SPIRITUAL GEMS: Week of January 2 to 8, 2023, 2 Kings 22 to 23, Answers.

SPIRITUAL GEMS: January 2-8, 2023, 2 Kings 22 to 23, Answers.

Spiritual Gems 2022 (10 min.)

2Ki 23:24, 25. What can those who have had a difficult childhood learn from Josiah's example? (w01 4/15 26 ¶3-4)

What it teaches us is that parenting does not condemn us to failure and that if one approaches Jehovah and does what he commands, then we are going to have a happy life with a good future. 

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Despite the poor conditions of his childhood, Josiah acted righteously in the eyes of Jehovah. His government was very good than the Bible, the case of Josías is very encouraging for those who have suffered a terrible childhood.

At present there are many young brothers who have had a very difficult childhood, just like Josías, since they do not have the support of their relatives who are in the truth, but like Josías with the help of reading and meditating on the word of God together with the help of many mature brothers in the congregation can imitate Josiah's example of maintaining righteousness in the eyes of Jehovah and acting in a way that allows them to have God's friendship.

They can learn that having a difficult childhood is not an excuse for not acting up as an adult. In this sense, the example of Josías is very encouraging despite the fact that his ancestors did what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah, Josías was righteous and his government was so good that the Bible says that there was no king like him before him, to return to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his vital strength, according to all the law of Moses, neither after him has risen one like him.

Josiah's father named Amun and his grandfather the wicked King Manasseh did not set any examples since they were both idolaters and had brought much harm to Judah. At the young age of 8 he occupied the throne of Judah and at 16 he is interested in knowing Jehovah's will and carrying it out. 

So with the help of others and his concern for Jehovah he began to do the right thing by ending most of the idolatry that his ancestors had left behind.

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

2 Kings 22:2. We see that the young Josías at the age of 16 became interested in acting in the right way once he found out how he should do it by finding the book of the law. This text teaches us that when young Christians have a good spiritual Bible study program, they come to understand valuable treasures contained in the word of God. This understanding will enable them to progress spiritually and be a fine help in the congregations where they serve and will foster true worship as Jehovah expects of all his servants.

2 Kings 22:19. We see that Jehovah was attracted to Josiah's humility, that is why he did not bring calamity when he was ruling, and what we learn from this text is that we too must display humility in the congregation if we want to obtain any privilege of service.

2 Kings 23:4. We see that Josías detected the objects that served as veneration for the gods. And that teaches us what our attitude should be when we have valuable objects and we have them for their monetary value, we should not covet gold, but follow Josiah's example and destroy it.

2 Kings 23:25. This text mentions the good that Josiah did in trying to exterminate false worship and sets him as an example to follow. In the same way, we have to be zealous in our relationship with Jehovah, if we want Jehovah to have a good image of us and remember us as his loyal servants, when he brings his Kingdom.

2 Kings 23:26. We see that Jehovah did not deliver them from the consequences of his sins, but even so we have to bear the consequences of our bad way of acting.

2 Kings 23:31,32. Even when Josiah cleaned up the idolatry and burned the images, the people returned to false worship. That teaches us that our worship of Jehovah should not be just something mechanical. Rather we must strive because our duration sprouts from our heart and we have loved Jehovah and his commandments.

2 Kings 22:13. He shows that apparently a characteristic that God's people had at that time was that they easily forgot and were required to read his word to carry out his commandments. This text makes us think that no matter how many years we have been serving Jehovah, if we neglect the daily reading of the word of God and other Christian activities such as attending meetings, participating in the Ministry, we could incur in performing a worship of appearance that sooner or later you would make us practice serious sins.

2 Kings 23:15. In this text we see that the power of Jehovah's prophecy is clearly seen by the fulfillment of many prophecies given in 1 Kings. One example is the remarkable prediction made over 300 years in advance that Josiah would smash Jeroboam's altar at Bethel, and how we know that Josiah did come true. This teaches us that meditating on these prophecies increases our faith and confidence in Jehovah's promises for our day and the future and also continually increases our appreciation of the importance of true worship and of Jehovah's wonderful provision. , his Kingdom through offspring.

2 Kings 23:26,27. We see that although the young King Josiah came to have a fine reputation with Jehovah, the people of Judah did not have the same qualification. This teaches us that our days are interested in the fulfillment of the calamity that will come to Christianity. Although they have the word of God in their hands, they are full of false idols, in addition to shedding innocent blood from its very beginning as Christianity. But the true worshipers of Jehovah will survive this judgment or so to speak those with an excellent reputation, and these false Christians will be branded in a negative light as destruction will be brought upon false religion.

2 Kings 22:11 . This verse says that when Josiah heard about the law, he tore his clothes and cried as a sign of humility before Jehovah. This teaches me that humility is essential to prepare the heart when we are going to read and study the Bible, but above all when we are going to meditate on his teachings and we want them to reach our hearts. 

2 Kings 22:11-20. This account shows that King Josiah's heart was "soft" so that he humbled himself upon hearing Jehovah's words, consequently Jehovah noticed his humble and receptive heart, and therefore blessed him. This teaches me that it is not enough to read the Bible or recite it by heart, if we do not have a humble heart towards Jehovah we will not have blessings from him.

2 Kings 22:8. It shows that artisans found the Book of the Law by chance, and that much of its content had been unknown to King Josiah. But after listening to his reading, a great “Spiritual Awakening” began in him. We can use this text in the Ministry to show people that spirituality is something that can be cultivated, but for this it is necessary to study the Bible. 

2 Kings 22:8-13. It shows that when King Josiah heard Safan read the book of the law, he dispatched a delegation headed by Hilkiah to go to the prophetess Huldah to inquire of Jehovah on his behalf and on behalf of his people. This teaches me that when we read the Bible, the meditation we do on what we read in it should prompt us to act in order to put into practice what we are learning.

2 Kings 22:8-14. It shows that when Josiah heard Safan read the book of the law that they had found he was so impressed that he dispatched a delegation of trusted men to go in commission to visit the prophetess Hulda. In this commission the king included Safan and his son Ahiqam showing that he trusted them. This teaches me that if we want to receive responsibilities in the congregation, we must also be trustworthy people. 

2 Kings 23:21-23. It shows that Josiah read in the law that the Passover should be celebrated every year, so he gave the order to celebrate the Passover as it had not been done since the time of the prophet Samuel. With this Josiah showed that he loved the law of Jehovah. This teaches me that if we love Jehovah's law like Josiah we will show it with our actions and being obedient.

2 Kings chapter 22. Shows how King Josiah took drastic measures to eliminate idolatry from the country. This teaches me that sometimes to remove the idolatrous traits of the old personality or anything else related to false worship, you have to take drastic actions or decisions.

2 Kings chapter 22 . It shows how King Josiah led a spiritual reform in which he removed idols, repaired the temple, and reestablished Pure Worship. This teaches us that those who take the lead in the congregations should be the first to set the example when carrying out maintenance work at Kingdom halls, in preaching and teaching, and in any other Theocratic Activity.

2 Kings 22:3-6. It shows how Josiah ordered that the money that the temple gate guards had collected from the people be taken to be used to repair the house of Jehovah. In this way Josiah was trying to make amends for the damage his wicked ancestors had done. This teaches me that in spiritually divided homes, those of us who are Jehovah's Witnesses should strive to preach to our family members in order to repair the damage they have suffered because of false religion.

2 Kings 22 14 to 20. It shows that as Josiah humbled himself before Jehovah God, he would not have to contemplate the calamity, since he would be collected to his ancestors and taken to his cemetery in peace. This teaches me that because of his faithful servants Jehovah will not change his prophecies, but he will protect us so that we do not suffer the calamities that those who are subject to his judgment will suffer.

2 Kings 22:8 to 23:25. He shows that the nation returned to doing Jehovah's will as it should because he had accurately preserved writings. This story is useful to us in the Ministry, to show that the Bible is inspired by God and that is why he has protected it and preserves it until today, so we must all value it and accept it as the very word of God.

2 Kings 22:1 to 23:25. He shows that the young King Josiah courageously promoted the pure worship of Jehovah. This teaches us that like Josiah we must boldly render our sacred service in order to carry the message of the Good News of the Kingdom now, and the message of doom when that time comes. In this way we will be giving Jehovah the service that he deserves and expects from his faithful servants.

2 Kings 22:11. When Josías heard how bad they had done, the little girl repented and traits or clothing as a sign of repentance, but I also look for what to do so that Jehovah forgives them, for that I feel a prophetess. What teaches us that when we are sorry it is not only words, it is also seen by our way of acting.

2 Kings 22:8. Around the time of King Josiah, temple artisans found by chance "the very book of the law," perhaps the original document written by Moses. Much of its content had been unknown to the king, and its reading began a great spiritual awakening. That same awakening people experience when they begin to study the word of God.

2 Kings 22:11. When Josiah heard the words of the Law and realized how far his ancestors had strayed from pure worship, he tore his garments and wept before Jehovah since his heart was “soft,” so he humbled himself upon hearing the words of the Law. Jehovah's words. Humility is fundamental to having the heart prepared, because it makes us teachable and helps us to be more willing to accept loving advice and correction.

2 Kings 22:14. In Josiah's time the "second quarter" of the city is mentioned for the first time. It is generally believed that this "second quarter" was the section of the city that lay to the west or northeast of the temple compound, it was an area of ​​the city protected by the wall of Hezekiah to which the wall of Manasseh joined.

2 Kings 22:20. Because of his good deeds Josiah would not see the calamities mentioned in the newly found book befall the apostate nation, but rather he would be gathered up to his ancestors and taken to their graveyard in peace, although Josiah later died in battle does not mean that the prophecy about him she was wrong, since she died before that calamity came, in 609-607 BCE, when the Babylonians besieged and destroyed Jerusalem.

2 Kings 23:10. Tophet was a place outside Jerusalem where apostate Israelites, including their kings Ahaz and Manasseh, participated in child sacrifice. Finally, King Josías made it useless for worship, possibly so called because the worshipers danced and played tambourines so that the father would not hear the screams of his son when they put him through the fire.

2 Kings 23:26. The Bible says that the nation would still be punished for what Manasseh had done and in Jeremiah's day the people still continued their idolatrous practices, showing that they had not repented at all of the grave sins in which they had participated. during the reign of Manasseh.

2 Kings 23:31-34. Jehovah also revealed through Jeremiah the fate of four Jewish kings. Concerning Jehoahaz (or Shallum), a son of King Josiah, he foretold that he would be taken captive and that he would never return to Judah.

2 Kings 22:4-7. King Josiah said that the overseers and workers who were repairing the temple should not be held accountable, because these were trusted men, which shows the appreciation these men had for the resources that were in their chariot. This teaches me that we must also faithfully manage the resources that have been entrusted to us to carry out the work of the Kingdom, for example, when distributing the publications, we share them only with people who are interested, we also show that we are trustworthy in personal use because We only order the publications we need.

2 Kings 23:5. Josiah knew that Jehovah did not accept a mixture of cults, but the Israelites in general practiced this degraded worship, it seemed to them that there was nothing wrong in worshiping God in the way that seemed best to them. This teaches me that today many people think the same, they think that in this pluralistic society one should have an open mind to all options, but the reality is another Jehovah, he does not accept that we adore him trying to mix biblical teachings with dogmas , traditions or rituals of the different religions that exist. That is why we must make sure what form of worship pleases Jehovah.

2 Kings 22:3. The Bible mentions "The secretary Shaphan son of Azalias son of Meshullam" that is, different generations of the same family, as faithful servants who used their influential position to support and promote the true worship of Jehovah. This teaches me that today also the different generations of our families can be a good influence in the congregation, it is enriching and strengthening, but as grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren, they spend to support Jehovah's organization and our Christian brothers. There is no doubt that the example of Zafán and his family are worth imitating.