, aggravated, and incorrigible, had provoked his judgment.
(1.) Base ingratitude. God had rescued them from the iron bondage of Egypt; after many wonderful interpositions, had bestowed on them the land of the heathen; and, to crown all, had given them the plainest direction for their conduct, and the most glorious promises to encourage their obedience. But all would not engage their hearts to him; they forgat the God of their mercies, and turned from him to idols.
(2.) Wilful disobedience. They rejected God's covenant, left all his commandments, and sold themselves to work wickedness, as slaves by willing choice to their lusts: and if for a time restrained, through fear or shame, from open and avowed impiety, they still, in secret, indulged their abandoned hearts, and continued as bad as ever.
(3.) Gross idolatry. Of all their sins this was the most provoking: against it they had received especial warnings; and, because of it, had seen God's heavy judgments on the heathen. Yet, they not only learned their ways, but became worse than the idolaters whom they imitated. They readily kissed the calves that the wicked Jeroboam erected; adopted all their neighbours' gods, worshipped the hosts of heaven, the sun, moon, and planets; yea, so mad were they upon their idols, that there was scarcely a grove, or a spreading tree, without an image under it. Every city, yea, every village, even to the meanest watchtower, had its hill-altar, till they were multiplied as heaps in the furrows of the field, Hosea 12:11. There they offered incense to these strange gods; and so lost to natural affection, so besotted were they in their adulterous rage after these abominations, that their very children were led through the fires, or burnt in them, to honour these diabolical deities. Lord, what is man!
(4.) Hardened incorrigibleness. Prophet after prophet did God raise up to warn them; and, to enforce the word of their mouth, he smote them with the sword of his corrections; but under both they proved alike impenitent. They regarded not the warning voice, nor repented under the stroke of judgment. Therefore, when every method of recovery was fruitless,
2. God removed them out of his sight, according to the word of his prophets. The rod of his anger was the Assyrian, but the destruction was from the Almighty.