Musings From A Rolling Eyed Turtle

I was reading in 2 Kings and a phrase caught my attention.  It was one of those phrases that didn’t make a lot of sense at first.  In trying to figure it out, I looked at some cross references.  . The original verse and the cross references painted a not so pretty picture.  But before I share that picture with you, it might be good to define what a cross reference is.  A cross reference is a notation that points to another passage that contains related words, themes or topics as the verse you are reading. So here is the verse in 2 Kings:  “They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them.” (2 Ki 17:15) The phrase that caught my attention:  “They went after false idols and became false…”  In the Bible I use, the following two verses are the c

  T o H im A scribe N ever-ending K indness, F aithfulness and U nchanging L ove

I love words that have multiple meanings especially when the meanings intertwine.  One such word that does this is the word “appreciate”.  To appreciate is to: 1.  Recognize the worth of; 2.   Rise in value or price; 3.   To be grateful for. Take a work of art as an example of how this can work.  When art is appreciated (recognized), sometimes that very appreciation causes the piece of work to appreciate (rise in value).  As the art is appreciated and appreciates in value, we might appreciate (be grateful for) the piece and the beauty it brings into our lives. Interestingly enough, that word “appreciate” works similarly with people.  In 2 Chronicles 30, we find this:  “ Hezekiah expressed his appreciation to all the Levites, who demonstrated great skill in serving the Lord . They feasted for the seven days of the festival, and were making peace offerings and giving thanks to the Lord God of their ancestors.”  (2 Chronicles 30:22) When Hezekiah publicly expressed his apprec