Israel

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Israel

• Colonial Nation until Exile
• Part II

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House of Israel

• The divorce of the 10 tribes from the land (Hosea
  1 2-10 and 2 Kings 173-6,18) would be completed
  at the hands of the Assyrians.
• It was never Gods intention to remove his people
  from the land, but he knew the Northern Kingdom
  would become corrupt and prostitute herself to
  other nations Ephraim would be laid waste!
  (Hosea 5) She would be punished!
• From Samaria, the House of Joseph had built a
  great nation. It had been 200 years in building
  this empire, but their fall would happen in less
  than 20 years. The Bull-Calf (Aegel or Aengel)of
  Samaria would be broken into pieces. (Bull-Calf
  was the symbol and name of Ephraim - Deuteronomy
  3317, Hosea 86)
• Their return to glory, to nationhood would have
  to take place outside of the Promise Land.

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Samaria
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House of Israel

• Manasseh and Ephraim would lose their spiritual
  birthright in two phases As you know the rights
  of the firstborn belonged to Joseph (1 Chronicles
  52).
• Around 980 BC the Philistine city states attacked
  the Armies of Saul and took the Ark of the
  Covenant from Shiloh. Once the Ark was
  recovered, it never returned to Ephraimite
  country. From then on Judah became the custodian
  of the Ark. In Psalms 78 9- 70 David tells us
  that Joseph rejected the covenant and as a result
  they lost the most important portion of their
  birthright The presence of God Tabernacled with
  them.
• The last spiritual portion of their birthright
  was also tied to the Mosaic covenant and that was
  an exile from the land and the loss of their
  identity. (Deuteronomy 28 25, 41, 52, and 64).
  At the hands of Assyria, their deportation lasted
  between 737 BC and 720 BC when finally their
  capital of Samaria was stormed and destroyed.
  After exile they would lose their identity and be
  confused with the sons of Gomer (Hosea 1).

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House of Israel

• The House of Israel consisted of Manasseh,
  Ephraim, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Reuben,
  Isaachar, Simeon, Zebulon and elements of
  Benjamin.
• House of Judah, included the tribe of Judah, much
  of Levi and Benjamin. These three tribes formed
  the Southern Jewish kingdom.
• At the hands of Jeroboam from Ephraim, the
  Kingdoms were split into two. Jeroboams desire
  was for the tribes under his leadership to make a
  clean break from Judah, (2 Chronicles 1016, 2
  Chronicles 111,13,14,).
• There had always been a natural division between
  Judah and Joseph. This division began in their
  early days in Egypt. During the times of the
  Judges it became more pronounced. It took the
  tribe of Benjamin to bridge these differences.
  (King Saul of Benjamin was selected early on as
  King to cement the groups (brothers) together)
• Both Houses, Judah and Israel had specific
  purposes in Gods overall plan. The House of
  Israel could not fulfill their role unless they
  were outside of the promise land with a lost or
  hidden identity. They would help the gentile
  nations in many aspects bringing social justice
  through rule and influence, and help them
  discover who their true Creator was.

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House of Israel

• In the years just before the fall of Samaria, the
  tribe of Simeon and elements of the clan of Bela
  from Benjamin occupied areas east of the Jordan
  River(1 Chronicles 4 42 and 43), and drove the
  remaining Amalekites completely out of the
  eastern Jordan. Maps by Ptolemy show these clans
  extending to the Babylonian border along the
  Euphrates. Simeon and portions of Benjamin now
  fell under the sphere of influence of Ephraim.
• The Northern Kingdom or the House of Israel built
  an enormous empire. Jeroboam the II (786 746
  BC), extended the nations borders to what is now
  modern day Israel, Jordan, most of Lebanon, and
  half of Syria. They had colonies along the coast
  in Spain, northern Africa in Carthage, colonies
  in Greece such as Argos, and Corinth, operational
  control over most of Cilicia in modern day Turkey
  and other minor colonies worldwide.
• The secular historians dont associate Israel
  with these areas because they never understood
  how the nation would break down into clan names
  when they were colonizing. It is through these
  clans mentioned in the book of Chronicles that we
  are able to recognize the migrating Israelites to
  their modern day nations.

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House of Israel

• Was it Gods intention to separate the nation? (2
  Chronicles 114) I believe the answer is Yes.
• God knew that all of Israel would backslide,
  (Deut. 2836) and they would eventually be
  exiled. However Gods design was to move his
  people to the corners of the planet. So from
  1250 BC 740 BC as Israel colonized, Gods hand
  was allowing and guiding his people to their
  eventual homelands.
• Where as the House of Israel would establish
  nations in these desolate areas, the House of
  Judah and the Davidic dynasty would be placed in
  leadership positions of these nations and many
  other gentile nations as well.
• God would fulfill his purpose for his people one
  way or another.

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The Northern Kingdom

• As we have mentioned earlier, an alliance between
  Egypt and Israel was cemented shortly after
  Jeroboam established the northern kingdom and
  refused to aid Judah in their war with Egypt.
  However the alliance with Sidon and Tyre was done
  through intermarriage.
• It is my belief that the descendents of Eber
  established Sidon, and intermarried with a
  remnant of the Canaanite population (Numbers
  2424). During the period of the Judges, the
  tribe of Isaachar gained control over this city
  and became the ruling class of Sidon. When the
  Danites and other Israelites settled in and
  around Sidon and Tyre, many of them would be
  marrying Israelites that for generations had lost
  their identity.
• The marriage of Ahab to the Phoenician princess
  Jezebel, was a natural way to cement an alliance
  with people that had for hundreds of years been
  intermarrying with Israel. Unfortunately, this
  marriage influenced many in the northern kingdom
  to completely abandon the ways of God.

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The Northern Kingdom

• When an altar to Baal was built in the capital
  city of Samaria, as well as other parts of the
  country, they began adopting practices that were
  completely foreign as well as vile in the eyes of
  the Lord.
• As a by- product of their sin, Many Israelites
  migrated south into Judah. Many of these
  Israelites resettled into the fortified cities
  north of Jerusalem. Others began to move west
  into into the Mediterranean.
• To prove how vastly bankrupt the northern kingdom
  was, morally as well as emotionally, Ahab could
  barely muster 7,000 soldiers for war, while his
  counterpart Jehoshaphat of Judah had an army of
  over 1 million. What I find interesting is that
  during this period of King Ahab as King of
  Israel, they and Judah had very cordial
  relations. It is quite possible that Ahab
  realized that a sizable portion of his population
  had migrated south and were serving in the Judean
  Army.

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The Northern Kingdom

• This loss of population did not stop the
  pioneering and colonizing spirit of Israel.
  According to Dr. Barry Fell in his book America
  B.C., a large stele was found in Iowa depicting a
  cultic religious ceremony. On the Stele there
  was a tri-lingual inscription written in
  Egyptian, Libyan and Punic-Iberian. Libyans were
  known to captain many of the Egyptian ships, for
  they had a great knowledge of the oceans, while
  the Punic-Iberian inscription was in essence the
  language of the northern kingdom and the
  Phoenician city-states. The northern kingdom had
  long abandoned the original Hebrew language
  spoken in Judea and adopted a Semitic dialect
  used by Sidon. This Stele was dated around 800
  700 BC, the era of King Ahab. Dr. Fell stated
  that the Stele depicted a religious ceremony
  honoring the Egyptian deities of Osiris and Ra,
  which involved human sacrifice.

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The Northern Kingdom

• Another Stele was found in Oklahoma dated around
  the same time written in Iberian-Punic which
  mentioned the god Baal and the Egyptian god Ra.
  These finds continue to confirm the close
  relationship between the three nations. In New
  England further examples of Israelite/Phoenician
  mother-goddess worship was found with many
  phallic symbols, relics and other inscriptions.
• You can plainly see that Israel had drifted far
  away from true worship and had adopted a hybrid
  religion which included the bull-calf worship of
  Egypt and the baal/sun worship of Phoenicia.
• Economically, Politically and linguistically the
  10 tribes were more like their northern neighbor
  than their brothers in Judah. This important
  fact is necessary when one attempts to locate the
  descendents of these 10 tribes today.

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The Great Famine

• God had enough of the pagan ways of Israel. Many
  of its citizens had replanted themselves in
  Judah. Some had migrated to the Iberian
  Peninsula (Tharshish), while many languished
  under a severe famine that struck the Northern
  Kingdom. As many know the Jezreel Valley was an
  important part in the culture of Israel. They
  were a food exporter to many nations. In Ezekiel
  27 it outlines this amazing economic powerhouse
  that was based out of Sidon and Tyre. In verse
  17, Israel was the prime exporter to the
  city-states. They depended on the northern
  kingdom for their food. In 1 Kings 17 8-12 the
  drought had become so severe that it had reached
  every level of both Israel and Phoenicia. These
  verses describe how a widow had reached a point
  where she was going to eat her last meal and then
  die of starvation. The poor had very little
  recourse while the rich would migrate elsewhere.
  Ahab realized the effects of this drought would
  eventually wipe his kingdom completely away. Out
  of desperation he sought out Elijah to bring an
  end to the famine.

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The Great Famine

• In 1 Kings 1810 states 10 As surely as the
  LORD your God lives, there is not a nation or
  kingdom where my master has not sent someone to
  look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom
  claimed you were not there, he made them swear
  they could not find you. Most readers gloss over
  this thinking in terms of only Mesopotamia,
  however this writer believes just what it says,
  Ahab had his diplomats searching every corner of
  the planet for the one man who could lift this
  horrible burden that had been brought on him and
  his people. I believe Ahab had his messengers
  sent to Africa, his European colonies, and in
  North America. The irony of it all, is Elijah
  was literally right under his nose in Sidon.
• The most important aspect of this drought would
  actually benefit many future Israelites. During
  the ninth century, the Israelites with their
  Phoenician counterparts established their largest
  colony ever, Carthage.

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The Great Famine

• The city was called Kirjath-Hadeschath, which
  means new city in Hebrew. Even though many have
  given complete credit to Tyre as the founding of
  Carthage the truth can be found squarely on King
  Ahab and the Northern Kingdom. It has been
  documented that the Carthaginians had Hebrew
  names, Hebrew customs and their political system
  was based a system of Judges. In Steve Collins
  book the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel ..Found, he
  documents extensively the Hebrew character of
  Carthage.
• The Ahab period ended violently for Him, Jezebel,
  and his 70 sons. The Omri Dynasty came to an end.
  However the nations continued to refer to the
  Northern Kingdom as the House of (Kh)Omri.
• In almost every inscription by the Assyrians of
  the Northern Kingdom, they call Israel the House
  of Khomri. This name would stick with a large
  portion of the migrating Israelites after they
  were exiled.

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The Assyrian Threat

• As Kings came and went, the Northern Kingdom
  continued in their idolatrous ways. Many kings
  from several different dynasties came and would
  wage border wars with the Aramaens and at times
  with Judah. This only served to weaken the
  nation.
• At times they would establish treaties of
  convenience with the Aramaen city-states and
  other times would use war as the solution. The
  problem as stated before was that Israel had no
  defensible borders in the Gilead area. So each
  king would attempt to push the border out to the
  Euphrates River in the East or the Orontes in the
  North. This is where their conflict with Aram
  came, because they needed these same rivers to
  protect them against a growing Assyrian nation.
• The two nations of Judah and Israel werent blind
  to their external threats, they just chose to
  rely on treaties or alliances with godless
  nations to give them protection. This is why God
  continue to refer to them as a harlot or
  prostitute, because they refused to seek out the
  Lord for their protection.

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The Assyrian Threat

• The Assyrian people throughout their history
  were a warlike nation. God calls them his
  war-club. (Is. 105) In 854 BC, the Assyrians
  crossed over the Euphrates River and set its
  sites on establishing a naval base and moved its
  Army to Karkar. In Wikipedia it states that,
  that Shalmaneser III encountered an allied army
  of 12 kings or 12 nations. The Assyrians later
  erected a monument describing this battle. Among
  the kings mentioned were Hadadezer of Aram and
  Ahab of Israel. Ironically the Bible is
  completely silent about this event. Ahab put
  together a force of 2000 chariots and 10,000 men
  with the other kings to stop the coming storm.
  Clearly in the minds of the Aramaens, Israel and
  the other kings, Assyria was becoming very
  dangerous. According to the Assyrian
  inscription, the allied force took a severe
  beating. No one knows for sure, but its clear
  that all of them were able to put aside their
  differences in order to fight the growing
  Assyrian threat.

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The Assyrian Threat

• As mentioned earlier, the tribe of Dan was in the
  path of the Assyrian army. Not only did Assyria
  want to control their mining operations in
  Cilicia, they wanted to control their commercial
  shipping. Much of the tribe was beginning their
  migration north.
• Dans colony on the island of Cyprus was a
  primary target for the Assyrians. If you
  establish your navy here, you can easily control
  most of trade traveling from Spain to the east.
  The other key asset of Dan was the area of Samal
  and Cilicia. A great amount of mining activity
  was going on around the cities of Adana and
  Tarsus. Assyria needed this to build their war
  machine. In an Aramaen or Syrian inscription at
  Samal, the King Kilamuwa pays the Assyrians to
  attack their neighbors the Danunites of Cilicia.
  This royal inscription was dated around 800 BC.
  Other nations were feeling the Assyrian threat,
  and jealous of Israels power. They would do
  anything to have their hands on these territories
  or at least share in the wealth gained from these
  activities.

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The Assyrian Threat

• Since the days of Ahab, Israel had formed three
  major colonies, Tharshish or the Iberians
  peninsula, Carthage, the New City, and now
  Cilicia with the tribe of Dan. History shows us
  time and time again, that most nations fall apart
  from within before they are destroyed from
  without. What is also interesting, is most great
  empires are destroyed usually right after a
  period of great affluence or sometimes called the
  golden age - Israel would be no different.
• King Jeroboam II took over as king in 786 BC.
  The Bible mentions very little about him, but he
  was the greatest king of the Northern Kingdom.
  His rule lasted between 786 BC 746 BC, roughly
  a 40-year period. In 1910 G. A. Reisner
  discovered over 63 inscribed potshards, which
  contained material about his reign as well as
  religious, administrative and important aspects
  of the language and script of the Northern
  Kingdom. The population of Israel had rebounded
  dramatically and many of the exiles that migrated
  to Judah returned to their previous ancestral
  homes. It is not known for sure how many people
  were living in the northern Kingdom, but it is
  safe to say that it was well over a million,
  perhaps as high as 6 million.

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The Assyrian Threat

• Jeroboam II had restored the borders of Israel
  and stretched them to their greatest extent. We
  know for sure his southern border was the Red Sea
  port of Elath, which, was being maintained by the
  tribe of Simeon. His northern border was Hamath,
  and as we stated previously, Gilead and the
  tribes of Reuben and Gad stretched their borders
  to the Euphrates. There was great affluence in
  his kingdom, gold, silver, and ivory became their
  new gods..
• As you saw with Ahab, the Israelite alliance had
  grown from not only Egypt, Tyre and Sidon, to now
  many nations.
• Aram had placed their markets in Samaria, and
  Israel had done the same in Damascus. Both were
  major players in the game of economics. (Free
  Trade Alliances) To the Israelite citizen, this
  is what they dreamed about. This was their God
  given birthright.
• However something was a foul.

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The Prophets and the Assyrian threat

• The Prophets Hosea, Joel and Amos were
  contemporaries during the final days of the
  Northern Kingdom.
• Amos (Chap 4 1-13) These are the reasons for
  their downfall according to Amos. They would
  oppress or cheat the poor. Their worship was
  tainted with idolatry. They would just go
  through the motions on the Sabbath. They would
  brag about their offerings and their religiosity.
  Amos continues saying that God held back rain
  and took away their farming industry. He would
  send plagues, viruses and other curses on them
  and they still wouldnt change. He would send
  armies and capture their people, putting them
  into slavery. He brought to a standstill their
  horse trading industry and still they wouldnt
  change. He destroyed some households where not
  one survived to carry the family name.
• The bottom line to his message was seek him,
  change and you will survive.

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The Prophets and the Assyrian threat

• Hosea - Hosea was one of the few prophets who
  came from Ephraim. His imagery and
  characterization of the Northern Kingdom was like
  no other. Hosea had a real understanding of the
  character of the House of Joseph, it was very
  personal what he had to preach. Unlike the other
  prophets who came up out of Judah, they werent
  going to lose their home or have their family
  destroyed as a result of the coming storm. Hosea
  tells us that the Northern Kingdom had become
  incredible merchants. Tyre and Sidon get a lot
  of credit, but the real power was in Samaria.
  However, despite their abilities to trade and
  negotiate, they were cheats and liars. They took
  advantages of people in their markets as well as
  their treaties they made.

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The Prophets and the Assyrian threat

• In chapter 9, Hosea in so many words tells us
  just how rich they had become. As a result they
  had become increasingly hostile to religion, to
  priests, to prophets, the elite had basically a
  complete disdain for all that was pure and holy.
  Much of this could be tolerated, but this had
  crept down into the middle class and the poor
  were turning to idols for help. The one thing
  that seems to stand out most is the shrill they
  had toward religion. Very similar to the way the
  left in this country makes fun of the religious
  right. However, it had become more vile than
  just words. They began to kill anything that was
  good and holy. Laws were being passed to
  restrict True Worship, and replace it with a
  hybrid religion that included prostitutes and
  idols. Quite frankly the people themselves had
  really lost sight of what they were supposed to
  do on their Sabbaths, and Feasts. Most if not
  all were no longer allowed to travel to Jerusalem
  for the feasts.

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The Prophets and the Assyrian threat

• However, their undoing came not from their
  cheating and lying or the their fake religion.
  It came from the way they treated the poor and
  the indefensible. This is what both Hosea and
  Amos tell about why they would be destroyed.
• Chapter 11 tells the whole picture 1 "When
  Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt
  I called my son.  2 But the more I called Israel,
  the further they went from me.  They sacrificed
  to the Baals and they burned incense to images. 3
  It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them
  by the arms but they did not realize it was I
  who healed them. 4 I led them with cords of human
  kindness, with ties of love I lifted the yoke
  from their neck and bent down to feed them.  5
  "Will they not return to Egypt and will not
  Assyria rule over them because they refuse to
  repent? 6 Swords will flash in their cities, will
  destroy the bars of their gates and put an end to
  their plans. 7 My people are determined to turn
  from me. 

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The Prophets and the Assyrian threat

• Even if they call to the Most High, he will by no
  means exalt them. 8 "How can I give you up,
  Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can
  I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like
  Zeboiim? My heart is changed within me all my
  compassion is aroused. 9 I will not carry out my
  fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate
  Ephraim.  For I am God, and not man the Holy
  One among you. I will not come in wrath. 10 They
  will follow the LORD he will roar like a lion.
  When he roars, his children will come trembling
  from the west. 11 They will come trembling like
  birds from Egypt, like doves from Assyria. I will
  settle them in their homes," declares the LORD.
• In the future, Ephraim and the other tribes
  associated with him will come back to the land
  from the WEST. However for now their destiny was
  to be taken away to the north and eventually
  migrate west into Europe.

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The Prophets and the Assyrian threat

• Joel Joel is witnessing first hand their
  destruction. A swarm of locusts had been sent
  like never before. He relates to us how
  oblivious they are, in the midst of their
  depression they are turning to alcohol. Part of
  their territory has been ripped from them by
  Assyria, and yet they think it will never happen
  to them. Joel begins to implore them to get on
  their knees and cry out to God. He calls on the
  Elders, the politicians, the Priests, do
  something quick or your doom is inevitable.
• Very few listened! Some migrated away and
  escaped the Assyrian onslaught only to confront
  other devastations. It would take nearly 100
  years for the scattered exiles to regroup and
  begin their nation building.
• The entire exile took place over a 40 year
  period, (740 BC 701BC), and 4 Assyrian Kings.

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Assyrian War Machine

• The Assyrians had developed into a mighty nation,
  and were determined to conquer all of
  Mesopotamia. From 743 to 701 BC, systematically
  the Northern Kingdom was dismantled and the
  entire House of Israel (10 tribes) were either
  killed or taken into exile. Over the 40 year
  period there were 4 Assyrian Kings who conquered
  and relocated approximately 4- 6 Million
  Israelites. The four kings were Tiglath-pileser
  (Pul) 744-727, Shalmaneser V 726-722, Sargon
  721-705, and last Senacharib 704-681.
• Isaiah son of Amos prophesied about the two
  Kingdoms during this period. In Isaiah 5 27-28
  he describes the Assyrian war machine 27 Not
  one of them grows tired or stumbles, not one
  slumbers or sleeps not a belt is loosened at the
  waist, not a sandal thong is broken.  28 Their
  arrows are sharp, all their bows are strung
  their horses' hoofs seem like flint, their
  chariot wheels like a whirlwind. 29 Their roar is
  like that of the lion, they roar like young
  lions they growl as they seize their prey and
  carry it off with no one to rescue.

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Rise of the Assyrian Empire

• In 745 BC Tiglath-Pileser rises to power.
  Shortly after his coronation two events happen
  that change the course of history.
• The Aramaens attack and take two cities Sippar
  and Dur Kurigalzu. Babylonia was a vassal state
  of Assyria and was under their protection. This
  invasion by the hated Aramaens, forces him to
  declare war and retake these two cities. He
  captures the cities and deports 30,000 Aramaens.
  This was the first known mass deportation of
  another nation in history.
• 743 BC Tiglath-Pileser responds to a westerly
  expansion of the kingdom of Urartu. Urartu
  attempts to control one of their ancient cities
  Arpad which was part of the Hittite Empire.
  Assyrias army is unrelenting causing 70,000
  casualties on the Urartu. After capturing the
  city of Arpad, they place a permanent presence
  west of the Euphrates.

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Assyrian war on Media

• Media He then turns his attention to the East
  and conquers Media. His first attack takes his
  army to Lake Urmia and up to the Caspian Sea.
  65,000 Medes are deported south, clearing out the
  Median Cities along the Caspian Sea and the Lapis
  Mountains.
• Tiglath-Pilesers continues his campaign further
  east and attacks a Median population in the
  Zagros Mountains(Iran). He finalizes his campaign
  once he reaches Bactria (Afghanistan) and the
  city of Hara(t). Harat becomes his eastern
  border. The conquest of Urartu and Media lasted
  about 5-6 years.
• Keep in mind these areas that had been
  depopulated were future areas of relocation for
  the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

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Assyrias war on Israel and Aram

• Once his northern and eastern boundaries were
  secured he moves his army of 200,000 soldiers,
  the equivalent of 11 American heavy divisions
  across the Euphrates River. In 738 BC he begins
  to set his sights on the city-states of Aram and
  the divided kingdom of Israel. In order to keep
  from being invaded the Aramaens and Israel offer
  tribute to keep his Army from attacking. The
  scriptures say in 2 Kings 15 19-20 that Menahem
  King of Israel gave 1000 Shekels of silver from
  the national treasure and 50 shekels of silver
  from 60,000 wealthy citizens. This bought 6 more
  years for Menahem on the throne, but severely
  burdened the Northern Kingdom economically.
• In 732 Pekahiah son of Menahem takes the throne
  and continues to bleed the treasury and tax the
  rich. The nation begins to grumble because
  Samaria had no plan to confront Assyria
  militarily.

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Assyrias war on Israel and Aram

• The Gileadites of Manasseh felt the most
  vulnerable by this situation. If there was to be
  a rebellion, Assyria would attack Gilead being
  the least defensible part of the nation. In 730
  BC Pekah from Gilead has a Coup D Etat and
  Pekahiah is removed from the throne. Pekah then
  goes to Rezin King of Damascus, the Edomites, the
  Philistines and Judah and attempts to put
  together an alliance against Assyria. If these
  nations were able to put up a defense they could
  put an end to paying this heavy tribute. Pekah
  after hearing how he dismantled the Medes and the
  devastating loss Urartu took, he knew he had to
  get other nations involved.
• Pekahs attempts to bring King Jotham of Judah
  into this alliance are rebuffed. This move by
  King Jotham of Judah made him very unpopular with
  the Quartet alliance (Israel, Aram, Edom and
  Philistines). Jotham dies shortly after and his
  son Ahaz takes the throne in Jerusalem.

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Assyrias war on Israel and Aram

• Pekah and Rezin seize the opportunity with a
  government in transition and attack Judah in a
  two-prong attack. Aram seizes the port city of
  Elath on the Red Sea and brings an Army from the
  south to attack Jerusalem. In the meantime
  Pekahs generals have marched down into the
  Judean hills and massed their army north of
  Jerusalem. No one knows how long this war
  lasted, however the Jewish kingdom was placed in
  a severe pinch. The Bible says that 120,000 were
  killed and 200,000 captured. In 2 Chronicles
  2817-19, the other two armies in this alliance,
  Edom and Philistia were raiding and pillaging in
  the countryside.
• Unbeknownst to Aram and Israel, Ahaz had sent a
  message to the Assyrians seeking their protection
  against both of their enemies. 2 Chronicles
  2820 we read that the King of Assyria was on its
  way. When word came that the Assyrians were on
  the move, the four nations lifted their siege and
  returned to their nations to protect their
  territories.

36
Assyrias war on Israel and Aram

• Before Assyria invaded Israel we read that God
  sent the Prophet Oded to Samaria to rescue the
  prisoners. (2 Chron. 289) The Prophet talked to
  many, in particular Generals and Elders of
  Ephraim. This was a wake up call for Samaria.
  The people began to realize their sins were
  piling up. (Hosea 1312) The situation for them
  was becoming very serious. They decided among
  themselves to release the 200,000 captives and
  allow them to go back to Judea. King Pekah was
  furious. His heart was hardened, his alliances
  and treaties were going to save him. Most likely
  many of the 200,000 would be used to fight the
  Assyrians. The God of Israel, Yahweh was the last
  thing on this Kings mind. I believe the
  decision by the elders of Ephraim saved the
  nation from utter destruction. They still were
  going to be exiled, but as a people they would
  not be destroyed. In Hosea 118-9 states it best
  How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand
  you over, Israel?..My heart has changed within
  me all my compassion is aroused. I will not
  carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and
  devastate Ephraim.

37
Assyrias war on Israel and Aram

• The Assyrian war plan would continue. They
  divided their Army up in two. Half of the Army
  would attack Damascus (2 Kings169). The Aramaen
  Army was wiped out, while their King holed
  himself up in his castle like a mouse.
  Tiglath-Pileser boasts that he destroyed 591
  cities of the Aramaens. Much of their nation was
  destroyed and what was left was carried off into
  exile. While the siege of Aram was taken place
  the rest of his Army shot down the coast toward
  Phoenicia and Philistia. Arka, Byblos and Sidon
  fell. Tyre was next and all of the Phoenicians
  were forced to pay tribute and assist the
  Assyrians in future exiles of Israel. Accho ,
  Dor and Aphek cities of Manasseh and Asher were
  next. Some of the Israelites escaped and headed
  toward Tarshish (Spain). Only to be pursued by
  Tiglath-Pileser and the Phoenicians under his
  thumb. He used their ships to pursue the
  Israelites and captured the coastal colonies of
  Tarshish that belonged to Israel. The city of
  modern day Cadiz, once called GADes, was a city
  that transplanted Gadites were taken and used in
  service to their Assyrian overlord. Assyria
  continued south into Philistia with their western
  army until the cities of Ashdod, Ashkelon, and
  Gaza were under their control and paying tribute.

38
Assyrias war on Israel and Aram

• The eastern Army now had its sites set on Gilead.
  King Pekah made little attempt to protect his
  own homeland, choosing instead to protect the
  territories of Manasseh and Ephraim and the
  capital of Samaria. 2 Kings 1529 reads 29In
  the days of Pekah king of Israel came
  Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon,
  and Abelbethmaachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and
  Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of
  Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.
  In the territory of Naphtali the cities of Ijon,
  Abel-Beth Maachah, Hazor, Kinnereth, Bethsaida,
  and Kedesh. The entire tribe of Naphtali was
  taken in unison and replanted in one of the
  buffer zones. Ephraim only lost one city in
  Jonoah. Manasseh lost as much as Naphtali, all
  the clans of Gilead including Yair and Machir
  were taken into exile, along the coast they lost
  Dor their port city. Asher had lost Accho,
  Rehob, Cabul (their capital) and Aphek. Zebulon
  had lost Yokneam and their settlements around the
  Galilee. A remant of Gad and Reuben still
  remained in the land, but much of their tribes
  were exiled.

39
Assyrias war on Israel and Aram

• By 733/2 much of the Northern Kingdom lay in
  ruins. There Army had been depleted fighting
  Judah, so what was left of it was taken north.
  Assyria used some of the Armies that surrendered
  to them as auxiliaries. In future battles these
  Israelite auxiliaries fought for the Assyrians.
• The rest of the populations was sent north and
  processed through immigration sites. Based on
  their skills, either as Artisans or Masons, they
  were taken to Ninevah and Asshur or other cities
  to work on the huge building projects the
  Assyrians were creating. The Assyrians placed
  the bulk of the exiles in cities that had been
  vacated by Hittites and Hurrians (Urartu), and
  Medes. Within these buffer zones they were given
  complete autonomy, now as an Assyrian citizen.
• The process of losing their identity would now
  begin.

40
Assyrias war on Israel and Aram

• The Assyrians with a guarantee that they would
  not destroy and exile the rest of the population,
  forced Israel to replace their king and pay a
  heavy tribute. King Hoshea was in essence a
  puppet king of the Assyrian Empire. (2 Kings
  171) Israel became a vassal state, and had lost
  most of their sovereignty.
• Tiglath-Pileser III left an enormous legacy
  behind. His Army single handedly had done what
  no other nation had done. Mesopotamia was in the
  hands of Assyria. In 727 BC he died and
  Shalmaneser V took over the empire. King Hoshea
  seeing a change of guard took the opportunity to
  quit paying tribute. In Isaiah 910 it shows
  that this arrogance or complacency had arisen
  among the remnant of the nation, they boasted
  9 All the people will know it Ephraim and the
  inhabitants of Samaria who say with pride    
  and arrogance of heart, 10 "The bricks have
  fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed
  stone the fig trees have been felled, but we
  will replace them with cedars."

41
Assyrias war on Israel and Aram

• Assyria clearly saw King Hoshea and Samaria was
  rebelling against him. He formed up his army and
  sent it south from the city of Carchemish. King
  Hoshea responded by sending his messengers to
  Egypt for help but no one came. (Hosea 711 and
  121)
• According to these verses there appears to be a
  division among the leaders. Some wanted to
  continue paying the tribute to Assyria while the
  King who overruled them tried to call for help to
  another nation (Egypt). It never dawned on them
  to humble themselves and repent. Choosing
  another ally to avoid their fate was the only
  thing that came to mind. In Isaiah 307, it says
  the Egyptian King sat silent on his throne. He
  wanted no part of Assyria, their 200 year
  alliance with the Northern Kingdom had ended.

42
Assyria conquers Samaria

• Shalamaneser V swept down and deported the
  remnant of Gilead and then massed his army in the
  heart of Manasseh at Samaria. This was the
  longest battle the Assyrian army had. Samaria
  took three years to bring down, in the end the
  remaining population of Ephraim and Manasseh were
  taken across the Great River.
• 2 Kings 17 5-6 5 The king of Assyria invaded the
  entire land, marched against Samaria and laid
  siege to it for three years. 6 In the ninth year
  of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria
  and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He
  settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor
  River and in the towns of the Medes.
• By 720 BC the entire Northern Kingdom lay in
  ruins. Their people were living in a strange
  land. The once mighty empire had fallen. The
  House of Khumri (Omri) the sons of Isaac are now
  hundreds of miles away in Assyria.

43
The Buffer Zones

• Before I conclude with the final battle on the 46
  fortified cities of Judea by Senacharib, I want
  to describe the buffer zones where the Israelites
  were placed in. The scriptures go into great
  lengths to repeat the areas of exile of the
  Northern Kingdom. However very little mention of
  Judah is mentioned when they were exiled by
  Babylon over a century later.
• Why is that? For one, one must understand
  that one nation was divorced, exiled and
  dispersed, while the other nation over the
  centuries would be scattered. (Isaiah 1112).
• The first Buffer Zone was on the Khabor (Habor)
  River. This was a tributary in northern Syria
  that connects the Tigris with the Euphrates. The
  cities along this area where Gozan, the ancient
  city of Haran this was the land or Ur of the
  Chaldeans. The Prophet Ezekiel was sent to preach
  to the House of Israel (10 Tribes) in this buffer
  zone. We will call this buffer zone Scythia.

44
The Buffer Zones

• The second Buffer zone was a fairly large area.
  This Buffer Zone we will call it Cimmerian or
  Gimaria. The principal cities stretched from
  Lake Van and Lake Urmia in central Turkey east to
  Ecbatana and the Cities of the Medes. According
  to the Talmud, the original translation for
  Cities was rendered as Mountains of the Medes.
  These Mountains stretch a considerable ways
  beginning along those two lakes, running south of
  the Caspian Sea. The tribe of Naphtali was
  placed in this area. We get a glimpse of this
  from the Apocrypha book called Tobit. There was
  a tribe called the Cadussi along the Caspian Sea
  in Ptolemy ancient maps. Kedesh was one of the
  principal cities of Naphtali.
• Ecbatana became an Israelite center, primarily
  for the tribe of Manasseh, and at one point the
  Assyrians referred to this area as Mannae or
  Mannai.

45
The Buffer Zones

• The next Buffer Zone stretched from the Zagros
  Mountains East to the modern day city of Harat.
  The Talmud also describes this area rendered as
  Halah, was also known as Holwan or Holman.
  Holwan was found in the heart of the Zagros
  Mountains. Later Assyrian writings refer to as
  Yasubi or Yasubgalli. (The Exiles of Joseph).
  In this area we find a River called Sabatus River
  or Sabbath River. Today its called Zab River.
  The main city along this River was called Sakkiz,
  which was an Israelite center primarily for the
  tribe of Ephraim.
• The remaining exiles mostly coming from Asher
  were placed in the far eastern border of Hara or
  Harat. Interesting enough the capital of
  Afghanistan today is called Kabul, and the
  ancient capital of the tribe of Asher was Cabul.
  This third buffer zone will be called Guti. This
  was anachronistic name from centuries passed, but
  since a large portion of the tribe of Gad was in
  this area, the name Gadi or Guti, was applied to
  exiles living in this area.

46
Conclusion

• Finally, Shalamaneser V was given partial credit
  for the fall of Samaria, however either in battle
  or through treachery he dies and is replaced by
  Sargon II.
• Sargon II is given the greatest credit for the
  complete exile of the northern kingdom. From 722
  BC to 705BC Sargon spent the majority of time
  consolidating the gains of his predecessors and
  putting down ongoing battles with Urartu in the
  north. The exile was complete except for
  elements of Simeon who lived north in the Judean
  hills and the refugees that came flooding out of
  Samaria just before it fell. It was said the
  city of Jerusalem had a huge surge in population
  at this time.

47
Conclusion

• The final war came at the hands of Sennacherib.
  We wont go over the entire destruction of the
  Assyrian army by the Death Angel, however I do
  want to point out that the scriptures tell us
  before the siege of Jersalem he took all the
  fortified cities north of Jerusalem. (2 Kings
  1813), This included all the Israelites who
  sought refuge in Judea and those of Simeon who
  were living in Northern Judea.
• According to Sennacherib accounts he tells us he
  took 201,000 exiles to Gozan on the Khabor River.
  There were both Jews and Israelites in this mass
  deportation. One thing that is for sure, the
  exile of Israel was complete. No one was left of
  the Northern Kingdom. 2 Kings 17 18 So the
  LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them
  from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was
  left, After four Assyrian rulers and 4
  deportations, the Northern Kingdom was no more.
  There may have been a few that remained but no
  numbers of any consequences.
• The House of Israel (10 Tribes) were now in their
  new homes! Soon to rise again