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Post by Admin on Oct 4, 2022 18:51:24 GMT -5
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Post by Admin on Oct 4, 2022 18:52:04 GMT -5
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Post by Admin on Oct 4, 2022 18:52:42 GMT -5
24-30 OCT MW 1. Where did Elijah go when he “ascended to the heavens in the windstorm”? ( 2 Kings 2:11) "These were neither the distant parts of the physical universe nor the spiritual place where God and his angelic sons dwell. (Deuteronomy 4:19; Psalm 11:4; Matthew 6:9; 18:10) “The heavens” to which Elijah ascended were the atmospheric heavens. (Psalm 78:26; Matthew 6:26) Racing through earth’s atmosphere, the fiery chariot evidently transferred Elijah to another part of the earth, where he continued living for a time. Years later, in fact, Elijah wrote a letter to Jehoram, the king of Judah.—2 Chronicles 21:1, 12-15." [ w05 8/1 9 par 1] 31-06 NOV MW 2. Who likely were “the sons of the prophets”? ( 2 Kings 4:38) "As Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar explains (Oxford, 1952, p. 418), the Hebrew ben (son of) or benehʹ (sons of) may denote “membership of a guild or society (or of a tribe, or any definite class).” (Compare Ne 3:8, where “a member of the ointment mixers” is literally “a son of the ointment mixers.”) “The sons of the prophets” may thus describe a school of instruction for those called to this vocation or simply a cooperative association of prophets. Such prophetic groups are mentioned as being at Bethel, Jericho, and Gilgal. (2Ki 2:3, 5; 4:38; compare 1Sa 10:5, 10.) Samuel presided over a group at Ramah (1Sa 19:19, 20), and Elisha seems to have held a similar position in his day. (2Ki 4:38; 6:1-3; compare 1Ki 18:13.) The record mentions their building their own dwelling place and the use of a borrowed tool, which may indicate that they lived simply. Though often sharing quarters and food in common, they might receive individual assignments to go out on prophetic missions.—1Ki 20:35-42; 2Ki 4:1, 2, 39; 6:1-7; 9:1, 2." [ it-2 697 par 2] 07-13 NOV MW 3. Why did Elisha not accept Naaman’s gift, and what lesson can we learn? ( 2 Kings 5:15, 16) "Elisha refused the gift because he recognized that the miracle of healing Naaman was performed by Jehovah’s power, not his own. It would have been unthinkable on his part to profit from his God-appointed office. True worshippers today do not reach out for personal gain from Jehovah’s service. They take to heart Jesus’ admonition: “You received free, give free.”—Matthew 10:8." [ w05 8/1 9 par 2] 14-20 NOV MW 4. How did Jehovah give “a lamp” to David and his sons? ( 2 Kings 8:19) "Kings of the Line of David. Jehovah God established King David on the throne of Israel, and David proved to be a wise guide and leader of the nation, under God’s direction. He was therefore called “the lamp of Israel.” (2Sa 21:17) In his kingdom covenant with David, Jehovah promised: “Your very throne will become one firmly established to time indefinite.” (2Sa 7:11-16) Accordingly, the dynasty, or family line, of rulers from David through his son Solomon was as a “lamp” to Israel.—1Ki 11:36; 15:4; 2Ki 8:19; 2Ch 21:7." [ it-2 195 par 7]
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Post by Admin on Nov 11, 2022 18:24:36 GMT -5
21-27 NOV MW 5. What can we learn from Jehu’s error? ( 2 Kings 10:29, 31) "Jehu may have believed that the independence of the kingdom of Israel from Judah required the religious separation of the two kingdoms. Hence, like former kings of Israel, he attempted to keep them separate by perpetuating calf worship. But this would show a lack of faith in Jehovah, who had made him king.
Jehovah commended Jehu because ‘he acted well in doing what was right in God’s eyes.’ Nevertheless, Jehu “did not take care to walk in the law of Jehovah the God of Israel with all his heart.” (2 Ki. 10:30, 31) Considering everything else that Jehu did earlier, you might find this surprising and sad. Yet, it does provide a lesson for us. We can never take our relationship with Jehovah for granted. Every day, we need to cultivate loyalty to God through study of his Word, meditation on it, and heartfelt prayer to our heavenly Father. Let us, therefore, exercise utmost care to keep on walking in Jehovah’s law with all our heart.—1 Cor. 10:12." [ w11 11/15 5 par 6-7] 28-04 DEC MW 6. Why is it significant that Jehovah preserved Jehoash alive? ( 2 Kings 12:1) "Thereafter, as long as High Priest Jehoiada lived and acted as father and adviser to Jehoash, the young monarch prospered. Married by the time he was 21, he had two wives, one of whom was named Jehoaddan, and by these Jehoash became father to sons and daughters. In this way the line of David leading to the Messiah, which had come so near to being completely severed, was once again made strong.—2Ki 12:1-3; 2Ch 24:1-3; 25:1." [ it-1 1265-1266] 05-11 DEC MW 7. Does this miracle support the veneration of religious relics? ( 2 Kings 13:20, 21) "No, it does not. The Bible does not show that the bones of Elisha were ever venerated. It was God’s power that made this miracle possible, as was the case with all the miracles Elisha performed when he was still alive." [ w05 8/1 11 par 3] 12-18 DEC MW 8. Who were “the Samaritans” mentioned in this verse, and to whom did this term come to refer? ( 2 Kings 17:29) "The term “Samaritans” first appeared in Scripture after the conquest of the ten-tribe kingdom of Samaria in 740 B.C.E.; it was applied to those who lived in the northern kingdom before that conquest as distinct from the foreigners later brought in from other parts of the Assyrian Empire. (2Ki 17:29) It appears that the Assyrians did not remove all the Israelite inhabitants, for the account at 2 Chronicles 34:6-9 (compare 2Ki 23:19, 20) implies that during King Josiah’s reign there were Israelites still in the land. In time, “Samaritans” came to mean the descendants of those left in Samaria and those brought in by the Assyrians. Therefore some were undoubtedly the products of mixed marriages. At a still later period, the name carried more of a religious, rather than a racial or political, connotation. “Samaritan” referred to one who belonged to the religious sect that flourished in the vicinity of ancient Shechem and Samaria and who held to certain tenets distinctly different from Judaism.—Joh 4:9." [ it-2 847]
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Post by Admin on Dec 19, 2022 8:25:55 GMT -5
19-25 DEC MW 9. How does this verse illustrate the importance of carefully weighing the reliability of archaeological discoveries? ( 2 Kings 19:37) "As an illustration, the Bible record states that King Sennacherib of Assyria was killed by his two sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, and was succeeded to the throne by another son, Esar-haddon. (2Ki 19:36, 37) Yet, a Babylonian chronicle stated that, on the 20th of Tebeth, Sennacherib was killed by his son in a revolt. Both Berossus, Babylonian priest of the third century B.C.E., and Nabonidus, Babylonian king of the sixth century B.C.E., gave the same account, to the effect that Sennacherib was assassinated by only one of his sons. However, in a more recently discovered fragment of the Prism of Esar-haddon, the son who succeeded Sennacherib, Esar-haddon clearly states that his brothers (plural) revolted and killed their father and then took flight. Commenting on this, Philip Biberfeld, in Universal Jewish History (1948, Vol. I, p. 27), says: “The Babylonian Chronicle, Nabonid, and Berossus were mistaken; only the Biblical account proved to be correct. It was confirmed in all the minor details by the inscription of Esarhaddon and proved to be more accurate regarding this event of Babylonian-Assyrian history than the Babylonian sources themselves. This is a fact of utmost importance for the evaluation of even contemporary sources not in accord with Biblical tradition.”" [ it-1 155 par 4] 26-01 JAN MW 10. In what sense would Jehovah use a leveling tool to measure Jerusalem? ( 2Ki 21:13) "As an illustration, the Bible record states that King Sennacherib of Assyria was killed by his two sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, and was succeeded to the throne by another son, Esar-haddon. (2Ki 19:36, 37) Yet, a Babylonian chronicle stated that, on the 20th of Tebeth, Sennacherib was killed by his son in a revolt. Both Berossus, Babylonian priest of the third century B.C.E., and Nabonidus, Babylonian king of the sixth century B.C.E., gave the same account, to the effect that Sennacherib was assassinated by only one of his sons. However, in a more recently discovered fragment of the Prism of Esar-haddon, the son who succeeded Sennacherib, Esar-haddon clearly states that his brothers (plural) revolted and killed their father and then took flight. Commenting on this, Philip Biberfeld, in Universal Jewish History (1948, Vol. I, p. 27), says: “The Babylonian Chronicle, Nabonid, and Berossus were mistaken; only the Biblical account proved to be correct. It was confirmed in all the minor details by the inscription of Esarhaddon and proved to be more accurate regarding this event of Babylonian-Assyrian history than the Babylonian sources themselves. This is a fact of utmost importance for the evaluation of even contemporary sources not in accord with Biblical tradition.”" [ it-2 240 par 1] 02- 08 JAN MW 11. What encouragement does Josiah’s example provide for those who have endured a difficult childhood? ( 2Ki 23:24, 25) "Despite the negative circumstances of his early childhood, Josiah proceeded to do what was good in Jehovah’s eyes. So successful was his reign that the Bible states: “Like him there did not prove to be a king prior to him who returned to Jehovah with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his vital force, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him has there risen up one like him.”—2 Kings 23:19-25.
What an encouraging example Josiah proves to be for those who may have had to endure a terrible childhood! What can we learn from his example? What helped Josiah to choose the right course and stay on it?" [ w01 4/15 26 par 3-4] 09- 15 JAN MW 12. What do these verses teach us about Jehovah? ( 2Ki 24:3, 4) "On account of Manasseh’s bloodguilt, Jehovah “did not consent to grant forgiveness” to Judah. God respects the blood of the innocent. We can be confident that Jehovah will avenge innocent blood by destroying those responsible for shedding it.—Psalm 37:9-11; 145:20" [ w05 8/1 12 par 1]
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Post by Admin on Dec 29, 2022 20:19:09 GMT -5
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