SPIRITUAL GEMS 2022: Week of December 12 to 18, 2 Kings 16 to 17, Answers.

SPIRITUAL GEMS 2022: December 12-18, 2022, 2 Kings 16 to 17, Answers.

SPIRITUAL GEMS (10 mins.)

2Ki 17:29. Who were “the Samaritans,” but to whom was this term applied over time? (it-2 920).

As the 10 northern tribes of Israel separated from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, these 10 tribes became known as Samaria, and before the conquest in 740 BC, the term Samaritan was applied to those who lived in this kingdom in order to distinguish them from the foreigners who arrived later, and over time this term was applied to those who belonged to a religious sect that flourished in the vicinity of Shechem and Samaria. They had very different doctrines from Judaism.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Originally, the Samaritans were the inhabitants of the northern kingdom before it was conquered. But, in time this term was also applied to the descendants of those who remained in Samaria, so to speak to the people who were brought to Samaria by the Assyrians, and to those who were born afterwards as a result of intermarriage.

Samaritans were also called those who belonged to the religious sect that flourished in the vicinity of ancient Shechem and Samaria, who unmistakably adhered to certain doctrines very different from those of Judaism.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

ANSWERS BASED ON THE BOOK INSIGHT VOLUME 2, PAGES 920 AND 921.

There were several factors by which the Samaritan religion came into existence; chief among them was Jeroboam's effort to turn the ten tribes away from the Jerusalem-centered worship of Jehovah. For approximately 250 years, the God-appointed Levitical priests were replaced by a man-made priesthood, a priesthood which, in turn, led the kingdom of Israel into the practice of degrading idolatry.

Then came the fall of the northern kingdom. The pagan immigrants brought from Babylon, Cutá, Avá, Hamat and Sepharvaim were worshipers of many deities: Sucot-benot, Nergal, Asima, Nibhaz, Tartaq, Adramélec and Anamélec. Though they learned something about Jehovah from the instruction of a priest of the Jeroboam priesthood, yet, just as Samaria had done with the golden calves, they continued to worship their false gods generation after generation.

What spiritual pearls have you found about Jehovah, the ministry, and other topics in this week's Bible reading?

2 Kings 17:1-4. These verses show that Samaria is destroyed Israel is taken into exile due to the lack of respect with which they treated Jehovah, bringing as a consequence that other peoples inhabited the territory of Israel. This teaches me that just as in ancient times, anyone who mistreats Jehovah now will have to suffer the consequences and will be destroyed when Armageddon comes. But the meek who inherit the earth will inhabit the territories that today are inhabited by the wicked.

2 Kings 17:2-4. There are people who console themselves thinking that what they do is not wrong, but according to the Bible we are with Jehovah or we are against him, there are no half measures, this could be uncomfortable or even offensive to some people. But it is the message of the Bible, Today many people celebrate pagan holidays like Christmas, but according to their opinion they are not bad, but when we see the Bible we see what Jehovah and Jesus think about it. 

2 Kings 17:13. Despite that attitude of not responding to what people displayed. Prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah served faithfully for decades. They were interested in the well-being of their contemporaries, understanding that acting in harmony with the prophetic warnings meant life.

2 Kings 17:7,8. He says that they followed the customs of the nations that Jehovah had driven out before the Israelites and the customs that had been established by the kings of Israel. This teaches us that the Bible is not wrong in saying that bad company spoils good customs. Therefore, let's take care of our companies, people, programs, entertainment. Since when we least feel it, we could end up talking, thinking and acting like them.

2 Kings 17:13. We learn that Jehovah does not take pleasure in destroying people, that is why he sent help to his people to return from their evil path. This teaches me that today also in preaching we are like that help that Jehovah is sending people to repent of their sins and serve Jehovah.

2 Kings 17:7. We see that Jehovah took away his protection because they sinned against him and turned to the worship of calves. What teaches us that Jehovah is a jealous God so we should not mix the duration of Jehovah with pagan or false beliefs.

2 Kings 16:18. The king exchanged the valuables of Jehovah's temple perhaps to pay the heavy tribute imposed on Judah or possibly to hide some of the temple's wealth from greedy Assyrian eyes, so we see his bad decision cost him dearly. In the same way, when we make decisions that are not in accordance with Jehovah's will, we will have to suffer the serious consequences of our bad decisions.

2 Kings 16:7. In this text we see that the king of Jerusalem instead of trusting in Jehovah, I trust in the power of humans and that of a military force. Today we too can fall into the same mistake when we stop putting the Kingdom first and start trusting in riches or things that man has valued more than worshiping Jehovah. 

2 Kings 17:15. The final part says: Thus they invited the surrounding nations, Although Jehovah had told them not to imitate them. Which makes me meditate that today we live surrounded by many people who do not adore Jehovah, so we must strengthen our faith day by day, so as not to contaminate ourselves with all the bad things they have.

2 Kings 17:13. Jehovah teaches us that he is a God of love and with great patience, that is why for a long time he gave the Israelites the opportunity to leave their evil ways and return to the truth, but they did not listen, but continued rejecting Jehovah.

2 Kings 17:2. It can help us when we preach to make it clear to people that Jehovah does not want us to worship idols.

2 Kings 17:9-11. Jehovah teaches us what is a God who asks us for exclusive worship, because the text tells us that he did not see well, all the idolatry that the Israelites were committing, that is why he let them suffer the consequences of their actions. 

2 Kings 17:5-8. it tells us what happens to Israel due to its disobedience and rebellion, so this leaves us with an important lesson, and that is that we cannot expect things to go well for us, if we are disobeying Jehovah, and this does not mean that he punishes us, but rather that our bad acts will always bring us disastrous consequences. 

2 Kings 16:10,11. It shows us what it can lead us to relate to people who do not adore Jehovah, because when we see what they do, it is very sure that we also feel tempted to imitate them, that is why we must obey Jehovah's commands regarding the companies. 

We know that Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah, and as 2 Kings 16:1,4 says, Ahaz worshiped pagan gods, and he went to the point of offering one of his own sons as a sacrifice, but the Bible shows us later that you were not He was like his father. This teaches young people that if we see that one of our parents is not being totally loyal to Jehovah, we do not have to copy his example, but rather we must remain faithful to Jehovah, and even our obedience can make change some day 

2 Kings 16:2. David continues to be mentioned as an example to follow. Unlike the other disobedient Kings, then this makes me think about how do I want Jehovah and my fellow believers to remember me? And without a doubt, we all want to be remembered for to be loyal and obedient people, so from now on, we must do everything in our power to get a good reputation.

2 Kings 16:2. David continues to be mentioned as an example to follow. Unlike the other disobedient Kings, then this makes me think about how do I want Jehovah and my fellow believers to remember me? And without a doubt, we all want to be remembered for to be loyal and obedient people, so from now on, we must do everything in our power to get a good reputation.

2 Kings 17:7-18. These verses show that the city of Samaria was eventually destroyed due to its idolatry, moral corruption, and continued disregard for Jehovah's laws and principles. Currently, many people do what is wrong because they do not see immediate punishment from God, but these verses teach us that in time all these people if they do not repent of their sins, like Samaria will be destroyed. 

2 Kings 17:1-24. These verses show that Assyria despoiled the land of the Israelites and deported them far away, and then imported pagan peoples from various parts of the empire. This teaches me that just as it went wrong for Israel by turning away from Jehovah despite having a covenant relationship with him, it can also go wrong for us if we turn away from him even though we have a special relationship through the vow of dedication we have made.

2 Kings 16:3. This text shows that Ahaz came to pass his son through the fire just as the nations that Jehovah had expelled did. This is instructive for all of us because it teaches us how far a person can go when he is far from God. It also lets us see that in this condition, premeditated or not, he may be able to harm even his own children.

2 Kings 17:13. This text shows that Jehovah repeated day after day the importance of turning to him so that things would go well for them. However, neither Judah nor Israel listen. This can also happen today, since time after time we listen to and read the biblical advice that Jehovah gives us so that we do well and even so, sometimes we get distracted when choosing well in entertainment, companies, or as far as being alert with materialism. Therefore, this text teaches us that we must pay attention to the advice and warnings that Jehovah gives us today through the Bible. 

2 Kings 16:3-4. These verses show that Ahaz not only rejected David's inheritance, but also embraced the evil way of the nations. This could also happen I don't know about us and we reject or begin to question Jehovah's advice and guidance, the instructions of the faithful and prudent slave or the arrangements of the congregation.

2 Kings 16:10,11. These verses show how Ahaz sent Uriya the priest to make a pagan altar and how Uriya followed these instructions even though they violated Jehovah's law. This teaches us that when someone in authority orders us to do something, we must first analyze what does not violate any Biblical norm or principle, because otherwise, we will have a burden of responsibility before Jehovah just like Uriya.

2 Kings 16:7. This verse shows how here instead of humiliating himself before Jehovah he humbled himself before the king of Assyria saying: “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me...». This reminds us that in the Bible we have learned that our trust must be in Jehovah and not in human governments, and that it is Jehovah who deserves the glory and honor. Therefore, a Christian does not pay homage to people of authority and power, nor to governments or rulers, and let us not forget that our salvation depends on our trust in Jehovah. 

2 Kings 16:11. This verse shows how Ahaz is not satisfied with not worshiping Jehovah, he orders an altar to be built to render an offering and worship to the god of his enemy, thus violating all his laws. This reminds us of what we have learned in the Bible, that it only takes one act of worship to make Satan our God. Therefore, we must continually meditate, if what we say, think or do is still in accordance with Jehovah's will.

2 Kings 16:3, 4. Ahaz, for example, not only tolerated idolatry among his subjects, but he himself practiced it and put his own children through the fire, in ritual sacrifice to the Canaanite god Molek in this context the phrase alludes to a literal sacrifice. There is no doubt that the Canaanites and apostate Israelites performed child sacrifices and it allows us to see how terrible false worship can be.

2 Kings 16:6. Elath was a town that belonged to Edom during the reign of Jehoram of Judah, then it returned to Judah, and King Uzziah rebuilt it and during the rule of Ahaz the Syrians took it from Judah and the Edomites occupied it again, the curious thing it is that here the New World Translation uses the expression Jews, a word that in time would serve to describe the inhabitants of the region of Judah in general.

2 Kings 16:10. Apparently, Ahaz was called to Damascus as a vassal king to pay homage to Tiglath-pileser III, and while there he must have been impressed by the pagan altar in the city, for he copied its design and had the priest Uriya build one just like it to place before it. of the temple in Jerusalem. He then dared to offer sacrifices on this “great altar” and the original copper altar was removed to one side until the king decided what use it should be put to.

2 Kings 16:16. Ahaz smashed much of the temple's copper utensils and changed other things in the temple compound, all “for the king of Assyria's sake,” perhaps to pay the heavy tribute imposed on Judah or possibly to hide some of the temple's wealth. Of the ambitious Assyrian eyes. The doors of the temple were closed and Ahaz “made altars for himself in every corner of Jerusalem.”

2 Kings 17:1. Hosea was the last king of the northern kingdom of Israel, he had no hereditary right to the throne nor was he anointed by God to be king; rather, he usurped the throne by conspiring against the king, and it appears that Hosea was not fully recognized as king over Israel until some time until Ahaz's twelfth year, when he is intuited to be in full control from Samaria.

2 Kings 17:5. Shalmaneser V, who succeeded Tiglath-pileser, invaded the northern ten-tribe kingdom of Israel and besieged his well-fortified capital, Samaria. After a three-year siege, Samaria fell in 740 BCE in fulfillment of what Jehovah's prophets had said.

2 Kings 17:24. The Bible also says that after the removal of the Israelites the king of Assyria populated that land with people from other regions and made them dwell in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; Sargon's own records, inscribed on the Prism of Nimrud, say: “I restored the city of Samaria […] I brought into it people from the countries I conquered with my own hands” thus confirming the biblical account.