Wait on Jehovah, is an interesting terminology. It is used basically to stop an action from taking place. The inference would be that you should leave it in God’s hands and in His due time He will maneuver things to address the matter. Many times examples are cited when it appears almost divine intervention caused an evil to be corrected, thus reinforcing the directive. I recall at bethel a story about a brother who was a thief. He was at bethel for several years and was never caught. When he left he asked to move to where the need was great as a pioneer. Bethel obliged him with an assignment in California. In the course of his taking things at bethel he happened to obtain an unusual ring. It was custom made and so he decided to wear it when he arrived in his new congregation. Can you guess where this is going? Yes, this congregation had given that ring as a going away present to a brother who was leaving for bethel a few years earlier. The ring was custom made by a local jeweler and was one of a kind. The thief was discovered and promptly DF. This story seems to give the impression that God offered some type of divine intervention to discipline this wrongdoer. Thus by waiting on Jehovah God moved things to reveal the matter.
Is this the way it really works? Over the years I have known many men in high places who were outright evil and did so many things to hurt innocent people. What is Jehovah waiting for? A district convention overseer who offered an apology for the dirty things he had done to my family and myself approached me a few years ago. From the telling of outright lies to writing letters in a negative way to prevent getting assignments or privileges that made him feel threatened. He cried and asked for forgiveness for ten years of backstabbing. While I politely accepted his apology, I have yet to see Jehovah take any action to deal with the wrong committed. Is that the way of Jehovah, to take out an occasional thief but leave the lying hypocrites alone? When you consider this matter with regard to any mistake someone in authority within the organization may make, what most often is the direction? “Wait on Jehovah.” If you refuse to take that admonition then you can quickly be accused of being “self willed” or presumptuous or running ahead of God’s arrangement. When you consider how this is used it puts forth the thought that “wait on Jehovah“ is simply an excuse to let wrongdoing remain hidden. If you are on the outs with the elders or the society, you will often find they can find no basis to “wait on Jehovah” but instead act with quick and decisive action. This often happens in the face of lack of evidence or outright mishandling of judicial matters. When the wronged party complains, they are admonished by management to “wait on Jehovah”. How many people have been disfellowshipped for stepping up to right injustice and then were charged for causing “division” in the congregation?
It brings me to the conclusion that to “wait on Jehovah” is purely an excuse to let someone get away with something wrong. The Society uses this at a moments notice to stop persons from taking proper action. When you bring the context of child molestation into the matter it offers opportunity for a wicked outcome. Many victims have been told to “wait on Jehovah” when it came to taking legal action or reporting matters to protect others in the congregation. When brothers call in to the legal department for direction to report molestation to the police, they are often admonished (if where they are located is not an absolute reporting state) to “wait on Jehovah”. In several cases the child molester went on to hurt more children while everyone was “waiting on Jehovah” to offer divine intervention. Is this the way we should believe God operates? Is this a case of “time and unforeseen occurrence befalling us all?” Often Jehovah is compared to a loving parent. If we were to use that analogy, suppose you as a parent were to see your young child playing close to a busy street. Knowing they could be in grave danger what would your course of action be?
1. Move immediately to protect the child.
2. Wait for the neighbors to do something.
3. Wait on Jehovah
Of the three courses of action, which would prove you to be the more incompetent as a parent? Would it not be number three? To take it one step further, if the child were to be injured by a passing car and you went before a judge and gave the excuse, “Your Honor, I was waiting on Jehovah to take action and I did not want to appear presumptuous.” What do you think would be the judgment of the matter? The laws of common decency would no doubt hold you responsible for your actions and offer sanction. Do you think it would make it any less serious if the parent said, “ The elders told me to “wait on Jehovah” and that is why I did not do anything to help the child?” It would seem the penalty would now involve more people for being morally and ethically deficient.
This compares well with the child molestation issue among Jehovah’s Witnesses. The almighty creator does not want anyone to wait on him if it involves harming children. It appears this is a simple misplaced directive used as a control mechanism to prevent people who see injustice from doing anything. It is self-serving for the leadership of the WT organization to try and use the almighty creator as a basis to protect pedophiles. How far off are they from Jerry Falwell using the 911 disaster as a basis to say God was mad a people. It to was simply self-serving. If you were God how would you deal with men such as this? Men who allow children to be hurt, protect child molesters, and use God to scare innocents into doing their bidding. If you could think of a word to describe men such as this, what would they be? Scum, lying hypocrites, snakes, wicked, evil, corrupt, iniquitous, rotten, dishonest, worthless, my be a few words to express how God must view them. How could these men be viewed as having honor or integrity? How could they be trusted to give the right directives in other areas of life? If they say they prayed about it and God directed them, how do we know it is not just another “wait on Jehovah” self-serving protect the company idea?
I read with interest the local paper today where it offered information regarding the Billy Graham Ministries. Of particular note was the total revenues taken in on an annual basis. As many may know BGM offers food and charity around the world to those in need. He is one of the most well know evangelist in the world. What are his annual revenues? $127 million with assets of $189 million. This would appear to be a substantial amount, yet when you consider they maintain a payroll for 642 people within the organization you can see a certain amount of this money goes to paychecks of organization workers. If you compare that figure with the $951 million in revenue annually that the Watchtower organization takes in the USA market. WT has no payroll and all full time volunteer workers are required to take a vow of poverty. The assets of WT will no doubt number in the billions. It would appear the Watchtower organization could teach Billy Graham a thing or two about how to make money with zero charity work for those in need. Does this mean that Jehovah is blessing WT because they have so much money? If so then the Mormons who have $50 billion in liquid assets would appear to have the greater blessing from God.
So what do we do? Wait on Jehovah for the answer? How about wait on Allah? Wait on Mohammad? Wait on Zeus? Wait on an earthworm? The point would be DO NOT WAIT! If something is wrong or a child is being put in danger, honor and integrity demands you take appropriate action to protect the innocent. If someone tries to pull the asinine expression of “wait on Jehovah” out, you tell him or her to go jump in the lake. You will be happier with yourself if you do and if God looks with favor on anyone it will certainly have to be those who do what is ethically and morally right by standing up for what is right.