Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 10-13-2013 WT Study (ENRAGED)

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    blondie

    Comments You Will Not Hear at the 10-13-2013 WT Study (AUGUST 15, 2013, pages 10-14)(ENRAGED AGAINST [GOD])

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    NEVER BECOME

    “ENRAGED AGAINST

    JEHOVAH”

    “It is the foolishness

    of an earthling man

    that distorts his way,

    and so his heart becomes

    enraged against

    Jehovah himself.”

    —PROV. 19:3.

    HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER?

    What might cause us to become

    “enraged against Jehovah”?

    What are five factors that can

    help us to avoid becoming

    enraged against God?

    We should remember what

    when faced with difficult

    problems?

    OPENING COMMENTS

    Is being enraged at the false religious leaders of his time mean that Jesus was enraged against God? So if the religious “leaders” men taking the lead do things not according to the scriptures, can we become enraged against them? Is being enraged at the religious leaders of the WTS and different then Jesus comments to them below?

    *** w00 9/15 p. 19 pars. 13-15 “The Hour Has Come!” ***

    13 Since the scribes and the Pharisees profess to teach God’s Law, Jesus now urges his listeners: “All the things they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds, for they say but do not perform.” (Matthew 23:1-3) What a powerful public denunciation! But Jesus is not through with them. This is his last day at the temple, and he boldly issues a series of exposés—one after another like rolling thunder.

    14 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” Jesus declares six times. They are such because, as he explains, they shut up the Kingdom of the heavens before men, not permitting those on their way in to go in. These hypocrites traverse sea and dry land to make one proselyte, only to make him a subject for eternal annihilation. While neglecting “the weightier matters of the Law, namely, justice and mercy and faithfulness,” they give great attention to paying the tithe. In effect, they cleanse “the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of plunder and immoderateness” in that their inner rottenness and putrefaction are hidden behind an outward display of piety. Furthermore, they are willing to build tombs for the prophets and decorate them to draw attention to their own deeds of charity, even though they “are sons of those who murdered the prophets.”—Matthew 23:13-15, 23-31.

    15 Condemning the lack of spiritual values on the part of his opponents, Jesus says: “Woe to you, blind guides.” They are morally blind because they put more emphasis on the gold of the temple than on the spiritual value of that place of worship. Going on, Jesus utters his strongest words of denunciation. “Serpents, offspring of vipers,” he says, “how are you to flee from the judgment of Gehenna?” Yes, Jesus is telling them that for pursuing their wicked course, they will suffer everlasting destruction. (Matthew 23:16-22, 33) May we too show courage in proclaiming the Kingdom message, even when it involves exposing false religion.

    *** w02 9/1 p. 11 par. 14 “Never Has Another Man Spoken Like This” ***

    On another occasion, Jesus denounced the Pharisees as “blind guides, who strain out the gnat but gulp down the camel.” (Matthew 23:24) This was a particularly powerful use of hyperbole. Why? The contrast between a tiny gnat and a camel, which was one of the largest animals known to Jesus’ hearers, was striking. It is estimated that it would take up to 70 million gnats to equal the weight of an average camel! Also, Jesus knew that the Pharisees strained their wine through a cloth sieve. Those sticklers for rules did that in order to avoid swallowing a gnat and thereby become ceremonially unclean. Yet, they figuratively gulped down the camel, which was also unclean. (Leviticus 11:4, 21-24) Jesus’ point was clear. The Pharisees meticulously complied with the smallest of the Law’s requirements, but they disregarded the weightier matters—“justice and mercy and faithfulness.” (Matthew 23:23) How clearly Jesus exposed them for what they were!

    START OF ARTICLE

    1, 2. Why should we not blame Jehovah for mankind’s problems?

    Illustrate.

    LET us say that you have been a happily married

    man for many years. But one day when you return

    home, you find that everything in your house has

    been turned upside down. The furniture has been

    smashed, the crockery shattered, the carpet ruined

    beyond repair. Your treasured home has become a disaster

    zone. Would you blurt out, “Why did my wife

    do this?” Or would you be more likely to ask, “Who

    did this?” No doubt the second question would immediately

    come to your mind. Why? Because you

    know that your cherished mate would not be the

    cause of such a wanton act of vandalism.

    COMMENTS

    Some husbands might do this…my father always blamed us for all home disasters. Cherished mate? My mother was blamed for actively doing it or allowing it to be done whether she was home to prevent it or not.

    2 Today, we see mankind’s home marred by pollution,

    violence, and immorality. As Bible students,

    we know that Jehovah cannot possibly be the cause

    of all these problems. He created this planet to be a

    delightful paradise. (Gen. 2:8, 15) Jehovah is a God

    of love. (1 John 4:8) Our study of the Scriptures has

    helped us to identify the real cause of many of the

    world’s difficulties. It is none other than Satan the

    Devil, “the ruler of the world.”—John 14:30; 2 Cor.

    4:4.

    COMMENTS

    Can people be charged with being party to a crime if they were present and did nothing to stop it?

    http://johndimotto.blogspot.com/2011/06/party-to-crime-law-in-wisconsin.html

    Satan, cause of MANY but not all of the world’s difficulties…hmm

    *** g98 9/8 p. 27 Should We Blame Satan for Our Sins? ***

    We must understand that while God acknowledges that the Devil can sway our actions and bears a large measure of responsibility for mankind’s sinful condition, this does not relieve us of our own personal accountability. Thus, Romans 14:12 says: “Each of us will render an account for himself to God.”

    That means that elders cannot hide behind the “imperfect men” WT clause.

    3. How may our thinking become distorted?

    3 However, we cannot blame Satan for all our

    woes. Why not? Because some of our problems are

    the result of our own mistakes. (Read Deuteronomy

    32:4-6.) Even though we might admit that fact, our

    imperfect nature can distort our thinking and cause

    us to go down a path that eventually leads to disaster.

    (Prov. 14:12) In what way? Instead of blaming ourselves

    or Satan for a problem, we could start to blame

    Jehovah. We might even become “enraged against Jehovah

    himself.”—Prov. 19:3.

    COMMENTS

    How many times when you approached the elders with something serious that had been done towards you or your family, were you asked what you did? I saw a 15 year old girl grilled as if she had seduced her own father.

    *** w95 2/1 p. 29 Whose Fault Is It? ***

    When something goes wrong in our lives, we will not immediately follow our ancestors Adam and Eve and say: “It is not my fault!” Instead, we will ask ourselves, ‘What could I have done differently to have avoided this unhappy outcome? Did I exercise good judgment in the matter and seek counsel from a wise source? Did I give the other party or parties involved the benefit of the doubt, imputing dignity to them?’

    4, 5. How could a Christian become “enraged

    against Jehovah”?

    4 Is it really possible that we could become

    “enraged against Jehovah”? Surely

    to do so would be futile. (Isa. 41:11)

    What would we hope to gain? A poet

    once said: “Your arm’s too short to box

    with God.” We may never go so far as

    to vocalize a complaint against Jehovah.

    But Proverbs 19:3 says that a man’s

    foolishness “distorts his way, and so his

    heart becomes enraged against Jehovah

    himself.” Yes, a person can become enraged

    against God in his heart. This attitude

    could manifest itself in subtle ways.

    An individual could, as it were, hold a

    grudge against Jehovah. As a result, that

    person might withdraw from the congregation

    or not fully support arrangements

    for Jehovah’s worship.

    COMMENTS

    Cited scripture

    Snippet scripture

    Who is that poet, why did the WTS not dignify the writer with name and true credit? Aren’t the scriptures enough?

    JAMES WELDON JOHNSON

    http://www.goodmorals.org/poetry/JohnsonJ-Prodigal.htm

    http://www.biography.com/people/james-weldon-johnson-9356013

    If you have lived in Isaiah’s time or the time the Israelites were worshipping pagan idols in the temple, sacrificing their children to the fire to false gods, could you have truly worshiped God in truth going there? Perhaps only at home could an Israelite be able to worship apart from pagan practices. If your child’s molester attended the same congregation, protected by the WT policies, would you stay there, would you worry that other molesters were hidden in other congregations?

    5 What could prompt us to be “enraged

    against Jehovah”? How can we

    avoid that trap? It is vital that we know

    the answers to these questions. Why, our

    very relationship with Jehovah God is involved!

    COMMENTS

    What about our relationship with Jesus?

    In all comments on this in the WT publications, only “anointed” jws are encouraged to have a close relationship with Jesus; does that mean the other sheep don’t need to?

    WHAT COULD PROMPT US TO BECOME

    “ENRAGED AGAINST JEHOVAH”?

    6, 7. Why did the Israelites in Moses’ time

    start to complain about Jehovah?

    6 What could cause the heart of a

    faithful servant of Jehovah to start to

    complain about his God? Let us consider

    five factors and analyze Bible examples

    that highlight how some in the past

    fell into this trap.—1 Cor. 10:11, 12.

    COMMENTS

    What could make someone complain about God, if it seemed that the all powerful, all-knowing God allowed bad things to go on in the congregation with the knowledge of his “spirit-appointed” servants, the elders, and not protect his servants in the congregation…making God a party to the crime because he allows it? I’m not talking about the bad outside the congregation but the group the WTS says has God’s backing, the only ones.

    7 The negative speech of others can

    influence us. (Read Deuteronomy 1:26-

    28.) The Israelites had just been delivered

    from slavery in Egypt. Jehovah had

    miraculously brought ten plagues on

    that oppressive nation and thereafter destroyed

    Pharaoh and his military force

    in the Red Sea. (Ex. 12:29-32, 51; 14:29-

    31; Ps. 136:15) God’s people were poised

    to enter the Promised Land. Yet, at that

    crucial moment, the Israelites started to

    complain about Jehovah. What caused

    this lack of faith? Their hearts melted

    because of the negative report of some

    who had been sent to spy out the land.

    (Num. 14:1-4) What resulted? A whole

    generation was not allowed to enter into

    that “good land.” (Deut. 1:34, 35) Could

    we at times allow the negative speech

    of others to weaken our faith and cause

    us to grumble about Jehovah’s dealings

    with us?

    COMMENTS

    So have jws today seen the Red Sea part or the ten plagues in Egypt or seen their firstborn sons protected by the blood while the sons of the Egyptians died.

    Is it a fair comparison to jws today that have not seen such things to prove an all-powerful God was on their side, NO.

    Everyone under 20 died in the wilderness, except the 2 good spies, Joshua and Caleb and high priest Eleazar. From this can we concluded that anyone male, 19 and under is not held personal accountable for their actions regards serving God? Yet the women had to wander until they died.

    (Numbers 14:29, 30) 29 In this wilderness YOUR carcasses will fall, yes, all YOUR registered ones of all YOUR number from twenty years old upward, YOU who have murmured against me. 30 As for YOU, YOU will not enter into the land in which I lifted up my hand [in oath] to reside with YOU, except Ca′leb the son of Je·phun′neh and Joshua the son of Nun.

    PICTURE: Listening to negative talk can have a bad effect on you

    (See paragraph 7)

    8. What caused God’s people in Isaiah’s day to

    start to blame Jehovah for their situation?

    8 Hardships and difficulties may discourage

    us. (Read Isaiah 8:21, 22.) In

    Isaiah’s day, the nation of Judah found

    themselves in dire straits. They were surrounded

    by enemies. Food was scarce.

    Many were hungry. But more important,

    there was a spiritual famine. (Amos 8:

    11) Instead of looking to Jehovah for help

    in dealing with these hardships, however,

    they started to “call down evil” on

    their king and on their God. Yes, they

    blamed Jehovah for their problems. If we

    are beset by tragedy or personal problems,

    might we likewise say in our heart,

    ‘Where was Jehovah when I needed

    him?’

    COMMENTS

    When hardships and difficulties are from outside the congregation, they can be a challenge, but how more a challenge when these are caused DELIBERATELY by those we consider our friends, our spiritual family?

    Notice how the WTS skillfully tie God and the king together. Were they correct to call down evil on the kings? How about Ahaz?

    *** it-1 pp. 61-62 Ahaz ***

    Whatever his exact age, Ahaz died relatively young and left a record of consistent delinquency. Despite the fact that Isaiah, Hosea, and Micah all actively prophesied during Ahaz’ time, rank idolatry marked his reign. He not only allowed it among his subjects but also personally and regularly engaged in pagan sacrificing, to the extent of offering up his own son(s) in fire in the Valley of Hinnom. (2Ki 16:3, 4; 2Ch 28:3, 4) Because of this abandonment to false worship, Ahaz’ rule was beset by a flood of troubles.

    9. Why did the Israelites in Ezekiel’s day develop

    a wrong viewpoint?

    9 We do not know all the facts. Because

    of not having all the facts, the Israelites

    in Ezekiel’s day felt that Jehovah’s

    way was “not adjusted right.” (Ezek. 18:

    29) It was as if they had set themselves

    up as judges of God, putting their own

    standards of justice above Jehovah’s and

    judging him based on their own limited

    understanding of events. If we at times

    do not fully understand a Bible account

    or the way events develop in our own

    life, could we perhaps feel in our heart

    that the way of Jehovah is unfair, “not adjusted

    right”?—Job 35:2.

    COMMENTS

    Another snippet scripture….

    I always wondered what the Israelite soldiers thought when they shoved their sword through a Canaanite baby? It’s not a surprise that the WTS avoids these scriptures as much as possible and never names the “breathing thing” a child.

    (Joshua 11:10, 11) . . .More than that, Joshua turned about at that time and captured Ha′zor; and its king he struck down with the sword, because Ha′zor was before that the head of all these kingdoms. 11 And they went striking every soul that was in it with the edge of the sword, devoting [them] to destruction. No breathing thing at all was left over, and he burned Ha′zor in the fire.

    (Deuteronomy 20:16, 17) . . .It is only of the cities of these peoples that Jehovah your God is giving you as an inheritance that you must not preserve any breathing thing alive, 17 because you should without fail devote them to destruction, the Hit′tites and the Am′or·ites, the Ca′naan·ites and the Per′iz·zites, the Hi′vites and the Jeb′u·sites, just as Jehovah your God has commanded you;

    10. How could someone follow Adam’s wrong

    example?

    10 We shift the blame for our own sins

    and mistakes. Right at the beginning of

    human history, Adam blamed God for

    his own sin. (Gen. 3:12) Although Adam

    deliberately and with full knowledge of

    the consequences broke God’s law, he

    blamed Jehovah. In effect, he said that

    Jehovah had given him a bad wife. Since

    that time, others have followed Adam’s

    example of blaming God for their own

    mistakes. We do well to ask, ‘Could disappointment

    and frustration over my

    mistakes cause me to be dissatisfied

    with Jehovah’s standards?’

    COMMENTS

    The WTS is “hinting” here that some that have lost “privileges”
    or been disciplined by the elders are disgruntled or because of the severe errors, hurtful to others, by the elders.

    So is the WTS saying that God’s standards mean check to see if they are required to tell secular authorities about the crimes committed by their members, such as pedophilia? Why then do the elders call WT headquarters first before reporting to find if it is required under Caesar’s laws? So if one state requires it and another does not, they report it and not in the other? What does the bible say?

    (Leviticus 5:1) 5 “‘Now in case a soul sins in that he has heard public cursing and he is a witness or he has seen it or has come to know of it, if he does not report it, then he must answer for his error.

    11. What lesson can we learn from Jonah?

    11 We become too self-centered. The

    prophet Jonah had a problem with Jehovah’s

    merciful decision regarding Nineveh.

    (Jonah 4:1-3) Why? He apparently

    became too concerned about losing face

    when his proclamation of destruction

    did not come true. Jonah allowed concern

    over his reputation to overshadow

    any compassion he should have felt for

    the repentant Ninevites. Could we likewise

    become so self-centered that we

    become “enraged against Jehovah” for

    not bringing the end sooner? If we have

    been preaching for decades that Jehovah’s

    day is close, could we start to become

    impatient with Jehovah when others

    criticize us for proclaiming what the

    Bible says?—2 Pet. 3:3, 4, 9.

    COMMENTS

    I can remember an elder that pressured and manipulated another elder body, JC, to DF someone. They only reason they didn’t was pride, how dare an elder from another congregation tell them what to do. And the prideful elders, all remain elders to this day with their pride to keep them secure.

    Not bringing the end sooner—I have access to a “faithful witness” board that have been hoping for the end to come soon, very soon, not thinking of the billions that will die even babies born to the “wrong parents.”

    HOW TO AVOID BECOMING

    “ENRAGED AGAINST JEHOVAH”

    12, 13. If in our heart we start to question

    some of Jehovah’s activities, what must we not

    neglect?

    12 What can we do if our sinful heart

    starts to question some of Jehovah’s activities?

    Remember that it is unwise to

    do so. Another translation of Proverbs

    19:3 says: “A man’s ignorance muddles

    his affairs and he flies out against Jehovah.”

    (Byington) With that in mind, let us

    now consider five factors that will help

    us never to allow the frustrations of life

    to make us blame Jehovah.

    COMMENTS

    Question what activities?

    In our heart…not just with your mouth…remember that

    *** w08 1/15 p. 14 par. 7 “Rightly Disposed” Ones Are Responding ***

    7 Jehovah has appointed Jesus as Judge; hence, we do not have the right to judge anybody. That is fitting, since—unlike Jesus—we can judge only by the “mere appearance to [our] eyes” or “the thing heard by [our] ears,” whereas Jesus can read the intimate thoughts and reasonings of the heart.—Isa. 11:1-5; 2 Tim. 4:1.

    So the WTS does not always use the NWT or the RNWT.

    13 Do not neglect your relationship

    with Jehovah. We can avoid the imperfect

    tendency to become enraged against

    God if we maintain a close relationship

    with him. (Read Proverbs 3:5, 6.) We

    need to trust in Jehovah. We also need to

    avoid becoming wise in our own eyes or

    becoming self-centered. (Prov. 3:7; Eccl.

    7:16) We will then be less likely to blame

    Jehovah when bad things happen.

    COMMENTS

    What about our relationship with Jesus, where is Jesus in this picture.

    Acts 1:8 Jesus said his followers would be “witness of me” not Jehovah. Try find the phrase “Jehovah’s witnesses” or “witnesses of Jehovah” in the bible.

    “wise in our own eyes” because we find it in the bible, not human interpretation in human publications?

    “self-centered” when putting God and Jesus ahead of any man-made organization.

    Blame God when it is a man-made organization that has gone from 1914, 1915, 1920, 1925, 1940’s, 1975…as the end of “this system of things.”

    14, 15. What will help us not to be affected by

    the negative speech of others?

    14 Do not allow negative speech to affect

    you. The Israelites in Moses’ day

    had ample reason to believe that Jehovah

    would successfully usher them into the

    Promised Land. (Ps. 78:43-53) But when

    faced with the negative report of the ten

    unfaithful spies, they did not “remember

    his hand.” (Ps. 78:42) If we meditate on

    Jehovah’s activities, remembering all the

    good things he has done for us, we will

    strengthen our relationship with him. As

    a result, we will not allow the negative

    ideas of others to drive a wedge between

    us and Jehovah.—Ps. 77:11, 12.

    COMMENTS

    Who has given a negative report? The rank and file among the WT organization?

    http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/1800s.php

    15 What if we have a negative attitude

    toward our fellow worshippers? Under

    such circumstances, our relationship

    with Jehovah can be affected. (1 John 4:

    20) When the Israelites questioned Aaron’s

    appointment and position, Jehovah

    viewed that action as murmuring against

    Him. (Num. 17:10) Similarly, if we were

    to start grumbling and murmuring about

    those whom Jehovah is using to direct

    the earthly part of his organization, we

    could by inference be complaining about

    Jehovah.—Heb. 13:7, 17.

    COMMENTS

    It’s not the rank and file that come up with theses lies and errors hurting people who trust them. Place the responsibility where it belongs on the ones who say God has put them in ultimate charge, that God is speaking through them.

    How many Israelites where encouraged it was right to worship the golden calf when they saw Aaron supporting it? Notice how the WTS dances around Aaron’s responsibility and blames it on his peers.

    *** w10 11/15 p. 8 par. 4 Young Ones—Resist Peer Pressure ***

    4 On one occasion, Moses’ brother, Aaron, succumbed to peer pressure. When the Israelites urged him to make a god for them, he did so. Aaron was not a weakling. Previously, he stood with Moses when they confronted Pharaoh, the most powerful man in Egypt. Aaron then spoke boldly, declaring God’s message to him. But when fellow Israelites put pressure on him, Aaron caved in. What power peer pressure can exert! Aaron found it easier to stand up to the king of Egypt than to stand up to his peers.—Ex. 7:1, 2; 32:1-4.

    *** w04 3/15 p. 27 par. 4 Highlights From the Book of Exodus ***

    Why was Aaron not punished for making the golden calf? Aaron was not in heartfelt sympathy with the idolatry. Later, he apparently joined fellow Levites in taking a stand for God and against those who resisted Moses. After the guilty were slain, Moses reminded the people that they had sinned greatly, indicating that others besides Aaron also received Jehovah’s mercy.

    16, 17. What do we need to remember when

    we are having problems?

    16 Remember that Jehovah does not

    cause our problems. Though the Israel-

    ites in Isaiah’s day had turned away from

    Jehovah, He still wanted to help them.

    (Isa. 1:16-19) No matter what problem

    we may face, we can find comfort in

    knowing that Jehovah cares for us and

    wants to help us. (1 Pet. 5:7) In fact, he

    promises to provide us with the strength

    needed to keep on enduring.—1 Cor.

    10:13.

    COMMENTS

    But he does not stop them. Not all our problems are self-caused. Many are caused by those we consider trust and consider our friends and fellow worshippers. People whose tongues stab with gossip and lies and innuendos. Who judge without mercy while they do the things they condemn in others.

    Remember Job’s children who God allowed to be killed by Satan.

    17 If we are suffering some form of injustice—

    even as the faithful man Job

    did—we need to remind ourselves that

    Jehovah is not the cause of the unfairness.

    Jehovah hates injustice; he loves

    righteousness. (Ps. 33:5) May we, like

    Job’s friend Elihu, acknowledge: “Far be

    it from the true God to act wickedly, and

    the Almighty to act unjustly!” (Job 34:10)

    Rather than causing our problems, Jehovah

    gives us “every good gift and every

    perfect present.”—Jas. 1:13, 17.

    COMMENTS

    If you knew someone was going to kill all the children of your best friend and you had the means to stop it, would you?

    Remember all the Canaanite babies that died with a Israelite sword through them because they were born to the wrong parents.

    18, 19. Why should we never doubt Jehovah?

    Illustrate.

    18 Never doubt Jehovah. God is perfect,

    and his thoughts are higher than

    ours. (Isa. 55:8, 9) So humility and modesty

    should help us to admit that we are

    limited in our understanding. (Rom. 9:

    20) Rarely do we have all the facts about

    a certain situation. No doubt, you have

    experienced the truthfulness of this

    proverb: “The first to present his case

    seems right, till another comes forward

    and questions him.”—Prov. 18:17, New International

    Version.

    COMMENTS

    How humble and modest are the self-proclaimed “governing body” of the WTS? How many times will they have to adjust and clarify their explanations of God’s word, showing how limited they are in their understanding. Jws have read more words in the WTS publications than they have in the bible when it is the words of God.

    Who and what is right, the words in the bible or the ever-changing explanation of the WTS administration?

    19 If we have a trusted friend who

    does something that we might not at

    first understand or that we feel is unusual,

    will we be quick to accuse him

    of some wrongdoing? Or will we be inclined

    to give our friend the benefit of

    the doubt, especially if we have known

    that person for many years? If we deal

    with our imperfect friends in such a

    loving manner, how much more should

    we be inclined to trust our heavenly

    Father, whose ways and thoughts are

    much higher than ours!

    COMMENTS

    That’s exactly what happens in congregations of jws all over the world. Accusations are made based on hearsay and confessions forced under threat by elders. My ex-elder husband laughed the first time he saw elders use the good cop-bad copy procedures, ineffectively. I wonder what bible book that was in, Hezekiah? You are guilty until proven innocent…maybe.

    Is it God who we are not trusting or the men who claim to be his supporters and exhibit the traits of Satan instead? Remember Job was accused of having committed serious sins because of the disasters in his life, and by his friends, fellow worshippers.

    (Job 8:1-6) 8 And Bil′dad the Shu′hite proceeded to answer and say: 2 “How long will you keep uttering these things, When the sayings of your mouth are but a powerful wind? 3 Will God himself pervert judgment, Or will the Almighty himself pervert righteousness? 4 If your own sons have sinned against him, So that he lets them go into the hand of their revolt, 5 If you yourself will look for God, And [if] of the Almighty you will implore favor, 6 If you are pure and upright, By now he would awake for you And he would certainly restore your righteous abiding place.

    *** w04 8/15 p. 14 par. 8 Hated Without Cause ***

    Further, by means of false comforters, Satan sought to ‘crush Job with words,’ first insinuating that he must have committed some serious sin and then directly condemning him as a wrongdoer. (Job 4:6-9; 19:2; 22:5-10) How disheartening that would have been for Job!

    20, 21. Why is it important for us to lay the

    blame where it belongs?

    20 Lay the blame where it belongs.

    Why should we do so? Well, we may be

    responsible for some of our problems.

    If we are, we need to acknowledge that

    fact. (Gal. 6:7) Do not try to blame Jehovah

    for the problems. Why would such a

    course be unreasonable? Consider this

    example: A car may be capable of traveling

    at a high speed. Imagine that a

    driver greatly exceeds the recommended

    speed limit when traveling around a

    sharp curve and he crashes. Should the

    manufacturer of the car be held accountable

    for the accident? No, of course not!

    Similarly, Jehovah has created us with

    free will. But he has also provided us

    with guidelines on how to make wise

    decisions. So why would we blame our

    Creator for our own mistakes?

    COMMENTS

    Yes, remember the elders will first say you are the cause of your problems; then Satan and his world, but never, never by the elders or the governing body…although they say they are only imperfect men but with God’s holy spirit.

    Remember that the manufacturer does not have the power to reach out and stop the accident. David and Bathsheba should have been put to death for adultery and David for murder. There was no basis for forgiveness by the older men in the gate. God made sure they did not die for their sins while other adulterers and murderers in Israel had no recourse for repentance and survival.

    21 Of course, not all our problems

    are a result of our personal mistakes

    and wrong actions. Some events take

    place as a result of “time and unforeseen

    occurrence.” (Eccl. 9:11) Ultimately,

    though, let us never lose sight of

    the fact that Satan the Devil is the primary

    cause of wickedness. (1 John 5:19;

    Rev. 12:9) He is the enemy—not Jehovah!

    —1 Pet. 5:8.

    COMMENTS

    If Satan is the primary cause, where does free will and personal responsibility fit in? Can God be a party to the crime if he does not help us? Why let some live like David and other murderers, repentant, die?

    TREASURE YOUR PRECIOUS

    RELATIONSHIP WITH JEHOVAH

    22, 23. What should we remember if we become

    discouraged because of our problems?

    22 When you are undergoing hardship

    and difficulties, remember the example

    of Joshua and Caleb. Unlike the ten other

    spies, these two faithful men brought

    back a positive report. (Num. 14:6-9)

    They showed faith in Jehovah. Even so,

    they had to wander in the wilderness for

    40 years along with the rest of the Israelites.

    Did Joshua and Caleb complain

    or become bitter, feeling that this was

    unfair? No. They trusted in Jehovah.

    Were they blessed? Absolutely! Whereas

    a whole generation died in the wilderness,

    both of these men eventually

    entered the Promised Land. (Num. 14:

    30) Similarly, we will receive Jehovah’s

    blessing if we do not “tire out” in doing

    his will.—Gal. 6:9; Heb. 6:10.

    COMMENTS

    Remember Joshua and Caleb saw the Red Sea parted, the firstborn protected, the 10 plagues, the pillar of fire/cloud follow the camp…if you had seen that and only a few months later, would you have complained?

    23 If you are discouraged because of

    problems, the imperfections of others,

    or your own imperfections, what should

    you do? Focus on Jehovah’s marvelous

    qualities. Visualize the hope that Jehovah

    has given you. Ask yourself, ‘Where

    would I be without Jehovah? ’Always remain

    close to him, and never allow your

    heart to become enraged against him!

    COMMENTS

    Deliberate imperfections of others in the congregation is what discourages the most. Illness is not as bad when you have loving support rather than accusations and words with no substance. Be warm and well fed…why no closeness to Jesus….are jws Christians or jews?

    CLOSING COMMENTS

    Late again, in the hospital, they kept me busy, hardly any time to sleep.

    NEXT WEEK, Consider and Encourage One Another.

    Brother Unencouraging: Sister Blondie: I noticed you have been missing meetings. You know we stay spiritually strong…

    Sister Blondie: Yes, I know that, but then God did not expect Job to go to any meetings, His friends visited him.

    Brother Unencouraging: Perhaps you have done something to hurt God…

    Sister Blondie: What, strep throat is caused by sin?

    BU: My wife saw you at the store…

    SB: Pharmacy….yesterday, which means what, I wasn’t sick? Perhaps I need a note from the doctor for you…perhaps I should check with the COBOE.

    I brought the COBOE over and asked if I was required to bring a note from the doctor to prove I was sick to BU….he doesn’t believe I was and is calling me a liar…of course the COBOE’s face looks like, now this idiot BU is doing this again.

    COBOE: No, I believe you and I will talk to BU about this.

    I guess I didn’t recognize consideration and encouragement. BU stayed away and the COBOE made sure of it. I guess I had been BU’s focus at the elder’s meetings and had been told to stay away…but his cruelty continues 12 years later. They must really need elders.

  • Gypsy Sam
    Gypsy Sam

    Thanks for the coverage. I keep up so as to have comments for JW family, but not for much longer. Not sure how you do it every week, but we do appreciate you.

  • blondie
    blondie

    Comments from the "faithful"

    Hope everyone is doing well. Going by worsening world conditions, I have to ask, how much time does this system have left? I know we're not supposed to speculate on this but in these tough times like the one I'm going through, it rather gives us hope that this system is nearing its end. We will finally live in paradise and all of the earth will be filled with Jehovah's holy spirit. What say you my brothers and sisters, do you have hope this system will end sooner rather than later? --- No thought about the more than 7 billion non-jws

  • WTWizard
    WTWizard

    Bad illustration at the start of the article. A spouse is not hellbent on enslaving the other spouse as joke-hova is on enslaving mankind. Usually, if one comes in and finds the house a mess, usually it has been burgled. Unlike joke-hova, the spouse is usually not at fault.

    Though, it can and does happen. Especially if the spouse has a drinking problem and has been known to do this many times before and then blame "a burglar", or even blame the victim, it might be plausible and reasonable to expect this. And possibly even blame someone that tried to intervene and prevent the disaster (usually someone calling the cops because they think someone is going to blow something up or burn down the house). This can sometimes happen if the spouse is trying to tyrannize the other spouse. When that is the case, the innocent spouse is usually blamed.

    The fact is, right in their own LIE-ble, one can see that Satan is trying to liberate mankind from joke-hova's tyranny. Joke-hova issued a blatant death threat for disobeying its order to just do its bidding without looking at anything else, disguised as a literal fruit tree. It is only wrong to question joke-hova if that thing is trying to enslave the human race, and it is pretty obvious from the hissy fit joke-hova threw after Satan tried liberating us. Then, joke-hova tries using its "chosen race" to destroy all mankind not obeying that thing. This is blatantly obvious right in their own LIE-ble--throughout the first 6 books of that most destructive of works of all time.

    And Jesus is not much better. Jesus merely extends the rules that we must not fight back when enemies attack us, that we must let those in power enslave us, and we must obey those who wish to enslave us. That thing, which I believe is about as real as the flying spaghetti monster, also enforces the sex hang-ups that have made such a mess of society today. Not to mention, Jesus is pro-Communism. If you had the foresight to prepare for something and everyone else was so engrossed in promoting Christi-SCAM-ity that they refused, you are supposed to help everyone else even if that means you yourself would be put in danger. I might have plenty of batteries for myself in the event of rolling blackouts, but I cannot supply the whole congregation of almost 100 publishers, let alone an entire 2 or 3 million "sincere xians" that joke-hova might wish to use me to assist.

    Now, I think this is quite timely in that people are going to hold harmless the real source of many attempted and accomplished acts of sabotage against the whole human race that is upcoming. The debt ceiling that the Rothschilds (one of joke-hova's "chosen") will attempt to use to declare bank holidays and do a bail-in is joke-hova's fault, yet one "must not get mad at that thing" for doing this. The sickness care abomination that will require microchips (and the vague language about that in section 2521) and is a nightmare for many to even sign up for is a Rothschild and Rockefeller production--two more families of joke-hova's "chosen ones". For sure, Satan has nothing to do with instigating this. The EPA's closing of coal plants and restricting oil make us vulnerable to whatever goes on in the Middle East, and whatever energy crisis they feel like imposing on us as they did in 1973. Again, support of Israel could result in another embargo as it did late 1973. Does anyone else recall how the LIE-ble keeps insisting that Israel is God's chosen? Or that Christians are supposed to be "spiritual Israelites"?

    Well, if joke-hova is leading its "chosen people" to do crap like this, and has a track record of trying to enslave mankind, and has been responsible for crusades, inquisitions, wars, pulling people out of Africa against their will to sell as slaves, homophobia, bashing of women as second class citizens and property, and has zero tolerance for questioning its policies, is it not reasonable that we should be enraged against joke-hova?

  • losingit
    losingit

    Your analysis every week helps to remind me that I only left garbage behind.

    Thank you!

  • Julia Orwell
    Julia Orwell

    I notice the article really foregrounds that we ourselves are responsible for bad things in our lives. Time n unforseen occurrence, as well ad Satan's world, get some lip service at the end. The overall effect is that the jw readers will be blaming themselves for everything, lowering self esteem and instilling more guilt. Criminal! And yet jws will walk away from that study telling each other how encouraging it was!

  • LoisLane looking for Superman
    LoisLane looking for Superman

    You have made so many outstanding comments.

    "Are we followers of Jehovah or Jesus? Are we Jew or Christian?"

    "What did Israelite's think of as they were shoving their sword through a Cannanite baby?"

    "How many times when you approached by the elders about a wrong doing, the elder's turned it around and asked what did you do wrong? I saw a 15 year old girl grilled by Elders, as though she had been the one to seduce her father."

    Hoping Armageddon comes soon to alleviate JW's older ones from sickness and death "But what about all the billions who will die, including babies, born to the wrong "parents"?

    "Who and what is right? The words in the Bible or the ever changing explanation of the WTS administration?"

    Is this a Jesus Christian religion, or a Jehovah Jewish religion?

    Blondie I hope your Hospital visit was a successful one.

    Everything is better after you are back home in your own little beddie and can sleep without the nurses shining a flashlight into your face to make sure you are asleep. lol I am wishing you a good rest and sending happy healing thoughts your way.

    LoisLane

    PS Is strep throat caused by sin? lol Do I need a note from my Doctor? lol Good come back.

  • prologos
    prologos

    thank you blondie. checking with my scribble in the margins, and you are right on, readable for all, thank you

    failing bodies but live minds, free minds.

    and thank you wt writers to plow up these issues to expose what really goes on, even if you try to gloss over them.

  • blondie
    blondie

    Thanks everyone.

    "What did Israelite's think of as they were shoving their sword through a Cannanite baby?"

    The first time I read the bible and not the "selected" scriptures in the WT publications; I wondered why the WTS was not more clear that every breathing thing included babies, even pregnant women. Being a child, I wondered how I could be such a threat. The Israelites would have killed me and thought they were serving God by doing so. How is that any different than the Israelites who tossed their children into the fire to worship a god?

  • KiddingMe
    KiddingMe

    Marked

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