The Fall of Northern Israel and God’s Providence

This passage deals with the historical event of the northern kingdom of Israel's destruction at the hands of Assyria. Though it was a nation God himself had established, the people, through spiritual corruption and idolatry, chose to depend on worldly power in spite of God's warnings. In particular, the political blunders of Hoshea, the last king, and the worship of the golden calves are read not as a simple diplomatic failure but as the result of an unbelief that betrayed God and loved the world.

The sermon stresses that God's deep providence lies behind this destruction. It shows that judgment brought on by human misjudgment and sin does not mean God has given up; rather, God loved them to the end and left open a way of restoration. Even in an age when the Jews' rejection of the Samaritans was intense, Jesus did not turn away from them but brought them the gospel of salvation, and this proves that God never stopped loving all peoples.

How can we believe that God does not abandon us even in times of suffering and judgment? We also need to reflect deeply on whether we are living without a heart that loves and fears God at the center, leaning instead toward formal religious acts or the logic of the world.