Where did they come from Why did the Jews hated them How could the woman at the well
say to Jesus- “Our Father
Jacob who gave us the well??
Who Were The Samaritans
Published 20260301 -:- Revised 20260302
Caution! possible spelling mistakes - Scriptures
from Modern King James (MKJV) unless noted otherwise.
AIM
I would like to look at where did
the Samaritans
come from? Do they have any relationship to Israel or the Jews? And why did the
Jews despise them as we can see in the gospels?
Reason
The reason we need to ask this
is, do you remember in John chapter 4 where Jesus was at the well? And the
woman of Samaria said to Jesus, John 4:12 “Are you greater than
our father Jacob, who gave us the well” She is a Samaritan,
so how does she claim any relationship to Jacob?
Revision
First and foremost we need to
acknowledge that Israel the United Kingdom under David and Solomon split into Two
Separate Kingdoms and it was God’s plan and purpose. Refer 1Kings
12:21-24! After the death of Solomon they divided into, The House of Judah,
the Southern Kingdom with the royal line of David. And the House of Israel,
the Northern Kingdom, who retained the name Israel! And
they broke away and followed the line of Jeroboam. 1Ki 11:31 “And he said to Jeroboam,
Take ten pieces for yourself. For so says Jehovah, the God of Israel, Behold, I
will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to
you” Also 1Ki 12:24 “So says Jehovah, You shall not go up, nor fight against
your brothers the sons of Israel. Each man return to his house. For
this thing is from Me." So as of 931 BC. We have two Distinctively
Separate Kingdoms! The House of Judah and
their capital city was Jerusalem. And The House of Israel and
their capital city was Samaria!
Where Were The Samaritans
Located?
To answer that question the best thing to do is
check a few maps curtesy of eSword. References as shown: -LEFT is "eSword/Graphics
Viewer/ESV Maps/‘Map 33-ISRAEL and Judah in 2 Kingdoms.’ You will notice that
Israel the Northern Kingdom is only a fraction bigger in area than the Southern
Kingdom of Judah."
RIGHT is "eSword/Graphics
Viewer/ESV Maps/‘Map I-Israel under the Maccabees.’ NB Samaria is in the same
location Israel was but only half the area. Judah is in its original location
but only a quarter of its original area."
The two kingdoms split after the
death of King Solomon in about 931 BC. The Assyrians captured Israel and EVERY
SINGLE PERSON was removed from Israel and transported to Assyria in 723
BC. And the Maccabean revolt ran from 167 to 142 BC. You will see from
scripture that the Samaritans were moved into the recently vacated land of
Israel very soon after 723 BC. And they were still in that area of land at the
time of Christ in 33 AD, which totals some 750 plus years. So that answers the
question “Where Were The Samaritans Located?” Next question “Where Did The Samaritans
Come From?”
So Where Did The Samaritans
Come From?
If we go to Second Kings chapter 17 we
find a very clear account of who they were and how they got to Samaria in the
first place. By all means read it all for yourself to get the full story. I
have briefed it down for you.
Hoshea Reigns in Israel
Let’s read ..2Kings 17: verse
1 “In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah began
to reign over Israel in Samaria, nine years. :2 “And he did evil in the
sight of Jehovah, etc. etc. Then in verse 5 “And the king of Assyria went up
into all the land. And he went up to Samaria and besieged it three
years. :6 “In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria,
and carried Israel away into Assyria. And he placed them
in Halah, and in Habor by the river Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.”
At this point in history Israel
is then referred to as, The Lost Ten Tribes! NOT Lost to
God! But lost to Historical and biblical record. Here are a couple of wall
charts you can refer to:- “Adams
Synchronized Chronological Chart of History”, and go to 721
BC, and it says, [Carried away by Shalmaneser into Assyria NEVER TO RETURN,
HENCE CALLED “THE LOST TRIBES”. THE END OF THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 721.] Or
you can refer to [eSword/Graphics Viewer/Timeline/Chart 13. 810-690 BC], and at
the right end of the chart read the info in the yellow areas. One says, “The
Ten Tribes Of Israel Lost”. So don’t let people confuse you by telling
you that the Jews are Israel! They are part of the 12 tribes of Israel! But the
Jews are not the Kingdom or Nation of Israel. That’s why the Jews of modern day
Israel cause so much confusion, because preachers grab prophecies about ‘Israel’
and try to fit modern day Israel into those prophecies.
Exile Because of Idolatry
Lets get back to the reading in
2Ki 17: verses 7 to 17 speaks of all the evil that Israel did which culminated
in Jehovah saying, “I have had enough! You are being deported!” Or words to
that effect. Then in verses 18 to 23 God gives us a brief recap of the history
of the Northern Kingdom Israel. How it was “torn” from the house of David,
given to Jeroboam and they did not keep the commandments of Jehovah their God.
And The Southern Kingdom Judah seemed to be just as bad! Yet Jehovah spared
Judah for the meantime, but removed “all the seed of Israel”
to the land of Assyria. Note the underlined phrases in this passage below.
2Ki 17:18 “So Jehovah was very
angry with Israel, and turned them away from His face; not one was
left, only the tribe of Judah by itself. :19 Also Judah did
not keep the commandments of Jehovah their God, but walked in the statutes
which Israel made. :20 And Jehovah rejected all the seed of
Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of
spoilers, until He had cast them out of His sight. :21 For He tore Israel
from the house of David. And they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. And
Jeroboam drove Israel away from following Jehovah, and made them sin a great
sin. :22 For the sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which
he did. They did not depart from them :23 until Jehovah turned away Israel
from His face, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So
Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria until this day.”
Assyria Resettles Samaria
Assyria now has a vast peace of vacant land, good for
farming, so what do they do with it? These days we bring in labourers on a work
visa from overseas, for a protracted time, we call them ‘FI-FOs’,
fly-in-fly-out. If you go back to say the 1950’s we brought out to Australia
hundreds of migrants for the Snowy Mountain Hydro Electric Scheme. So Assyria
did the same, it brought in forced labour, but they had ‘Lion’ problems! Read
on….
2Ki 17:24 “And the king of
Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah,
and from Ava, and from Hamath, and
from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead
of the sons of Israel. And they possessed Samaria and lived in its
cities. :25 And it happened at the beginning of their dwelling there, that
they did not fear Jehovah. And Jehovah sent lions among them,
who killed them. :26 And they spoke to the king of Assyria,
saying, The nations which you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria
do not know the manner of the God of the land. And He has sent lions among
them, and, behold, they kill them because they do not know the way of the God
of the land. :27 And the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Cause
one of the priests whom you removed from there to go there. And they
shall go and live there, and he shall teach them the way of the God of
the land. :28 And one of the priests whom they had removed from
Samaria came and lived in Bethel. And he taught them how they should
fear Jehovah.”
I find this is very interesting,
that a priest who had been captured amongst the Northern Kingdom of Israel was
brought back to Samaria to teach those in Samaria how to worship Jehovah?
Really?? Israel had supposedly stoped worshiping Jehovah some 210 years
beforehand? So the Samaritans feared Jehovah, BUT continued to
worship their own gods!
2Ki 17:29 “And every nation made
gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the
Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived. :30
And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, ..Cuth made Nergal, ..Hamath made
Ashima, :31 ..Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned
their sons with fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of
Sepharvaim. :32 So they feared Jehovah, and made to themselves,
of the lowest of them, priests of the high places, who sacrificed
for them in the houses of the high places. :33 They feared Jehovah
and served their own gods, according to the custom of the nations whom
they removed from there. :34 Until this day they do according to their
former ways. They do not fear Jehovah, neither do they do according to
their statutes, or according to their ordinances, or according to the Law and
commandment which Jehovah commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He named Israel.”
Recap Of Israel’s Decline
In verses 35 to 40 God is
speaking of His covenant with Israel, but they didn’t listen! Then God speaks
of the Samaritans, “And it happened, these nations [The five
nations of Samaria]. 2Ki 17:41 “And it happened, these nations feared
Jehovah, and they served their graven images, both their sons and their
sons' sons, as their fathers did, they do until this day.” So we have
established from scripture, where the Samaritans come from! And it’s pretty obvious that
they had NO relation to the House of Israel, who had been exiled to Assyria
before the Samaritans arrived! And the Samaritans arrived in about 721 BC. Next
question; “Is there any relationship between the Samaritan and the Jews?”
Are The Samaritans
Related To The Jews?
Remember at the start, the
woman of Samaria said in John 4:12 “our father Jacob”
So how does she claim any relationship to Jacob? Maybe there was some
intermarriage during the 750 years that the Samaritans lived in close
relationship to the Jews of Judah? [Meaning say, 723 BC to 33 AD, some 750 years]. To find out I did a ‘word searches’, for
Samaritan, Samaria etc. [I found the odd few in 2 Kings chapter 17, which I have quote above. They are
in reference to the transition of the land from the House of Israel to the
Samaritans.] But when
I did the search for ‘Samaritan or Samaria’ the first one I found was in 1Kings
13:32.
And I followed them through to 2Chronicals
28:15. (And except for the odd few), all the other verses were in reference to
the Northern Kingdom of Israel and their capital city, which was Samaria. Also
these verses were before Israel where exiled to Assyria.
Chronological Order
So I thought lets look at a
timeline and find, which Major, and Minor Prophets etc. were recording their
account of history during the time that the Samaritans and Jews were
neighbours? And I found all the other references to ‘Samaritan or Samaria’ only
appeared in the following books. In chronological order they are, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, Obadiah, Ezra and Nehemiah. BUT Amos and Hosea are writing before the
exile of Israel so they’re only speaking of the capital of Israel i.e. Samaria!
And Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Obadiah don’t speak
of any intermarriage of the Jews to Samaritans? I have also done a word search
in the Apocrypha and Josephus for the words, ‘Samaritan, Samaria, wives and woman’,
and found ZIP? And if you can recall
any such events in scripture, the Apocrypha, Josephus or whatever, by all
means let me know please, I would love to hear from you.
So the Samaritans arrived in
about 721 BC. Then 117 years later in 604 BC. Nebuchadnezzar the King of
Babylon conquered Judah and over the next 20 years transported people from Judah
to Babylon. So during that first 117 years that the Jews and the Samaritans
were neighbours I don’t recall any friendly relations between the two nations?
Not in any way that would produce a large proportion of intermarriage between the two nations? And in 1 Kings chapter 11 it
speaks of King Solomon who had “strange wives”! So it wasn’t the done thing to
take a foreigner to wife. Also don’t forget that when Nebuchadnezzar
marched in; a large proportion of the Samaritans were original from the region
of Babylon. So the Samaritans would probably have willingly submitted to Nebuchadnezzar?
So in answer to the question,
“Are The Samaritans Related To The Jews?” Well during that 117-year span, that
was not likely to have happened on a large enough scale that the Samaritan
woman in John chapter 4 could claim any relation ship to Jacob! So far up to
this point in history, in 604 BC. the Samaritans are not likely to be related
to the Jews!
Why Did The Jews Despise The
Samaritans?
Well have you heard of “THE LEFT
BEHIND”? Well here is a new meaning for that phrase. After 604 BC., the Jews
left behind in Judah would probably have seen the true colours of the
Samaritans. Because if the Samaritans did receive some basic freedoms under the
Babylonians; then the Jews would have grudgingly taken note. But that is just
speculation. But after the seventy years, in 536 BC. Cyrus sent Zerubbabel back
to Jerusalem with 42360 Jews to rebuild the Temple. (That was not ALL the Jews
from Babylon, only some of them). But when they returned to Jerusalem, it does
appear that there was some friction between the two nations. If we go back to
the Chronological book search, we didn’t look at Ezra and Nehemiah. Starting from Ezra we find references to ‘Samaria’. And we find these
verses refer to a conglomerate bunch of people including as they refer to
themselves in; Ezra 4:10 “And the rest of the nations whom the
great and noble Asnappar brought over, and set in the cities
of Samaria”. So lets just refer to them all as Samaritans.
The Background History
The background is that the
prophecy of the seventy years exile of the Jews to Babylon was now over. Cyrus
king of Persia conquered the Babylonians and hence ruled the world. Refer Ezra
1:1 “And in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, so that the Word of
Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, Jehovah stirred up the
spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all
his kingdom, and also in writing, saying, :2 So says Cyrus king of
Persia, Jehovah, the God of Heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth.
And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.” Ezra chapter
1 continues with a detailed list of all the temple items that were sent back to
Jerusalem. Chapter two lists all those who returned to Jerusalem. Ezr
2:2 “Which came with Zerubbabel:..” Then chapter 3 is all about setting up
the temple. Chapter 4 is where the fun begins and all those funny underlined
names.
NB: According to,
“Adams
Synchronized Chronological Chart of History”, Zerubbabel returned to Jerusalem in 536 BC. Ezra
was sent back to Jerusalem, “in the 7th year of Artaxerxes I” in 458
BC. That is some 78 years later? Which is important when we get to the subject
of “Strange Wives”. So the book of Ezra is an account of all the ‘SNAFU’ with
building the Temple long before Ezra arrived on the scene! Ezra doesn’t get a
mention until Ezra chapter 7:1 “Now after these things, in the reign of
Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah… Ezra 7:6 “This
Ezra went up from Babylon…” Now to the details of the SNAFU! (Situation Normal All
Fowled Up).
Ezra 4:1 “And when the
enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the sons of the captivity
built the temple to Jehovah, the God of Israel, :2 then they came to Zerubbabel
and to the chief of the fathers, and said to them, Let us build with you, for
we seek your God, even as you. And we have sacrificed to him since the days of
Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.”
[VERY interesting? Is this in reference to when that loan priest was sent
back to, “teach them how to FEAR Jehovah”? Refer 2 Kings 17:28] Lets
continue in verse :3 “But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the
fathers of Israel, said to them, You have nothing to do with us to
build a house to our God. But we ourselves together will build to Jehovah, the
God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us. :4 Then
the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled
them in building. :5 And they hired counselors against them to
frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the
reign of Darius king of Persia. :6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in
the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the people of
Judah and Jerusalem.” Take NOTE the Jews call them selves “the fathers of
Israel”? This is where the confusion with Judah and Israel begins. Remember Israel the Ten Tribes NEVER Came back.
The Letter to King Artaxerxes
I have also given you the
Strong’s number for each of the ‘funny’ names I have underlined, listed below.
Generally the names are of Assyrian, Persian, Samaritan or Babylonian origin.
Verifying they were most probably those who were relocated by the Assyrians.
(And this part, because of the ‘funny’ names it is easier to keep it in the
KJV)
Ezr 4:7 “And in the days of
Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam,H1312
Mithredath,H4990 Tabeel,H2870 and the rest of their companions,
unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in
the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue. :8 RehumH7348 the chancellor and ShimshaiH8124 the scribe wrote a letter against
Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: :9 Then wrote RehumH7348 the chancellor, and ShimshaiH8124 the scribe, and the rest of their
companions; the Dinaites,H1784
the Apharsathchites,H671 the Tarpelites,H2967 the Apharsites,H670 the Archevites,H756 the Babylonians,H896 the Susanchites,H7801 the Dehavites,H1723 and the Elamites,H5962” [Like I said
these names are mostly of Assyrian origin, i.e. they are the Samaritans, which this next verse
confirms.] Ezr 4:10 “And the rest of the nations whom the great
and noble Asnappar brought over, and set in the cities
of Samaria, and the rest that are on this side the river, and at
such a time.” The rest of Ezra chapter 4 speaks of the letter to Artaxerxes and
the resulting HOLT to the work on the Temple. So you could well imagine there
was NO love lose between the Jews and the Samaritans!
Ezra 4:17 “The message the
king sent to Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest
of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and to the rest Beyond the River,
Peace! And now” etc. etc verse 20 said yes the Jews have been a rebellious
bunch etc. Ezra 4:21 “Now make a decree to cause these men to
cease, and that this city be not built until the decree shall be given from me. :22 And
take heed that you do not fail to do this. Why should damage grow to
the hurt of the kings? :23 And when the copy of King Artaxerxes'
letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions,
they hurried to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them stop by force and
power. :24 Then the work of the house of God at Jerusalem ceased. So
it ceased to the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.” You could
imagine the anger and frustration the Jews must have felt because of
that. So it is no wonder the Jews have SCRATCHED the Samaritans OFF their
Christmas list!
Eventually after more threats and
letters King Darius sent back a scathing letter to the Samaritans, to this
effect, Leave the Jews alone and let them finish the temple. Then when it is
done you Samaritans must supply the Jews with ANYTHING they need for the
worship of their God!!! Ezra 6:9 “And that which they have need of, both young bulls and
rams and lambs, for the burnt offerings of the God of Heaven, wheat, salt,
wine, and oil, according to the choice of the priests at Jerusalem, let
it be given them day by day without fail,” So the temple was
finished and the Samaritans had their noses rubbed in it! This is defiantly
setting a paten for friction between the Jews and the Samaritans!
Strange Wives
Well I have a strange wife! We met in our
church and I was told by one of the elders, “she is an Iron Fist in a Velvet
Glove!” I soon found out what that meant. Now this issue of Strange
Wives crops up in Ezra chapter 9 and continues through to the end of chapter
10. So it is after Ezra arrived, which was some 78 years after Zerubbabel came back
with his team of 42360. This was long enough for Jewish men to find, “Strange
Wives”?
Ezra 9:1 “And at the end of
these things, the rulers came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the
priests and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people
of the lands. But they are doing according to their abominations,
those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the
Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. :2 For they
have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons. So the
holy seed has mixed themselves with the people of those lands. Yes, the hand of
the leaders and overseers has been chief in this sin.” But note!
There is no mention of Samaritan wives? Which is one of the original questions,
“Are The Samaritans Related To The Jews?” Obviously not! Of all those who had
taken strange wives, there were some 118 names mentioned. And they all had to
discard their wives and children. These men that had married ‘strange wives’
had obviously been in Judah for many years to have raised families. And it
would be heart breaking to be forced to separate. The next question that comes
to mind is, “where did those wives and children go?” Could it be that they have
gone to Samaria? And through them we might find a blood link from the Jews to
the Samaritans? Only God knows?
Then Rebuilding The Walls Of
Jerusalem
The short story is that Nehemiah was
the cupbearer for King Artaxerxes, a trusted position. Nehemiah had received
bad news that Jerusalem was in a mess, which was a downer for him, and that
caught the attention of the King! But Nehemiah’s quick prayer to the God of
Heaven put him in the Kings good books. So the King commissioned Nehemiah to go
back to Jerusalem in about 445BC. with the Kings authority to fix things! Which
created more friction between the Samaritans and the Jews. Refer Nehemiah
4:1 “But it happened when Sanballat heard that we built the wall, he was
angry and greatly displeased, and mocked the Jews. :2 And he spoke before
his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, What are
these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice?
Will they make an end in a day? Will they bring to life the stones out of the
heaps of the rubbish which are burned?” This time the Samaritans come
out with an army!
New Testament
So it was obvious that the die
was cast some 500 years before Jesus arrived in history. Like it said in John
chapter 4:9 “Then the woman of Samaria said
to Him, (Jesus), How do you, being a Jew, ask a drink of me, who am a woman of
Samaria? For the Jews do not associate with Samaritans.”
So in answer to the question, “Why Did The Jews Despise The Samaritans?” Is it
any wonder? Because the Samaritans had a history of being the worst neighbours
you could imagine. We can look at all the references to the Samaritans in the
New Testament and see the derogatory inference that was made.
The first verse we have is about
the ‘Good Samaritan’ in Luke 10:33 “But a certain traveling Samaritan came upon
him, and seeing him, he was filled with pity.” This was Jesus
having a good dig at the snooty attitude of the priests and Levites!
Luke 17:11 “And as He went to
Jerusalem… through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.” Jesus cleansed ten lepers, but
only one came back, Luk 17:16 "And he fell down
on his face at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan.
:17 ..Jesus said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the
nine?” This shows that the Samaritans were not all nasty types.
John chapter 4 verses 1 to 45 is
the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, spoken of above. Have a read for
yourself, John 4:4 “And it was necessary for Him to go through
Samaria," but it is best summed up in verse 9. John 4:9 “Then the
woman of Samaria said to Him, How do you, being a Jew, ask a
drink of me, who am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews do not
associate with Samaritans.” All of it seems to be in appropriately
degrading language about the Samaritans.
Heres a short one; John 8:48
“Then the Jews.. said to Him, Do we not say…you are a Samaritan and have
a demon?”
Act 1:8, is interesting wording! Remember in Mark 14 Peter had denied Christ
three times, so he was on a real downer! Then in
Mark 16 some of Jesus disciples found the tomb empty, but an angle told
them this, Mar 16:7 “But go tell His
disciples and Peter that He goes before you into Galilee…”
Stating clearly, don’t forget Peter!! Well Acts 1:8 is much the same. It
is at The Ascension and Jesus is telling His disciples they will receive power
to preach to ALL the world. But He says it in such a way as to say, “and
in Samaria”! As though to say, don’t forget them! Act 1:8 “But you
shall receive power, the Holy Spirit coming upon you. And you shall be
witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria,
and to the end of the earth.” So
Jesus obviously wants the Samaritans included in the gospel kingdom.
But there are other references to
the Samaritans through out Acts that seem to indicate that those of the early
church had softened and wormed up to the Samaritans as Jesus had taught them to
do. So I hope that gives you a collection of passages you can now study to
figure out, “Why Did The Jews Despise The Samaritans?” Next question why did
the woman at the well claim, “Our Father Jacob gave us the well?”
How Could The Samaritans Claim
Jacob As Father?
This is still the unsolved
riddle? Earlier when I was doing my searching through Josephus I stubbled
across this gem of information. And it answer the question when the Samaritan
woman said to Jesus in John 4:20 “Our fathers worshiped
in this mountain…” ie. Mount Gerizzim?
Now look
at what I found in Josephus.
Refer; “eSword Reference Library/Antiquities of the Jews
(Flavius Josephus)/Book 18 Chapter 4.
“(12) Since Moses
never came himself beyond Jordan, nor particularly to Mount Gerizzim, and since
these Samaritans have a tradition among them, related here by Dr. Hudson, from
Reland, who was very skillful in Jewish and Samaritan learning, that in the
days of Uzzi or Ozis the high priest, 1 Chronicles 6:6; the ark and other sacred
vessels were, by God’s command, laid up or hidden in Mount
Gerizzim, it is highly probable that this was the foolish foundation
the present Samaritans went upon, in the sedition here described.”
Very interesting indeed, because
it shows that the Samaritans had a strong belief in the worship and reverence
of God, as far as they could understand. Add to that, the story in 2Kings 17:24
to 28. When the Samaritans first arrived, verse 25 “…that they did not
fear Jehovah. And Jehovah sent lions among them, who killed
them” So the king of Assyria sent a priests back, from the captives of
Israel; “And he taught them how they should fear Jehovah”.
But later verses say they feared Jehovah, but they still
worshiped other Gods? BUT The LIONS didn’t come back!!! So they must have got
something right. Whatever that priest taught them some 750 years before Christ,
he made a lasting impression on them. So it makes you wonder how did God view
the Samaritans? Jesus tells us in John 4:35 “…Lift up your eyes, and see
the fields, that they are white unto harvest already.” We have other stories of
foreigners who have come into the kingdom of God during the Old Testament
times.
Ruth, she said to Naomi, Ruth
1:16 “And Ruth said, Do not beg me to leave you…For where you go, I will
go. Where you stay, I will stay. Your people shall
be my people, and your God my God.”
Uriah the
Hittite in 2 Samuel chapter 11. David tried to get Uriah to go home and sleep
with his wife Bathsheba. But Uriah sighted the rules of uncleanliness in Deu
23:9 to 14 “When the army goes forth against your enemies, then keep
yourself from every wicked thing.” So to sleep with his wife would be an
unrighteous act in time of war.
Naaman in 2Ki 5:17 “And Naaman
said…For your servant will from now on offer neither burnt offering nor
sacrifice to other gods, but to Jehovah. :18 …when I bow myself in the
house of Rimmon, may Jehovah pardon your servant in this thing.” Do your own
search you will probably find dozens of them. And let me know who you find in
scripture.
Our father Jacob?
Lest just read a bit…John
4:5 “Then He came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the
parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. :6 And
Jacob's well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied with His
journey, sat thus upon the well.” Eventually the woman arrived and said, John
4:12 “Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the
well..” Again it’s very interesting coming from a Samaritan? So I
did a search for the phrase, “fatherG3962” in the context as used by the Samaritan woman in John
4:12, “our
father Jacob”, and in verse 20 “Our fathers worshipped in
this mountain”. In both cases it is the same word number, not two different
words like you would expect ‘father Jacob but no direct relation’;
as opposed to, ‘Our fathers form whom we are related’. But the
same word fits both meanings.
If you go to Thayer’s you will find a
lengthy list of the various uses of that word. I have picked out only a few
definitions, which seem to shed some light on the way the woman was referring
to Jacob.
Father: Thayer Definition: Word Number G3962 πατήρ patēr
1b) a more remote ancestor, the
founder of a family or tribe, progenitor of a people, forefather: so Abraham is
called, Jacob and David … 1b1) fathers, i.e. ancestors,
forefathers, founders of a nation… 2a) the originator and
transmitter of anything …2c) a title of honour …2c1) teachers, as those to whom pupils
trace back the knowledge and training they have received
So the woman was basically using the term “father”, for
both Jacob and her own ancestors as a title of honour. Much the same way we use
the term, “God father” as a stand in spiritual father at a child’s christening.
Or as used in the classical Hollywood movie, “The God father”.
CONCLUSION
The history of the Holy Land is as
such. After Solomon in 931 BC. The United Kingdom of Israel split into TWO separate
kingdoms. The House of Israel in the north, The House of Judah in the south, ref 1Ki
11:31. In 723 BC Assyria conquered Israel and transported EVERY
person, ref 2Ki 17:18 , to the Land of the Medes ref 2Kings 17:6. The Ten
tribes of The House of Israel became LOST to history ref 2Ki 17:23. Assyria
repopulated the land of Israel with slaves from FIVE other conquered nations, ref
2Ki 17:24. So the land of 'Lost Israel', became known as Samaria! Therefore there is NO possibility
that Israel could have intermarried with the Samaritans! Judah remained untouched
until 604 BC when Babylon conquered Judah and over twenty years took some as slaves
to Babylon.
In 534 BC God’s 70 years punishment
of Judah ended, so SOME Jews returned to Jerusalem and Judah ref Ezra 2:1. Over
the next 78 years the Temple and the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt. All this
time under the harassment of the Samaritans. Refer Ezra chapters 4,5 &6, re
Temple. Refer Nehemiah chapters 2 to 6, re Wall. During the years 723 BC to 33AD,
some 756 years there seems no likelihood that the Jews would have intermarried
with the Samaritans! John 4:9 “For the Jews do not associate with Samaritans.” So
it’s ridiculous to believe the Samaritans are related to Israel or Judah! We
are left with the Samaritan woman who said to Jesus in John 4:12 “..our
father Jacob, who gave us the well,”?? It has been shown that the Samaritans
have had some rudimentary understanding of the Jewish faith, enough that they
have looked back at Jacob as a revered, adopted father. So much so that Jesus
could say to his disciples in reference to the Samaritans, John 4:35 “..Lift
up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white to harvest already.”
Well I had fun putting that together and I hope you found
that interesting.
If you can add anything to this I would be VERY interested
to hear from you, please send me your thoughts.
GBY (God Bless Ya!) Yours Adrian
Here are some of my other talks I have published that you
might find of interest: -
Rebuilding The Temple Of Jerusalem
Temple
of God Verses the Temple
British
Israel ‘Explained in 10 Minutes - Lesion 0.01
The Lies In The Bible
British
Israel - David’s Royal Line Parts 1-8
REVELATION
- What Might God DO Next
