Are we not impressed by what a loving, thoughtful, merciful God Jehovah is? His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, came to earth to magnify God's love-to let people know how precious they are to Jehovah. Illustrating God's love, Jesus said regarding lowly sparrows: "Not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's knowledge." So he concluded: "Have no fear: You are worth more than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-32) Surely, it should never be too much to do whatever such a loving God asks!
However, what does Jehovah asks of us today? And why do some seem to think that God asks too much? By examining these questions, we should be able to see why it is a marvelous privilege to do whatever Jehovah asks.
Next time: WHAT DOES JEHOVAH ASK OF US TODAY?
The Watchtower, 1999
3.16.2012
3.15.2012
Conclusion of What Jehovah Is Really Asking
Those self-righteous Israelites had a problem similar to that of the religious hypocrites to whom Jesus said: "You give the tenth of the mint and the dill and the cumin, but you have disregarded the weightier matters of the Law, namely justice and mercy and faithfulness. These things it was binding to do, yet not to disregard the other things." (Matthew 23:23; Leviticus 27:30) Do not Jesus' words help is to appreciate what Jehovah really wants from us?
To clarify what Jehovah does and does not require of us, God's prophet Micah asked: "With what shall I confront Jehovah? With what shall I confront him with whole burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will Jehovah be pleased with thousands of rams, with tens of thousands of torrents of oil? Shall I give my firstborn son for my revolt, the fruitage of my belly for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O earthling man, what is good. and what is Jehovah asking back from you but to exercise justice and to love kindness and to be modest in walking with your God?" -Micah 6:6-8.
So, then, what did Jehovah particularly require of those who lived under the Law? Of course,, they were to love Jehovah God. Furthermore, the apostle Paul said: "The entire Law stands fulfilled in one saying, namely: 'You must love your neighbor as yourself.' " (Galatians 5:14) Similarly, Paul told Christians in Rome: "He that loves his fellowman has fulfilled the Law. . . .Love is the Law's fulfillment." -Romans 13:8-10.
Next time: It Is Not Too Much
The Watchtower, 1999
To clarify what Jehovah does and does not require of us, God's prophet Micah asked: "With what shall I confront Jehovah? With what shall I confront him with whole burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will Jehovah be pleased with thousands of rams, with tens of thousands of torrents of oil? Shall I give my firstborn son for my revolt, the fruitage of my belly for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O earthling man, what is good. and what is Jehovah asking back from you but to exercise justice and to love kindness and to be modest in walking with your God?" -Micah 6:6-8.
So, then, what did Jehovah particularly require of those who lived under the Law? Of course,, they were to love Jehovah God. Furthermore, the apostle Paul said: "The entire Law stands fulfilled in one saying, namely: 'You must love your neighbor as yourself.' " (Galatians 5:14) Similarly, Paul told Christians in Rome: "He that loves his fellowman has fulfilled the Law. . . .Love is the Law's fulfillment." -Romans 13:8-10.
Next time: It Is Not Too Much
The Watchtower, 1999
What Jehovah Is Really Asking
Through the prophet Isaiah, Jehovah said: "I have had enough of whole burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed animals; and in the blood of young bulls and male lambs and he-goats I have taken no delight." (Isaiah 1:10, 11) Why was God displeased with offerings that he himself had called for in the Law? (Leviticus 1:1-4:35) Because the people treated him disrespectfully. Therefore, they were admonished: "Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the badness of your dealings from in front of my eyes; cease to do bad. Learn to do good; search for justice; set right the oppressor; render judgment for the fatherless boy; plead the cause of the widow." (Isaiah 1:16, 17) Does this not help us to appreciate what Jehovah wants from his servants? \
Jesus showed what God really wants. He did so when he was asked the question, "Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "You must love Jehovah God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind." This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second, like it, is this, 'You must love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:36-40; Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:4-6) The prophet Moses made the same point when he asked: "What is Jehovah your God asking of you but to fear Jehovah your God, so as to walk in all his ways and to love him and to serve Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul; to keep the commandments of Jehovah and his statutes?" -Deuteronomy 10:12., 13; 15:7. 8.
Despite their wrongdoing, the Israelites wanted to appear holy. Though the Law required fasting only on the annual Atonement Day. They began to fast often. (Leviticus 16:30, 32) But Jehovah rebuked them, saying: "Is not this the fast that I choose? To loosen the fetters of wickedness, to release the bands of the yoke bar, and to send away the crushed one free, and that you people should tear in two every yoke bar? Is it not the dividing your bread out to the hungry one, and that you should bring the afflicted, homeless people into your house? That, in case you should see someone naked, you must cover him, and that you should not hide yourself from your own flesh?" -Isaiah 58:3-7
Next time: Conclusion of What Jehovah Is Really Asking
The Watchtower, 1999
Jesus showed what God really wants. He did so when he was asked the question, "Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "You must love Jehovah God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind." This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second, like it, is this, 'You must love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:36-40; Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:4-6) The prophet Moses made the same point when he asked: "What is Jehovah your God asking of you but to fear Jehovah your God, so as to walk in all his ways and to love him and to serve Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul; to keep the commandments of Jehovah and his statutes?" -Deuteronomy 10:12., 13; 15:7. 8.
Despite their wrongdoing, the Israelites wanted to appear holy. Though the Law required fasting only on the annual Atonement Day. They began to fast often. (Leviticus 16:30, 32) But Jehovah rebuked them, saying: "Is not this the fast that I choose? To loosen the fetters of wickedness, to release the bands of the yoke bar, and to send away the crushed one free, and that you people should tear in two every yoke bar? Is it not the dividing your bread out to the hungry one, and that you should bring the afflicted, homeless people into your house? That, in case you should see someone naked, you must cover him, and that you should not hide yourself from your own flesh?" -Isaiah 58:3-7
Next time: Conclusion of What Jehovah Is Really Asking
The Watchtower, 1999
3.14.2012
Was Jehovah's Law Burdensome?
Though the Law was "holy and righteous and good," many considered it burdensome. (Romans 7:12) Because the Law was perfect, the Israelites could not meet its high standard. (Psalm 19:7) That is why the apostle Peter called it "a yoke that neither our forefathers nor were capable of bearing." (Acts 15:10) Of course, the Law itself was not burdensome, and obeying it benefited the people.
Under the Law, for example, a thief was not imprisoned but had to work to pay double or more to cover what he had stolen. The victim thus suffered no loss, nor was a burden imposed upon hardworking people to support a prison system. (Exodus 22:1, 3, 4, 7) Unsafe foods were prohibited. Pork, if not cooked well, can carry trichinosis, and rabbit can carry tularemia. (Leviticus 11:4-12) Similarly, the Law was a protection by forbidding the handling of carcasses. If a person touched a corpse, he was required to wash himself as well as his garments. (Leviticus 112:31-36; Numbers 19: 11-22) Excrement was to be buried,protecting the people against the spread of germs, the existence of which was discovered by scientists only in recent centuries. - Deuteronomy 23:13.
The Law did not ask too much of the people. But the same cannot be said of men who assumed the role of interpreters of the Law. Regarding the rules they imposed, A Dictionary of the Bible, edited by James Hastings, notes: "Every biblical commandment was surrounded by a network of petty regulations. . . .An attempt was thus made to bring every conceivable case within the scope of the Law, and with merciless logic to regulate the whole of human conduct by strict rule of thumb. . .The voice of conscience was stifled; the living power of the Divine word was neutralized and smothered beneath a mass of external rules."
Jesus Christ denounced religious leaders who imposed a mass of rules saying: "They bind up heavy loads and put them upon the shoulders of me, but they themselves are not willing to budge them with their finger." (Matthew 23:2, 4) He pointed out that their burdensome man-made rules and traditions, including elaborate cleansings, made "the word of God invalid." (Mark 7:1-13; Matthew 23:13, 24-26) Even before Jesus was on earth, though, religious teachers in Israel were misrepresenting what Jehovah really requires.
Next time: What Jehovah Is Really Asking
The Watchtower, 1999
Under the Law, for example, a thief was not imprisoned but had to work to pay double or more to cover what he had stolen. The victim thus suffered no loss, nor was a burden imposed upon hardworking people to support a prison system. (Exodus 22:1, 3, 4, 7) Unsafe foods were prohibited. Pork, if not cooked well, can carry trichinosis, and rabbit can carry tularemia. (Leviticus 11:4-12) Similarly, the Law was a protection by forbidding the handling of carcasses. If a person touched a corpse, he was required to wash himself as well as his garments. (Leviticus 112:31-36; Numbers 19: 11-22) Excrement was to be buried,protecting the people against the spread of germs, the existence of which was discovered by scientists only in recent centuries. - Deuteronomy 23:13.
The Law did not ask too much of the people. But the same cannot be said of men who assumed the role of interpreters of the Law. Regarding the rules they imposed, A Dictionary of the Bible, edited by James Hastings, notes: "Every biblical commandment was surrounded by a network of petty regulations. . . .An attempt was thus made to bring every conceivable case within the scope of the Law, and with merciless logic to regulate the whole of human conduct by strict rule of thumb. . .The voice of conscience was stifled; the living power of the Divine word was neutralized and smothered beneath a mass of external rules."
Jesus Christ denounced religious leaders who imposed a mass of rules saying: "They bind up heavy loads and put them upon the shoulders of me, but they themselves are not willing to budge them with their finger." (Matthew 23:2, 4) He pointed out that their burdensome man-made rules and traditions, including elaborate cleansings, made "the word of God invalid." (Mark 7:1-13; Matthew 23:13, 24-26) Even before Jesus was on earth, though, religious teachers in Israel were misrepresenting what Jehovah really requires.
Next time: What Jehovah Is Really Asking
The Watchtower, 1999
Jehovah's Law to Israel
Abraham's descendants through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob, or Israel, grew into the nation of Israel. Jehovah delivered the Israelites from Egypt. (Genesis 32:28; 46:1-3; 2 Samuel 7:23, 24) Soon thereafter, they promised to do whatever God asked of them. They said: "All that Jehovah has spoken we are willing to do." (Exodus 19:8) In keeping with the desire of the Israelites to be governed by him, Jehovah provided the nation with more than 600 laws, including the Ten Commandments. In time, these laws, of God, given through Moses, came to be known simply as the Law. -Ezra 7:6; Luke 10:25-27; John 1:17.
One purpose of the Law was to safeguard the Israelites by providing wholesome regulations governing such matters as sexual morality, business transactions and child care. (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:6-18, 22-24; 19:35, 36; Deuteronomy 6:6-9) Rules were provided on how to treat fellow humans as well as one's animals. (Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 22:4, 10) Requirements that pertained to annual festivals and meeting together for worship helped to safeguard the people spiritually. -Leviticus 23:1-43; Deuteronomy 31:10-13.
A major purpose of the Law was noted by the apostle Paul, who wrote: "It was added to make transgressions manifest, until the seed [Christ] should arrive to whom the promise had been made." (Galatians 3:19) The Law reminded the Israelites that they were imperfect. Logically, then, they needed a perfect sacrifice that could completely remove their sins. (Hebrews 10:1-4) So the Law was intended to prepare the people to accept Jesus, who was the Messiah, or Christ. Paul wrote: "The Law has become our tutor leading to Christ, that we might be declared righteous due to faith." -Galatians 3:24.
Next time: Was Jehovah's Law Burdensome?
The Watchtower, 1999
One purpose of the Law was to safeguard the Israelites by providing wholesome regulations governing such matters as sexual morality, business transactions and child care. (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:6-18, 22-24; 19:35, 36; Deuteronomy 6:6-9) Rules were provided on how to treat fellow humans as well as one's animals. (Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 22:4, 10) Requirements that pertained to annual festivals and meeting together for worship helped to safeguard the people spiritually. -Leviticus 23:1-43; Deuteronomy 31:10-13.
A major purpose of the Law was noted by the apostle Paul, who wrote: "It was added to make transgressions manifest, until the seed [Christ] should arrive to whom the promise had been made." (Galatians 3:19) The Law reminded the Israelites that they were imperfect. Logically, then, they needed a perfect sacrifice that could completely remove their sins. (Hebrews 10:1-4) So the Law was intended to prepare the people to accept Jesus, who was the Messiah, or Christ. Paul wrote: "The Law has become our tutor leading to Christ, that we might be declared righteous due to faith." -Galatians 3:24.
Next time: Was Jehovah's Law Burdensome?
The Watchtower, 1999
3.13.2012
What Jehovah Required in the Past
Jehovah instructed the first human pair, Adam and Eve, to rear children, subdue the earth, and have animal life in subjection. The man and his wife were also blessed with a spacious parklike home. (Genesis 1:27, 28; 2:9-15) But there was a restriction. They were not to eat of a certain tree, one among the many fruit-bearing trees in the garden of Eden. (Genesis 2:16, 17) That was not asking too much, was it? Would you not have enjoyed carrying out such an assignment, with the prospect of living forever in perfect health? Though a tempter appeared in the garden, would you not have rejected his argument? And would you not agree that Jehovah had the right to impose the one simple restriction? - Genesis 3:1-5
Later,Jehovah asked Noah to construct an ark as a means of preservation through a global flood. In view of the ark's huge size, the job was not easy and was probably carried out in the face of much ridicule and hostility. Yet, what a privilege it was for Noah to be able to save his household, not to speak of the many animals! (Genesis 6:1-8, 14-16; Hebrews 11:7; 2 Peter 2:5) If given such an assignment, would you have worked hard to fulfill it? Or would you have concluded that Jehovah was asking too much of you?
God asked Abraham to do something very difficult, telling him: "Take, please, you son, your only son whom you so love, Isaac, and make a trip to the land of Moriah and there offer him up as a burnt offering." (Genesis 22:2) Since Jehovah had promised that the then children Isaac would have to restore Isaac to life was tested. When Abraham attempted to sacrifice Isaac, God preserved the young man. This incident illustrated that God would offer his own Son for mankind and would later resurrect him. -Genesis 17:19; 22:9-18; John 3:16; Acts 2:23, 24, 29-32; Hebrews 11:127-19.
S0me may think that Jehovah God was asking too much of Abraham. But was he? Is it really unloving for our Creator, who can resurrect the dead, to ask us to be obedient to him even if this should result in our sleeping temporarily in death? Jesus Christ and his early followers did not think so. They were willing to suffer physical abuse, even death itself, in order to do God's will. (John 10:11., 17, 18; Acts 5:40-42; 21:13) If circumstances called for it, would you be willing to do the same? Consider some of the things that Jehovah required of those who agreed to be his people.
Next time: Jehovah's Law to Israel
The Watchtower, 1999
Later,Jehovah asked Noah to construct an ark as a means of preservation through a global flood. In view of the ark's huge size, the job was not easy and was probably carried out in the face of much ridicule and hostility. Yet, what a privilege it was for Noah to be able to save his household, not to speak of the many animals! (Genesis 6:1-8, 14-16; Hebrews 11:7; 2 Peter 2:5) If given such an assignment, would you have worked hard to fulfill it? Or would you have concluded that Jehovah was asking too much of you?
God asked Abraham to do something very difficult, telling him: "Take, please, you son, your only son whom you so love, Isaac, and make a trip to the land of Moriah and there offer him up as a burnt offering." (Genesis 22:2) Since Jehovah had promised that the then children Isaac would have to restore Isaac to life was tested. When Abraham attempted to sacrifice Isaac, God preserved the young man. This incident illustrated that God would offer his own Son for mankind and would later resurrect him. -Genesis 17:19; 22:9-18; John 3:16; Acts 2:23, 24, 29-32; Hebrews 11:127-19.
S0me may think that Jehovah God was asking too much of Abraham. But was he? Is it really unloving for our Creator, who can resurrect the dead, to ask us to be obedient to him even if this should result in our sleeping temporarily in death? Jesus Christ and his early followers did not think so. They were willing to suffer physical abuse, even death itself, in order to do God's will. (John 10:11., 17, 18; Acts 5:40-42; 21:13) If circumstances called for it, would you be willing to do the same? Consider some of the things that Jehovah required of those who agreed to be his people.
Next time: Jehovah's Law to Israel
The Watchtower, 1999
DOES JEHOVAH ASKS TOO MUCH OF US?
"What is Jehovah asking back from you but to exercise justice and to live kindness and to be modest in walking with your God?" -Micah 6:8.
JEHOVAH asks something of his people. But after reading the above words as quoted from Michah's prophecy, you may well conclude that God's requirements are reasonable. Nevertheless, may do not serve our Grand Creator, and some who once served him has ceased to do so. Why? Because they think that God asks too much of us. Does he? (No!) Or might there be a problem with the person's attitude toward what Jehovah requires? (it is the person's attitude) A historical account provides insight into this matter.
The Syrian military chief Naaman was afflicted with leprosy, but he was advised that in Israel there was a prophet of Jehovah who could cure him. So Naaman and his entourage traveled to Israel and eventually came to the home of God's prophet Elisha. Instead of leaving his house to greet his distinguished visitor, Elisha sent a servant to tell Naaman: "You must bathe seven times in the Jordan that your flesh may come back to you, and be clean." -2 Kings 5:10.
If Naaman complied with the requirement stated by God's prophet, he would be healed of a loathesome disease. Therefore, was Jehovah asking too much of him? Not really. Yet, Naaman was not going to do what Jehovah had required. "Are not the abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel?" He protested. "Can I not bathe in them and certainly be clean?" With that, Naaman went away in a rage. -2 Kings 5:12.
What really was Naaman's problem? It was not that the requirement was so difficult to meet. Naaman's servants tactfully said: "Had it been a great thing that the prophet himself had spoken to you would you not do it? How much more, then, since he said to you, 'Bathe and be clean'?" (2 Kings 5:13) The problem was Naaman's attitude. He felt that he had not been treated with the dignity he deserved and that he had been asked to do something apparently considered ineffectual and humiliating. However, Naaman responded to the tactful counsel of his servants and plunged into the Jordan River seven times. Imagine his joy when "his flesh came back like the flesh of a little boy and he became clean"! He was filled with gratitude. Moreover, Naaman declared that from that time on, he would worship no other God but Jehovah. -2 Kings 5:14-17.
Throughout human history, Jehovah has asked people to comply with various regulations. We invite you to consider a number of these. As you do, ask yourself how you would have responded if Jehovah had required that you do such things. Later, we will examine what asks of us today.
Next time: What Jehovah Required in the Past
The Watchtower, 1999
JEHOVAH asks something of his people. But after reading the above words as quoted from Michah's prophecy, you may well conclude that God's requirements are reasonable. Nevertheless, may do not serve our Grand Creator, and some who once served him has ceased to do so. Why? Because they think that God asks too much of us. Does he? (No!) Or might there be a problem with the person's attitude toward what Jehovah requires? (it is the person's attitude) A historical account provides insight into this matter.
The Syrian military chief Naaman was afflicted with leprosy, but he was advised that in Israel there was a prophet of Jehovah who could cure him. So Naaman and his entourage traveled to Israel and eventually came to the home of God's prophet Elisha. Instead of leaving his house to greet his distinguished visitor, Elisha sent a servant to tell Naaman: "You must bathe seven times in the Jordan that your flesh may come back to you, and be clean." -2 Kings 5:10.
If Naaman complied with the requirement stated by God's prophet, he would be healed of a loathesome disease. Therefore, was Jehovah asking too much of him? Not really. Yet, Naaman was not going to do what Jehovah had required. "Are not the abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel?" He protested. "Can I not bathe in them and certainly be clean?" With that, Naaman went away in a rage. -2 Kings 5:12.
What really was Naaman's problem? It was not that the requirement was so difficult to meet. Naaman's servants tactfully said: "Had it been a great thing that the prophet himself had spoken to you would you not do it? How much more, then, since he said to you, 'Bathe and be clean'?" (2 Kings 5:13) The problem was Naaman's attitude. He felt that he had not been treated with the dignity he deserved and that he had been asked to do something apparently considered ineffectual and humiliating. However, Naaman responded to the tactful counsel of his servants and plunged into the Jordan River seven times. Imagine his joy when "his flesh came back like the flesh of a little boy and he became clean"! He was filled with gratitude. Moreover, Naaman declared that from that time on, he would worship no other God but Jehovah. -2 Kings 5:14-17.
Throughout human history, Jehovah has asked people to comply with various regulations. We invite you to consider a number of these. As you do, ask yourself how you would have responded if Jehovah had required that you do such things. Later, we will examine what asks of us today.
Next time: What Jehovah Required in the Past
The Watchtower, 1999
3.12.2012
Who Will Listen to the Voice of Wisdom?
Are sinners actually aware that their course is disastrous? Have they been warned of the outcome of their ways? Ignorance is no excuse, for a very pointed message is proclaimed in public places.
Solomon declares: "True wisdom itself keeps crying aloud in the very street. In the public squares it keeps giving forth its voice. At the upper end of the noisy streets it calls out. At the entrances of the gates into the city it says its own sayings." (Proverbs 1:20, 21) In a loud and clear voice, wisdom is crying out in public places for all to hear. In ancient Israel, the older men gave wise counsel and rendered judicial decisions at the city gates. For us, Jehovah has caused true wisdom to be recorded in his Word, the Bible, which is widely available. And his servants today are busy publicly declaring its message everywhere. God indeed has wisdom proclaimed before all.
What does true wisdom say? This: "How long will you inexperienced ones keep loving inexperience, and how long must you ridiculers desire for yourselves outright ridicule . . .? I have called out but you keep; refusing, I have stretched out my hand but there is no one paying attention." Foolish ones give no heed to the voice of wisdom. Consequently, "they will eat from the fruitage of their way." Their own 'renegading and easygoingness will destroy them.' -Proverbs 1:22-32.
What, though, of the one who has taken the time to listen to the voice of wisdom? "He will reside in security and be undisturbed from dread of calamity." (Proverbs 1:33) May you be among those who gain wisdom and accept discipline by paying attention to the Biblical proverbs.
Next time: DOES JEHOVAH ASK TOO MUCH OF US?
The Watchtower, 1999
Solomon declares: "True wisdom itself keeps crying aloud in the very street. In the public squares it keeps giving forth its voice. At the upper end of the noisy streets it calls out. At the entrances of the gates into the city it says its own sayings." (Proverbs 1:20, 21) In a loud and clear voice, wisdom is crying out in public places for all to hear. In ancient Israel, the older men gave wise counsel and rendered judicial decisions at the city gates. For us, Jehovah has caused true wisdom to be recorded in his Word, the Bible, which is widely available. And his servants today are busy publicly declaring its message everywhere. God indeed has wisdom proclaimed before all.
What does true wisdom say? This: "How long will you inexperienced ones keep loving inexperience, and how long must you ridiculers desire for yourselves outright ridicule . . .? I have called out but you keep; refusing, I have stretched out my hand but there is no one paying attention." Foolish ones give no heed to the voice of wisdom. Consequently, "they will eat from the fruitage of their way." Their own 'renegading and easygoingness will destroy them.' -Proverbs 1:22-32.
What, though, of the one who has taken the time to listen to the voice of wisdom? "He will reside in security and be undisturbed from dread of calamity." (Proverbs 1:33) May you be among those who gain wisdom and accept discipline by paying attention to the Biblical proverbs.
Next time: DOES JEHOVAH ASK TOO MUCH OF US?
The Watchtower, 1999
"It Takes Away the Very Soul of Its Owners"
Before sending him to the United States for higher education, an Asian father advised his 16-year-old son not to get involved with bad people. This advice echoes Solomon's warning: "My son, if sinners try to seduce you, do not consent." (Proverbs 1:10) Solomon, however, pinpoints the lure they use: "They keep saying: 'Do go with us. Do let us lie in ambush for blood. Do let us lie in concealment for the innocent men without any cause. Let us swallow them down alive just like Sheol, even whole, like those going down into the pit. Let us find all sorts of precious valuables. Let us fill our houses with spoil. Your lot ought to cast in among us. Let there come to be just one bag belonging to all of us.' " -Proverbs 1:11-14.
The lure clearly is riches. On the basis of making quick profits, "sinners" seduce others into involvement in their violent or unjust schemes. For material gain these wicked ones do not hesitate to shed blood. They 'swallow their victims down alive just like Sheol, even whole,' robbing him of everything he has, just as the grave receives the whole body. Their invitation is to a career in crime - they want to 'fill their houses with spoil,' and they want the inexperienced one to 'cast in his lot with them.' What a timely warning this is for us! Do not youth gangs and drug dealers use similar recruiting methods? is not the promise of quick riches the temptation of many questionable business propositions?
"My son," advises the wise king, "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." Predicting their disastrous end, he adds: "For it is for nothing that the net is spread before the eyes of anything owning wings. Consequently, they themselves lie in ambush for the very blood of these; they lie in concealment for their souls. Thus are the paths of everyone making unjust profit. It takes away the very soul of its owners." -Proverbs 1:15-19.
"Everyone making unjust profit" will perish in his own course. The very ambush that the wicked lay for others will become a trap for themselves. Will deliberate evildoers change their course? No. A net may be in full view, but birds - creatures "Owning wings" - fly right into it anyway. In a similar way, the wicked blinded by their greed, go ahead with their criminal acts, even though sooner or later they will be caught.
Next time: Who Will Listen to the Voice of Wisdom?
The Watchtower, 1999
The lure clearly is riches. On the basis of making quick profits, "sinners" seduce others into involvement in their violent or unjust schemes. For material gain these wicked ones do not hesitate to shed blood. They 'swallow their victims down alive just like Sheol, even whole,' robbing him of everything he has, just as the grave receives the whole body. Their invitation is to a career in crime - they want to 'fill their houses with spoil,' and they want the inexperienced one to 'cast in his lot with them.' What a timely warning this is for us! Do not youth gangs and drug dealers use similar recruiting methods? is not the promise of quick riches the temptation of many questionable business propositions?
"My son," advises the wise king, "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." Predicting their disastrous end, he adds: "For it is for nothing that the net is spread before the eyes of anything owning wings. Consequently, they themselves lie in ambush for the very blood of these; they lie in concealment for their souls. Thus are the paths of everyone making unjust profit. It takes away the very soul of its owners." -Proverbs 1:15-19.
"Everyone making unjust profit" will perish in his own course. The very ambush that the wicked lay for others will become a trap for themselves. Will deliberate evildoers change their course? No. A net may be in full view, but birds - creatures "Owning wings" - fly right into it anyway. In a similar way, the wicked blinded by their greed, go ahead with their criminal acts, even though sooner or later they will be caught.
Next time: Who Will Listen to the Voice of Wisdom?
The Watchtower, 1999
3.11.2012
A "Necklace to Your Throat"
The wise king next addresses the youth: "Listen, my son, to the discipline of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother. For they are a wreath of attractiveness to your head and a fine necklace to your throat." -Proverbs 1:8, 9.
In ancient Israel, parents had the God-given responsibility of teaching their children. Moses exhorted fathers: "These words that I am commanding you today must prove to be on your heart; and you must inculcate them in your son and speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up." (Deuteronomy 6:6, 7) Mothers too had considerable influence . Within the framework of her husband's authority, a Hebrew wife could enforce family law.
Throughout the Bible, in fact, the family is the basic unit for imparting education. (Ephesians 6:1-3) For children to obey their believing parents is for them to be figuratively adorned with a decorative wreath of attractiveness and a necklace of honor.
Next time: "It Takes Away the Very Soul of Its Owners"
The Watchtower, 1999
In ancient Israel, parents had the God-given responsibility of teaching their children. Moses exhorted fathers: "These words that I am commanding you today must prove to be on your heart; and you must inculcate them in your son and speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up." (Deuteronomy 6:6, 7) Mothers too had considerable influence . Within the framework of her husband's authority, a Hebrew wife could enforce family law.
Throughout the Bible, in fact, the family is the basic unit for imparting education. (Ephesians 6:1-3) For children to obey their believing parents is for them to be figuratively adorned with a decorative wreath of attractiveness and a necklace of honor.
Next time: "It Takes Away the Very Soul of Its Owners"
The Watchtower, 1999
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