They disregarded God’s instructions and chose unlawful worship, provoking His judgment.
In this passage of 2 Kings, the Bible recounts that “and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did which the LORD had carried away to exile before them; and they did evil things provoking the LORD” (v.11). By describing “high places” where incense was burned, the verse points to illicit worship sites scattered throughout the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which stretched from the mountainous regions of Samaria down into more minor hills and worship locations. The people’s choice to emulate the displaced nations before them reveals a disregard for the pure worship mandated in Scripture (Lev. 10:1), undermining their covenant relationship with the true God.
Historically, the Israelites in the north had been led by a series of kings who often diverged from God’s commands, culminating in the exile carried out by the Assyrian Empire around 722 BC. Their turning to the practices of the very nations that the LORD had removed from the land underscores how deeply entrenched idolatry had become. This rebellious act stands in direct opposition to the message that God desired a faithful people devoted to Him alone (Deut. 6:4-5). The repeated evoking of “provoking the LORD” implies not only disobedience but also a heart steeped in rebellion, foreshadowing their downfall.
In the wider story of redemption, the problem of wayward worship is not exclusive to the Old Testament but resonates with Jesus’ teachings about the importance of true worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23). The people burning incense on high places in 2 Kings 17:11 stands in contrast to the wholehearted devotion that Christ exemplified and urged His followers to embrace. This pivotal moment reminds believers throughout history of the dangers of assimilating ungodly practices and the call to remain steadfast to the one true God.
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2 Kings 17:11 meaning
In this passage of 2 Kings, the Bible recounts that “and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did which the LORD had carried away to exile before them; and they did evil things provoking the LORD” (v.11). By describing “high places” where incense was burned, the verse points to illicit worship sites scattered throughout the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which stretched from the mountainous regions of Samaria down into more minor hills and worship locations. The people’s choice to emulate the displaced nations before them reveals a disregard for the pure worship mandated in Scripture (Lev. 10:1), undermining their covenant relationship with the true God.
Historically, the Israelites in the north had been led by a series of kings who often diverged from God’s commands, culminating in the exile carried out by the Assyrian Empire around 722 BC. Their turning to the practices of the very nations that the LORD had removed from the land underscores how deeply entrenched idolatry had become. This rebellious act stands in direct opposition to the message that God desired a faithful people devoted to Him alone (Deut. 6:4-5). The repeated evoking of “provoking the LORD” implies not only disobedience but also a heart steeped in rebellion, foreshadowing their downfall.
In the wider story of redemption, the problem of wayward worship is not exclusive to the Old Testament but resonates with Jesus’ teachings about the importance of true worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23). The people burning incense on high places in 2 Kings 17:11 stands in contrast to the wholehearted devotion that Christ exemplified and urged His followers to embrace. This pivotal moment reminds believers throughout history of the dangers of assimilating ungodly practices and the call to remain steadfast to the one true God.