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The “Ax” and the ChopperThe Watchtower—1976 | January 15
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Whenever my hand has reached the kingdoms of the valueless god whose graven images are more than those at Jerusalem and at Samaria,
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The “Ax” and the ChopperThe Watchtower—1976 | January 15
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“The Assyrian” noted the fact that the cities whose kings he had overpowered had many “gods” along with many man-made images, in fact, many more than those of Samaria and of Jerusalem. And yet, despite the numerousness of all such gods and artificial images of those non-Israelite cities, “the Assyrian” had conquered those pagan cities. Did this not prove him to be more powerful than all those gods? To himself “the Assyrian” answered Yes!
17. So why did “the Assyrian” reason that Samaria and Jerusalem would be conquered easily?
17 Those “gods” were just as valueless as nonentities! Hence, the capital cities of Samaria and Jerusalem ought to be conquered easily, because these cities had fewer gods and graven images than those non-Israelite cities that had bowed in subjection to “the Assyrian.” That is how “the Assyrian” King of kings reasoned.
18. “The Assyrian’s” ability to conquer Samaria was owing to what vital things?
18 At that time the ten-tribe Kingdom of Israel had become an apostate nation, a religious renegade! It had gone over to the worship of golden calves, yes, even of the pagan Baals. Samaria did not have Jehovah as its God. Instead, it had valueless gods and man-made idol images. Little wonder, then, that “the Assyrian” crowned his three-year-long siege of Samaria with the capture of it in 740 B.C.E.!
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