2010 theocratic ministry school

2010 Theocratic Ministry School

Week of January 4

Bible reading: Joshua 16 – 20No. 1: Joshua 17:1-10No. 2: What Will Those Who Go to Heaven Do There? (rs p. 168 ¶2-6)No. 3: Why "Limping Upon Two Different Opinions" Cannot Please God (1 Ki. 18:21)

No. 1: Joshua 17:1-10

And the lot came to be for the tribe of Ma·nas′seh, be-cause he was Joseph’s firstborn, for Ma′chir the firstborn of Ma·nas′seh, the father of Gil′e·ad, because he was one who proved to be a man of war; and Gil′e·ad and Ba′shan came to belong to him. 2 And there came to be [a lot] for the sons of Ma·nas′seh who were left over ac-cording to their families, for the sons of Abi-e′zer and the sons of He′lek and the sons of As′ri·el and the sons of She′chem and the sons of He′pher and the sons of She·mi′da. These were the sons of Ma·nas′seh the son of Joseph, the males according to their families. 3 As for Ze·lo′phe·had the son of He′pher, the son of Gil′e·ad, the son of Ma′chir, the son of Ma·nas′seh, he proved to have, not sons, but daughters, and these were the names of his daughters: Mah′lah and Noah, Hog′lah, Mil′cah and Tir′zah. 4 So they presented themselves before El·e·a′zar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the chieftains, saying: “Jehovah it was who commanded Moses to give us an inheritance in the midst of our brothers.” Accordingly he gave them, at the order of Je-hovah, an inheritance in the midst of the brothers of their father. 5 And there were ten allotments falling to Ma·nas′seh apart from the land of Gil′e·ad and Ba′shan, which were on the other side of the Jordan; 6 for the daughters of Ma·nas′seh came into an inheritance in the midst of his sons; and the land of Gil′e·ad became the property of the sons of Ma·nas′seh who were left over. 7 And the boundary of Ma·nas′seh came to be from Ash′er to Mich·me′thath, which is in front of She′chem, and the boundary moved to the right to the inhabitants of En-Tap′pu·ah. 8 The land of Tap′pu·ah became Ma·nas′seh’s, but Tap′pu·ah at the boundary of Ma·nas′seh belonged to the sons of E′phra·im. 9 And the boundary went down to the torrent valley of Ka′nah, southward to the torrent valley of these cities of E′phra·im in the midst of the cities of Ma·nas′seh, and the boundary of Ma·nas′seh was on the north of the torrent valley, and its termination came to be at the sea. 10 To the south it was E′phra·im’s and to the north, Ma·nas′seh’s, and the sea came to be his boundary; and on the north they reach to Ash′er and on the east, to Is′sa·char.

No. 2: What Will Those Who Go to Heaven Do There? (rs p. 168 ¶2-6)

What will those who go to heaven do there?Rev. 20:6: “They will be priests of God and of the

Christ, and will rule as kings with him for the thousand years.” (Also Daniel 7:27)

1 Cor. 6:2: “Do you not know that the holy ones will judge the world?”

Rev. 5:10: “You made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over [“on,” RS, KJ, Dy; “over,” AT, Da, Kx, CC] the earth.” (The same Greek word and grammatical structure is found at Revelation 11:6. There RS, KJ, Dy, etc., all ren-der it “over.”)Who selects the ones who will go to heaven?

2 Thess. 2:13, 14: “We are obligated to thank God always for you, brothers loved by Jehovah, because God selected you from the beginning for salvation by sanctifying you with spirit and by your faith in the truth. To this very destiny he called you through the good news we declare, for the purpose of acquiring the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Rom. 9:6, 16: “Not all who spring from Israel are re-ally ‘Israel.’ . . . It depends, not upon the one wishing nor upon the one running, but upon God, who has mercy.”

No. 3: * Why "Limping Upon Two Different Opinions" Cannot Please God (1 Ki. 18:21)

(1 Kings 18:21) Then E·li′jah approached all the people and said: “How long will YOU be limping upon two differ-ent opinions? If Jehovah is the [true] God, go following him; but if Ba′al is, go following him.” And the people did not say a word in answer to him.

Week of January 11

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Bible Reading: Joshua 21-24No. 1: Joshua 24:1-13 No. 2: Is God Uncaring and Hard-Hearted? No. 3: Does the Bible Say That the Soul Survives the Death of the Body? (rs p. 169 ¶1-5)

No. 1: Joshua 24:1-13

And Joshua proceeded to assemble all the tribes of Is-rael together at She′chem and to call the older men of Israel and its heads and its judges and its officers, and they went taking their stand before the [true] God. 2 And Joshua went on to say to all the people: “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel has said, ‘It was on the other side of the River that YOUR forefathers dwelt a long time ago, Te′rah the father of Abraham and the father of Na′hor, and they used to serve other gods. 3 “‘In time I took YOUR forefather Abraham from the other side of the River and had him walk through all the land of Ca′-naan and made his seed many. So I gave him Isaac. 4 Then to Isaac I gave Jacob and E′sau. Later to E′sau I gave Mount Se′ir to take possession of it; and Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. 5 Later on I sent Moses and Aaron, and I went plaguing Egypt with what I did in its midst; and afterward I brought YOU out. 6 When I was bringing YOUR fathers out of Egypt and YOU came to the sea, then the Egyptians went chasing after YOUR fathers with war chariots and cavalrymen to the Red Sea. 7 And they began to cry out to Jehovah. So he placed a darkness between YOU and the Egyp-tians and brought the sea upon them and covered them, and YOUR eyes got to see what I did in Egypt; and YOU took up dwelling in the wilderness many days. 8 “‘Even-tually I brought YOU to the land of the Am′or·ites who were dwelling on the other side of the Jordan, and they went fighting against YOU. At that I gave them into YOUR hand that YOU might take possession of their land, and I annihilated them from before YOU. 9 Then Ba′lak the son of Zip′por, the king of Mo′ab, got up and went fighting against Israel. So he sent and summoned Ba′laam the son of Be′or to call down evil upon YOU. 10 And I did not want to listen to Ba′laam. Consequently he blessed YOU repeatedly. Thus I delivered YOU out of his hand. 11 “‘Then YOU went crossing the Jordan and came to Jer′i·cho. And the landowners of Jer′i·cho, the Am′or·ites and the Per′iz·zites and the Ca′naan·ites and the Hit′tites and the Gir′ga·shites, the Hi′vites and the Jeb′u·sites began fighting against YOU; but I gave them into YOUR hand. 12 So I sent the feeling of dejection ahead of YOU, and it gradually drove them out before YOU—two kings of the Am′or·ites—not with your sword and not with your bow. 13 Thus I gave YOU a land for which YOU had not toiled and cities that YOU had not built, and YOU took up dwelling in them. Vineyards and olive groves that YOU did not plant are what YOU are eating.’No. 2: Is God Uncaring and Hard-Hearted?

No. 3: Does the Bible Say That the Soul Survives the Death of the Body? (rs p. 169 ¶1-5)

Does the Bible indicate whether the dead experience pain?

Eccl. 9:5, 10: “The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all . . . All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol,* the place to which you are going.” (If they are conscious of nothing, they obviously feel no pain.) (*“Sheol,” AS, RS, NE, JB; “the grave,” KJ, Kx; “hell,” Dy; “the world of the dead,” TEV.)

Ps. 146:4: “His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; in that day his thoughts* do perish.” (*“Thoughts,” KJ, 145:4 in Dy; “schemes,” JB; “plans,” RS, TEV.)Does the Bible indicate that the soul survives the death of the body?

Ezek. 18:4: “The soul* that is sinning—it itself will die.” (*“Soul,” KJ, Dy, RS, NE, Kx; “the man,” JB; “the person,” TEV.)

“The concept of ‘soul,’ meaning a purely spiritual, immaterial reality, separate from the ‘body,’ . . . does not exist in the Bible.”—La Parole de Dieu (Paris, 1960), Georges Auzou, professor of Sacred Scripture, Rouen Seminary, France, p. 128.

“Although the Hebrew word nefesh [in the Hebrew Scriptures] is frequently translated as ‘soul,’ it would be inaccurate to read into it a Greek meaning. Nefesh . . . is never conceived of as operating separately from the body. In the New Testament the Greek word psyche is often translated as ‘soul’ but again should not be readily understood to have the meaning the word had for the Greek philosophers. It usually means ‘life,’ or ‘vitality,’ or, at times, ‘the self.’”—The Encyclopedia Americana (1977), Vol. 25, p. 236.

Week of January 18

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Bible Reading: Judges 1-4 (See si Book) No. 1: Judges 2:11-23No. 2: What Sort of People Go to the Bible Hell? (rs p. 170 ¶1-3) No. 3: God Did Not Create the Devil

No. 1: Judges 2:11-23

And the sons of Israel fell to doing what was bad in the eyes of Jehovah and serving the Ba′als. 12 Thus they abandoned Jehovah the God of their fathers who had brought them out of the land of Egypt and went following other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were all around them and they began bowing down to them, so that they offended Jehovah. 13 Thus they aban-doned Jehovah and took up serving Ba′al and the Ash′-to·reth images. 14 At this Jehovah’s anger blazed against Israel, so that he gave them into the hands of the pil-lagers, and they began to pillage them; and he pro-ceeded to sell them into the hand of their enemies round about, and they were no longer able to stand before their enemies. 15 Everywhere that they went out, the hand of Jehovah proved to be against them for calamity, just as Jehovah had spoken and just as Jehovah had sworn to them; and they got to be in very sore straits. 16 So Jehovah would raise up judges, and they would save them out of the hand of their pillagers. 17 And even to their judges they did not listen, but they had immoral intercourse with other gods and went bowing down to them. They quickly turned aside from the way in which their forefathers had walked by obeying the command-ments of Jehovah. They did not do like that. 18 And when Jehovah did raise up judges for them, Jehovah proved to be with the judge, and he saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for Jehovah would feel regret over their groaning because of their oppressors and those who were shoving them around. 19 And it occurred that when the judge died they would turn around and act more ruinously than their fathers by walking after other gods to serve them and bow down to them. They did not refrain from their practices and their stubborn behavior. 20 Finally Jehovah’s anger blazed against Israel and he said: “For the reason that this na-tion have overstepped my covenant that I commanded their forefathers and have not listened to my voice, 21 I too, for my part, shall not drive out again from before them a single one of the nations that Joshua left behind when he died, 22 in order by them to test Israel, whether they will be keepers of Jehovah’s way by walking in it just as their fathers kept it, or not.” 23 Accordingly Jeho-vah let these nations stay by not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into Joshua’s hand.

No. 2: What Sort of People Go to the Bible Hell? (rs p. 170 ¶1-3)

What sort of people go to the Bible hell?

Does the Bible say that the wicked go to hell?

Ps. 9:17, KJ: “The wicked shall be turned into hell,* and all the nations that forget God.” (*“Hell,” 9:18 in Dy; “death,” TEV; “the place of death,” Kx; “Sheol,” AS, RS, NE, JB, NW.)

Does the Bible also say that upright people go to hell?

Job 14:13, Dy: “[Job prayed:] Who will grant me this, that thou mayst protect me in hell,* and hide me till thy wrath pass, and appoint me a time when thou wilt re-member me?” (God himself said that Job was “a man blameless and upright, fearing God and turning aside from bad.”—Job 1:8.) (*“The grave,” KJ; “the world of the dead,” TEV; “Sheol,” AS, RS, NE, JB, NW.)

Acts 2:25-27, KJ: “David speaketh concerning him [Jesus Christ], . . . Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell,* neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” (The fact that God did not “leave” Jesus in hell implies that Jesus was in hell, or Hades, at least for a time, does it not?) (*“Hell,” Dy; “death,” NE; “the place of death,” Kx; “the world of the dead,” TEV; “Hades,” AS, RS, JB, NW.)

No. 3: God Did Not Create the Devil

Week of January 25

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Bible Reading: Judges 5-7 No. 1: Judges 7:1-11 No. 2: How Can We Identify "the Great Harlot" Described in Revelation 17:1? No. 3: Does Anyone Ever Get out of the Bible Hell? (rs p. 170 ¶4-p. 171 ¶1)

No. 1: Judges 7:1-11 Then Jer·ub·ba′al, that is to say, Gid′e·on, and all the people who were with him, rose early and took up camp-ing at the well of Ha′rod; and the camp of Mid′i·an hap-pened to be on the north of him, at the hill of Mo′reh, in the low plain. 2 Jehovah now said to Gid′e·on: “The peo-ple who are with you are too many for me to give Mid′i·an into their hand. Perhaps Israel would brag about it-self against me, saying, ‘My hand it was that saved me.’ 3 And now call out, please, in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Who is there afraid and trembling? Let him re-tire.’” So Gid′e·on put them to the proof. With that, twenty-two thousand of the people retired, and there were ten thousand that remained. 4 Still Jehovah said to Gid′e·on: “There are yet too many people. Have them go down to the water that I may put them to the proof for you there. And it must occur that of whomever I say to you, ‘This one will go with you,’ he is one that will go with you, but every one of whom I say to you, ‘This one will not go along with you,’ he is one that will not go along.” 5 So he had the people go down to the water. Then Jehovah said to Gid′e·on: “Every one that laps up some of the water with his tongue just as a dog laps, you will set him by himself, also every one that bends down upon his knees to drink.” 6 And the number of those lapping with their hand to their mouth turned out to be three hundred men. As for all the rest of the people, they bent down upon their knees to drink water. 7 Jeho-vah now said to Gid′e·on: “By the three hundred men who did the lapping I shall save YOU people, and I will give Mid′i·an into your hand. As for all the other people, let them go each one to his place.” 8 So they took the provisions of the people in their hand, and their horns, and all the men of Israel he sent away each one to his home; and he kept hold of the three hundred men. As for the camp of Mid′i·an, it happened to be down below him in the low plain. 9 And it came about during that night that Jehovah proceeded to say to him: “Rise up, descend upon the camp, for I have given it into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to descend, descend, you with Pu′rah your attendant, to the camp. 11 And you must listen to what they will speak, and afterward your hands will certainly grow strong, and you will be certain to de-scend upon the camp.” At that he and Pu′rah his atten-dant made their descent to the edge of those in battle formation who were in the camp.

No. 2: How Can We Identify "the Great Harlot" Described in Revelation 17:1?

(Revelation 17:1) And one of the seven angels that had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying: “Come, I will show you the judgment upon the great har-lot who sits on many waters,

No. 3: Does Anyone Ever Get out of the Bible Hell? (rs p. 170 ¶4-p. 171 ¶1)

Does anyone ever get out of the Bible hell?

Rev. 20:13, 14, KJ: “The sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell* delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.” (So the dead will be delivered from hell. Notice also that hell is not the same as the lake of fire but will be cast into the lake of fire.) (*“Hell,” Dy, Kx; “the world of the dead,” TEV; “Hades,” NE, AS, RS, JB, NW.)

Why is there confusion as to what the Bible says about hell?

“Much confusion and misunderstanding has been caused through the early translators of the Bible persis-tently rendering the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades and Gehenna by the word hell. The simple translitera-tion of these words by the translators of the revised edi-tions of the Bible has not sufficed to appreciably clear up this confusion and misconception.”—The Encyclopedia Americana (1942), Vol. XIV, p. 81.

Translators have allowed their personal beliefs to color their work instead of being consistent in their ren-dering of the original-language words. For example: (1) The King James Version rendered she’ohl′ as “hell,” “the grave,” and “the pit”; hai′des is therein rendered both “hell” and “grave”; ge′en‧na is also translated “hell.” (2) Today’s English Version transliterates hai′des as “Hades” and also renders it as “hell” and “the world of the dead.” But besides rendering “hell” from hai′des it uses that same translation for ge′en‧na. (3) The Jerusalem Bible transliterates hai′des six times, but in other passages it translates it as “hell” and as “the un-derworld.” It also translates ge′en‧na as “hell,” as it does hai′des in two instances. Thus the exact meanings of the original-language words have been obscured.

Week of February 1

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Bible Reading: Judges 8 - 10No. 1: Judges 8:1-12 No. 2: Is There Eternal Punishment for the Wicked? (rs p. 171 ¶2-p. 172 ¶1) No. 3: What Are the Benefits of Knowing the Truth About Death?

No. 1: Judges 8:1-12

Then the men of E′phra·im said to him: “What sort of thing is this that you have done to us in not calling us when you went to fight against Mid′i·an?” And they ve-hemently tried to pick a quarrel with him. 2 Finally he said to them: “What now have I done in comparison with YOU? Are not the gleanings of E′phra·im better than the grape gathering of Abi-e′zer? 3 It was into YOUR hand that God gave Mid′i·an’s princes O′reb and Ze′eb, and what have I been able to do in comparison with YOU?” It was then that their spirit calmed down toward him when he spoke this word. 4 Eventually Gid′e·on came to the Jordan, crossing it, he and the three hundred men that were with him, tired but keeping up the pursuit. 5 Later he said to the men of Suc′coth: “Please give round loaves of bread to the people that are following my steps, for they are tired and I am chasing after Ze′bah and Zal·mun′na, the kings of Mid′i·an.” 6 But the princes of Suc′coth said: “Are the palms of Ze′bah and of Zal·-mun′na already in your hand so that bread has to be given to your army?” 7 At this Gid′e·on said: “That is why when Jehovah gives Ze′bah and Zal·mun′na into my hand, I shall certainly give YOUR flesh a threshing with the thorns of the wilderness and the briers.” 8 And he continued on his way up from there to Pe·nu′el and went speaking to them in this same manner, but the men of Pe·nu′el answered him just as the men of Suc′coth had answered. 9 Hence he said also to the men of Pe·nu′el: “When I return in peace, I shall pull down this tower.” 10 Now Ze′bah and Zal·mun′na were in Kar′kor, and their camps with them, about fifteen thousand being all who were left over out of the entire camp of the Easterners; and those already fallen were a hundred and twenty thousand men who used to draw the sword. 11 And Gid′e·on continued on up by the way of those residing in tents to the east of No′bah and Jog′be·hah and began to strike the camp while the camp happened to be off guard. 12 When Ze′bah and Zal·mun′na took to flight, he at once went in pursuit of them and got to capture Mid′i·an’s two kings, Ze′bah and Zal·mun′na; and he drove all the camp into trembling.

No. 2: Is There Eternal Punishment for the Wicked? (rs p. 171 ¶2-p. 172 ¶1)

Is there eternal punishment for the wicked?Matt. 25:46, KJ: “These shall go away into everlast-

ing punishment [“lopping off,” Int; Greek, ko′la·sin]: but the righteous into life eternal.” (The Emphatic Diaglott reads “cutting-off” instead of “punishment.” A footnote states: “Kolasin . . . is derived from kolazoo, which signi-fies, 1. To cut off; as lopping off branches of trees, to prune. 2. To restrain, to repress. . . . 3. To chastise, to punish. To cut off an individual from life, or society, or even to restrain, is esteemed as punishment;—hence has arisen this third metaphorical use of the word. The primary signification has been adopted, because it agrees better with the second member of the sentence, thus preserving the force and beauty of the antithesis. The righteous go to life, the wicked to the cutting off from life, or death. See 2 Thess. 1.9.”)

2 Thess. 1:9, RS: “They shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction* and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” (*“Eternal ruin,” NAB, NE; “lost eternally,” JB; “condemn them to eternal punishment,” Kx; “eternal punishment in destruc-tion,” Dy.)

Jude 7, KJ: “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” (The fire that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah ceased burning thousands of years ago. But the effect of that fire has been lasting; the cities have not been re-built. God’s judgment, however, was against not merely those cities but also their wicked inhabitants. What hap-pened to them is a warning example. At Luke 17:29, Je-sus says that they were “destroyed”; Jude 7 shows that the destruction was eternal.)

No. 3: What Are the Benefits of Knowing the Truth About Death?

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Week of February 8

Bible Reading: Judges 11-14 No. 1: Judges 13:1-14 No. 2: What Can We Learn From Jesus' Words Recorded at Luke 16:9-13? No. 3: What Is the 'Eternal Torment' Referred to in Revelation? (rs p. 172 ¶2-3)

No. 1: Judges 13:1-14

And the sons of Israel engaged again in doing what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes, so that Jehovah gave them into the hand of the Phi·lis′tines for forty years. 2 Meanwhile there happened to be a certain man of Zo′rah of the family of the Dan′ites, and his name was Ma·no′ah. And his wife was barren and had borne no child. 3 In time Jehovah’s angel appeared to the woman and said to her: “Look, now, you are barren and have borne no child. And you will certainly become pregnant and give birth to a son. 4 And now watch yourself, please, and do not drink wine or intoxicating liquor, and do not eat anything unclean. 5 For, look! you will be pregnant, and you will certainly give birth to a son, and no razor should come upon his head, because a Naz′i·rite of God is what the child will become on leaving the belly; and he it is who will take the lead in saving Israel out of the hand of the Phi·lis′tines.” 6 Then the woman went and said to her husband: “There was a man of the [true] God that came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of the [true] God, very fear-inspiring. And I did not ask him from just where he was, neither did he tell me his name. 7 But he said to me, ‘Look! You will be pregnant, and you will certainly give birth to a son. And now do not drink wine or intoxicating liquor, and do not eat any un-clean thing, because a Naz′i·rite of God is what the child will become on leaving the belly until the day of his death.’” 8 And Ma·no′ah began to entreat Jehovah and say: “Ex-cuse me, Jehovah. The man of the [true] God that you just sent, let him, please, come again to us and instruct us as to what we ought to do to the child that will be born.” 9 Accord-ingly the [true] God listened to the voice of Ma·no′ah, and the angel of the [true] God came again to the woman while she was sitting in the field, and Ma·no′ah her husband was not with her. 10 Immediately the woman hurried and ran and told her husband and said to him: “Look! The man that came the other day to me has appeared to me.” 11 At that Ma·no′ah got up and accompanied his wife and came to the man and said to him: “Are you the man that spoke to the woman?” to which he said: “I am.” 12 Then Ma·no′ah said: “Now let your words come true. What will become the child’s mode of life and his work?” 13 So Jehovah’s angel said to Ma·no′ah: “From everything that I mentioned to the woman she should keep herself. 14 Nothing at all that comes forth from the wine vine should she eat, and no wine or intoxicating liquor let her drink, and no unclean thing of any sort let her eat. Everything that I have com-manded her let her keep.”

No. 2: What Can We Learn From Jesus' Words Recorded at Luke 16:9-13? (Luke 16:9-13) “Also, I say to YOU, Make friends for your-selves by means of the unrighteous riches, so that, when such fail, they may receive YOU into the everlasting dwelling places. 10 The person faithful in what is least is faithful also in much, and the person unrighteous in what is least is unrighteous also in much. 11 Therefore, if YOU have not proved yourselves faithful in connection with the unrighteous riches, who will entrust YOU with what is true? 12 And if YOU have not proved yourselves faithful in connection with what is another’s, who will give YOU what is for yourselves? 13 No house servant can be a slave to two masters; for, either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. YOU cannot be slaves to God and to riches.”

No. 3: What Is the 'Eternal Torment' Referred to in Revelation? (rs p. 172 ¶2-3)

What is the meaning of the 'eternal torment' referred to in Revelation? Rev. 14:9-11; 20:10, KJ: “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brim-stone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the pres-ence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment [Greek, basa·ni·smou?] ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” What is the 'torment' to which these texts refer? It is noteworthy that at Revelation 11:10 (KJ) reference is made to 'prophets that torment those dwelling on the earth.' Such torment results from humiliating exposure by the messages that these prophets proclaim. At Revelation 14:9-11 (KJ) worshipers of the symbolic “beast and his image” are said to be “tormented with fire and brimstone.” This cannot refer to conscious torment after death because “the dead know not any thing.” (Eccl. 9:5, KJ) Then, what causes them to experience such torment while they are still alive? It is the proclamation by God's servants that worshipers of the “beast and his image” will experience second death, which is represented by “the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.” The smoke, associated with their fiery destruc-tion, ascends forever because the destruction will be eter-nal and will never be forgotten. When Revelation 20:10 says that the Devil is to experience 'torment forever and ever' in “the lake of fire and brimstone,” what does that mean? Revelation 21:8 (KJ) says clearly that “the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone” means “the second death.” So the Devil's being “tormented” there forever means that there will be no relief for him; he will be held under restraint forever, actually in eternal death. This use of the word “torment” (from the Greek ba?sa·nos) reminds one of its use at Matthew 18:34, where the same basic Greek word is applied to a 'jailer.'-RS, AT, ED, NW.

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Week of February 15

Bible Reading: Judges 15-18 No. 1: Judges 16:1-12 No. 2: What Is the 'Fiery Gehenna' to Which Jesus Referred? (rs p. 173 ¶ 1-3) No. 3: Why Jesus Called the Devil "the Father of the Lie" (John 8:44)

No. 1: Judges 16:1-12

(Judges 16:1-12) Once Samson went to Ga′za and saw a prostitute woman there and came in to her. 2 And re-port was made to the Ga′zites, saying: “Samson has come in here.” So they surrounded him and lay in wait for him all night long in the city gate. And they kept quiet the whole night, saying: “As soon as the morning gets light, we must also kill him.” 3 However, Samson kept ly-ing till midnight and then rose at midnight and grabbed hold of the doors of the city gate and the two side posts and pulled them out along with the bar and put them upon his shoulders and went carrying them up to the top of the mountain that is in front of He′bron. 4 And it came about after that that he fell in love with a woman in the torrent valley of So′rek, and her name was De·li′lah. 5 And the axis lords of the Phi·lis′tines proceeded to come up to her and to say to her: “Fool him and see in what his great power is and with what we can prevail over him and with what we are certain to tie him so as to master him; and we, for our part, shall give you each one thousand one hundred silver pieces.” 6 Later De·li′lah said to Samson: “Do tell me, please, In what is your great power and with what can you be tied for one to master you?” 7 Then Samson said to her: “If they tie me with seven still-moist sinews that have not been dried out, I must also grow weak and become like an ordinary man.” 8 So the axis lords of the Phi·lis′tines brought up to her seven still-moist sinews that had not been dried out. Later she tied him with them. 9 Now the ambush was sitting in the interior room of hers, and she began to say to him: “The Phi·lis′tines are upon you, Samson!” At that he tore the sinews in two, just as a twisted thread of tow is torn in two when it smells fire. And his power did not become known. 10 Subsequently De·li′lah said to Samson: “Look! You have trifled with me that you might speak lies to me. Now tell me, do please, with what you can be tied.” 11 So he said to her: “If they tie me tight with new ropes with which no work has been done, I must also grow weak and become like an ordinary man.” 12 So De·li′lah took new ropes and tied him with them and said to him: “The Phi·lis′tines are upon you, Sam-son!” All the while the ambush was sitting in the interior room. At that he tore them in two from off his arms like a thread.

No. 2: What Is the 'Fiery Gehenna' to Which Jesus Referred? (rs p. 173 ¶ 1-3)

What is the ‘fiery Gehenna’ to which Jesus referred?

Reference to Gehenna appears 12 times in the Chris-tian Greek Scriptures. Five times it is directly associ-ated with fire. Translators have rendered the Greek ex-pression ge’en•nan tou py•ros’ as “hell fire” (KJ, Dy), “fires of hell” (NE), “fiery pit” (AT), and “fires of Gehenna” (NAB).

Historical background: The Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) was outside the walls of Jerusalem. For a time it was the site of idolatrous worship, including child sacrifice. In the first century Gehenna was being used as the incinerator for the filth of Jerusalem. Bodies of dead animals were thrown into the valley to be con-sumed in the fires, to which sulfur, or brimstone, was added to assist the burning. Also bodies of executed criminals, who were considered undeserving of burial in a memorial tomb, were thrown into Gehenna. Thus, at Matthew 5:29, 30, Jesus spoke of the casting of one’s “whole body” into Gehenna. If the body fell into the con-stantly burning fire it was consumed, but if it landed on a ledge of the deep ravine its putrefying flesh became in-fested with the ever-present worms, or maggots. (Mark 9:47, 48) Living humans were not pitched into Gehenna; so it was not a place of conscious torment.

At Matthew 10:28, Jesus warned his hearers to “be in fear of him that can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” What does it mean? Notice that there is no mention here of torment in the fires of Gehenna; rather, he says to ‘fear him that can destroy in Gehenna.’ By re-ferring to the “soul” separately, Jesus here emphasizes that God can destroy all of a person’s life prospects; thus there is no hope of resurrection for him. So, the references to the ‘fiery Gehenna’ have the same mean-ing as ‘the lake of fire’ of Revelation 21:8, namely, de-struction, “second death.”

No. 3: Why Jesus Called the Devil "the Father of the Lie" (John 8:44)(John 8:44) YOU are from YOUR father the Devil, and YOU wish to do the desires of YOUR father. That one was a manslayer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks according to his own disposi-tion, because he is a liar and the father of [the lie].

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Week of February 22

Bible Reading: Judges 19-21

Theocratic Ministry School Review

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Week of March 1

Bible Reading: Ruth 1-4 (See si Book) No. 1: Ruth 3:1-13 No. 2: How Being Merciful Benefits Us (Matt. 5:7) No. 3: What Is the Penalty for Sin? (rs p. 174 ¶1-4)

No. 1: Ruth 3:1-13

Na′o·mi her mother-in-law now said to her: “My daugh-ter, ought I not to look for a resting-place for you, that it may go well with you? 2 And now, is not Bo′az, with whose young women you have continued, our kinsman? Look! He is winnowing barley at the threshing floor tonight. 3 And you must wash and rub yourself with oil and put your mantles upon you and go down to the threshing floor. Do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 And it should occur that when he lies down, you must also take note of the place where he lies down; and you must come and uncover him at his feet and lie down; and he, for his part, will tell you what you ought to do.” 5 At that she said to her: “All that you say to me I shall do.” 6 And she proceeded to go down to the threshing floor and to do according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her. 7 Meantime Bo′az ate and drank, and his heart was feeling good. Then he went to lie down at the extremity of the grain heap. After that she came stealthily and un-covered him at his feet and lay down. 8 And it came about at midnight that the man began to tremble. So he bent himself forward, and, look! a woman lying at his feet! 9 Then he said: “Who are you?” In turn she said: “I am Ruth your slave girl, and you must spread out your skirt over your slave girl, for you are a repurchaser.” 10 At that he said: “Blessed may you be of Jehovah, my daughter. You have expressed your loving-kindness bet-ter in the last instance than in the first instance, in not going after the young fellows whether lowly or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not be afraid. All that you say I shall do for you, for everyone in the gate of my people is aware that you are an excellent woman. 12 And now while it is a fact that I am a repurchaser, there is also a repurchaser closer related than I am. 13 Lodge here tonight, and it must occur in the morning that if he will repurchase you, fine! Let him do the repurchasing. But if he does not take delight in repurchasing you, I will then repurchase you, I myself, as sure as Jehovah lives. Keep lying down until the morning.”

No. 2: How Being Merciful Benefits Us (Matt. 5:7)

(Matthew 5:7) “Happy are the merciful, since they will be shown mercy.

No. 3: What Is the Penalty for Sin? (rs p. 174 ¶1-4)

What does the Bible say the penalty for sin is? Rom. 6:23: “The wages sin pays is death.”After one’s death, is he still subject to further pun-ishment for his sins? Rom. 6:7: “He who has died has been acquitted from his sin.”Is eternal torment of the wicked compatible with God’s personality? Jer. 7:31: “They [apostate Judeans] have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, in order to burn their sons and their daugh-ters in the fire, a thing that I had not commanded and that had not come up into my heart.” (If it never came into God’s heart, surely he does not have and use such a thing on a larger scale.) Illustration: What would you think of a parent who held his child’s hand over a fire to punish the child for wrongdoing? “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) Would he do what no right-minded human parent would do? Certainly not!

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Week of March 8

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 1-4 (See si Book) No. 1: 1 Samuel 2:18-29 No. 2: Did Jesus Teach That the Wicked Would Be Tormented After Death? (rs p. 174 ¶5) No. 3: The Scriptures Reveal Jehovah's Love for Children

No. 1: 1 Samuel 2:18-29

And Samuel was ministering before Jehovah, as a boy, having a linen eph′od girded on. 19 Also, a little sleeve-less coat his mother would make for him, and she brought it up to him from year to year when she came up with her husband to sacrifice the yearly sacrifice. 20 And E′li blessed El·ka′nah and his wife and said: “May Jehovah appoint to you an offspring from this wife in place of the thing lent, that was lent to Jehovah.” And they went to their place. 21 Accordingly Jehovah turned his attention to Han′nah, so that she had pregnancy and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel continued growing up with Jehovah. 22 And E′li was very old, and he had heard of all that his sons kept doing to all Israel and how they would lie down with the women that were serving at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 23 And he used to say to them: “Why do YOU keep doing things like these? For the things I am hear-ing about YOU from all the people are bad. 24 No, my sons, because the report is not good that I am hearing, that the people of Jehovah are causing to circulate. 25 If a man should sin against a man, God will arbitrate for him; but if it is against Jehovah that a man should sin, who is there to pray for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, because Jehovah was now pleased to put them to death. 26 All the while the boy Samuel was growing bigger and more likable both from Jehovah’s standpoint and from that of men. 27 And a man of God proceeded to come to E′li and say to him: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘Did I not for a fact re-veal myself to the house of your forefather while they happened to be in Egypt as slaves to the house of Phar′aoh? 28 And there was a choosing of him out of all the tribes of Israel for me, to act as priest and go up upon my altar to make sacrificial smoke billow up, to bear an eph′od before me, that I might give to the house of your forefather all the offerings made by fire of the sons of Is-rael. 29 Why do YOU men keep kicking at my sacrifice and at my offering that I have commanded [in my] dwelling, and you keep honoring your sons more than me by fattening yourselves from the best of every offer-ing of Israel my people?

No. 2: Did Jesus Teach That the Wicked Would Be tormented After Death? (rs p. 174 ¶5)

By what Jesus said about the rich man and Lazarus, did Jesus teach torment of the wicked after death?

Is the account, at Luke 16:19-31, literal or merely an illustration of something else? The Jerusalem Bible, in a footnote, acknowledges that it is a “parable in story form without reference to any historical personage.” If taken literally, it would mean that those enjoying divine favor could all fit at the bosom of one man, Abraham; that the water on one’s fingertip would not be evapo-rated by the fire of Hades; that a mere drop of water would bring relief to one suffering there. Does that sound reasonable to you? If it were literal, it would con-flict with other parts of the Bible. If the Bible were thus contradictory, would a lover of truth use it as a basis for his faith? But the Bible does not contradict itself.

No. 3: The Scriptures Reveal Jehovah's Love for Children

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Week of March 15

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 5-9 No. 1: 1 Samuel 6:1-9 No. 2: What Defence Do We Have Against Satan and His Demons? No. 3: What Does the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus Mean? (rs p. 175 ¶1-3)

No. 1: 1 Samuel 6:1-9

And the ark of Jehovah proved to be in the field of the Phi·lis′tines seven months. 2 And the Phi·lis′tines pro-ceeded to call the priests and the diviners, saying: “What shall we do with the ark of Jehovah? Let us know with what we should send it away to its place.” 3 To this they said: “If YOU are sending the ark of the God of Is-rael away, do not send it away without an offering, for YOU should by all means return to him a guilt offering. Then it is that YOU will be healed, and it must become known to YOU why his hand would not turn away from YOU.” 4 At this they said: “What is the guilt offering that we ought to return to him?” Then they said: “According to the number of the axis lords of the Phi·lis′tines, five golden piles and five golden jerboas, for every one of YOU and YOUR axis lords have the same scourge. 5 And YOU must make images of YOUR piles and im-ages of YOUR jerboas that are bringing the land to ruin, and YOU must give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off YOU and YOUR god and YOUR land. 6 Also, why should YOU make YOUR heart unresponsive just the way Egypt and Phar′aoh made their heart unresponsive? Was it not as soon as He dealt severely with them that they proceeded to send them away, and they went their way? 7 And now take and make a new wagon, and two cows that are giving suck, upon which no yoke has come up, and YOU must hitch the cows to the wagon, and YOU must make their young ones go back home from following them. 8 And YOU must take the ark of Jehovah and place it on the wagon, and the golden articles that YOU must return to him as a guilt offering YOU should put into a box at the side of it. And YOU must send it away, and it must go. 9 And YOU must look: if it is the road to its territory that it goes up, to Beth-she′mesh, it is he that has done to us this great evil; but if not, we must know that it was not his hand that touched us; an accident it was that hap-pened to us.”

No. 2: What Defence Do We Have Against Satan and His Demons?

No. 3: What Does the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus Mean? (rs p. 175 ¶1-3)

What does the parable mean? The “rich man” rep-resented the Pharisees. (See verse 14.) The beggar Lazarus represented the common Jewish people who were despised by the Pharisees but who repented and became followers of Jesus. (See Luke 18:11; John 7:49; Matthew 21:31, 32.) Their deaths were also symbolic, representing a change in circumstances. Thus, the for-merly despised ones came into a position of divine fa-vor, and the formerly seemingly favored ones were re-jected by God, while being tormented by the judgment messages delivered by the ones whom they had de-spised.—Acts 5:33; 7:54.What is the origin of the teaching of hellfire?

In ancient Babylonian and Assyrian beliefs the “nether world . . . is pictured as a place full of horrors, and is presided over by gods and demons of great strength and fierceness.” (The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, Boston, 1898, Morris Jastrow, Jr., p. 581) Early evidence of the fiery aspect of Christendom’s hell is found in the religion of ancient Egypt. (The Book of the Dead, New Hyde Park, N.Y., 1960, with introduction by E. A. Wallis Budge, pp. 144, 149, 151, 153, 161) Bud-dhism, which dates back to the 6th century B.C.E., in time came to feature both hot and cold hells. (The Ency-clopedia Americana, 1977, Vol. 14, p. 68) Depictions of hell portrayed in Catholic churches in Italy have been traced to Etruscan roots.—La civiltà etrusca (Milan, 1979), Werner Keller, p. 389.

But the real roots of this God-dishonoring doctrine go much deeper. The fiendish concepts associated with a hell of torment slander God and originate with the chief slanderer of God (the Devil, which name means “Slanderer”), the one whom Jesus Christ called “the fa-ther of the lie.”—John 8:44.

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Week of March 22

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 10-13 No. 1: 1 Samuel 10:17-27 No. 2: Is Christmas a Celebration Based on the Bible? (rs p. 176 ¶ 1-4) No. 3: Why Evolution Is Incompatible With Christianity

No. 1: 1 Samuel 10:17-27

And Samuel proceeded to call the people together to Je-hovah at Miz′pah 18 and to say to the sons of Israel: “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel has said, ‘It was I who brought Israel up out of Egypt and who went deliv-ering YOU from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing YOU. 19 But YOU—today YOU have rejected YOUR God who was a sav-ior to YOU out of all YOUR evils and YOUR distresses, and YOU went on to say: “No, but a king is what you should put over us.” And now take YOUR stand before Jehovah by YOUR tribes and by YOUR thousands.’” 20 Accordingly Samuel had all the tribes of Israel draw near, and the tribe of Benjamin came to be picked. 21 Then he had the tribe of Benjamin draw near by its families, and the family of the Mat′rites came to be picked. Finally Saul the son of Kish came to be picked. And they went looking for him, and he was not to be found. 22 Hence they inquired further of Jehovah: “Has the man come here as yet?” To this Jehovah said: “Here he is, hidden among the luggage.” 23 So they went run-ning and took him from there. When he took his stand in the middle of the people, he was taller than all the other people from his shoulders upward. 24 Then Samuel said to all the people: “Have YOU seen the one whom Jeho-vah has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people?” And all the people began to shout and say: “Let the king live!” 25 Upon that Samuel spoke to the people about the rightful due of the kingship and wrote it in a book and deposited it before Jehovah. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house. 26 As for Saul himself, he went to his home at Gib′e·ah, and the valiant men whose heart God had touched pro-ceeded to go with him. 27 As for the good-for-nothing men, they said: “How will this one save us?” Accordingly they despised him, and they did not bring any gift to him. But he continued like one grown speechless.

No. 2: Is Christmas a Celebration Based on the Bible? (rs p. 176 ¶ 1-4)

Is Christmas a celebration based on the Bible?Date of the celebration M’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclopædia says: “The ob-servance of Christmas is not of divine appointment, nor is it of N[ew] T[estament] origin. The day of Christ’s birth cannot be ascertained from the N[ew] T[estament], or, indeed, from any other source.”—(New York, 1871), Vol. II, p. 276. Luke 2:8-11 shows that shepherds were in the fields at night at the time of Jesus’ birth. The book Daily Life in the Time of Jesus states: “The flocks . . . passed the winter under cover; and from this alone it may be seen that the traditional date for Christmas, in the winter, is unlikely to be right, since the Gospel says that the shep-herds were in the fields.”—(New York, 1962), Henri Daniel-Rops, p. 228. The Encyclopedia Americana informs us: “The reason for establishing December 25 as Christmas is somewhat obscure, but it is usually held that the day was chosen to correspond to pagan festivals that took place around the time of the winter solstice, when the days begin to lengthen, to celebrate the ‘rebirth of the sun.’ . . . The Roman Saturnalia (a festival dedicated to Saturn, the god of agriculture, and to the renewed power of the sun), also took place at this time, and some Christmas customs are thought to be rooted in this ancient pagan celebration.”—(1977), Vol. 6, p. 666. The New Catholic Encyclopedia acknowledges: “The date of Christ’s birth is not known. The Gospels indicate neither the day nor the month . . . According to the hy-pothesis suggested by H. Usener . . . and accepted by most scholars today, the birth of Christ was assigned the date of the winter solstice (December 25 in the Ju-lian calendar, January 6 in the Egyptian), because on this day, as the sun began its return to northern skies, the pagan devotees of Mithra celebrated the dies natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of the invincible sun). On Dec. 25, 274, Aurelian had proclaimed the sun-god principal patron of the empire and dedicated a temple to him in the Campus Martius. Christmas originated at a time when the cult of the sun was particularly strong at Rome.”—(1967), Vol. III, p. 656.

No. 3: Why Evolution Is Incompatible With Christianity

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Week of March 29

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 14-15 No. 1: 1 Samuel 14:24-35 No. 2: Ways in Which We Can Draw Close to Jehovah (Jas. 4:8) No. 3: Who Were the Wise Men, or Magi, Who Were Led to Jesus by a Star? (rs p. 177 ¶1-3)

No. 1: 1 Samuel 14:24-35

And the men of Israel themselves were hard pressed on that day, and yet Saul put the people under the pledge of an oath, saying: “Cursed is the man that eats bread before the evening and until I have taken vengeance upon my enemies!” And none of the people tasted bread. 25 And all those of the land came into the woods, when honey happened to be over all the surface of the field. 26 When the people came into the woods, why, look! there was a dripping of honey, but there was no one putting his hand to his mouth, because the people were afraid of the oath. 27 As for Jon′a·than, he had not been listening when his father put the people under an oath, so he stretched out the tip of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb and drew his hand back to his mouth, and his eyes began to beam. 28 At this one of the people answered and said: “Your fa-ther solemnly put the people under oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man that eats bread today!’” (And the people began to get tired.) 29 However, Jon′a·than said: “My father has brought ostracism upon the land. SEE, please, how my eyes have beamed because I tasted this little bit of honey. 30 How much more so if the people had but eaten today from the spoil of their enemies that they found! For now the slaughter upon the Phi·lis′tines has not been great.” 31 And on that day they kept striking down the Phi·lis′tines from Mich′mash to Ai′ja·lon, and the people got to be very tired. 32 And the people began darting greedily at the spoil and taking sheep and cattle and calves and slaughtering them on the earth, and the people fell to eating along with the blood. 33 So they told Saul, saying: “Look! The people are sinning against Je-hovah by eating along with the blood.” At this he said: “YOU have dealt treacherously. First of all, roll a great stone to me.” 34 After that Saul said: “Scatter among the people, and YOU must say to them, ‘Bring near to me, each one of YOU, his bull and, each one, his sheep, and YOU must do the slaughtering in this place and the eat-ing, and YOU must not sin against Jehovah by eating along with the blood.’” Accordingly all the people brought near each one his bull that was in his hand that night and did the slaughtering there. 35 And Saul pro-ceeded to build an altar to Jehovah. With it he started al-tar building to Jehovah.

No. 2: Ways in Which We Can Draw Close to Jehovah (Jas. 4:8)

(James 4:8) Draw close to God, and he will draw close to YOU. Cleanse YOUR hands, YOU sinners, and purify YOUR hearts, YOU indecisive ones.

No. 3: Who Were the Wise Men, or Magi, Who Were Led to Jesus by a Star? (rs p. 177 ¶1-3)

Wise men, or Magi, led by a star Those Magi were actually astrologers from the east. (Matt. 2:1, 2, NW; NE) Although astrology is popular among many people today, the practice is strongly dis-approved in the Bible. (See pages 144, 145, under the main heading “Fate.”) Would God have led to the new-born Jesus persons whose practices He condemned? Matthew 2:1-16 shows that the star led the as-trologers first to King Herod and then to Jesus and that Herod then sought to have Jesus killed. No mention is made that anyone other than the astrologers saw the “star.” After they left, Jehovah’s angel warned Joseph to flee to Egypt to safeguard the child. Was that “star” a sign from God or was it from someone who was seeking to have God’s Son destroyed? Note that the Bible account does not say that they found the babe Jesus in a manger, as customarily de-picted in Christmas art. When the astrologers arrived, Jesus and his parents were living in a house. As to Je-sus’ age at that time, remember that, based on what Herod had learned from the astrologers, he decreed that all the boys in the district of Bethlehem two years of age and under were to be destroyed.—Matt. 2:1, 11, 16.

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Week of April 5

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 16-18 No. 1: 1 Samuel 18:1-16 No. 2: What Should We Consider When Examining Christmas Traditions? (rs p. 177 ¶4-p. 178 ¶2) No. 3: * Why Follow the Course of Hospitality? (Rom. 12:13)

No. 1: 1 Samuel 18:1-16

And it came about that, as soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, Jon′a·than’s very soul became bound up with the soul of David, and Jon′a·than began to love him as his own soul. 2 Then Saul took him on that day, and he did not allow him to return to his father’s house. 3 And Jon′a·than and David proceeded to conclude a covenant, because of his loving him as his own soul. 4 Further, Jon′a·than stripped himself of the sleeveless coat that was on him and gave it to David, and also his garments, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5 And David began going out. Wherever Saul would send him he would act prudently, so that Saul placed him over the men of war; and it seemed good in the eyes of all the people and also in the eyes of the ser-vants of Saul. 6 And it came about that at their coming in, when David returned from striking the Phi·lis′tines down, the women began coming out from all the cities of Israel with song and dances to meet Saul the king, with tambourines, with rejoicing and with lutes. 7 And the women that were celebrating kept responding and say-ing: “Saul has struck down his thousands, And David his tens of thousands.” 8 And Saul began to be very angry, and this saying was bad from his viewpoint, so that he said: “They have given David tens of thousands, but to me they have given the thousands, and there is yet only the kingship to give him!” 9 And Saul was continually looking suspiciously at David from that day forward. 10 And it came about the next day that God’s bad spirit became operative upon Saul, so that he behaved like a prophet within the house, while David was playing music with his hand, as in former days; and the spear was in Saul’s hand. 11 And Saul proceeded to hurl the spear and say: “I will pin David even to the wall!” but David turned aside from before him, twice. 12 And Saul grew afraid of David because Jehovah proved to be with him, but from Saul he had departed. 13 Consequently Saul re-moved him from his company and appointed him as chief of a thousand for him; and he regularly went out and came in before the people. 14 And David was contin-ually acting prudently in all his ways, and Jehovah was with him. 15 And Saul kept seeing that he was acting very prudently, so that he was scared of him. 16 And all Israel and Judah were lovers of David, because he was going out and coming in before them.

No. 2: What Should We Consider When Examining Christmas Traditions? (rs p. 177 ¶4-p. 178 ¶2)

Gift giving as part of the celebration; stories about Santa Claus, Father Christmas, etc.The practice of Christmas gift giving is not based on what was done by the Magi. As shown above, they did not arrive at the time of Jesus’ birth. Furthermore, they gave gifts, not to one another, but to the child Jesus, in accord with what was then customary when visiting no-table persons.The Encyclopedia Americana states: “During the Satur-nalia . . . feasting prevailed, and gifts were exchanged.” (1977, Vol. 24, p. 299) In many instances that repre-sents the spirit of Christmas giving—an exchanging of gifts. The spirit reflected in such gift giving does not bring real happiness, because it violates Christian princi-ples such as those found at Matthew 6:3, 4 and 2 Corinthians 9:7. Surely a Christian can give gifts to others as an expression of love at other times during the year, doing so as often as he wants to.Depending on where they live, children are told that gifts are brought by Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, Father Christ-mas, Père Noël, Knecht Ruprecht, the Magi, the elf Jul-tomten (or Julenissen), or a witch known as La Befana. (The World Book Encyclopedia, 1984, Vol. 3, p. 414) Of course, none of these stories are actually true. Does the telling of such stories build in children a respect for truth, and does such a practice honor Jesus Christ, who taught that God must be worshiped with truth?—John 4:23, 24.

No. 3: * Why Follow the Course of Hospitality? (Rom. 12:13)

(Romans 12:13) Share with the holy ones according to their needs. Follow the course of hospitality.

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Week of April 12

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 19-22 No. 1: 1 Samuel 21:1-9 No. 2: How Should We Feel About Things That Jehovah Hates? (Prov.6:16-19) No. 3: What Principles Should Guide Us in Connection With Celebrations? (rs p. 178 ¶3-p. 179 ¶2)

No. 1: 1 Samuel 21:1-9 Later David came into Nob to A·him′e·lech the priest; and A·him′e·lech began to tremble at meeting David and then said to him: “Why is it you are by yourself, and no one is with you?” 2 At this David said to A·him′e·lech the priest: “The king himself commanded me as to a matter, and he went on to say to me, ‘Let no one know anything at all of the matter concerning which I am sending you and concerning which I have commanded you.’ And I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. 3 And now, if there are five loaves of bread at your disposal, just give them into my hand, or whatever may be found.” 4 But the priest answered David and said: “There is no ordinary bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; provided that the young men have at least kept themselves from womankind.” 5 So David answered the priest and said to him: “But womankind has been kept away from us the same as formerly when I went out, and the organisms of the young men continue holy, although the mission itself is ordinary. And how much more so today, when one be-comes holy in [his] organism?” 6 At that the priest gave him what was holy, because there happened to be no bread there but the showbread that had been removed from before Jehovah so as to place fresh bread there on the day of its being taken away. 7 Now one of Saul’s ser-vants was there on that day, detained before Jehovah, and his name was Do′eg the E′dom·ite, the principal one of the shepherds that belonged to Saul. 8 And David went on to say to A·him′e·lech: “And is there nothing here at your disposal, a spear or a sword? For neither my own sword nor my weapons did I take in my hand, because the king’s matter proved to be urgent.” 9 To this the priest said: “The sword of Go·li′ath the Phi·lis′tine, whom you struck down in the low plain of E′lah—here it is, wrapped up in a mantle, behind the eph′od. If it is what you would take for yourself, take it, because there is no other here except it.” And David went on to say: “There is none like it. Give it to me.”

No. 2: How Should We Feel About Things That Jehovah Hates? (Prov.6:16-19)

(Proverbs 6:16-19) There are six things that Jehovah does hate; yes, seven are things detestable to his soul: 17 lofty eyes, a false tongue, and hands that are shed-ding innocent blood, 18 a heart fabricating hurtful schemes, feet that are in a hurry to run to badness, 19 a false witness that launches forth lies, and anyone send-ing forth contentions among brothers.

No. 3: What Principles Should Guide Us in Connection With Celebrations? (rs p. 178 ¶3-p. 179 ¶2)

Is there any objection to sharing in celebrations that may have unchristian roots as long as it is not done for religious reasons? Eph. 5:10, 11: “Keep on making sure of what is ac-ceptable to the Lord; and quit sharing with them in the unfruitful works that belong to the darkness, but, rather, even be reproving them.” 2 Cor. 6:14-18: “What fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with darkness? Further, what harmony is there between Christ and Be′lial? Or what portion does a faithful person have with an unbeliever? And what agreement does God’s temple have with idols? . . . ‘“Therefore get out from among them, and separate yourselves,” says Jeho-vah, “and quit touching the unclean thing”’; ‘“and I will take you in, . . . and you will be sons and daughters to me,” says Jehovah the Almighty.’” (Genuine love for Je-hovah and a strong desire to be pleasing to him will help a person to break free from unchristian practices that may have had emotional appeal. A person who really knows and loves Jehovah does not feel that by shun-ning practices that honor false gods or that promote falsehood he is in any way deprived of happiness. Gen-uine love causes him to rejoice, not over unrighteous-ness, but with the truth. See 1 Corinthians 13:6.) Compare Exodus 32:4-10. Notice that the Israelites adopted an Egyptian religious practice but gave it a new name, “a festival to Jehovah.” But Jehovah severely punished them for this. Today we see only 20th-century practices associated with holidays. Some may appear harmless. But Jehovah observed firsthand the pagan re-ligious practices from which these originated. Should not his view be what matters to us? Illustration: Suppose a crowd come to a gentleman’s home saying they are there to celebrate his birthday. He does not favor the celebration of birthdays. He does not like to see people overeat or get drunk or engage in loose conduct. But some of them do all those things, and they bring presents for everyone there except him! On top of all that, they pick the birthday of one of the man’s enemies as the date for the celebration. How would the man feel? Would you want to be a party to it? This is exactly what is being done by Christmas celebra-tions.

15


Week of April 19

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 23-25 No. 1: 1 Samuel 23:1-12 No. 2: What Should We Know About Easter and New Year's Celebrations? rs p. 179 ¶3-p. 180 ¶2

No. 3: Why Generosity Is Rewarding (Prov. 11:25)

No. 1: 1 Samuel 23:1-12

In time they came reporting to David, saying: “Here the Phi·lis′tines are warring against Kei′lah, and they are pil-laging the threshing floors.” 2 And David proceeded to inquire of Jehovah, saying: “Shall I go, and must I strike down these Phi·lis′tines?” In turn Jehovah said to David: “Go, and you must strike down the Phi·lis′tines and save Kei′lah.” 3 At this the men of David said to him: “Look! We are afraid while here in Judah, and how much more so in case we should go to Kei′lah against the battle lines of the Phi·lis′tines!” 4 So David inquired yet again of Jehovah. Jehovah now answered him and said: “Rise up, go down to Kei′lah, because I am giving the Phi·lis′tines into your hand.” 5 Accordingly David went with his men to Kei′lah and fought against the Phi·lis′tines and drove off with their livestock, but struck them down with a great slaughter; and David came to be the savior of the inhabitants of Kei′lah. 6 Now it came about that when A·bi′a·thar the son of A·him′e·lech ran away to David at Kei′lah, there was an eph′od that went down in his hand. 7 In time the report was made to Saul: “David has come to Kei′lah.” And Saul began to say: “God has sold him into my hand, for he has shut himself up by coming into a city with doors and bar.” 8 So Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Kei′lah, to besiege David and his men. 9 And David got to know that Saul was fab-ricating mischief against him. Hence he said to A·bi′a·thar the priest: “Do bring the eph′od near.” 10 And David went on to say: “O Jehovah the God of Israel, your servant has definitely heard that Saul is seeking to come to Kei′lah to lay the city in ruin on my account. 11 Will the landowners of Kei′lah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down just as your servant has heard? O Jehovah the God of Israel, tell your servant, please.” To this Jehovah said: “He will come down.” 12 And David went on to say: “Will the landowners of Kei′lah surrender me and my men into Saul’s hand?” In turn Jehovah said: “They will do the surrendering.”

No. 2: What Should We Know About Easter and New Year's Celebrations? (rs p. 179 ¶3-p. 180 ¶2)

What is the origin of Easter and the customs associ-ated with it? The Encyclopædia Britannica comments: “There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the apostolic Fa-thers. The sanctity of special times was an idea absent from the minds of the first Christians.”—(1910), Vol. VIII, p. 828.The Catholic Encyclopedia tells us: “A great many pa-gan customs, celebrating the return of spring, gravitated to Easter. The egg is the emblem of the germinating life of early spring. . . . The rabbit is a pagan symbol and has always been an emblem of fertility.”—(1913), Vol. V, p. 227. In the book The Two Babylons, by Alexander Hislop, we read: “What means the term Easter itself? It is not a Christian name. It bears its Chaldean origin on its very forehead. Easter is nothing else than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven, whose name, . . . as found by Layard on the Assyrian monuments, is Ishtar. . . . Such is the history of Easter. The popular ob-servances that still attend the period of its celebration amply confirm the testimony of history as to its Babylo-nian character. The hot cross buns of Good Friday, and the dyed eggs of Pasch or Easter Sunday, figured in the Chaldean rites just as they do now.”—(New York, 1943), pp. 103, 107, 108; compare Jeremiah 7:18.Are New Year’s celebrations objectionable for Chris-tians? According to The World Book Encyclopedia, “The Ro-man ruler Julius Caesar established January 1 as New Year’s Day in 46 B.C. The Romans dedicated this day to Janus, the god of gates, doors, and beginnings. The month of January was named after Janus, who had two faces—one looking forward and the other looking back-ward.”—(1984), Vol. 14, p. 237. Both the date and the customs associated with New Year’s celebrations vary from one country to another. In many places revelry and drinking are part of the festivi-ties. However, Romans 13:13 counsels: “As in the day-time let us walk decently, not in revelries and drunken bouts, not in illicit intercourse and loose conduct, not in strife and jealousy.” (See also 1 Peter 4:3, 4; Galatians 5:19-21.)

No. 3: Why Generosity Is Rewarding (Prov. 11:25)

(Proverbs 11:25) The generous soul will itself be made fat, and the one freely watering [others] will himself also be freely watered.

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Week of April 26

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 26-31


17


Week of May 3

Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 1-3 (See si Book) No. 1: 2 Samuel 2:12-23 No. 2: Did Jesus Use God's Name in His Ministry? No. 3: What Underlies Holidays in Memory of the "Spirits of the Dead"? (rs p. 180 ¶3-p. 181 ¶3)

No. 1: 2 Samuel 2:12-23

In time Ab′ner the son of Ner and the servants of Ish-bo′sheth, Saul’s son, went out from Ma·ha·na′im to Gib′e·on. 13 As for Jo′ab the son of Ze·ru′iah and the ser-vants of David, they went out and later met together by the pool of Gib′e·on; and they kept sitting, these on this side of the pool and those on that side of the pool. 14 Fi-nally Ab′ner said to Jo′ab: “Let the young men rise up, please, and let them put on a combat before us.” To this Jo′ab said: “Let them rise up.” 15 So they rose up and went across by number, twelve belonging to Benjamin and Ish-bo′sheth, Saul’s son, and twelve from the ser-vants of David. 16 And they began grabbing hold of one another by the head, with the sword of each one in the side of the other, so that they fell down together. And that place came to be called Hel′kath-haz·zu′rim, which is in Gib′e·on. 17 And the fighting came to be extremely hard on that day, and Ab′ner and the men of Israel were finally defeated before the servants of David. 18 Now the three sons of Ze·ru′iah happened to be there, Jo′ab and A·bish′ai and As′a·hel; and As′a·hel was swift on his feet, like one of the gazelles that are in the open field. 19 And As′a·hel went chasing after Ab′ner, and he did not incline to go to the right or to the left from following Ab′ner. 20 At length Ab′ner looked behind him and said: “Is this you, As′a·hel?” to which he said: “It is I.” 21 Then Ab′ner said to him: “Veer to your right or to your left and seize one of the young men as yours and take what you strip off him as yours.” And As′a·hel did not want to turn aside from following him. 22 So Ab′ner said to As′a·hel yet again: “Turn your course aside from following me. Why should I strike you down to the earth? How, then, could I raise my face to Jo′ab your brother?” 23 But he kept refusing to turn aside; and Ab′ner got to strike him in the abdomen with the butt end of the spear, so that the spear came out from his back; and he fell there and died where he was. And it came about that all those who came to the place where As′a·hel fell and then died would stand still.

No. 2: Did Jesus Use God's Name in His Ministry?

No. 3: What Underlies Holidays in Memory of the "Spirits of the Dead"? (rs p. 180 ¶3-p. 181 ¶3)

What underlies holidays in memory of the “spirits of the dead”? The 1910 edition of The Encyclopædia Britannica states: “All Souls’ Day . . . the day set apart in the Ro-man Catholic Church for the commemoration of the faithful departed. The celebration is based on the doc-trine that the souls of the faithful which at death have not been cleansed from venial sins, or have not atoned for past transgressions, cannot attain the Beatific Vision, and that they may be helped to do so by prayer and by the sacrifice of the mass. . . . Certain popular beliefs connected with All Souls’ Day are of pagan origin and immemorial antiquity. Thus the dead are believed by the peasantry of many Catholic countries to return to their former homes on All Souls’ night and partake of the food of the living.”—Vol. I, p. 709. The Encyclopedia Americana says: “Elements of the customs connected with Halloween can be traced to a Druid ceremony in pre-Christian times. The Celts had festivals for two major gods—a sun god and a god of the dead (called Samhain), whose festival was held on No-vember 1, the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The festival of the dead was gradually incorporated into Christian ritual.”—(1977), Vol. 13, p. 725. The book The Worship of the Dead points to this ori-gin: “The mythologies of all the ancient nations are inter-woven with the events of the Deluge . . . The force of this argument is illustrated by the fact of the observance of a great festival of the dead in commemoration of the event, not only by nations more or less in communica-tion with each other, but by others widely separated, both by the ocean and by centuries of time. This festival is, moreover, held by all on or about the very day on which, according to the Mosaic account, the Deluge took place, viz., the seventeenth day of the second month—the month nearly corresponding with our November.” (London, 1904, Colonel J. Garnier, p. 4) Thus these cel-ebrations actually began with an honoring of people whom God had destroyed because of their badness in Noah’s day.—Gen. 6:5-7; 7:11. Such holidays honoring “spirits of the dead” as if they were alive in another realm are contrary to the Bible’s description of death as a state of complete unconscious-ness.—Eccl. 9:5, 10; Ps. 146:4.

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Week of May 10

Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 4-8 No. 1: 2 Samuel 6:1-13 No. 2: What Do We Know About Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and Nationalistic Ceremonies? (rs p. 181 ¶5-p. 182 ¶5) No. 3: * Why Greed Is Idolatry (Eph. 5:5)

No. 1: 2 Samuel 6:1-13 And David proceeded again to gather all the choice men in Israel, thirty thousand. 2 Then David and all the people that were with him rose up and went to Ba′al·e-ju′dah to bring up from there the ark of the [true] God, where a name is called on, the name of Jehovah of armies, sitting on the cherubs. 3 However, they had the ark of the [true] God ride upon a new wagon, that they might carry it from the house of A·bin′a·dab, which was on the hill; and Uz′zah and A·hi′o, the sons of A·bin′a·dab, were leading the new wagon. 4 So they carried it from A·bin′a·dab’s house, which was on the hill—with the ark of the [true] God; and A·hi′o was walk-ing ahead of the Ark. 5 And David and all the house of Is-rael were celebrating before Jehovah with all sorts of in-struments of juniper wood and with harps and with stringed instruments and with tambourines and with sistrums and with cymbals. 6 And they came gradually as far as the threshing floor of Na′con, and Uz′zah now thrust [his hand] out to the ark of the [true] God and grabbed hold of it, for the cattle nearly caused an upset. 7 At that Jehovah’s anger blazed against Uz′zah and the [true] God struck him down there for the irreverent act, so that he died there close by the ark of the [true] God. 8 And David became an-gry over the fact that Jehovah had broken through in a rup-ture against Uz′zah, and that place came to be called Pe′rez-uz′zah down to this day. 9 And David became afraid of Jehovah on that day and began to say: “How will the ark of Jehovah come to me?” 10 And David was not willing to re-move the ark of Jehovah to him at the City of David. So David had it carried aside to the house of O′bed-e′dom the Git′tite. 11 And the ark of Jehovah kept dwelling at the house of O′bed-e′dom the Git′tite three months; and Jeho-vah kept blessing O′bed-e′dom and all his household. 12 Fi-nally the report was made to King David, saying: “Jehovah has blessed the house of O′bed-e′dom and all that is his on account of the ark of the [true] God.” At that David pro-ceeded to go and bring the ark of the [true] God out of the house of O′bed-e′dom up to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 And it came about that when the carriers of the ark of Je-hovah had marched six steps, he immediately sacrificed a bull and a fatling.

No. 2: What Do We Know About Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and Nationalistic Ceremonies? (rs p. 181 ¶5-p. 182 ¶5)

What is the origin of Valentine’s Day? The World Book Encyclopedia informs us: “Valen-tine’s Day comes on the feast day of two different Chris-tian martyrs named Valentine. But the customs con-nected with the day . . . probably come from an ancient Roman festival called Lupercalia which took place every February 15. The festival honored Juno, the Roman goddess of women and marriage, and Pan, the god of nature.”—(1973), Vol. 20, p. 204.What is the origin of the practice of setting aside a day to honor mothers? The Encyclopædia Britannica says: “A festival derived from the custom of mother worship in ancient Greece. Formal mother worship, with ceremonies to Cybele, or Rhea, the Great Mother of the Gods, were performed on the Ides of March throughout Asia Minor.”—(1959), Vol. 15, p. 849.What Bible principles explain the viewpoint of Chris-tians toward ceremonies commemorating events in a nation’s political history? John 18:36: “Jesus answered [the Roman governor]: ‘My kingdom is no part of this world.’” John 15:19: “If you [Jesus’ followers] were part of the world, the world would be fond of what is its own. Now because you are no part of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, on this account the world hates you.” 1 John 5:19: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (Compare John 14:30; Revelation 13:1, 2; Daniel 2:44.)Other local and national holidays There are many. Not all can be discussed here. But the historical information provided above gives indica-tions as to what to look for in connection with any holi-day, and the Bible principles already discussed supply ample guidance for those whose foremost desire is to do what is pleasing to Jehovah God.

No. 3: * Why Greed Is Idolatry (Eph. 5:5)

19


Week of May 17

Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 9-12 No. 1: 2 Samuel 10:1-12 No. 2: Why Did Jesus Base His Teachings on the Scriptures? John 7:16-18 No. 3: What Does the Bible Say About the Making of Images Used as Objects of Worship? (rs p. 183 ¶1-4)

No. 1: 2 Samuel 10:1-12

And it came about afterward that the king of the sons of Am′mon came to die, and Ha′nun his son began to reign instead of him. 2 At this David said: “I shall exercise lov-ing-kindness toward Ha′nun the son of Na′hash, just as his father exercised loving-kindness toward me.” Ac-cordingly David sent by means of his servants to com-fort him over his father, and the servants of David pro-ceeded to come into the land of the sons of Am′mon. 3 However, the princes of the sons of Am′mon said to Ha′nun their lord: “Is David honoring your father in your eyes in that he has sent to you comforters? Is it not for the sake of searching through the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it that David has sent his servants to you?” 4 So Ha′nun took the servants of David and shaved off half their beards and cut their garments in half to their buttocks and sent them away. 5 Later people reported it to David, and he at once sent to meet them, because the men had come to feeling very humiliated; and the king went on to say: “Dwell in Jer′i·cho until YOUR beards grow abundantly. Then YOU must re-turn.” 6 In time the sons of Am′mon saw that they had become foul-smelling to David, and the sons of Am′mon proceeded to send and hire Syrians of Beth-re′hob and Syrians of Zo′bah, twenty thousand men on foot, and the king of Ma′a·cah, a thousand men, and Ish′tob, twelve thousand men. 7 When David heard of it, then he sent Jo′ab and all the army [and] the mighty men. 8 And the sons of Am′mon began to go out and draw up in bat-tle formation at the entrance of the gate, also the Syri-ans of Zo′bah and of Re′hob, and Ish′tob and Ma′a·cah by themselves in the open field. 9 When Jo′ab saw that the battle charges had come to be against him from the front and from the rear, he at once chose some of all the choice men in Israel and drew them up in formation to meet the Syrians. 10 And the rest of the people he gave into the hand of A·bish′ai his brother, that he might draw them up in formation to meet the sons of Am′mon. 11 And he went on to say: “If the Syrians become too strong for me, then you must serve as a salvation for me; but if the sons of Am′mon themselves become too strong for you, I must also come to save you. 12 Be strong, that we may show ourselves courageous in be-half of our people and in behalf of the cities of our God; and as for Jehovah, he will do what is good in his own eyes.”

No. 2: Why Did Jesus Base His Teachings on the

Scriptures? John 7:16-18

(John 7:16-18) Jesus, in turn, answered them and said: “What I teach is not mine, but belongs to him that sent me. 17 If anyone desires to do His will, he will know con-cerning the teaching whether it is from God or I speak of my own originality. 18 He that speaks of his own original-ity is seeking his own glory; but he that seeks the glory of him that sent him, this one is true, and there is no un-righteousness in him.

No. 3: What Does the Bible Say About the Making of Images Used as Objects of Worship? (rs p. 183 ¶1-4)

What does God’s Word say about the making of im-ages used as objects of worship? Ex. 20:4, 5, JB: “You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them [“bow down before them or worship them,” NAB]. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God.” (Italics added.) (Notice that the pro-hibition was against making images and bowing down before them.) Lev. 26:1, JB: “You must make no idols; you must set up neither carved image nor standing-stone [“sacred pil-lar,” NW], set up no sculptured stone in your land, to prostrate yourselves in front of it; for it is I, Yahweh, who am your God.” (No image before which people might bow in worship was ever to be set up.) 2 Cor. 6:16, JB: “The temple of God has no common ground with idols, and that is what we are—the temple of the living God.” 1 John 5:21, NAB: “My little children, be on your guard against idols [“idols,” Dy, CC; “false gods,” JB].”

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Week of May 24

Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 13-15 No. 1: 2 Samuel 13:23-33 No. 2: May Images Be Used Simply as Aids in Worship of the True God? (rs p. 183 ¶5-p. 184 ¶4) No. 3: * Why We Should Not Use the World to the Full (1 Cor. 7:31)

No. 1: 2 Samuel 13:23-33

And it turned out after two full years that Ab′sa·lom came to have sheepshearers at Ba′al-ha′zor, which is close by E′phra·im; and Ab′sa·lom proceeded to invite all the sons of the king. 24 So Ab′sa·lom came in to the king and said: “Here, now, your servant has sheepshearers! Let the king go, please, and also his servants, with your servant.” 25 But the king said to Ab′sa·lom: “No, my son! Do not let all of us go, please, that we may not be a burden upon you.” Although he kept urging him, he did not consent to go but blessed him. 26 Finally Ab′sa·lom said: “If not [you], let Am′non my brother go with us, please.” At this the king said to him: “Why should he go with you?” 27 And Ab′sa·lom began to urge him, so that he sent Am′non and all the sons of the king with him. 28 Then Ab′sa·lom commanded his atten-dants, saying: “See, please, that just as soon as Am′non’s heart is in a merry mood with wine, and I shall certainly say to YOU, ‘Strike down Am′non!’ YOU must then put him to death. Do not be afraid. Have not I my-self commanded YOU? Be strong and prove yourselves to be valiant men.” 29 And Ab′sa·lom’s attendants pro-ceeded to do to Am′non just as Ab′sa·lom had com-manded; and all the other sons of the king began to rise up and mount each one his mule and take to flight. 30 And it came about that, while they were on the way, the report itself came to David, saying: “Ab′sa·lom has struck down all the sons of the king, and not one of them has been left over.” 31 At this the king got up and ripped his clothes apart and lay upon the earth, and all his ser-vants were standing by with their garments ripped apart. 32 However, Je·hon′a·dab the son of Shim′e·ah, David’s brother, answered and said: “Do not let my lord think that it is all the young men the sons of the king that they have put to death, for it is Am′non alone that has died, because at the order of Ab′sa·lom it has occurred as something appointed from the day that he humiliated Ta′mar his sister. 33 And now do not let my lord the king take to his heart the word, saying, ‘All the king’s sons themselves have died’; but it is Am′non alone that has died.”

No. 2: May Images Be Used Simply as Aids in Worship of the True God? (rs p. 183 ¶5-p. 184 ¶4) May images be used simply as aids in worship of the true God? John 4:23, 24, JB: “True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth: that is the kind of worshipper the Father wants. God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth.” (Those who rely on im-ages as aids to devotion are not worshiping God “in spirit” but they depend on what they can see with their physical eyes.) 2 Cor. 5:7, NAB: “We walk by faith, not by sight.” Isa. 40:18, JB: “To whom could you liken God? What image could you contrive of him?” Acts 17:29, JB: “Since we are the children of God, we have no excuse for thinking that the deity looks like any-thing in gold, silver or stone that has been carved and designed by a man.” Isa. 42:8, JB: “My name is Yahweh, I will not yield my glory to another, nor my honour to idols [“graven things,” Dy].”

No. 3: * Why We Should Not Use the World to the Full (1 Cor. 7:31)

(1 Corinthians 7:31) and those making use of the world as those not using it to the full; for the scene of this world is changing.

21


Week of May 31

Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 16-18 No. 1: 2 Samuel 17:1-13 No. 2: Why Jesus Is Called "Lord of the Sabbath" (Matt. 12:8) No. 3: Should We Venerate "Saints" as Intercessors With God? (rs p. 184 ¶5-p. 185 ¶2)

No. 1: 2 Samuel 17:1-13

And A·hith′o·phel proceeded to say to Ab′sa·lom: “Let me choose, please, twelve thousand men and rise up and chase after David tonight. 2 And I shall come upon him when he is weary and feeble in both hands, and I shall certainly drive him into trembling; and all the peo-ple that are with him will have to flee, and I shall cer-tainly strike down the king by himself. 3 And let me bring all the people back to you. Equivalent to the returning of all is the man whom you are seeking; [and] all the peo-ple will themselves come to be at peace.” 4 And the word was just right in the eyes of Ab′sa·lom and in the eyes of all the older men of Israel. 5 However, Ab′sa·lom said: “Call, please, Hu′shai the Ar′chite also, and let us hear what is in his mouth, even his.” 6 So Hu′shai came in to Ab′sa·lom. Then Ab′sa·lom said to him: “According to this word is the way A·hith′o·phel spoke. Shall we act upon his word? If not, you yourself speak.” 7 At this Hu′shai said to Ab′sa·lom: “The counsel with which A·hith′o·phel has counseled is not good in this instance!” 8 And Hu′shai went on to say: “You yourself well know your fa-ther and the men of his, that they are mighty, and they are bitter of soul, like a female bear that has lost her cubs in the field; and your father is a warrior, and he will not spend the night with the people. 9 Look! Now he is in hiding in one of the hollows or in one of the other places; and it will certainly occur that, just as soon as he falls upon them at the start, the one hearing of it will then be bound to hear and say, ‘A defeat has taken place among the people that are following Ab′sa·lom!’ 10 And even the valiant man whose heart is as the heart of the lion will himself surely soften in weakness; for all Israel is aware that your father is a mighty man and so, too, are the valiant men that are with him. 11 I myself do say in counsel: Let all Israel without fail be gathered to you, from Dan to Be′er-she′ba, as the sand particles that are by the sea for multitude, with your own person going into the fight. 12 And we must come against him in one of the places where he is certain to be found, and we our-selves will be upon him just as the dew falls upon the ground; and there will certainly not be left even a single one among him and all the men that are with him. 13 And if it is into some city that he will withdraw, all Israel must also carry ropes to that city, and we shall certainly drag it down to the torrent valley, until there shall not be found there even a pebble.”

No. 2: Why Jesus Is Called "Lord of the Sabbath"

(Matthew 12:8) For Lord of the sabbath is what the Son of man is.”

No. 3: Should We Venerate "Saints" as Intercessors With God? (rs p. 184 ¶5-p. 185 ¶2)

Should we venerate “saints” as intercessors with God, perhaps using images of them as aids in our worship?

Acts 10:25, 26, JB: “As Peter reached the house Cor-nelius went out to meet him, knelt at his feet and prostrated himself. But Peter helped him up. ‘Stand up,’ he said ‘I am only a man after all!’” (Since Peter did not approve of such adoration when he was personally present, would he en-courage us to kneel before an image of him? See also Revelation 19:10.)

John 14:6, 14, JB: “Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it.’” (Jesus here clearly states that our approach to the Fa-ther can be only through him and that our requests are to be made in Jesus’ name.)

1 Tim. 2:5, JB: “There is only one God, and there is only one mediator between God and mankind, himself a man, Christ Jesus.” (There is no allowance here for others to serve in the role of mediator for the members of Christ’s congregation.)

See also pages 353, 354, under the heading “Saints.”Do worshipers have in mind primarily the person represented by an image, or are some images viewed as being superior to others?

The attitude of worshipers is an important factor to consider. Why? Because a key difference between an “image” and an “idol” is the use to which an image is put.

In the mind of the worshiper, does one image of a person have greater value or importance than another image of the same person? If so, it is the image, not the person, that the worshiper has primarily in mind. Why do people make long pilgrimages to worship at certain shrines? Is it not the image itself that is viewed as hav-ing “miraculous” powers? For example, in the book Les Trois Notre-Dame de la Cathédrale de Chartres, by the canon Yves Delaporte, we are told regarding images of Mary in the cathedral in Chartres, France: “These im-ages, sculptured, painted or appearing on the stained glass windows, are not equally famous. . . . Only three are the object of a real worship: Our Lady of the Crypt, Our Lady of the Pillar, and Our Lady of the ‘Belle Ver-riere.’” But if worshipers had primarily in mind the per-son, not the image, one image would be considered to be just as good as another, would it not?

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Week of June 7

Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 19-21 No. 1: 2 Samuel 19:11-23 No. 2: How Does God View Images That Are Objects of Worship? (rs p. 185 ¶3-p. 186 ¶2) No. 3: Ways in Which the Devil Blinds People to the Truth (2 Cor. 4:4)

No. 1: 2 Samuel 19:11-23

As for King David, he sent to Za′dok and A·bi′a·thar the priests, saying: “SPEAK to the older men of Judah, say-ing, ‘Why should YOU become the last ones to bring the king back to his house, when the word of all Israel itself has come to the king at his house? 12 My brothers YOU are; my bone and my flesh YOU are. So why should YOU become the last ones to bring the king back?’ 13 And to A·ma′sa YOU should say, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? So may God do to me and so may he add to it if you will not become the army chief before me always instead of Jo′ab.’” 14 And he proceeded to bend the heart of all the men of Judah as one man, so that they sent word to the king: “Come back, you and all your servants.” 15 And the king began to go back and got to come as far as the Jordan. As for Judah, they came to Gil′gal to go and meet the king, to conduct the king across the Jordan. 16 Then Shim′e·i the son of Ge′ra the Ben′ja·min·ite, who was from Ba·hu′rim, hurried and went down with the men of Judah to meet King David. 17 And there were with him a thousand men from Ben-jamin. (And also Zi′ba the attendant of the house of Saul and his fifteen sons and twenty servants of his were with him, and they made it successfully to the Jordan before the king. 18 And he crossed the ford to conduct the household of the king across and to do what was good in his eyes.) As for Shim′e·i the son of Ge′ra, he fell down before the king when he was about to cross the Jordan. 19 He now said to the king: “Do not let my lord attribute error to me, and do not remember the wrong that your servant did on the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, so that the king should lay it to his heart. 20 For your servant well knows that I am the one that sinned; and so here I have today come the first of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.” 21 At once A·bish′ai the son of Ze·ru′iah an-swered and said: “In return for this should not Shim′e·i be put to death, in that he called evil down upon the anointed of Jehovah?” 22 But David said: “What do I have to do with YOU men, you sons of Ze·ru′iah, that YOU should become today a resister of me? Will any-one today be put to death in Israel? For do I not well know that today I am king over Israel?” 23 Then the king said to Shim′e·i: “You will not die.” And the king went on to swear to him.

No. 2: How Does God View Images That Are Objects of Worship? (rs p. 185 ¶3-p. 186 ¶2)

How does God view images that are objects of wor-ship? Jer. 10:14, 15, JB: “Every goldsmith blushes for the idol he has made, since his images are nothing but delu-sion, with no breath in them. They are a Nothing, a laughable production.” Isa. 44:13-19, JB: “The wood carver takes his mea-surements, outlines the image with chalk, carves it with chisels, following the outline with dividers. He shapes it to human proportions, and gives it a human face, for it to live in a temple. He cut down a cedar, or else took a cy-press or an oak which he selected from the trees in the forest, or maybe he planted a cedar and the rain made it grow. For the common man it is so much fuel; he uses it to warm himself, he also burns it to bake his bread. But this fellow makes a god of it and worships it; he makes an idol of it and bows down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire, on the live embers he roasts meat, eats it and is replete. He warms himself too. ‘Ah!’ says he ‘I am warm; I have a fire here!’ With the rest he makes his god, his idol; he bows down before it and worships it and prays to it. ‘Save me,’ he says ‘because you are my god.’ They know nothing, understand nothing. Their eyes are shut to all seeing, their heart to all reason. They never think, they lack the knowledge and wit to say, ‘I burned half of it on the fire, I baked bread on the live embers, I roasted meat and ate it, and am I to make some abomination of what remains? Am I to bow down before a block of wood?’” Ezek. 14:6, JB: “The Lord Yahweh says this: Come back, renounce your idols [“dungy idols,” NW] and give up all your filthy practices.” Ezek. 7:20, JB: “They used to pride themselves on the beauty of their jewellery, out of which they made their loathsome images and idols. That is why I mean to make it an object of horror [“uncleanness,” Dy; “refuse,” NAB] to them.”

No. 3: Ways in Which the Devil Blinds People to the Truth (2 Cor. 4:4) (2 Corinthians 4:4) among whom the god of this sys-tem of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine through.

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Week of June 14

Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 22-24 No. 1: 2 Samuel 22:1-20 No. 2: How Was the Law a Tutor Leading to Christ? (Gal. 3:24) No. 3: How Should We Feel About Any Images That We May Formerly Have Venerated? (rs p. 186 ¶3-5)

No. 1: 2 Samuel 22:1-20

And David proceeded to speak to Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah had delivered him out of the palm of all his enemies and out of Saul’s palm; 2 and he went on to say: “Jehovah is my crag and my stronghold and the Provider of escape for me. 3 My God is my rock. I shall take refuge in him, My shield and my horn of salvation, my secure height, And my place for flight, my Savior; from violence you save me. 4 On the One to be praised, Jehovah, I shall call, And from my enemies I shall be saved. 5 For deadly breaking waves encircled me; There were flash floods of good-for-noth-ing [men] that kept terrifying me. 6 The ropes of She′ol themselves surrounded me; The snares of death con-fronted me. 7 In my distress I kept calling upon Jeho-vah, And to my God I kept calling. Then out of his tem-ple he heard my voice, With my cry for help in his ears. 8 And back and forth the earth began to shake and to rock; The foundations of the heavens themselves be-came agitated, And they kept shaking back and forth be-cause he had been angered. 9 Smoke went up at his nostrils, and fire itself from his mouth kept devouring; Coals themselves blazed up from him. 10 And he pro-ceeded to bend the heavens down and to descend; And thick gloom was beneath his feet. 11 And he came riding upon a cherub and came flying; And he was visible upon the wings of a spirit. 12 Then he put a darkness around him as booths, Dark waters, thick clouds. 13 From the brightness in front of him burning coals of fire blazed up. 14 From heaven Jehovah began to thunder, And the Most High himself began to give forth his voice. 15 And he kept sending out arrows, that he might scatter them; Lightning, that he might throw them into confusion. 16 And the streambeds of the sea became visible, The foundations of the productive land became uncovered, At the rebuke of Jehovah, from the blast of the breath of his nostrils. 17 He was sending from on high, he was tak-ing me, He was drawing me out of great waters. 18 He was delivering me from my strong enemy, From those hating me; because they were stronger than I was. 19 They kept confronting me in the day of my disaster, But Jehovah became my support. 20 And he proceeded to bring me out into a roomy place; He was rescuing me, because he had found delight in me.

No. 2: How Was the Law a Tutor Leading to Christ? (Gal. 3:24)

(Galatians 3:24) Consequently the Law has become our tutor leading to Christ, that we might be declared righteous due to faith.

No. 3: How Should We Feel About Any Images That We May Formerly Have Venerated? (rs p. 186 ¶3-5)

How should we feel about any images that we may formerly have venerated? Deut. 7:25, 26, JB: “You must set fire to all the carved images of their gods, not coveting the gold and silver that covers them; take it and you will be caught in a snare: it is detestable to Yahweh your God. You must not bring any detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will come under the ban too. You must regard them as unclean and loathsome [“thoroughly loathe it and absolutely detest it,” NW].” (While Jehovah’s people today are not authorized to destroy images that belong to other people, this command to Israel provides a pat-tern as to how they should view any images in their pos-session that they may have venerated. Compare Acts 19:19.) 1 John 5:21, Dy: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols [“false gods,” JB].” Ezek. 37:23, JB: “They will no longer defile them-selves with their idols . . . They shall be my people and I will be their God.”

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Week of June 21

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 1-2 (See si Book) No. 1: 1 Kings 1:1-14 No. 2: What Effect Could Use of Images in Worship Have on Our Own Future? (rs p. 187 ¶1-4) No. 3: Why Is Obeying God Good for Us Both Physically and Spiritually?

No. 1: 1 Kings 1:1-14

Now King David was old, advanced in days; and they would cover him with garments, but he would not feel warm. 2 So his servants said to him: “Let them look for a girl, a virgin, for my lord the king, and she will have to at-tend upon the king, that she may become his nurse; and she must lie in your bosom, and my lord the king will certainly feel warm.” 3 And they went looking for a beau-tiful girl throughout all the territory of Israel, and finally found Ab′i·shag the Shu′nam·mite and then brought her in to the king. 4 And the girl was beautiful in the extreme; and she came to be the king’s nurse and kept waiting upon him, and the king himself had no intercourse with her. 5 All the while Ad·o·ni′jah the son of Hag′gith was lifting himself up, saying: “I myself am going to rule as king!” And he proceeded to have a chariot made for him-self with horsemen and fifty men running before him. 6 And his father did not hurt his feelings at any time by saying: “Why is this the way you have done?” And he was also very good-looking in form, and [his mother] had borne him after Ab′sa·lom. 7 And he came to have dealings with Jo′ab the son of Ze·ru′iah and with A·bi′a·thar the priest, and they began offering help as follow-ers of Ad·o·ni′jah. 8 As for Za′dok the priest and Be·nai′ah the son of Je·hoi′a·da and Nathan the prophet and Shim′e·i and Re′i and the mighty men that belonged to David, they did not become involved with Ad·o·ni′jah. 9 Eventually Ad·o·ni′jah held a sacrifice of sheep and cattle and fatlings close by the stone of Zo′he·leth, which is beside En-ro′gel, and he proceeded to invite all his brothers the king’s sons and all the men of Judah the king’s servants; 10 and Nathan the prophet and Be·nai′ah and the mighty men and Sol′o·mon his brother he did not invite. 11 Nathan now said to Bath-she′ba, Sol′o·-mon’s mother: “Have you not heard that Ad·o·ni′jah the son of Hag′gith has become king, and our lord David does not know of it at all? 12 So now come, let me, please, solemnly counsel you. And provide escape for your own soul and for the soul of your son Sol′o·mon. 13 Go and enter in to King David, and you must say to him, ‘Was it not you, my lord the king, that swore to your slave girl, saying: “Sol′o·mon your son is the one that will become king after me, and he is the one that will sit upon my throne”? So why has Ad·o·ni′jah become king?’ 14 Look! While you are yet speaking there with the king, then I myself shall come in after you, and I shall certainly confirm your words.”

No. 2: What Effect Could Use of Images in Worship Have on Our Own Future? (rs p. 187 ¶1-4)

What effect could use of images in worship have on our own future? Deut. 4:25, 26, JB: “If you act perversely, making a carved image in one shape or another [“some idol,” Kx; “any similitude,” Dy], doing what displeases Yahweh and angers him, on that day I will call heaven and earth to witness against you; . . . you shall be utterly destroyed.” (God’s viewpoint has not changed. See Malachi 3:5, 6.) 1 Cor. 10:14, 20, JB: “This is the reason, my dear brothers, why you must keep clear of idolatry. . . . The sacrifices that they offer they sacrifice to demons who are not God. I have no desire to see you in communion with demons.” Rev. 21:8, JB: “The legacy for cowards, for those who break their word, or worship obscenities, for murderers and fornicators, and for fortune-tellers, idolaters or any other sort of liars, is the second death [ftn., “eternal death”] in the burning lake of sulphur.” Ps. 115:4-8, JB (113:4-8, second set of numbers, Dy): “Their idols, in silver and gold, products of human skill, have mouths, but never speak, eyes, but never see, ears, but never hear, noses, but never smell, hands, but never touch, feet, but never walk, and not a sound from their throats. Their makers will end up like them, and so will anyone who relies on them.”

No. 3: Why Is Obeying God Good for Us Both Physically and Spiritually?

25


Week of June 28

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 3-6


26


Week of July 5

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 7-8 No. 1: 1 Kings 8:14-26 No. 2: Why Are We Warned About Becoming Wise in Our Own Eyes? (Isa. 5:21) No. 3: When People Cast Aside the Bible Standard on Sexual Morality, Do They Really Gain Freedom? (rs p. 187 ¶5-p. 188 ¶2)

No. 1: 1 Kings 8:14-26

Then the king turned his face and began to bless all the congregation of Israel, while all the congregation of Is-rael were standing up. 15 And he went on to say: “Blessed is Jehovah the God of Israel, who spoke by his own mouth with David my father, and by his own hand has given fulfillment, saying, 16 ‘From the day that I brought my people Israel out from Egypt I have not cho-sen a city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house for my name to continue there; but I shall choose David to come to be over my people Israel.’ 17 And it came to be close to the heart of David my father to build a house to the name of Jehovah the God of Israel. 18 But Jeho-vah said to David my father, ‘For the reason that it proved to be close to your heart to build a house to my name, you did well, because it proved to be close to your heart. 19 Only you yourself will not build the house, but your son who is coming forth from your loins is the one that will build the house to my name.’ 20 And Jeho-vah proceeded to carry out his word that he had spoken, that I might rise up in the place of David my father and sit upon the throne of Israel, just as Jehovah had spo-ken, and that I might build the house to the name of Je-hovah the God of Israel, 21 and that I might locate a place there for the Ark where the covenant of Jehovah is that he concluded with our forefathers when he was bringing them out from the land of Egypt.” 22 And Sol′o·-mon began standing before the altar of Jehovah in front of all the congregation of Israel, and he now spread his palms out to the heavens; 23 and he went on to say: “O Jehovah the God of Israel, there is no God like you in the heavens above or on the earth beneath, keeping the covenant and the loving-kindness toward your servants who are walking before you with all their heart, 24 you who have kept toward your servant David my father that which you promised him, so that you made the promise with your own mouth, and with your own hand you have made the fulfillment, as at this day. 25 And now, O Jeho-vah the God of Israel, keep toward your servant David my father that which you promised him, saying, ‘There will not be cut off a man of yours from before me to sit upon the throne of Israel, if only your sons will take care of their way by walking before me just as you have walked before me.’ 26 And now, O God of Israel, let your promise that you have promised to your servant David my father prove trustworthy, please.

No. 2: Why Are We Warned About Becoming Wise in Our Own Eyes? (Isa. 5:21)

(Isaiah 5:21) Woe to those wise in their own eyes and discreet even in front of their own faces!

No. 3: When People Cast Aside the Bible Standard on Sexual Morality, Do They Really Gain Freedom? (rs p. 187 ¶5-p. 188 ¶2)

When people cast aside Bible standards, do they re-ally gain freedom? Rom. 6:16, 23: “Do you not know that if you keep pre-senting yourselves to anyone as slaves to obey him, you are slaves of him because you obey him, either of sin with death in view or of obedience with righteousness in view? . . . The wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord.” Gal. 6:7-9: “Do not be misled: God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap; because he who is sowing with a view to his flesh will reap corruption from his flesh, but he who is sowing with a view to the spirit will reap everlasting life from the spirit. So let us not give up in doing what is fine.” Sexual morality: “He that practices fornication is sin-ning against his own body.” (1 Cor. 6:18) “Anyone com-mitting adultery with a woman . . . is bringing his own soul to ruin.” (Prov. 6:32) (Regarding homosexuality, see Romans 1:24-27.) (Illicit sexual relations may, at the moment, seem pleasurable. But they lead to loathsome diseases, unwanted pregnancy, abortion, jealousy, a disturbed conscience, emotional turmoil, and certainly the disapproval of God, upon whom our prospects for fu-ture life depend.)

27


Week of July 12

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 9-11 No. 1: 1 Kings 9:10-23 No. 2: What Is the Bible's Counsel on Materialistic Pursuits and Overindulgence in Alcohol? (rs p. 188 ¶3-4) No. 3: How Genuine Christians Reflect the Wisdom From Above (Jas. 3:17)

No. 1: 1 Kings 9:10-23

And it came about at the end of twenty years, in which Sol′o·mon built the two houses, the house of Jehovah and the house of the king, 11 (Hi′ram the king of Tyre had himself assisted Sol′o·mon with timbers of cedar trees and timbers of juniper trees and with gold as much as he delighted in,) that at that time King Sol′o·mon pro-ceeded to give to Hi′ram twenty cities in the land of Gal′i·lee. 12 Accordingly Hi′ram went out from Tyre to see the cities that Sol′o·mon had given him, and they were not just right in his eyes. 13 So he said: “What sort of cities are these that you have given me, my brother?” And they came to be called the Land of Ca′bul down to this day. 14 In the meantime Hi′ram sent to the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold. 15 Now this is the ac-count of those conscripted for forced labor that King Sol′o·mon levied to build the house of Jehovah and his own house and the Mound and the wall of Jerusalem and Ha′zor and Me·gid′do and Ge′zer. 16 (Phar′aoh the king of Egypt himself had come up and then captured Ge′zer and burned it with fire, and the Ca′naan·ites dwelling in the city he had killed. So he gave it as a parting gift to his daughter, the wife of Sol′o·mon.) 17 And Sol′o·mon went on to build Ge′zer and Lower Beth-ho′ron, 18 and Ba′al·ath and Ta′mar in the wilderness, in the land, 19 and all the storage cities that became Sol′o·mon’s and the chariot cities and the cities for the horsemen, and the desirable things of Sol′o·mon that he had desired to build in Jerusalem and in Leb′a·non and in all the land of his dominion. 20 As for all the people remaining over from the Am′or·ites, the Hit′tites, the Per′iz·zites, the Hi′vites and the Jeb′u·sites, who were no part of the sons of Israel, 21 their sons who had been left over after them in the land whom the sons of Israel had been unable to devote to destruction, Sol′o·mon kept levying them for slavish forced labor until this day. 22 And there were none of the sons of Israel that Sol′o·mon constituted slaves; for they were the warriors and his servants and his princes and his adjutants and chiefs of his chario-teers and of his horsemen. 23 These were the chiefs of the deputies who were over the work of Sol′o·mon, five hundred and fifty, the foremen over the people who were active in the work.

No. 2: What Is the Bible's Counsel on Materialistic Pursuits and Overindulgence in Alcohol? (rs p. 188 ¶3-4)

Materialistic pursuits: “Those who are determined to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many sense-less and hurtful desires, which plunge men into destruc-tion and ruin. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things, and by reaching out for this love some have been led astray from the faith and have stabbed themselves all over with many pains.” (1 Tim. 6:9, 10) “I will say to my soul: ‘Soul, you have many good things laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, enjoy yourself.’ But God said to him, ‘Unreason-able one, this night they are demanding your soul from you. Who, then, is to have the things you stored up?’ So it goes with the man that lays up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:19-21) (Material pos-sessions do not bring lasting happiness. Efforts to gain riches often lead to unhappy families, broken health, spiritual ruin.)

Overindulging in alcohol: “Who has woe? Who has uneasiness? Who has contentions? Who has concern? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has dullness of eyes? Those staying a long time with the wine, those coming in to search out mixed wine. At its end it bites just like a serpent, and it secretes poison just like a viper.” (Prov. 23:29, 30, 32) (Drinking may at first seem to help a person to forget his problems, but it does not solve them. When he sobers up, the problems are still there, often with others added. When overused, alcohol ruins a person’s self-respect, his health, his family life, his relationship with God.)

No. 3: How Genuine Christians Reflect the Wisdom From Above (Jas. 3:17)

(James 3:17) But the wisdom from above is first of all chaste, then peaceable, reasonable, ready to obey, full of mercy and good fruits, not making partial distinctions, not hypocritical.

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Week of July 19

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 12-14 No. 1: 1 Kings 12:12-20 No. 2: What Can Help Us to See Our Brothers as Jehovah Does? No. 3: Treasure Your Relationship With Jehovah, and Avoid Bad Associations (rs p. 189 ¶2)

No. 1: 1 Kings 12:12-20

And Jer·o·bo′am and all the people proceeded to come to Re·ho·bo′am on the third day, just as the king had spoken, saying: “Return to me on the third day.” 13 And the king began to answer the people harshly, and to leave the counsel of the older men who had counseled him. 14 And he went on to speak to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying: “My father, for his part, made YOUR yoke heavy, but I, for my part, shall add to YOUR yoke. My father, for his part, chastised YOU with whips, but I, for my part, shall chastise YOU with scourges.” 15 And the king did not listen to the peo-ple, because the turn of affairs took place at the in-stance of Jehovah, in order that he might indeed carry out his word that Jehovah had spoken by means of A·hi′jah the Shi′lo·nite to Jer·o·bo′am the son of Ne′bat. 16 When all Israel got to see that the king had not lis-tened to them, then the people replied to the king, say-ing: “What share do we have in David? And there is no inheritance in the son of Jes′se. To your gods, O Israel. Now see to your own house, O David!” With that Israel began to go to their tents. 17 As for the sons of Israel that were dwelling in the cities of Judah, Re·ho·bo′am con-tinued to reign over them. 18 Subsequently King Re·ho·bo′am sent A·do′ram, who was over those con-scripted for forced labor, but all Israel pelted him with stones, so that he died. And King Re·ho·bo′am himself managed to get up into the chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 19 And the Israelites kept up their revolt against the house of David down to this day. 20 And it came about that as soon as all Israel heard that Jer·o·bo′am had re-turned, they at once sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. None became a fol-lower of the house of David except the tribe of Judah by itself.

No. 2: What Can Help Us to See Our Brothers as Jehovah Does?

No. 3: Treasure Your Relationship With Jehovah, and Avoid Bad Associations (rs p. 189 ¶2)

Bad associations: If a gang were to tell you that they knew how to get plenty of money without a lot of work, would you go with them? “Do not go in the way with them. Hold back your foot from their roadway. For their feet are those that run to sheer badness, and they keep hastening to shed blood.” (Prov. 1:10-19) If a person is not a worshiper of Jehovah, but he does seem to be re-ally nice, would you view him as a suitable friend? Shechem was the son of a Caananite chieftain, and the Bible says he was the “most honorable of the whole house of his father,” but he “took [Dinah] and lay down with her and violated her.” (Gen. 34:1, 2, 19) Should the fact that other people may not believe the truths you have learned from God’s Word make a difference to you? “Do not be misled. Bad associations spoil useful habits.” (1 Cor. 15:33) How would Jehovah feel if you chose as your friends those who do not love him? To a king of Judah who did that, Jehovah’s spokesman said: “For this there is indignation against you from the person of Jehovah.”—2 Chron. 19:1, 2.

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Week of July 26

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 15-17 No. 1: 1 Kings 15:1-15 No. 2: Who Urged Humans to Feel Free to Make Their Own Decisions Without Regard for God's Commands? (rs p. 189 ¶3-p. 190 ¶1) No. 3: Why Armageddon Is Necessary

No. 1: 1 Kings 15:1-15

And in the eighteenth year of King Jer·o·bo′am the son of Ne′bat, A·bi′jam became king over Judah. 2 Three years he reigned in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Ma′a·cah the granddaughter of A·bish′a·lom. 3 And he went on walking in all the sins of his father that he did prior to him; and his heart did not prove to be complete with Jehovah his God, like the heart of David his forefa-ther. 4 For, on account of David, Jehovah his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising his son up after him and keeping Jerusalem in existence, 5 because David did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and he did not turn aside from anything that He had commanded him all the days of his life, only in the matter of U·ri′ah the Hit′tite. 6 And warfare itself took place between Re·ho·bo′am and Jer·o·bo′am all the days of his life. 7 As for the rest of the affairs of A·bi′jam and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the affairs of the days of the kings of Judah? There was warfare also that took place between A·bi′jam and Jer·o·bo′am. 8 Finally A·bi′jam lay down with his forefathers and they buried him in the City of David; and A′sa his son began to reign in place of him. 9 In the twentieth year of Jer·o·bo′am the king of Israel, A′sa reigned as king of Judah. 10 And forty-one years he reigned in Jerusalem; and his grand-mother’s name was Ma′a·cah the granddaughter of A·bish′a·lom. 11 And A′sa proceeded to do what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, like David his forefather. 12 Accordingly he had the male temple prostitutes pass out of the land and removed all the dungy idols that his forefathers had made. 13 As for even Ma′a·cah his grandmother, he went on to remove her from [being] lady, because she had made a horrible idol to the sa-cred pole; after which A′sa cut down her horrible idol and burned it at the torrent valley of Kid′ron. 14 And the high places he did not remove. Nevertheless, A′sa’s heart itself proved to be complete with Jehovah all his days. 15 And he began to bring in the things made holy by his father and the things made holy by himself into the house of Jehovah, silver and gold and articles.

No. 2: Who Urged Humans to Feel Free to Make Their Own Decisions Without Regard for God's Commands? (rs p. 189 ¶3-p. 190 ¶1)

Who urged humans to feel free to make their own decisions without regard for God’s commands? Gen. 3:1-5: “Now the serpent [being used as a mouth-piece by Satan; see Revelation 12:9] . . . began to say to the woman: ‘Is it really so that God said you must not eat from every tree of the garden?’ At this the woman said to the serpent: ‘Of the fruit of the trees of the gar-den we may eat. But as for eating of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, God has said, “You must not eat from it, no, you must not touch it that you do not die.”’ At this the serpent said to the woman: ‘You positively will not die. For God knows that in the very day of your eating from it your eyes are bound to be opened and you are bound to be like God, knowing good and bad.’”What spirit is moving an individual when he ignores God’s will in order to satisfy personal desires? Eph. 2:1-3: “It is you God made alive though you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you at one time walked according to the system of things of this world [of which Satan is ruler], according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit that now operates in the sons of disobedience. Yes, among them we all at one time conducted ourselves in harmony with the desires of our flesh, doing the things willed by the flesh and the thoughts, and we were naturally children of wrath even as the rest.”

No. 3: Why Armageddon Is Necessary

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Week of August 2

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 18-20 No. 1: 1 Kings 18:21-29 No. 2: In What Sense Will Heaven and Earth Pass Away? (Rev. 21:1) No. 3: * What Independent Attitudes Must We Avoid? (rs p. 190 ¶2-p. 191 ¶1)

No. 1: 1 Kings 18:21-29

Then E·li′jah approached all the people and said: “How long will YOU be limping upon two different opinions? If Jehovah is the [true] God, go following him; but if Ba′al is, go following him.” And the people did not say a word in answer to him. 22 And E·li′jah went on to say to the people: “I myself have been left as a prophet of Jeho-vah, I alone, while the prophets of Ba′al are four hun-dred and fifty men. 23 Now let them give us two young bulls, and let them choose for themselves one young bull and cut it in pieces and put it upon the wood, but they should not put fire to it. And I myself shall dress the other young bull, and I must place it upon the wood, but I shall not put fire to it. 24 And YOU must call upon the name of YOUR god, and I, for my part, shall call upon the name of Jehovah; and it must occur that the [true] God that answers by fire is the [true] God.” To this all the people answered and said: “The thing is good.” 25 E·li′jah now said to the prophets of Ba′al: “Choose for yourselves one young bull and dress it first, because YOU are the majority; and call upon the name of YOUR god, but YOU must not put fire to it.” 26 Accordingly they took the young bull that he gave them. Then they dressed it, and they kept calling upon the name of Ba′al from morning till noon, saying: “O Ba′al, answer us!” But there was no voice, and there was no one answering. And they kept limping around the altar that they had made. 27 And it came about at noon that E·li′jah began to mock them and say: “Call at the top of YOUR voice, for he is a god; for he must be concerned with a matter, and he has excrement and has to go to the privy. Or maybe he is asleep and ought to wake up!” 28 And they began calling at the top of their voice and cutting themselves according to their custom with daggers and with lances, until they caused blood to flow out upon them. 29 And it came about that, as soon as noon was past and they continued behaving as prophets until the going up of the grain offering, there was no voice, and there was no one answering, and there was no paying of attention.

No. 2: In What Sense Will Heaven and Earth Pass Away? (Rev. 21:1)

(Revelation 21:1) And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more.

No. 3: * What Independent Attitudes Must We Avoid? (rs p. 190 ¶2-p. 191 ¶1)

What independent attitudes is it vital for those who profess to be serving God to avoid? Prov. 16:18: “Pride is before a crash, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” Prov. 5:12: “You will have to say: ‘How I have hated discipline and my heart has disrespected even reproof!’” (Such an attitude can lead a person into serious prob-lems, as the context shows.) Num. 16:3: “So they congregated themselves against Moses and Aaron [whom Jehovah was using as over-seers of his people] and said to them: ‘That is enough of you, because the whole assembly are all of them holy and Jehovah is in their midst. Why, then, should you lift yourselves up above the congregation of Jehovah?’” Jude 16: “These men are murmurers, complainers about their lot in life, proceeding according to their own desires, and their mouths speak swelling things, while they are admiring personalities for the sake of their own benefit.” 3 John 9: “Diotrephes, who likes to have the first place among them, does not receive anything from us with respect.” Prov. 18:1: “One isolating himself will seek his own selfish longing; against all practical wisdom he will break forth.” Jas. 4:13-15: “Come, now, you who say: ‘Today or to-morrow we will journey to this city and will spend a year there, and we will engage in business and make profits,’ whereas you do not know what your life will be tomor-row. For you are a mist appearing for a little while and then disappearing. Instead, you ought to say: ‘If Jeho-vah wills, we shall live and also do this or that.’”

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Week of August 9

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 21-22 No. 1: 1 Kings 22:1-12 No. 2: When Independence Leads a Person to Imitate the World, Under Whose Control Does He Come? (rs p. 191 ¶2-3) No. 3: What Does Elijah's Example Teach Us About Prayer? (Jas. 5:18)

No. 1: 1 Kings 22:1-12

And for three years they continued dwelling without war between Syria and Israel. 2 And it came about in the third year that Je·hosh′a·phat the king of Judah pro-ceeded to go down to the king of Israel. 3 Then the king of Israel said to his servants: “Do YOU really know that Ra′moth-gil′e·ad belongs to us? Yet we are hesitating to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria.” 4 And he went on to say to Je·hosh′a·phat: “Will you go with me to the fight at Ra′moth-gil′e·ad?” At this Je·hosh′a·phat said to the king of Israel: “I am the same as you. My people are the same as your people. My horses are the same as your horses.” 5 However, Je·hosh′a·phat went on to say to the king of Israel: “Inquire, please, first of all for the word of Jehovah.” 6 So the king of Israel collected the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them: “Shall I go against Ra′moth-gil′e·ad in war, or shall I refrain?” And they began to say: “Go up, and Jehovah will give it into the king’s hand.” 7 But Je·hosh′a·phat said: “Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah still? Then let us inquire through him.” 8 At that the king of Israel said to Je·hosh′a·phat: “There is still one man through whom to inquire of Jehovah; but I myself cer-tainly hate him, for he does not prophesy good things concerning me but bad—Mi·cai′ah the son of Im′lah.” However, Je·hosh′a·phat said: “Do not let the king say a thing like that.” 9 Accordingly the king of Israel called a certain court official and said: “Do bring Mi·cai′ah the son of Im′lah quickly.” 10 Now the king of Israel and Je·hosh′a·phat the king of Judah were sitting each one on his throne, clothed in garments, in the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Sa·mar′i·a; and all the prophets were acting as prophets before them. 11 Then Zed·e·ki′ah the son of Che·na′a·nah made for himself horns of iron and said: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘With these you will push the Syrians until you extermi-nate them.’” 12 And all the other prophets were proph-esying the same as that, saying: “Go up to Ra′moth-gil′e·ad and prove successful; and Jehovah will certainly give it into the king’s hand.”

No. 2: When Independence Leads a Person to Imitate the World, Under Whose Control Does He Come? (rs p. 191 ¶2-3)

When a person’s desire for independence leads him to imitate the world outside the Christian congrega-tion, under whose control does he come? And how does God view this? 1 John 2:15; 5:19: “Do not be loving either the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” “The whole world is ly-ing in the power of the wicked one.” Jas. 4:4: “Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world is constituting himself an enemy of God.”

No. 3: What Does Elijah's Example Teach Us About Prayer? (Jas. 5:18)

(James 5:18) And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the land put forth its fruit.

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Week of August 16

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 1-4 (See si Book) No. 1: 2 Kings 1:1-10 No. 2: Why Material Possessions Cannot Give Lasting Satisfaction (Eccl. 5:10) No. 3: Where Is God's Name Found in Bible Translations That Are Commonly Used Today? (rs p. 191 ¶4-p. 193 ¶7)

No. 1: 2 Kings 1:1-10

And Mo′ab began to revolt against Israel after the death of A′hab. 2 Then A·ha·zi′ah fell down through the grating in his roof chamber that was in Sa·mar′i·a and got sick. So he sent messengers and said to them: “Go, inquire of Ba′al-ze′bub the god of Ek′ron whether I shall revive from this sickness.” 3 As for the angel of Jehovah, he spoke to E·li′jah the Tish′bite: “Rise up, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Sa·mar′i·a and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God at all in Israel that YOU are going to inquire of Ba′al-ze′bub the god of Ek′ron? 4 So therefore this is what Jehovah has said: “As regards the couch upon which you have gone up, you will not come down off it, because you will positively die.”’” With that E·li′jah went off. 5 When the messengers came back to him, he immediately said to them: “Why is it that YOU have come back?” 6 So they said to him: “There was a man that came up to meet us, and he pro-ceeded to say to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent YOU, and YOU must speak to him: “This is what Jeho-vah has said, ‘Is it because there is no God at all in Is-rael that you are sending to inquire of Ba′al-ze′bub the god of Ek′ron? Therefore, as regards the couch upon which you have gone up, you will not come down off it, because you will positively die.’”’” 7 At this he spoke to them: “What was the appearance of the man that came up to meet YOU and then spoke these words to YOU?” 8 So they said to him: “A man possessing a hair gar-ment, with a leather belt girded about his loins.” Immedi-ately he said: “It was E·li′jah the Tish′bite.” 9 And he pro-ceeded to send to him a chief of fifty with his fifty. When he went up to him, there he was sitting upon the top of the mountain. He now spoke to him: “Man of the [true] God, the king himself has spoken, ‘Do come down.’” 10 But E·li′jah answered and spoke to the chief of the fifty: “Well, if I am a man of God, let fire come down from the heavens and eat up you and your fifty.” And fire came descending from the heavens and went eating up him and his fifty.

No. 2: Why Material Possessions Cannot Give Lasting Satisfaction (Eccl. 5:10)

(Ecclesiastes 5:10) A mere lover of silver will not be satisfied with silver, neither any lover of wealth with in-come. This too is vanity.

No. 3: Where Is God's Name Found in Bible Translations That Are Commonly Used Today? (rs p. 191 ¶4-p. 193 ¶7)

The New English Bible: The name Jehovah appears at Exodus 3:15; 6:3. See also Genesis 22:14; Exodus 17:15; Judges 6:24; Ezekiel 48:35. (But if this and other translations use “Jehovah” in several places, why not be consistent in using it at every place where the Tetra-grammaton appears in the Hebrew text?) Revised Standard Version: A footnote on Exodus 3:15 says: “The word LORD when spelled with capital letters, stands for the divine name, YHWH.” Today’s English Version: A footnote on Exodus 6:3 states: “THE LORD: . . . Where the Hebrew text has Yahweh, traditionally transliterated as Jehovah, this translation employs LORD with capital letters, following a usage which is widespread in English versions.” King James Version: The name Jehovah is found at Exodus 6:3; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 12:2; 26:4. See also Genesis 22:14; Exodus 17:15; Judges 6:24.American Standard Version: The name Jehovah is used consistently in the Hebrew Scriptures in this translation, beginning with Genesis 2:4. Douay Version: A footnote on Exodus 6:3 says: “My name Adonai. The name, which is in the Hebrew text, is that most proper name of God, which signifieth his eter-nal, self-existing being, (Exod. 3, 14,) which the Jews out of reverence never pronounce; but, instead of it, whenever it occurs in the Bible, they read Adonai, which signifies the Lord; and, therefore, they put the points or vowels, which belong to the name Adonai, to the four letters of that other ineffable name, Jod, He, Vau, He. Hence some moderns have framed the name of Jeho-vah, unknown to all the ancients, whether Jews or Chris-tians; for the true pronunciation of the name, which is in the Hebrew text, by long disuse is now quite lost.” (It is interesting that The Catholic Encyclopedia [1913, Vol. VIII, p. 329] states: “Jehovah, the proper name of God in the Old Testament; hence the Jews called it the name by excellence, the great name, the only name.”) The Holy Bible translated by Ronald A. Knox: The name Yahweh is found in footnotes at Exodus 3:14 and 6:3.

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The New American Bible: A footnote on Exodus 3:14 favors the form “Yahweh,” but the name does not ap-pear in the main text of the translation. In the Saint Joseph Edition, see also the appendix Bible Dictionary under “Lord” and “Yahweh.” The Jerusalem Bible: The Tetragrammaton is trans-lated Yahweh, starting with its first occurrence, at Gene-sis 2:4. New World Translation: The name Jehovah is used in both the Hebrew and the Christian Greek Scriptures in this translation, appearing 7,210 times. An American Translation: At Exodus 3:15 and 6:3 the name Yahweh is used, followed by “the LORD” in brack-ets. The Bible in Living English, S. T. Byington: The name Jehovah is used throughout the Hebrew Scriptures.The ‘Holy Scriptures’ translated by J. N. Darby: The name Jehovah appears throughout the Hebrew Scrip-tures, also in many footnotes on Christian Greek Scrip-ture texts, beginning with Matthew 1:20.The Emphatic Diaglott, Benjamin Wilson: The name Je-hovah is found at Matthew 21:9 and in 17 other places in this translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures.The Holy Scriptures According to the Masoretic Text—A New Translation, Jewish Publication Society of America, Max Margolis editor-in-chief: At Exodus 6:3 the Hebrew Tetragrammaton appears in the English text. The Holy Bible translated by Robert Young: The name Jehovah is found throughout the Hebrew Scrip-tures in this literal translation.

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Week of August 23

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 5-8 No. 1: 2 Kings 6:8-19 No. 2: Why Do Many Bible Translations Not Use the Personal Name of God or Use It Only a Few Times? (rs p. 193 ¶8-p. 194 ¶4)No. 3: * How Might Fleshly Desire Become a God? (Phil. 3: 18, 19)

No. 1: 2 Kings 6:8-19

And the king of Syria, for his part, became involved in war against Israel. Accordingly he took counsel with his servants, saying: “At such and such a place YOU will encamp with me.” 9 Then the man of the [true] God sent to the king of Israel, saying: “Guard yourself against passing by this place, because there is where the Syri-ans are coming down.” 10 So the king of Israel sent to the place that the man of the [true] God had said to him. And he warned him, and he kept away from there, not once or twice. 11 Consequently the heart of the king of Syria became enraged over this matter, so that he called his servants and said to them: “Will YOU not tell me who from those who belong to us is for the king of Israel?” 12 Then one of his servants said: “None, my lord the king, but it is E·li′sha the prophet who is in Israel that tells the king of Israel the things that you speak in your inner bedroom.” 13 So he said: “YOU men go and see where he is, that I may send and take him.” Later the re-port was made to him, saying: “There he is in Do′than.” 14 Immediately he sent horses and war chariots and a heavy military force there; and they proceeded to come by night and close in upon the city. 15 When the minister of the man of the [true] God rose early to get up, and went out, why, there a military force was surrounding the city with horses and war chariots. At once his attendant said to him: “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 But he said: “Do not be afraid, for there are more who are with us than those who are with them.” 17 And E·li′sha began to pray and say: “O Jehovah, open his eyes, please, that he may see.” Immediately Jehovah opened the attendant’s eyes, so that he saw; and, look! the mountainous region was full of horses and war chariots of fire all around E·li′sha. 18 When they began to come down to him, E·li′sha went on to pray to Jehovah and say: “Please, strike this nation with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness according to the word of E·li′sha. 19 E·li′sha now said to them: “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and let me conduct YOU to the man YOU look for.” However, he conducted them to Sa·mar′i·a.

No. 2: Why Do Many Bible Translations Not Use the Personal Name of God or Use It Only a Few Times? (rs p. 193 ¶8-p. 194 ¶4)

Why do many Bible translations not use the per-sonal name of God or use it only a few times? The preface of the Revised Standard Version ex-plains: “For two reasons the Committee has returned to the more familiar usage of the King James Version: (1) the word ‘Jehovah’ does not accurately represent any form of the Name ever used in Hebrew; and (2) the use of any proper name for the one and only God, as though there were other gods from whom he had to be distinguished, was discontinued in Judaism before the Christian era and is entirely inappropriate for the univer-sal faith of the Christian Church.” (Thus their own view of what is appropriate has been relied on as the basis for removing from the Holy Bible the personal name of its Divine Author, whose name appears in the original Hebrew more often than any other name or any title. They admittedly follow the example of the adherents of Judaism, of whom Jesus said: “You have made the word of God invalid because of your tradition.”—Matt. 15:6.) Translators who have felt obligated to include the per-sonal name of God at least once or perhaps a few times in the main text, though not doing so every time it ap-pears in Hebrew, have evidently followed the example of William Tyndale, who included the divine name in his translation of the Pentateuch published in 1530, thus breaking with the practice of leaving the name out alto-gether.Was the name Jehovah used by the inspired writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures? Jerome, in the fourth century, wrote: “Matthew, who is also Levi, and who from a publican came to be an apos-tle, first of all composed a Gospel of Christ in Judaea in the Hebrew language and characters for the benefit of those of the circumcision who had believed.” (De viris in-lustribus, chap. III) This Gospel includes 11 direct quota-tions of portions of the Hebrew Scriptures where the Tetragrammaton is found. There is no reason to believe that Matthew did not quote the passages as they were written in the Hebrew text from which he quoted. Other inspired writers who contributed to the contents of the Christian Greek Scriptures quoted hundreds of passages from the Septuagint, a translation of the He-brew Scriptures into Greek. Many of these passages in-cluded the Hebrew Tetragrammaton right in the Greek text of early copies of the Septuagint. In harmony with Jesus’ own attitude regarding his Father’s name, Jesus’ disciples would have retained that name in those quota-tions.—Compare John 17:6, 26. In Journal of Biblical Literature, George Howard of the University of Georgia wrote: “We know for a fact that Greek-speaking Jews continued to write יהוה within their

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Greek Scriptures. Moreover, it is most unlikely that early conservative Greek-speaking Jewish Christians varied from this practice. Although in secondary references to God they probably used the words [God] and [Lord], it would have been extremely unusual for them to have dismissed the Tetragram from the biblical text itself. . . . Since the Tetragram was still written in the copies of the Greek Bible which made up the Scriptures of the early church, it is reasonable to believe that the N[ew] T[esta-ment] writers, when quoting from Scripture, preserved the Tetragram within the biblical text. . . . But when it was removed from the Greek O[ld] T[estament], it was also removed from the quotations of the O[ld] T[esta-ment] in the N[ew] T[estament]. Thus somewhere around the beginning of the second century the use of surrogates [substitutes] must have crowded out the Tetragram in both Testaments.”—Vol. 96, No. 1, March 1977, pp. 76, 77.

No. 3: * How Might Fleshly Desire Become a God? (Phil. 3: 18, 19)

(Philippians 3:18-19) For there are many, I used to mention them often but now I mention them also with weeping, who are walking as the enemies of the torture stake of the Christ, 19 and their finish is destruction, and their god is their belly, and their glory consists in their shame, and they have their minds upon things on the earth.

Week of August 30

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 9-11


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Week of September 6

Bible reading: 2 Kings 12-15No. 1: 2 Kings 13:1-11No. 2: Ways in Which We Can Receive Holy SpiritNo. 3: Which Form of the Divine Name Is Correct, Jehovah or Yahweh, and Why Is It Important To Know and Use God's Name? (rs p.195 ¶1–p.197 ¶7)

No. 1: 2 Kings 13:1-11

In the twenty-third year of Je·ho′ash the son of A·ha·zi′ah the king of Judah, Je·ho′a·haz the son of Je′hu be-came king over Israel in Sa·mar′i·a for seventeen years. 2 And he continued to do what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes and went walking in pursuit of the sin of Jer·o·bo′am the son of Ne′bat, with which he caused Israel to sin. He did not turn aside from it. 3 And Jehovah’s anger became hot against Israel, so that he gave them into the hand of Haz′a·el the king of Syria and into the hand of Ben-ha′dad the son of Haz′a·el all their days. 4 In time Je·ho′a·haz softened the face of Jehovah, so that Jeho-vah listened to him; for he had seen the oppression upon Israel, because the king of Syria had oppressed them. 5 Consequently Jehovah gave Israel a savior, so that they came out from under the hand of Syria, and the sons of Israel continued to dwell in their homes as formerly. 6 (Only they did not depart from the sin of the house of Jer·o·bo′am, with which he caused Israel to sin. In it he walked; and even the sacred pole itself stood in Sa·mar′i·a.) 7 For he had not left to Je·ho′a·haz any people but fifty horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand men on foot, because the king of Syria had destroyed them, that he might make them like the dust at threshing. 8 As for the rest of the affairs of Je·ho′a·haz and all that he did and his mightiness, are they not writ-ten in the book of the affairs of the days of the kings of Israel? 9 Finally Je·ho′a·haz lay down with his forefa-thers, and they buried him in Sa·mar′i·a; and Je·ho′ash his son began to reign in place of him. 10 In the thirty-seventh year of Je·ho′ash the king of Judah, Je·ho′ash the son of Je·ho′a·haz became king over Israel in Sa·-mar′i·a for sixteen years. 11 And he continued to do what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes. He did not depart from all the sins of Jer·o·bo′am the son of Ne′bat, with which he made Israel sin. In them he walked.

No. 2: Ways in Which We Can Receive Holy Spirit

No. 3: Which Form of the Divine Name Is Correct, Jehovah or Yahweh, and Why Is It Important to Know and Use God's Name? (rs p.195 ¶1–p.197 ¶7)

Which form of the divine name is correct—Jehovah or Yahweh?

No human today can be certain how it was originally pronounced in Hebrew. Why not? Biblical Hebrew was originally written with only consonants, no vowels. When the language was in everyday use, readers easily pro-vided the proper vowels. In time, however, the Jews came to have the superstitious idea that it was wrong to say God’s personal name out loud, so they used substi-tute expressions. Centuries later, Jewish scholars devel-oped a system of points by which to indicate which vow-els to use when reading ancient Hebrew, but they put the vowels for the substitute expressions around the four consonants representing the divine name. Thus the original pronunciation of the divine name was lost.

Many scholars favor the spelling “Yahweh,” but it is un-certain and there is not agreement among them. On the other hand, “Jehovah” is the form of the name that is most readily recognized, because it has been used in English for centuries and preserves, equally with other forms, the four consonants of the Hebrew Tetragramma-ton.

J. B. Rotherham, in The Emphasised Bible, used the form Yahweh throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. How-ever, later in his Studies in the Psalms he used the form “Jehovah.” He explained: “JEHOVAH—The employment of this English form of the Memorial name . . . in the present version of the Psalter does not arise from any misgiving as to the more correct pronunciation, as being Yahwéh; but solely from practical evidence personally selected of the desirability of keeping in touch with the

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public ear and eye in a matter of this kind, in which the principal thing is the easy recognition of the Divine name intended.”—(London, 1911), p. 29.

After discussing various pronunciations, German profes-sor Gustav Friedrich Oehler concluded: “From this point onward I use the word Jehovah, because, as a matter of fact, this name has now become more naturalized in our vocabulary, and cannot be supplanted.”—Theologie des Alten Testaments, second edition (Stuttgart, 1882), p. 143.

Jesuit scholar Paul Joüon states: “In our translations, in-stead of the (hypothetical) form Yahweh, we have used the form Jéhovah . . . which is the conventional literary form used in French.”—Grammaire de l’hébreu biblique (Rome, 1923), footnote on p. 49.

Most names change to some extent when transferred from one language to another. Jesus was born a Jew, and his name in Hebrew was perhaps pronounced Ye·shu´a?, but the inspired writers of the Christian Scriptures did not hesitate to use the Greek form of the name, I·e·sous´. In most other languages the pronuncia-tion is slightly different, but we freely use the form that is common in our tongue. The same is true of other Bible names. How, then, can we show proper respect for the One to whom the most important name of all belongs? Would it be by never speaking or writing his name be-cause we do not know exactly how it was originally pro-nounced? Or, rather, would it be by using the pronuncia-tion and spelling that are common in our language, while speaking well of its Owner and conducting ourselves as his worshipers in a manner that honors him?

Why is it important to know and use God’s personal name?

Do you have a close relationship with anyone whose personal name you do not know? For people to whom God is nameless he is often merely an impersonal force, not a real person, not someone that they know and love and to whom they can speak from the heart in prayer. If they do pray, their prayers are merely a ritual, a formal-istic repetition of memorized expressions.

True Christians have a commission from Jesus Christ to make disciples of people of all nations. When teaching these people, how would it be possible to identify the true God as different from the false gods of the nations? Only by using His personal name, as the Bible itself does.—Matt. 28:19, 20; 1 Cor. 8:5, 6.

Ex. 3:15: “God said . . . to Moses: ‘This is what you are to say to the sons of Israel, “Jehovah the God of your forefathers . . . has sent me to you.” This is my name to time indefinite, and this is the memorial of me to genera-tion after generation.’”

Isa. 12:4: “Give thanks to Jehovah, you people! Call upon his name. Make known among the peoples his dealings. Make mention that his name is put on high.”

Eze. 38:17, 23: “This is what the Sovereign Lord Jeho-vah has said, ‘ . . . And I shall certainly magnify myself and sanctify myself and make myself known before the eyes of many nations; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah.’”

Mal. 3:16: “Those in fear of Jehovah spoke with one an-other, each one with his companion, and Jehovah kept paying attention and listening. And a book of remem-brance began to be written up before him for those in fear of Jehovah and for those thinking upon his name.”

John 17:26: “[Jesus prayed to his Father:] I have made your name known to them [his followers] and will make it known, in order that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in union with them.”

Acts 15:14: “Symeon has related thoroughly how God for the first time turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name.”

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Week of September 13

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 16-18No. 1: 2 Kings 17:1-11No. 2: Is Jehovah in the "Old Testament" the Same as Jesus Christ in the "New Testament"? (rs p.197 ¶8–p.198 ¶3)No. 3: Does the Bible Require That We Blindly Be lieve in God?

No. 1: 2 Kings 17:1-11

In the twelfth year of A′haz the king of Judah, Ho·she′a the son of E′lah became king in Sa·mar′i·a over Israel for nine years. 2 And he continued to do what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes, only not as the kings of Israel that hap-pened to be prior to him. 3 It was against him that Shal·-man·e′ser the king of As·syr′i·a came up, and Ho·she′a came to be his servant and began to pay tribute to him. 4 However, the king of As·syr′i·a got to find conspiracy in Ho·she′a’s case, in that he had sent messengers to So the king of Egypt and did not bring the tribute up to the king of As·syr′i·a as in former years. Hence the king of As·syr′i·a shut him up and kept him bound in the house of detention. 5 And the king of As·syr′i·a proceeded to come up against all the land and to come up to Sa·mar′i·a and lay siege against it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Ho·she′a, the king of As·syr′i·a captured Sa·mar′i·a and then led Israel into exile in As·syr′i·a and kept them dwelling in Ha′lah and in Ha′bor at the river Go′zan and in the cities of the Medes. 7 And it came about be-cause the sons of Israel had sinned against Jehovah their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Phar′aoh the king of Egypt, and they began to fear other gods; 8 and they kept walking in the statutes of the nations whom Jehovah had driven out from before the sons of Israel, and [in the statutes of] the kings of Israel that they had made; 9 and the sons of Israel went searching into the things that were not right toward Jehovah their God and kept building them-selves high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen clear to the fortified city; 10 and they kept set-ting up for themselves sacred pillars and sacred poles upon every high hill and under every luxuriant tree; 11 and there on all the high places they continued to make sacrificial smoke the same as the nations whom Jehovah had taken into exile because of them, and they kept doing bad things to offend Jehovah;

No. 2: Is Jehovah in the "Old Testament" the Same as Jesus Christ in the "New Testament"? (rs p.197 ¶8–p.198 ¶3)

Is Jehovah in the “Old Testament” Jesus Christ in the “New Testament”?

Matt. 4:10: “Jesus said to him: ‘Go away, Satan! For it is written, “It is Jehovah [“the Lord,” KJ and others] your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.”’” (Jesus was obviously not say-ing that he himself was to be worshiped.)

John 8:54: “Jesus answered [the Jews]: ‘If I glorify my-self, my glory is nothing. It is my Father that glorifies me, he who you say is your God.’” (The Hebrew Scriptures clearly identify Jehovah as the God that the Jews pro-fessed to worship. Jesus said, not that he himself was Jehovah, but that Jehovah was his Father. Jesus here made it very clear that he and his Father were distinct individuals.)

Ps. 110:1: “The utterance of Jehovah to my [David’s] Lord is: ‘Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.’” (At Matthew 22:41-45, Jesus explained that he himself was David’s “Lord,” referred to in this psalm. So Jesus is not Jehovah but is the one to whom Jehovah’s words were here directed.)

Phil. 2:9-11: “For this very reason also God exalted him [Jesus Christ] to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every other name, so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground, and every tongue should openly acknowledge that Je-sus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. [Dy reads: “ . . . every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.” Kx and CC read similarly, but a footnote in Kx acknowledges: “ . . . the Greek is perhaps more naturally rendered ‘to the glory,’” and NAB and JB render it that way.]” (Notice that Jesus Christ is here shown to be different from God the Father and subject to Him.)

No. 3: Does the Bible Require That We Blindly Be-lieve in God?

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Bible reading: 2 Kings 19-22No. 1: 2 Kings 20:1-11No. 2: Why Be Mild-Tempered? (Matt. 5:5)No. 3: How Can a Person Love Jehovah if He Is Also to Fear Him? (rs p.198 ¶4–p.199 ¶1)

No. 1: 2 Kings 20:1-11

In those days Hez·e·ki′ah got sick to the point of dying. Accordingly Isaiah the son of A′moz the prophet came in to him and said to him: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘Give commands to your household, for you yourself will indeed die and will not live.’” 2 At that he turned his face to the wall and began to pray to Jehovah, saying: 3 “I be-seech you, O Jehovah, remember, please, how I have walked before you in truthfulness and with a complete heart, and what was good in your eyes I have done.” And Hez·e·ki′ah began to weep profusely. 4 And it came about that Isaiah himself had not yet gone out to the middle court when Jehovah’s word itself came to him, saying: 5 “Go back, and you must say to Hez·e·ki′ah the leader of my people, ‘This is what Jehovah the God of David your forefather has said: “I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Here I am healing you. On the third day you will go up to the house of Jehovah. 6 And I shall certainly add fifteen years to your days, and out of the palm of the king of As·syr′i·a I shall deliver you and this city, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for the sake of David my servant.”’” 7 And Isa-iah went on to say: “YOU men, take a cake of pressed dried figs.” So they took and put it upon the boil, after which he gradually revived. 8 Meantime, Hez·e·ki′ah said to Isaiah: “What is the sign that Jehovah will heal me and I shall certainly go up on the third day to the house of Jehovah?” 9 To this Isaiah said: “This is the sign for you from Jehovah that Jehovah will perform the word that he has spoken: Shall the shadow actually go for-ward ten steps [of the stairs] or should it go back ten steps?” 10 Then Hez·e·ki′ah said: “It is an easy thing for the shadow to extend itself ten steps, but not that the shadow should go backward ten steps.” 11 At that Isaiah the prophet began to call out to Jehovah; and he made the shadow that had gone down gradually go back on the steps, that is, on the steps [of the stairs] of A′haz, ten steps backward.

No. 2: Why Be Mild-Tempered? (Matt. 5:5)

(Matt. 5:5) “Happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth.

No. 3: How Can a Person Love Jehovah if He Is Also to Fear Him? (rs p.198 ¶4–p.199 ¶1)

How can a person love Jehovah if he is also to fear Him?

The Bible tells us that we should both love Jehovah (Luke 10:27) and fear him. (1 Pet. 2:17; Prov. 1:7; 2:1-5; 16:6) Wholesome fear of God will make us very careful to avoid incurring his displeasure. Our love for Jehovah will move us to want to do the things that are pleasing to him, to express our appreciation for the countless ex-pressions of his love and undeserved kindness.

Illustrations: A son properly fears to displease his fa-ther, but appreciation for all that his father does for him should also move the son to express genuine love for his father. A scuba diver may say that he loves the sea, but a wholesome fear of it causes him to realize that there are certain things that he should avoid doing. Simi-larly, our love for God should be coupled with a whole-some fear of doing anything that will incur his displea-sure.

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Bible reading: 2 Kings 23-25No. 1: 2 Kings 23:1-7No. 2: What Beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses Set Them Apart as Different From Other Relig- ions? (rs p. 199 ¶2–p. 200 ¶7)No. 3: In What Ways Can True Christians Let Their Light Shine? (Matt. 5:14-16)

No. 1: 2 Kings 23:1-7

Then the king sent and they gathered together to him all the older men of Judah and Jerusalem. 2 After that the king went up to the house of Jehovah, and also all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and also the priests and the prophets and all the people, from small to great; and he began to read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in the house of Jehovah. 3 And the king kept standing by the pillar and now concluded the covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all the heart and with all the soul by carry-ing out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. Accordingly all the people took their stand in the covenant. 4 And the king went on to command Hil·ki′ah the high priest and the priests of the second rank and the doorkeepers to bring out from the temple of Je-hovah all the utensils made for Ba′al and for the sacred pole and for all the army of the heavens. Then he burned them outside Jerusalem on the terraces of Kid′ron, and he brought the dust of them to Beth′el. 5 And he put out of business the foreign-god priests, whom the kings of Judah had put in that they might make sacrifi-cial smoke on the high places in the cities of Judah and the surroundings of Jerusalem, and also those making sacrificial smoke to Ba′al, to the sun and to the moon and to the constellations of the zodiac and to all the army of the heavens. 6 Furthermore, he brought out the sacred pole from the house of Jehovah to the outskirts of Jerusalem, to the torrent valley of Kid′ron, and burned it in the torrent valley of Kid′ron and ground it to dust and cast its dust upon the burial place of the sons of the people. 7 Further, he pulled down the houses of the male temple prostitutes that were in the house of Jeho-vah, where the women were weaving tent shrines for the sacred pole.

No. 2: What Beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses Set Them Apart as Different From Other Religions? (rs p. 199 ¶2–p. 200 ¶7)

Jehovah’s WitnessesDefinition: The worldwide Christian society of people who actively bear witness regarding Jehovah God and his purposes affecting mankind. They base their beliefs solely on the Bible.

What beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses set them apart as different from other religions?

(1) Bible: Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the en-tire Bible is the inspired Word of God, and instead of ad-hering to a creed based on human tradition, they hold to the Bible as the standard for all their beliefs.

(2) God: They worship Jehovah as the only true God and freely speak to others about him and his loving purposes toward mankind. Anyone who publicly wit-nesses about Jehovah is usually identified as belonging to the one group—“Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

(3) Jesus Christ: They believe, not that Jesus Christ is part of a Trinity, but that, as the Bible says, he is the Son of God, the first of God’s creations; that he had a prehuman existence and that his life was trans-ferred from heaven to the womb of a virgin, Mary; that his perfect human life laid down in sacrifice makes pos-sible salvation to eternal life for those who exercise faith; that Christ is actively ruling as King, with God-given au-thority over all the earth since 1914.

(4) God’s Kingdom: They believe that God’s King-dom is the only hope for mankind; that it is a real gov-ernment; that it will soon destroy the present wicked system of things, including all human governments, and that it will produce a new system in which righteousness will prevail.

(5) Heavenly life: They believe that 144,000 spirit-anointed Christians will share with Christ in his heavenly Kingdom, ruling as kings with him. They do not believe that heaven is the reward for everyone who is “good.”

(6) The earth: They believe that God’s original pur-pose for the earth will be fulfilled; that the earth will be completely populated by worshipers of Jehovah and that these will be able to enjoy eternal life in human perfec-tion; that even the dead will be raised to an opportunity to share in these blessings.

(7) Death: They believe that the dead are con-scious of absolutely nothing; that they are experiencing neither pain nor pleasure in some spirit realm; that they do not exist except in God’s memory, so hope for their future life lies in a resurrection from the dead.

(8) Last days: They believe that we are living now, since 1914, in the last days of this wicked system of things; that some who saw the events of 1914 will also see the complete destruction of the present wicked

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world; that lovers of righteousness will survive into a cleansed earth.

(9) Separate from the world: They earnestly en-deavor to be no part of the world, as Jesus said would be true of his followers. They show genuine Christian love for their neighbors, but they do not share in the poli-tics or the wars of any nation. They provide for the mate-rial needs of their families but shun the world’s avid pur-suit of material things and personal fame and its exces-sive indulgence in pleasure.

(10) Apply Bible counsel: They believe that it is important to apply the counsel of God’s Word in every-day life now—at home, in school, in business, in their congregation. Regardless of a person’s past way of life, he may become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses if he aban-dons practices condemned by God’s Word and applies its godly counsel. But if anyone thereafter makes a prac-tice of adultery, fornication, homosexuality, drug abuse, drunkenness, lying, or stealing, he will be disfellow-shipped from the organization.

(The above list briefly states some outstanding be-liefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses but by no means all the points on which their beliefs are different from those of other groups. Scriptural basis for the above beliefs can be found through the Index of this book.)

No. 3: In What Ways Can True Christians Let Their Light Shine? (Matt. 5:14-16)

(Matt. 5:14-16) “YOU are the light of the world. A city cannot be hid when situated upon a mountain. 15 People light a lamp and set it, not under the measuring basket, but upon the lampstand, and it shines upon all those in the house. 16 Likewise let YOUR light shine before men, that they may see YOUR fine works and give glory to YOUR Father who is in the heavens.

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Week of October 4

Bible reading: 1 Chronicles 1-4 (See si Book)No. 1: 1 Chronicles 1:1-27No. 2: What It Means to Be Peaceable (1 Pet. 3:10-12)No. 3: Are Jehovah's Witnesses an American Religion, and How Is Their Work Financed? (rs p.201 ¶1-6)

No. 1: 1 Chronicles 1:1-27

Adam, Seth, E′nosh, 2 Ke′nan, Ma·hal′a·lel, Ja′red, 3 E′noch, Me·thu′se·lah, La′mech, 4 Noah, Shem, Ham and Ja′pheth. 5 The sons of Ja′pheth were Go′mer and Ma′-gog and Ma′da·i and Ja′van and Tu′bal and Me′shech and Ti′ras. 6 And the sons of Go′mer were Ash′ke·naz and Ri′phath and To·gar′mah. 7 And the sons of Ja′van were E·li′shah and Tar′shish, Kit′tim and Ro′da·nim. 8 The sons of Ham were Cush and Miz′ra·im, Put and Ca′naan. 9 And the sons of Cush were Se′ba and Hav′i·lah and Sab′tah and Ra′a·mah and Sab′te·ca. And the sons of Ra′a·mah were She′ba and De′dan. 10 And Cush himself became father to Nim′rod. He it was that made the start in becoming a mighty one in the earth. 11 As for Miz′ra·im, he became father to Lu′dim and An′a·mim and Le·ha′bim and Naph·tu′him 12 and Path·ru′sim and Cas·lu′him (from among whom the Phi·lis′tines went forth) and Caph′to·rim. 13 As for Ca′naan, he became fa-ther to Si′don his firstborn and Heth 14 and the Jeb′u·site and the Am′or·ite and the Gir′ga·shite 15 and the Hi′vite and the Ark′ite and the Si′nite 16 and the Ar′vad·ite and the Zem′a·rite and the Ha′math·ite. 17 The sons of Shem were E′lam and As′shur and Ar·pach′shad and Lud and A′ram, And Uz and Hul and Ge′ther and Mash. 18 As for Ar·pach′shad, he became father to She′lah, and She′lah himself became father to E′ber. 19 And to E′ber two sons were born. The name of the one was Pe′leg, because in his days the earth was divided; and the name of his brother was Jok′tan. 20 As for Jok′tan, he became father to Al·mo′dad and She′leph and Ha·zar·ma′veth and Je′rah 21 and Ha·do′ram and U′zal and Dik′lah 22 and O′bal and A·bim′a·el and She′ba 23 and O′phir and Hav′i·lah and Jo′bab; all these were the sons of Jok′tan. 24 Shem, Ar·pach′shad, She′lah, 25 E′ber, Pe′leg, Re′u, 26 Se′rug, Na′hor, Te′rah, 27 A′bram, that is to say, Abraham.

No. 2: What It Means to Be Peaceable (1 Pet. 3:10-12)

(1 Pet. 3:10-12) For, “he that would love life and see good days, let him restrain his tongue from what is bad and [his] lips from speaking deception, 11 but let him turn away from what is bad and do what is good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For [the] eyes of Jehovah are upon the righteous ones, and his ears are toward their supplication; but [the] face of Jehovah is against those doing bad things.”

No. 3: Are Jehovah's Witnesses an American Religion, and How Is Their Work Financed? (rs p.201 ¶1-6)

Are Jehovah’s Witnesses an American religion?They are advocates of God’s Kingdom, not of the

political, economic, or social system of any nation of this old world.

It is true that Jehovah’s Witnesses had their mod-ern-day start in the United States. The location of their world headquarters there has helped to make it possible to print and ship Bible literature to most parts of the world. But the Witnesses do not favor one nation over another; they are found in almost every nation, and they have offices in many parts of the earth to supervise their activity in those areas.

Consider: Jesus as a Jew was born in Palestine, but Christianity is not a Palestinian religion, is it? The place of Jesus’ human birth is not the most important factor to consider. What Jesus taught originated with his Father, Jehovah God, who deals impartially with people of all nations.—John 14:10; Acts 10:34, 35.How is the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses financed?

By voluntary contributions, as was true with the early Christians. (2 Cor. 8:12; 9:7) No collections are ever taken at their meetings; they do not beg for money from the public. Any donations from interested persons are used to further the worldwide work of Bible educa-tion conducted by the Witnesses.

Witnesses are not paid to go from house to house or to offer Bible literature on the streets. Love for God and for neighbor motivates them to talk about God’s lov-ing provisions for mankind.

The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Penn-sylvania, a legal religious corporation that is used by Je-hovah’s Witnesses, was incorporated in 1884 in accor-dance with the Nonprofit Corporation Law of the Com-monwealth of Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Thus, by law it can-not be, and it is not, a profit-making enterprise, nor do individuals make a profit through this Society. The Soci-ety’s charter states: “It [the Society] does not contem-plate pecuniary gain or profit, incidentally or otherwise, to its members, directors or officers.”

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Week of October 11

Bible reading: 1 Chronicles 5-7No. 1: 1 Chronicles 6:31-47No. 2: Are Jehovah's Witnesses a Sect or a Cult, and How Old Is Their Religion? (rs p. 202 ¶1–p. 203 ¶3)No. 3: How Can Imperfect Humans Be Holy? (1 Pet. 1:16)


And these were the ones to whom David gave positions for the direction of the singing at the house of Jehovah after the Ark had a resting-place. 32 And they came to be minis-ters in the singing before the tabernacle of the tent of meet-ing until Sol′o·mon built the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem; and they kept attending upon their service ac-cording to their commission. 33 And these were those in at-tendance and also their sons: Of the sons of the Ko′hath·ites He′man the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, 34 the son of El·ka′nah, the son of Je·ro′ham, the son of E′li·el, the son of To′ah, 35 the son of Zuph, the son of El·ka′nah, the son of Ma′hath, the son of A·ma′sai, 36 the son of El·ka′nah, the son of Joel, the son of Az·a·ri′ah, the son of Zeph·a·ni′ah, 37 the son of Ta′hath, the son of As′sir, the son of E·bi′a·saph, the son of Ko′rah, 38 the son of Iz′har, the son of Ko′hath, the son of Le′vi, the son of Israel. 39 As for his brother A′saph, who was attending at his right, A′saph was the son of Ber·e·chi′ah, the son of Shim′e·a, 40 the son of Mi′cha·el, the son of Ba·a·se′iah, the son of Mal·chi′jah, 41 the son of Eth′ni, the son of Ze′rah, the son of A·dai′ah, 42 the son of E′than, the son of Zim′mah, the son of Shim′e·i, 43 the son of Ja′hath, the son of Ger′shom, the son of Le′vi. 44 As regards the sons of Me·rar′i their brothers on the left hand, there was E′than the son of Kish′i, the son of Ab′di, the son of Mal′luch, 45 the son of Hash·a·bi′ah, the son of Am·a·zi′ah, the son of Hil·ki′ah, 46 the son of Am′zi, the son of Ba′ni, the son of She′mer, 47 the son of Mah′li, the son of Mu′shi, the son of Me·rar′i, the son of Le′vi.

No. 2: Are Jehovah's Witnesses a Sect or a Cult, and How Old Is Their Religion? (rs p. 202 ¶1–p. 203 ¶3)

Are Jehovah’s Witnesses a sect or a cult?

Some define sect to mean a group that has broken away from an established religion. Others apply the term to a group that follows a particular human leader or teacher. The term is usually used in a derogatory way. Jehovah’s Witnesses are not an offshoot of some church but include persons from all walks of life and from many religious backgrounds. They do not look to any human, but rather to Jesus Christ, as their leader.

A cult is a religion that is said to be unorthodox or that emphasizes devotion according to prescribed ritual. Many cults follow a living human leader, and often their adherents live in groups apart from the rest of society.

The standard for what is orthodox, however, should be God’s Word, and Jehovah’s Witnesses strictly adhere to the Bible. Their worship is a way of life, not a ritual devo-tion. They neither follow a human nor isolate themselves from the rest of society. They live and work in the midst of other people.

How old is the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses?

According to the Bible, the line of witnesses of Jehovah reaches back to faithful Abel. Hebrews 11:4–12:1 says: “By faith Abel offered God a sacrifice of greater worth than Cain . . . By faith Noah, after being given divine warning of things not yet beheld, showed godly fear . . . By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed in going out into a place he was destined to receive as an inheri-tance . . . By faith Moses, when grown up, refused to be called the son of the daughter of Pharaoh, choosing to be ill-treated with the people of God rather than to have the temporary enjoyment of sin . . . So, then, because we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also put off every weight and the sin that easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

With reference to Jesus Christ, the Bible states: “These are the things that the Amen says, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation by God.” Of whom was he a witness? He himself said that he made his Fa-ther’s name manifest. He was the foremost witness of Jehovah.—Rev. 3:14; John 17:6.

Interestingly, some of the Jews asked whether the ac-tivity of Jesus Christ represented “a new teaching.” (Mark 1:27) Later, some Greeks thought the apostle Paul was introducing a “new teaching.” (Acts 17:19, 20) It was new to the ears of those who were hearing it, but the important thing was that it was the truth, in full har-mony with God’s Word.

The modern-day history of Jehovah’s Witnesses began with the forming of a group for Bible study in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., in the early 1870’s. At first they were known only as Bible Students, but in 1931 they adopted the Scriptural name Jehovah’s Witnesses. (Isa. 43:10-12) Their beliefs and practices are not new but are a restoration of first-century Christianity.

No. 3: How Can Imperfect Humans Be Holy? (1 Pet. 1:16) because it is written: “YOU must be holy, be-cause I am holy.”

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Week of October 18

Bible reading: 1 Chronicles 8-11No. 1: 1 Chronicles 11:1-14No. 2: In What Ways Do the Spirit and the Bride Say, "Come"? (Rev. 22:17)No. 3: Do Jehovah's Witnesses Believe That Their Religion Is the Only Right One? (rs p. 203 ¶4-5) No. 1: 1 Chronicles 11:1-14

In time all the Israelites collected themselves together to David at He′bron, saying: “Look! We are your bone and your flesh. 2 Both yesterday and previously, even while Saul happened to be king, you were the one leading Is-rael out and bringing it in; and Jehovah your God pro-ceeded to say to you, ‘You yourself will shepherd my people Israel, and you yourself will become leader over my people Israel.’” 3 So all the older men of Israel came to the king at He′bron and David concluded a covenant with them in He′bron before Jehovah; after which they anointed David as king over Israel, according to Jeho-vah’s word by means of Samuel. 4 Later David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, that is to say, Je′bus, where the Jeb′u·sites were the inhabitants of the land. 5 And the inhabitants of Je′bus began to say to David: “You will not come in here.” Just the same, David proceeded to capture the stronghold of Zion, that is to say, the City of David. 6 So David said: “Anyone striking the Jeb′u·sites first, he will become head and prince.” And Jo′ab the son of Ze·ru′iah got to go up first, and he came to be head. 7 And David took up dwelling in the place difficult to approach. That is why they called it the City of David. 8 And he began to build the city all around, from the Mound even to the parts round about, but Jo′ab himself brought to life the rest of the city. 9 And David went on getting greater and greater, for Jehovah of armies was with him. 10 Now these are the heads of the mighty men that belonged to David, holding strongly with him in his kingship together with all Israel, to make him king ac-cording to Jehovah’s word concerning Israel. 11 And this is the list of the mighty men that belonged to David: Ja·sho′be·am the son of a Hach′mon·ite, the head of the three. He was brandishing his spear over three hundred slain at one time. 12 And after him there was El·e·a′zar the son of Do′do the A·ho′hite. He was among the three mighty men. 13 He it was that happened to be with David at Pas-dam′mim, where the Phi·lis′tines had gathered themselves together for war. Now there happened to be a tract of the field full of barley, and the people, for their part, had fled because of the Phi·lis′tines. 14 But he took his stand in the middle of the tract and delivered it, and kept striking down the Phi·lis′tines, so that Jehovah saved with a great salvation.

No. 2: In What Ways Do the Spirit and the Bride Say, "Come"? (Rev. 22:17)

(Revelation 22:17) And the spirit and the bride keep on saying: “Come!” And let anyone hearing say: “Come!” And let anyone thirsting come; let anyone that wishes take life’s water free.

No. 3: Do Jehovah's Witnesses Believe That Their Religion Is the Only Right One? (rs p. 203 ¶4-5)

Do Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that their religion is the only right one?

The Bible does not agree with the modern view that there are many acceptable ways to worship God. Eph-esians 4:5 says there is “one Lord, one faith.” Jesus stated: “Narrow is the gate and cramped the road lead-ing off into life, and few are the ones finding it. . . . Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will.”—Matt. 7:13, 14, 21; see also 1 Corinthians 1:10.

Repeatedly the Scriptures refer to the body of true Christian teachings as “the truth,” and Christianity is spoken of as “the way of the truth.” (1 Tim. 3:15; 2 John 1; 2 Pet. 2:2) Because Jehovah’s Witnesses base all of their beliefs, their standards for conduct, and organiza-tional procedures on the Bible, their faith in the Bible it-self as God’s Word gives them the conviction that what they have is indeed the truth. So their position is not egotistical but demonstrates their confidence that the Bible is the right standard against which to measure one’s religion. They are not self-centered but are eager to share their beliefs with others.

45


Week of October 25

Bible reading: 1 Chronicles 12-15


46


Week of November 1

Bible reading: 1 Chronicles 16-20No. 1: 1 Chronicles 17:1-10No. 2: Do Other Religions Adhere to the Bible? (rs p. 204 ¶1)No. 3: * Scriptural Warnings About Things From Which True Christians Must Flee No. 1: 1 Chronicles 17:1-10

And it came about that as soon as David had begun dwelling in his own house, David proceeded to say to Nathan the prophet: “Here I am dwelling in a house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of Jehovah is under tent cloths.” 2 Upon that Nathan said to David: “Every-thing that is in your heart do, for the [true] God is with you.” 3 And it came about on that night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying: 4 “Go, and you must say to David my servant, ‘This is what Jehovah has said: “It will not be you that will build me the house in which to dwell. 5 For I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought Israel up until this day, but I continued from tent to tent and from one tabernacle [to another]. 6 During all the time that I walked about in all Israel, did I speak a single word with one of the judges of Israel whom I com-manded to shepherd my people, saying, ‘Why have YOU men not built me a house of cedars?’”’ 7 “And now this is what you will say to my servant David, ‘This is what Jehovah of armies has said: “I myself took you from the pasture ground from following the flock to be-come a leader over my people Israel. 8 And I shall prove to be with you wherever you do walk, and I shall cut off all your enemies from before you, and I shall certainly make for you a name like the name of the great ones that are upon the earth. 9 And I shall certainly appoint a place for my people Israel and plant them, and they will indeed reside where they are and no more will they be disturbed; and the sons of unrighteousness will not wear them out again, just as they did at the first, 10 even since the days that I put judges in command over my people Israel. And I shall certainly humble all your enemies. And I tell you, ‘Also a house Jehovah will build for you.’

No. 2: Do Other Religions Adhere to the Bible? (rs p. 204 ¶1)

Do not other religions also follow the Bible?

Many use it to some extent. But do they really teach and practice what it contains? Consider: (1) From most of their Bible translations they have removed the name of the true God thousands of times. (2) The Trinity doc-trine, their concept of God himself, is borrowed from pa-gan sources and was developed in its present form cen-turies after Bible writing was completed. (3) Their belief in immortality of the human soul as the basis for contin-ued life is not taken from the Bible; it has roots in an-cient Babylon. (4) The theme of Jesus’ preaching was the Kingdom of God, and he sent his disciples out to talk personally to others about it; but the churches today sel-dom mention that Kingdom and their members are not doing the work of preaching “this good news of the king-dom.” (Matt. 24:14) (5) Jesus said that his true followers could be readily identified by their self-sacrificing love for one another. Is that true of the religions of Christendom when the nations go to war? (6) The Bible says that Christ’s disciples would be no part of the world, and it warns that whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God; but the churches of Christendom and their members are deeply involved in the political affairs of the nations. (Jas. 4:4) In view of such a record, can it honestly be said that they really ad-here to the Bible?

No. 3: * Scriptural Warnings About Things From Which True Christians Must Flee

47


Week of November 8

Bible reading: 1 Chronicles 21-25No. 1: 1 Chronicles 22:11-19No. 2: How Can We Keep On Growing in Our Love For the Truth?No. 3: How Do Jehovah's Witnesses Arrive at Their Explanation of the Bible? (rs p. 204 ¶2–p. 205 ¶3)


“Now, my son, may Jehovah prove to be with you, and you must prove successful and build the house of Jeho-vah your God, just as he has spoken concerning you. 12 Only may Jehovah give you discretion and under-standing, and may he give you commandment concern-ing Israel even to keep the law of Jehovah your God. 13 In that case you will prove successful if you take care to carry out the regulations and the judicial decisions that Jehovah commanded Moses respecting Israel. Be courageous and strong. Do not be afraid nor be terrified. 14 And here during my affliction I have prepared for Je-hovah’s house a hundred thousand talents of gold and a million talents of silver, and the copper and the iron there is no means of weighing because they have come to be in such quantity; and timbers and stones I have prepared, but to them you will make additions. 15 And with you there are in great number doers of work, stone hewers and workers in stone and wood and every one skillful in every sort of work. 16 The gold, the silver and the copper and the iron there is no means of numbering. Rise and act, and may Jehovah prove to be with you.” 17 And David went on to command all the princes of Is-rael to help Sol′o·mon his son: 18 “Is not Jehovah YOUR God with YOU, and has he not given YOU rest all around? For he has given into my hand the inhabitants of the land, and the land has been subdued before Je-hovah and before his people. 19 Now set YOUR heart and YOUR soul to inquire after Jehovah YOUR God, and rise and build the sanctuary of Jehovah the [true] God, to bring the ark of the covenant of Jehovah and the holy utensils of the [true] God to the house built to the name of Jehovah.”

No. 2: How Can We Keep On Growing in Our Love for the Truth?

No. 3: How Do Jehovah's Witnesses Arrive at Their Explanation of the Bible? (rs p. 204 ¶2–p. 205 ¶3)

How do Jehovah’s Witnesses arrive at their explana-tion of the Bible?

A key factor is that the Witnesses really believe that the Bible is God’s Word and that what it contains is there for our instruction. (2 Tim. 3:16, 17; Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11) So they do not resort to philosophical arguments to evade its clear statements of truth or to justify the way of life of people who have abandoned its moral stan-dards.

In pointing out the meaning of symbolic language in the Bible, they let the Bible provide its own explanation, in-stead of giving their theories as to its significance. (1 Cor. 2:13) Indications as to the meaning of symbolic terms are usually found in other parts of the Bible. (As an example, see Revelation 21:1; then, regarding the meaning of “sea,” read Isaiah 57:20. To identify “the Lamb” referred to in Revelation 14:1, see John 1:29 and 1 Peter 1:19.)

As for fulfillment of prophecy, they apply what Jesus said about being alert to events that correspond to what was foretold. (Luke 21:29-31; compare 2 Peter 1:16-19.) Conscientiously they point out those events and draw attention to what the Bible indicates they mean.

Jesus said that he would have on earth a “faithful and discreet slave” (his anointed followers viewed as a group), through which agency he would provide spiritual food to those making up the household of faith. (Matt. 24:45-47) Jehovah’s Witnesses recognize that arrange-ment. As was true of first-century Christians, they look to the governing body of that “slave” class to resolve diffi-cult questions—not on the basis of human wisdom, but by drawing on their knowledge of God’s Word and his dealings with his servants, and with the help of God’s spirit, for which they earnestly pray.—Acts 15:1-29; 16:4, 5.

48


Week of November 15

Bible reading: 1 Chronicles 26-29No. 1: 1 Chronicles 29:10-19No. 2: Why Have There Been Changes in the Teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses? (rs p.205 ¶4)No. 3: Will All Jews Be Converted to Christianity?


Consequently David blessed Jehovah before the eyes of all the congregation and David said: “Blessed may you be, O Jehovah the God of Israel our father, from time in-definite even to time indefinite. 11 Yours, O Jehovah, are the greatness and the mightiness and the beauty and the excellency and the dignity; for everything in the heavens and in the earth is [yours]. Yours is the king-dom, O Jehovah, the One also lifting yourself up as head over all. 12 The riches and the glory are on account of you, and you are dominating everything; and in your hand there are power and mightiness, and in your hand is [ability] to make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now, O our God, we are thanking you and prais-ing your beauteous name. 14 “And yet, who am I and who are my people, that we should retain power to make voluntary offerings like this? For everything is from you, and out of your own hand we have given to you. 15 For we are alien residents before you and settlers the same as all our forefathers. Like a shadow our days are upon the earth and there is no hope. 16 O Jehovah our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build for you a house for your holy name, from your hand it is, and to you it all belongs. 17 And I well know, O my God, that you are an examiner of the heart, and that it is in rectitude that you take pleasure. I, for my part, in the up-rightness of my heart have voluntarily offered all these things, and now your people who are on hand here I have enjoyed seeing make offerings voluntarily to you. 18 O Jehovah the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel our forefathers, do keep this to time indefinite as the inclina-tion of the thoughts of the heart of your people, and di-rect their heart to you. 19 And to Sol′o·mon my son give a complete heart to keep your commandments, your testi-monies and your regulations, and to do everything, and to build the castle for which I have made preparation.”

No. 2: Why Have There Been Changes in the Teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses? (rs p. 205 ¶4)

Why have there been changes over the years in the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses?

The Bible shows that Jehovah enables his servants to understand his purpose in a progressive manner. (Prov. 4:18; John 16:12) Thus, the prophets who were divinely inspired to write portions of the Bible did not understand the meaning of everything that they wrote. (Dan. 12:8, 9; 1 Pet. 1:10-12) The apostles of Jesus Christ realized that there was much they did not understand in their time. (Acts 1:6, 7; 1 Cor. 13:9-12) The Bible shows that there would be a great increase in knowledge of the truth during “the time of the end.” (Dan. 12:4) Increased knowledge often requires adjustments in one’s thinking. Jehovah’s Witnesses are willing humbly to make such adjustments.

No. 3: Will All Jews Be Converted to Christianity?

49


Week of November 22

Bible reading: 2 Chronicles 1-5No. 1: 2 Chronicles 3:1-13No. 2: On What Basis Could Jehovah Forgive Sins Committed in Pre-Christian Times? (Rom. 3:24,25)No. 3: Why Do Jehovah's Witnesses Preach From House to House? (rs p. 206 ¶1-4)


Finally Sol′o·mon started to build the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem on Mount Mo·ri′ah, where [Jehovah] had appeared to David his father, in the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Or′nan the Jeb′u·site. 2 Accordingly he started to build in the second month on the second [day], in the fourth year of his reign. 3 And these things Sol′o·mon laid as a foundation for building the house of the [true] God, the length in cubits by the former measurement being sixty cubits, and the width twenty cubits. 4 And the porch that was in front of the length was twenty cubits in front of the width of the house, and its height was a hundred and twenty; and he proceeded to overlay it inside with pure gold. 5 And the great house he covered with juniper wood, after which he covered it with good gold, and then he brought up upon it palm-tree figures and chains. 6 Further, he over-laid the house with precious stone for beauty; and the gold was gold from the gold country. 7 And he went on to cover the house, the rafters, the thresholds and its walls and its doors with gold; and he engraved cherubs upon the walls. 8 And he proceeded to make the house of the Most Holy, its length in relation to the width of the house being twenty cubits, and its own width being twenty cu-bits; and then he covered it with good gold to the amount of six hundred talents. 9 And the weight for the nails was fifty gold shekels; and the roof chambers he covered with gold. 10 Then he made in the house of the Most Holy two cherubs in the workmanship of images, and overlaid them with gold. 11 As for the wings of the cherubs, their length was twenty cubits, the one wing of five cubits reaching to the wall of the house, and the other wing of five cubits reaching to the wing of the other cherub. 12 And the wing of the one cherub of five cubits was reaching to the wall of the house, and the other wing of five cubits was in contact with the wing of the other cherub. 13 The wings of these cherubs were spread out twenty cubits; and they were standing upon their feet with their faces inward.

No. 2: On What Basis Could Jehovah Forgive Sins Committed in Pre-Christian Times? (Rom. 3:24,25)

(Romans 3:24-25) and it is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous by his undeserved kindness through the release by the ransom [paid] by Christ Je-sus. 25 God set him forth as an offering for propitiation through faith in his blood. This was in order to exhibit his own righteousness, because he was forgiving the sins that occurred in the past while God was exercising for-bearance;

No. 3: Why Do Jehovah's Witnesses Preach From House to House? (rs p. 206 ¶1-4)

Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses preach from house to house?

Jesus foretold for our day this work: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.” He also instructed his followers: “Go . . . and make disciples of people of all the nations.”—Matt. 24:14; 28:19.

When Jesus sent out his early disciples, he directed them to go to the homes of the people. (Matt. 10:7, 11-13) The apostle Paul said regarding his ministry: “I did not hold back from telling you any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching you publicly and from house to house.”—Acts 20:20, 21; see also Acts 5:42.

The message that the Witnesses proclaim involves the lives of people; they want to be careful to miss no one. (Zeph. 2:2, 3) Their calls are motivated by love—first for God, also for their neighbor.

A conference of religious leaders in Spain noted this: “Perhaps [the churches] are excessively neglectful about that which precisely constitutes the greatest pre-occupation of the Witnesses—the home visit, which comes within the apostolic methodology of the primitive church. While the churches, on not a few occasions, limit themselves to constructing their temples, ringing their bells to attract the people and to preaching inside their places of worship, [the Witnesses] follow the apos-tolic tactic of going from house to house and of taking advantage of every occasion to witness.”—El Catoli-cismo, Bogotá, Colombia, September 14, 1975, p. 14.

50


Week of November 29

Bible reading: 2 Chronicles 6-9No. 1: 2 Chronicles 6:12-21No. 2: Why Are Jehovah's Witnesses Persecuted? (rs p.207 ¶1-2)No. 3: Ways in Which We Can "Keep Conquering the Evil With the Good" (Rom. 12:21)


And he began standing before the altar of Jehovah in front of all the congregation of Israel, and he now spread out his palms. 13 (For Sol′o·mon had made a platform of copper and then put it in the middle of the enclosure. Its length was five cubits, and its width five cubits, and its height three cubits; and he kept standing upon it.) And he proceeded to kneel upon his knees in front of all the congregation of Israel and to spread his palms out to the heavens. 14 And he went on to say: “O Jehovah the God of Israel, there is no God like you in the heavens or on the earth, keeping the covenant and the loving-kindness toward your servants who are walking before you with all their heart; 15 you who have kept toward your servant David my father what you promised him, so that you made the promise with your mouth, and with your own hand you have made fulfillment as at this day. 16 And now, O Jehovah the God of Israel, keep toward your servant David my father what you promised him, saying, ‘There will not be cut off a man of yours from before me to sit upon the throne of Israel, if only your sons will take care of their way by walking in my law, just as you have walked before me.’ 17 And now, O Jehovah the God of Israel, let your promise that you have promised to your servant David prove trustworthy. 18 “But will God truly dwell with mankind upon the earth? Look! Heaven, yes, the heaven of the heavens themselves, cannot contain you; how much less, then, this house that I have built? 19 And you must turn toward the prayer of your servant and to his request for favor, O Jehovah my God, by lis-tening to the entreating cry and to the prayer with which your servant is praying before you, 20 that your eyes may prove to be opened toward this house day and night, to-ward the place where you said you would put your name, by listening to the prayer with which your servant prays toward this place. 21 And you must listen to the en-treaties of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place, that you yourself may hear from the place of your dwelling, from the heavens; and you must hear and forgive.

No. 2: Why Are Jehovah's Witnesses Persecuted? (rs p.207 ¶1-2)

Why are Jehovah’s Witnesses persecuted and spo-ken against?

Jesus said: “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were part of the world, the world would be fond of what is its own. Now because you are no part of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, on this account the world hates you.” (John 15:18, 19; see also 1 Peter 4:3, 4.) The Bible shows that the whole world lies under Satan’s con-trol; he is the principal instigator of the persecution.—1 John 5:19; Rev. 12:17.

Jesus also told his disciples: “You will be objects of ha-tred by all people on account of my name.” (Mark 13:13) The word “name” here means what Jesus officially is, the Messianic King. Persecution comes because Jeho-vah’s Witnesses put his commands ahead of those of any earthly ruler.

No. 3: Ways in Which We Can "Keep Conquering the Evil With the Good" (Rom. 12:21)

(Romans 12:21) Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good.

51


Week of December 6

Bible reading: 2 Chronicles 10-14No. 1: 2 Chronicles 13:1-12No. 2: How Does Jehovah Guard His Loyal Ones? (Ps. 37:28)No. 3: ** If Someone Says: "Why Don't You Get Involved in Making the World a Better Place To Live?" (rs p. 207 ¶3–p. 208 ¶2)


In the eighteenth year of King Jer·o·bo′am it was that A·bi′-jah began to reign over Judah. 2 Three years he reigned in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Mi·cai′ah the daughter of U·ri′el of Gib′e·ah. And war itself took place be-tween A·bi′jah and Jer·o·bo′am. 3 So A·bi′jah engaged in the war with a military force of four hundred thousand mighty men of war, chosen men. And Jer·o·bo′am himself drew up in battle formation against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, valiant, mighty men. 4 A·bi′jah now rose up upon Mount Zem·a·ra′im, which is in the mountain-ous region of E′phra·im, and said: “Hear me, O Jer·o·bo′am and all Israel. 5 Is it not for YOU to know that Jehovah the God of Israel himself gave a kingdom to David over Israel to time indefinite, to him and to his sons, by a covenant of salt? 6 And Jer·o·bo′am the son of Ne′bat, the servant of Sol′o·mon the son of David, proceeded to rise up and rebel against his lord. 7 And idle men, good-for-nothing fellows, kept collecting themselves together by him. Finally they proved superior to Re·ho·bo′am the son of Sol′o·mon, when Re·ho·bo′am himself happened to be young and fainthearted, and he did not hold his own against them. 8 “And now YOU men are thinking of holding YOUR own against the kingdom of Jehovah in the hand of the sons of David, when YOU are a large crowd and there are with YOU the golden calves that Jer·o·bo′am made for YOU as gods. 9 Have YOU not driven out Jehovah’s priests, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and do YOU not keep mak-ing priests for yourselves like the peoples of the lands? As for anyone that came and filled his hand with power by means of a young bull and seven rams, he became a priest of what are no gods. 10 As for us, Jehovah is our God, and we have not left him; but priests are ministering to Jeho-vah, the sons of Aaron, and also the Levites in the work. 11 And they are making burnt offerings smoke to Jehovah morning by morning and evening by evening and also per-fumed incense; and the layers of bread are upon the table of pure [gold], and there are the golden lampstand and its lamps to light up evening by evening; because we are keeping the obligation to Jehovah our God, but YOU your-selves have left him. 12 And, look! with us there is at the head the [true] God with his priests and the signal trumpets for sounding the battle alarm against YOU. O sons of Is-rael, do not fight against Jehovah the God of YOUR forefa-thers, for YOU will not prove successful.”

No. 2: How Does Jehovah Guard His Loyal Ones?(Psalm 37:28) For Jehovah is a lover of justice, And he will not leave his loyal ones. To time indefinite they will cer-tainly be guarded; But as for the offspring of the wicked ones, they will indeed be cut off.

No. 3: ** If Someone Says: "Why Don't You GetInvolved in Making the World a Better Place To Live?" (rs p. 207 ¶3–p. 208 ¶2)

You might reply: ‘Conditions in the community are obvi-ously important to you, and they are to me too. May I ask, What problem do you feel should be among the first that gets attention?’ Then perhaps add: ‘Why do you feel that this has become such a major need? . . . Obviously, im-mediate action on the matter can be beneficial, but I’m sure you’ll agree that we would like to see improvement on a long-term basis. That is the approach that we as Jeho-vah’s Witnesses take to the matter. (Explain what we do to help people to apply Bible principles in their lives in order to get to the root of the matter on a personal basis; also, what God’s Kingdom will do, and why this will permanently solve the problem for humankind.)’

Or you could say: ‘(After covering some of the points in the preceding reply . . . ) Some people contribute toward community improvement by providing money; others do it by volunteering their services. Jehovah’s Witnesses do both. Let me explain.’ Then perhaps add: (1) ‘To be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, a person must conscientiously pay his taxes; that provides money for the government to supply needed services.’ (2) ‘We go beyond that, calling at the homes of people, offering to study the Bible with them free of charge. When they become acquainted with what the Bible says, they learn to apply Bible principles and so cope with their problems.’

Another possibility: ‘I’m glad you brought the matter up. Many people have never inquired to find out what the Wit-nesses are actually doing about community affairs. Obvi-ously there is more than one way to offer help.’ Then per-haps add: (1) ‘Some do it by establishing institutions—hospitals, homes for the elderly, rehabilitation centers for drug addicts, and so forth. Others may volunteer to go right to the homes of people and offer appropriate help as they are able. That is what Jehovah’s Witnesses do.’ (2) ‘We have observed that there is something that can trans-form a person’s entire outlook on life, and that is knowl-edge of what the Bible shows to be the real purpose of life and what the future holds.’

An additional suggestion: ‘I appreciate your raising that question. We would like to see conditions improve, would we not? May I ask, How do you feel about what Jesus Christ himself did? Would you say that the way he went about helping people was practical? ... We try to follow his example.

52


Week of December 6

Bible reading: 2 Chronicles 15-19No. 1: 2 Chronicles 15:8-19No. 2: **If Someone Says: "Christians Are Supposed to Be Witnesses for Jesus, Not for Jehovah" (rs p. 208 ¶3) No. 3: How May We Display Dignity in Our Worship of Jehovah?


And as soon as A′sa heard these words and the prophecy of O′ded the prophet, he took courage and proceeded to cause the disgusting things to vanish from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had captured from the mountainous region of E′phra·im, and to renew Jehovah’s altar that was before the porch of Jehovah. 9 And he began to collect together all Judah and Benjamin and the alien residents with them from E′phra·im and Ma·nas′seh and Sim′e·on, for they had deserted to him from Israel in great number when they saw that Jehovah his God was with him. 10 So they were collected together at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of A′sa’s reign. 11 Then they sacrificed to Jehovah on that day from the spoil they had brought, seven hundred cattle and seven thou-sand sheep. 12 Furthermore, they entered into a covenant to search for Jehovah the God of their forefa-thers with all their heart and with all their soul; 13 that anyone that would not search for Jehovah the God of Is-rael should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. 14 So they swore to Jehovah with a loud voice and with joyful shouting and with the trumpets and with horns. 15 And all Judah gave way to rejoicing over the thing sworn; for it was with all their heart that they had sworn and with full pleasure on their part that they had looked for him, so that he let himself be found by them; and Jehovah continued to give them rest all around. 16 As for even Ma′a·cah [his] grand-mother, A′sa the king himself removed her from [being] lady, because she had made a horrible idol for the sa-cred pole; and then A′sa cut down her horrible idol and pulverized it and burned it in the torrent valley of Kid′ron. 17 And the high places themselves did not disappear from Israel. Only A′sa’s heart itself proved to be com-plete all his days. 18 And he proceeded to bring the things made holy by his father and the things made holy by himself into the house of the [true] God, silver and gold and utensils. 19 As for war, it did not occur down to the thirty-fifth year of A′sa’s reign.

No. 2: **If Someone Says: "Christians Are Supposed to Be Witnesses for Jesus, Not For Jehovah" (rs p. 208 ¶3)

‘Christians are supposed to be witnesses for Jesus, not for Jehovah’

You might reply: ‘That’s an interesting point you have brought up. And you are right that we do have a responsibility to be witnesses for Jesus. That’s why Je-sus’ role in God’s purpose is emphasized in our publica-tions. (You may want to use a current book or a maga-zine to demonstrate this.) But here is something that may be a new thought to you. (Rev. 1:5) . . . Of whom was Jesus “the Faithful Witness”? (John 5:43; 17:6) . . . Jesus set the example that we should imitate, did he not? . . . Why is it so important to get to know both Je-sus and his Father? (John 17:3)’

No. 3: How May We Display Dignity in Our Worship of Jehovah?

53


Week of December 20

Bible reading: 2 Chronicles 20-24No. 1: 2 Chronicles 20:1-12No. 2: What Is Involved in Learning and Speaking the Pure Language? (Zeph. 3:9)No. 3: Was Jesus Christ a Real Person? (rs p.209 ¶1-4)


And it came about afterward that the sons of Mo′ab and the sons of Am′mon and with them some of the Am′mon·im came against Je·hosh′a·phat in war. 2 So people came and told Je·hosh′a·phat, saying: “There has come against you a large crowd from the region of the sea, from E′dom; and there they are in Haz′a·zon-ta′mar, that is to say, En-ge′di.” 3 At that Je·hosh′a·phat became afraid and set his face to search for Jehovah. So he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. 4 Eventually those of Judah were collected together to in-quire of Jehovah. Even from all the cities of Judah they came to consult Jehovah. 5 Then Je·hosh′a·phat stood up in the congregation of Judah and of Jerusalem in the house of Jehovah before the new courtyard, 6 and he pro-ceeded to say: “O Jehovah the God of our forefathers, are you not God in the heavens, and are you not dominating over all the kingdoms of the nations, and are there not in your hand power and mightiness, with no one to hold his ground against you? 7 Did not you yourself, O God of ours, drive away the inhabitants of this land from before your people Israel and then give it to the seed of Abraham, your lover, to time indefinite? 8 And they took up dwelling in it, and they proceeded to build in it for you a sanctuary for your name, saying, 9 ‘If there should come upon us calamity, sword, adverse judgment, or pestilence or famine, let us stand before this house and before you (for your name is in this house), that we may call to you for aid out of our distress, and may you hear and save.’ 10 And now here the sons of Am′mon, and Mo′ab and the moun-tainous region of Se′ir, whom you did not allow Israel to in-vade when they were coming out of the land of Egypt, but they turned away from them and did not annihilate them, 11 yes, here they are rewarding us by coming in to drive us out from your possession that you caused us to possess. 12 O our God, will you not execute judgment upon them? For in us there is no power before this large crowd that is coming against us; and we ourselves do not know what we ought to do, but our eyes are toward you.”

No. 2: What Is Involved in Learning and Speaking the Pure Language? (Zeph. 3:9)

(Zephaniah 3:9) For then I shall give to peoples the change to a pure language, in order for them all to call upon the name of Jehovah, in order to serve him shoulder to shoulder.’

No. 3: Was Jesus Christ a Real Person? (rs p.209 ¶1-4)

Jesus Christ (The definition is supplemental info.)Definition: The only-begotten Son of God, the only Son produced by Jehovah alone. This Son is the firstborn of all creation. By means of him all other things in heaven and on earth were created. He is the second-greatest person-age in the universe. It is this Son whom Jehovah sent to the earth to give his life as a ransom for mankind, thus opening the way to eternal life for those of Adam's offspring who would exercise faith. This same Son, restored to heavenly glory, now rules as King, with authority to destroy all the wicked and to carry out his Father's original purpose for the earth. The Hebrew form of the name Jesus means “Jehovah Is Salvation”; Christ is the equivalent of the He-brew Ma·shi’ach (Messiah), meaning “Anointed One.”

Was Jesus Christ a real, historical person?

The Bible itself is the principal evidence that Jesus Christ is a historical person. The record in the Gospels is not a vague narrative of events at some unspecified time and in an unnamed location. It clearly states time and place in great detail. For an example, see Luke 3:1, 2, 21-23.

The first-century Jewish historian Josephus referred to the stoning of “James, the brother of Jesus who was called the Christ.” (The Jewish Antiquities, Josephus, Book XX, sec. 200) A direct and very favorable refer-ence to Jesus, found in Book XVIII, sections 63, 64, has been challenged by some who claim that it must have been either added later or embellished by Christians; but it is acknowledged that the vocabulary and the style are basically those of Josephus, and the passage is found in all available manuscripts.

Tacitus, a Roman historian who lived during the lat-ter part of the first century C.E., wrote: “Christus [Latin for “Christ”], from whom the name [Christian] had its ori-gin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus.”—The Complete Works of Tacitus (New York, 1942), “The Annals,” Book 15, par. 44.

With reference to early non-Christian historical ref-erences to Jesus, The New Encyclopædia Britannica states: “These independent accounts prove that in an-cient times even the opponents of Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus, which was disputed for the first time and on inadequate grounds by several au-thors at the end of the 18th, during the 19th, and at the beginning of the 20th centuries.”—(1976), Macropædia, Vol. 10, p. 145.

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Week of December 27

Bible reading: 2 Chronicles 25-28


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