Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 06-07-09 WT Study (JOB NAME)

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    blondie

    Comments You Will Not Hear at the 06-07-09 WT Study (April 15, 2009, pages 3-7)(JOB NAME)Review comments will be in red
    WT material from today's WT will be in black
    Quotes from other sources will be in quotes boxes
    w = Watchtower
    g = Awake
    jv = Proclaimers book

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    JOB HELD HIGH THE NAME OF JEHOVAH
    "Let the name of Jehovah continue to be blessed."--JOB 1:21[/b]

    OPENING COMMENTS

    Does God speak directly to anyone but through the Word?

    Quote

    *** w04 1/1 p. 29 Highlights From the Book of Genesis—I ***
    3:8—Did Jehovah God speak to Adam directly? The Bible reveals that when God spoke to humans, it was often through an angel. (Genesis 16:7-11; 18:1-3, 22-26; 19:1; Judges 2:1-4; 6:11-16, 22; 13:15-22) God’s chief spokesman was his only-begotten Son, called “the Word.” (John 1:1) Very likely God spoke to Adam and Eve through “the Word.”—Genesis 1:26-28; 2:16; 3:8-13.

    VERY LIKELY

    Quote

    *** w93 6/1 p. 21 What Does It Take to Make You Happy? ***
    Today, God does not speak to his servants directly as he did to Job. Instead, he reproves them by means of his Word and his spirit-directed organization.

    SPOKE DIRECTLY TO JOB but NOW THROUGH ORGANIZATION

    Quote

    *** w90 5/1 p. 30 Questions From Readers ***
    Did Jehovah God speak to Adam directly, or did he speak through the Word, the only-begotten Son of God?

    The Bible does not give us an explicit answer to this question. While God could have spoken directly to his perfect human son in Eden, likely He communicated with Adam through the Word...God said to the first man: “From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction.” (Genesis 2:16, 17) Jehovah did not need some mechanical or electronic device, such as a megaphone or a shortwave radio. As The Watchtower of August 1, 1989, said: “The man saw no one doing the speaking. The voice came from the invisible, the unseen realm, and it was addressing him. It was the voice of the man’s Maker, his Creator! . . . The man needed no modern scientific radio receiver to hear the divine voice. God conversed with him directly.”

    Did God speak through an angel, perhaps the Logos, who became Jesus? That is quite possible. While not being dogmatic, C. T. Russell wrote:
    “Jesus perhaps was the Representative of God in the Garden of Eden with Adam.”
    (The Watch Tower, February 1, 1915) God’s firstborn Son
    long served in the exalted capacity of his Father’s “Word,” or Spokesman, to angels and men. (John 1:1; 12:49, 50; Revelation 1:1, 2) So even if
    the Genesis account conveys the impression that God spoke directly to solitary Adam, that does not rule out His speaking through an angel,

    including the Word, Jehovah’s heavenly Son. Especially would this be so considering that Jehovah used the Logos to create man in the first place, and this one ‘was fond of the things involving the sons of men.’—Proverbs 8:22, 31; John 1:3...It is true that when the Logos was later on earth, the Father three times spoke audibly so that this “last Adam” could hear. (1 Corinthians 15:45; Matthew 3:16, 17; 17:1-5; John 12:28-30)

    On these occasions, why should God speak to or about his precious Son through an intervening angel? More logically, Jehovah would speak directly; his perfect Son, and even imperfect humans nearby, heard God’s own voice. So when the perfect man Adam was created, his loving
    Father could have dealt directly with this perfect new creation
    . However, in view of the foregoing, it is likely that he used the Word.

    LIKELY...QUITE POSSIBLE...PERHAPS...COULD HAVE (directly speak to Adam)

    Quote

    *** w78 11/1 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***
    Did Jehovah God speak to Adam directly or through an angel?

    Likely God spoke to Adam through his Son, who later became Jesus.

    The Bible reveals that often when God spoke to humans it was through an angel, who might even be spoken of as if he were Jehovah. (Gen. 16:7-11; Judg. 2:1-4; 6:11-16; 13:15-22; compare Exodus 3:2-4 with Acts 7:30, 35.) The Scriptures pointedly say that God transmitted the Law to Moses through angels.—Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2, 3.

    God’s chief spokesman was his only-begotten Son, called “the Word.” God often used him to communicate with humans. (John 1:1) Through him
    God created all other things. (John 1:3; Col. 1:16) The Word, then, would be the one to whom Jehovah said: “Let us make man in our image.” The
    creation account adds that God “said to [Adam and Eve]: ‘Be fruitful and become many.’” Logically, God said this and other things to Adam and
    Eve through “the Word” who was so involved with humans
    .—Gen. 1:26-28; 2:16; 3:8-13; Prov. 8:31.

    LIKELY


    START OF ARTICLE


    Q 1. Who likely wrote the book of Job, and when?


    Moses was about 40 years old when he fled from Egypt to escape the wrath of Pharaoh and took up residence in Midian. (Acts 7:23) During his
    stay in that land, he could have heard of the trials of Job, who was living nearby in the land of Uz. Years later, when Moses and the nation of Israel
    were near Uz toward the end of their wilderness journey, Moses may have learned about Job's final years. Jewish tradition holds that Moses wrote
    the book of Job sometime after Job's death.

    Once again we are in the land of OT scripture.

    COULD HAVE HEARD

    MAY HAVE LEARNED

    JEWISH TRADITION (does the WTS rely on Jewish tradition?)

    Quote

    *** w07 1/15 p. 12 Milestones in the Production of African-Language Bibles ***Instead, they followed the superstitious Jewish tradition of replacing the divine name with titles, such as God or Lord.

    Quote

    *** w96 6/1 p. 5 When Prejudice Will Be No More! ***
    Take, for example, the case of Saul of Tarsus. According to the Bible account, he at one time violently opposed the Christian congregation
    because he followed rigid religious traditions. (Acts 8:1-3) He was fully convinced by Jewish tradition that all Christians were apostates and
    enemies of true worship. His prejudice led him to support the killing of Christians.
    The Bible says that he was “breathing threat and murder against the disciples of the Lord.” (Acts 9:1) While doing so, he imagined that he was rendering a sacred service to God.—Compare John 16:2.

    Q 2. In what ways is the book of Job an encouragement to Jehovah's servants in modern times?

    2. The book of Job strengthens the faith of God's servants in modern times. In what ways? The narrative opens our eyes to events of far-reaching importance that occurred in heaven and underscores the paramount issue of God's universal sovereignty. The account of Job also deepens our understanding of what is involved in keeping integrity and helps us to grasp why Jehovah sometimes allows his servants to suffer. Furthermore, the book of Job identifies Satan the Devil as Jehovah's chief Adversary and mankind's enemy. The book also shows that imperfect humans like Job can remain loyal to Jehovah despite intense testing. Let us examine some of the events described in the book of Job.

    Jehovah's servants in modern times--only jws

    why "God" sometimes allows his servants to suffer--so are each of us proving over and over than humans can keep integrity to God without an
    ulterior motive? Didn't Job and Jesus cover all the bases?

    Did Job know of Satan's existence?

    The word Satan does not even appear in the NWT until 1 Chronicles 21:1

    But that doesn't stop the WTS from inserting it into earlier scriptures:

    Quote

    *** si p. 14 par. 10 Bible Book Number 1—Genesis ***
    “And Jehovah God proceeded to say to the serpent [Satan, the invisible instigator of the rebellion]: ‘ . . . And I shall put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He will bruise you in the head and you will bruise him in the heel.’” (3:14, 15)

    Job Tested by Satan


    Q 3. What do we know about Job, and why did Satan target him?


    3. Job was a wealthy and influential man, a patriarch of good moral character. He was evidently a highly regarded counselor who befriended the needy. Most important, Job feared God. Job is described as a man, who "proved to be blameless and upright, and fearing God and turning
    aside from bad." It was Job's godly devotion--not his wealth and influence--that made him a target for the attacks of Satan the Devil.--Job 1:1;
    29:7-16; 31:1.

    God tests no one but allows Satan to? How is God not involved in the testing?

    Why was Job not required to give away his wealth and step away from his influential position to be considered blameless and upright? Doesn't that mean that jws today can be wealthy and influential and blameless at the same time?

    Are jws expected to think that each one of them is targeted directly by Satan?

    Quote

    *** w95 2/1 pp. 28-29 Whose Fault Is It? ***

    The Ultimate Excuse

    “It is God’s will.” “Blame it on the Devil.” Probably the ultimate excuse is to blame either God or the Devil for our own failures. It is true that God or Satan may influence some events in our lives. However, some believe that practically everything, good or bad, in their life is the result of
    intervention by God or by Satan.
    It is as if nothing that happened to them was a consequence of their own actions. “If God wants me to have that new car, he will see to it that I get it.”

    Such ones often live their lives recklessly, making financial and other decisions on the assumption that God will save them. If their imprudent
    actions result in some disaster, economic or otherwise, they blame the Devil. To do something rash without first ‘counting the cost’ and then to
    blame Satan for the failure, or worse yet, to expect Jehovah to intervene, would be not only presumptuous but also contrary to Scripture.—Luke
    14:28, 29.


    Q 4. What is integrity?

    4. The introductory narrative of the book of Job describes a gathering in heaven where the angels took their station before Jehovah. Satan was
    also present, and he leveled charges against Job. (Read Job 1:6-11.) Although Satan mentioned Job's possessions, he focused his attention on
    challenging Job's integrity. The term "integrity" carries the thought of being upright, blameless, righteous, and faultless. As used in the Bible,
    human integrity denotes a completeness of heart devotion to the person of Jehovah.


    Why was the "apostate" Satan allowed in heaven and to talk to God? Wasn't his presence a danger to the "faithful" angels?

    Was David an example of integrity? Wasn't the punishment under the Law, execution of murderers? Were other murderers in Israel allowed to avoid execution if they "accepted reproof" and "corrected their way"? I don't think so.

    Quote

    *** w07 8/15 p. 12 ‘O Jehovah, Put Me to the Test’ ***
    Because of his weaknesses, David committed several serious wrongs, but he nevertheless ‘walked with integrity of heart.’ (1 Kings 9:4) How? By
    accepting reproof and correcting his way. He thereby showed that he genuinely loved Jehovah. His devotion to God was complete.

    Q 5. What did Satan claim about Job?

    5. Satan claimed that Job's worship of God was based on selfishness, not integrity. Satan alleged that Job would be loyal to Jehovah only as long as God continued to reward and protect him. To provide an answer to Satan's charge, Jehovah allowed Satan to attack that faithful man. As a result, within the course of one day, Job learned that his livestock had been stolen or destroyed, his attendants had been killed, and his ten children had lost their lives. (Job 1:13-19) Did Job cave in to Satan's attack? The inspired record describes Job's reaction to his misfortune: "Jehovah himself has given, and Jehovah himself has taken away. Let the name of Jehovah continue to be blessed."--Job 1:21.

    Would jws today keep going if they were told that everlasting life was not in the cards? Were Job and wife expecting to live through some global
    destruction of the "wicked"?

    NOT ONLY JOB INVOLVED--TEN CHILDREN (Job was merely given 10 new children, the previous ten stayed dead, where is the justice in that?) While God told Satan not to kill Job, he could kill ten children instead? Job felt his children were taken away by God not Satan (who he had no knowledge of).



    Q 6. (a) What happened during another gathering in heaven? (b) Whom did Satan have in mind when he challenged Job's integrity to Jehovah?
    6. Later, there was another gathering in heaven. Again Satan leveled charges against Job, saying: "Skin in behalf of skin, and everything that a
    man has he will give in behalf of his soul. For a change, thrust out your hand, please, and touch as far as his bone and his flesh and see whether
    he will not curse you to your very face." Notice that Satan expanded his accusations. By saying, "Everything that a man has he will give in behalf of
    his soul," the Devil challenged the integrity not only of Job but of any "man" who worships Jehovah. Thereafter, God permitted Satan to strike Job with a painful disease. (Job 2:1-8) But that was not the full extent of Job's trials.

    So how many jws have had their physical life challenged?

    How many expect to die before the great tribulation, would they not be disappointed.?


    Taking Stock of Job's Position

    Q 7. In what ways did Job's wife and his visitors put pressure on Job?


    7. Initially, Job's wife suffered the same blows that her husband suffered. The loss of her children and the family wealth must have devastated her.
    It must have hurt her to see her husband suffering a painful disease. She cried out to Job: "Are you yet holding fast your integrity? Curse God and
    die!" Then, three men arrived--Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar--ostensibly to offer Job comfort. Instead, they used deceptive reasoning and proved to
    be "troublesome comforters." For example, Bildad suggested that Job's children had engaged in wrongdoing and deserved their fate. Eliphaz
    insinuated that Job's suffering was punishment for past sins. He even questioned whether those who keep integrity are of any value to God! (Job
    2:9,11; 4:8; 8:4; 16:2; 22:2, 3) Under such heavy pressure, Job kept his integrity. True, he could be faulted when he turned to "declaring his own
    soul righteous rather than God." (Job 32:2) Still, he remained faithful through it all.

    So was Job's wife integrity being tested? Would her integrity have mattered or did it have to be a man?

    How many elders are really "false comforters"?

    Bildad = children had sinned that's why they died
    Eliphaz = Job being punished for past sins

    But elders do consider themselves superior to those they "correct."

    Quote

    *** w06 8/15 p. 28 par. 15 “You Have Heard of the Endurance of Job” ***
    Unlike the three false comforters, Elihu did not consider himself superior to Job...Elihu’s wise counsel contrasts with the hurtful words of Eliphaz,
    Bildad, and Zophar. “You men have not spoken concerning me what is truthful,” Jehovah told them. (Job 42:7) Even if they claimed that they had had good intentions, they acted as tools of Satan rather than as faithful companions.All three assumed from the outset that Job himself was to blame for his calamities. (Job 4:7, 8; 8:6; 20:22, 29) According to Eliphaz, God has no confidence in his servants, and it does not matter to Him if we are righteous or not. (Job 15:15; 22:2, 3) Eliphaz even accused Job of errors he had not committed. (Job 22:5, 9)

    Q 8. What good example did Elihu provide for counsellors today?

    8. Next, we read of Elihu, who had also come to visit Job. Elihu first listened to the arguments presented by Job and his three companions.
    Although younger than the other four men, Elihu showed greater wisdom. He addressed Job considerately, using Job's personal name. Elihu commended Job for his upright course. But he also said that Job had focused too much on trying to prove his own faultlessness. Then Elihu
    assured Job that serving God faithfully is always worthwhile. (Read Job 36:1-11.) What a fine example for those who need to offer counsel today!

    Elihu--younger--first listened

    Does the WTS feel that using the person's first name is showing closeness?

    Quote

    *** km 4/96 p. 7 Question Box ***
    What is the proper use of the terms “brother” and “sister”?

    Because of our close spiritual ties within God’s household, we address one another as “Brother” and “Sister,” particularly at congregation meetings. During these spiritual occasions, the one presiding over the meeting recognizes baptized individuals by using the expression “brother” or “sister” followed by the last name of the person being addressed. Using the expressions “brother” and “sister” at our congregation meetings indicates a bond that is far closer and more precious than any indicated by the use of first names. It reminds us of the very blessed relationship we enjoy as a spiritual family under the one Father, Jehovah God. We are also reminded of the deep love and affection we have for one another.—Eph. 2:19; 1 Pet. 3:8.

    Do jws try to prove their faultlessness?


    Elder trick is to commend before they lambast you...they are trained that way. The problem lies in the fact that most of them have not said one
    word of commendation to you in the last 2 or 3 years if at all. So you know that criticism will soon follow.

    Quote

    *** w07 9/1 p. 15 Be Alert to the Importance of Commendation ***
    It is good to have in mind, however, that if we give commendation only when we plan to give counsel, our commendation may sometimes fall on
    deaf ears. Be generous in giving commendation whenever possible! Then, should counsel be needed on another occasion, it will be more readily
    accepted.

    Q 9. How did Jehovah help Job?

    9. Finally, Job had a truly awe-inspiring visitor! The record says: "Jehovah proceeded to answer Job out of the windstorm." Using a series of questions, Jehovah kindly but firmly helped Job to correct his thinking. Job willingly accepted the reproof, admitting: "I have become of little account ... I do repent in dust and ashes." After Jehovah had spoken to Job, He expressed His anger against the three companions because they
    had not spoken "what is truthful." Job was to pray for them. Then "Jehovah himself turned back the captive condition of Job when he prayed in behalf of his companions, and Jehovah began to give in addition all that had been Job's, in double amount."--Job 38:1; 40:4; 42:6-10.

    Jehovah "talked" to Job--see opening comments

    His anger--actually the WTS says that God could have killed those three "friends."

    Job had ten more children (not twenty) but were the original ten given back? Why was Satan allowed to kill them but not Job or his wife?



    How Deeply Do We Love Jehovah?


    Q 10. Why did Jehovah not ignore or destroy Satan?


    10. Jehovah is the Creator of the universe, Sovereign of all creation. Why did he not ignore the Devil's challenge? God knew that neither ignoring
    Satan nor destroying him would resolve the issue that had been raised. The Devil had claimed that Job, an outstanding servant of Jehovah, would
    not remain loyal if he lost his favored economic situation. Job's loyalty withstood the test. Then Satan claimed that any human would turn away
    from God if he suffered physically. Job suffered, but his integrity was not broken. Hence, Satan was proved to be a liar in the case of that faithful
    though imperfect man. What of other worshippers of God?

    any human--why was the the human issued resolved with Job's integrity? What about Jesus?


    Q 11. How did Jesus give a complete answer to Satan's challenge?

    11. In effect, each servant of God who keeps his integrity despite whatever Satan brings against him demonstrates that in his own personal case, the accusations of that remorseless enemy are false. Jesus came to earth and gave a complete answer to Satan's challenge. Jesus was a
    perfect man, like our first father, Adam. Jesus' faithfulness to the death conclusively demonstrated that Satan is a liar and that his accusations are
    false. --Rev. 12:10.

    each servant of God--only jws
    his (her?)


    Q 12. Each servant of Jehovah has what opportunity and responsibility?

    12. Nevertheless, Satan keeps testing Jehovah's worshippers. Each of us has the opportunity and the responsibility to demonstrate by our personal integrity that we serve Jehovah because we love him--not for selfish reasons. How do we view that responsibility? We see it as a privilege to be loyal to Jehovah. It also comforts us to know that Jehovah gives us the strength to endure and, as in the case of Job, that He sets limits to the trials we face.--1 Cor. 10:13.


    Satan testing or God--Job and "Jehovah's worshippers" (only jws today)

    If Job and Jesus provided a complete answer why...................

    loyal to Jehovah or organization?

    Quote

    *** w07 12/1 p. 11 Highlights From the Books of Haggai and Zechariah ***
    Our loyalty to the true God and his organization should surpass loyalty to any human, no matter how close.

    Quote

    *** w06 5/15 p. 22 par. 8 Are You Prepared for Survival? ***Just as Noah and his God-fearing family were preserved in the ark, survival of individuals today depends on their faith and their loyal association with the earthly part of Jehovah’s universal organization.

    Quote

    *** w06 7/15 p. 23 par. 20 Focus on the Goodness of Jehovah’s Organization ***
    A positive spirit will also enable us to bear in mind the many blessings we enjoy because of being associated with the earthly part of Jehovah’s
    organization. This is the only organization in the world that is loyal to the Sovereign of the universe.

    Quote

    *** w01 10/1 p. 22 What Does It Mean to Be Loyal? ***Loyalty to God also includes loyalty to his organization

    .


    Satan-A Defiant Adversary and Apostate


    Q 13. What details does the book of Job reveal about Satan?


    13. The Hebrew Scriptures provide details about Satan's shameful role in challenging Jehovah and leading mankind astray. In the Christian Greek Scriptures, we find more information about Satan's opposition to Jehovah, and in the book of Revelation, we learn of the vindication of Jehovah's sovereignty and Satan's final destruction. The book of Job adds to our knowledge of Satan's rebellious course. When Satan was present at the gatherings in heaven, he did not attend with the intention of praising Jehovah. The Devil had a malicious attitude and a sinister objective. After he accused Job and received permission to test him, "Satan went out away from the person of Jehovah."-Job 1:12; 2:7.

    Not until 1 Chronicles does the NWT mention the word "Satan."

    When is Satan's final destruction per the WTS?



    Q14. Satan showed what attitude toward Job?

    14. Hence, the book of Job identifies Satan as mankind's merciless enemy. Between the gathering in heaven mentioned at Job 1:6 and the one
    described at Job 2:1, an unspecified period of time passed, during which Job was cruelly put to the test. Job's faithfulness enabled Jehovah to say to Satan: "Even yet (Job) is holding fast his integrity, although you incite me against him to swallow him up without cause." But Satan did not admit that his claims had been proved wrong. On the contrary, he demanded that Job be put to another severe test. Thus, the Devil tested Job both when he was prosperous and when he was destitute. Clearly, Satan has no compassion for the needy or for victims of calamity. He hates people of integrity. (Job 2:3-5) Nevertheless, Job's faithfulness showed that Satan is a liar.

    unspecified period of time?

    Satan did not admit that his claims had been wrong.........remind you about the WTS comment about the 1975 fiasco?

    Quote

    "In modern times such eagerness, commendable in itself, has led to attempts at setting dates for the desired liberation from the suffering and troubles that are the lot of persons throughout the earth. With the appearance of the book Life Everlasting-in Freedom of the Sons of God, and its comments as to how appropriate it would be for the millennial reign of Christ to parallel the seventh millennium of man's existence, considerable expectation was aroused regarding the year 1975. There were statements made then, and thereafter, stressing that this was only a possibility. Unfortunately, however, along with such cautionary information, there were other statements published that implied that such realization of hopes by that year was more of a probability than a mere possibility. It is to be regretted that these latter statements apparently overshadowed the cautionary ones and contributed to a buildup of the expectation already initiated. In its issue of July 15, 1976, The Watchtower, commenting on the inadvisability of setting our sights on a certain date, stated: "If anyone has been disappointed through not following this line of thought, he should now concentrate on adjusting his viewpoint, seeing that it was not the word of God that failed or deceived him and brought disappointment, but that his own understanding was based on wrong premises." In saying "anyone," The Watchtower included all disappointed ones of Jehovah's Witnesses, hence including persons having to do with the publication of the information that contributed to the buildup of hopes centered on that date. Nevertheless, there is no reason for us to be shaken in faith in God's promises. Rather, as a consequence, we are all moved to make a closer examination of the Scriptures regarding this matter of a day of judgment. In doing so, we find that the important thing is not the date. What is important is our keeping ever in mind that there is such a day-and it is getting closer and it will require an accounting on the part of all of us. Peter said that Christians should rightly be "awaiting and keeping close in mind the presence of the day of Jehovah." (2 Pet. 3:12) It is not a certain date ahead; it is day-to-day living on the part of the Christian that is important. He must not live a single day without having in mind that he is under Jehovah's loving care and direction and must submit himself thereto, keeping also in mind that he must account for his acts." Watchtower 1980 March 15 p.17

    Q 15. What do modern-day apostates have in common with Satan?

    15. Satan was the first creature to turn apostate. Modern-day apostates display characteristics similar to those of the Devil. Their mind may be
    poisoned by a critical attitude toward individuals in the congregations, Christian elders, or the Governing Body. Some apostates oppose the use
    of the divine name, Jehovah. They are not interested in learning about Jehovah or in serving him. Like their father, Satan, apostates target people
    of integrity. (John 8:44) No wonder servants of Jehovah avoid all contact with them!--2 John 10, 11.

    modern-day apostates = ex-jws??? Notice there is no definite naming of them.

    SOME apostates oppose the use of the divine name

    Not interested in learning about Jehovah or God...does serving him mean only being a jw?

    servants of Jehovah (Christians?)

    Satan their father--the father of the lie

    WTS Lies


    http://www.xjw.com/1914lies.html

    http://www.4jehovah.org/jehovahs-witness-history.php

    http://www.randytv.com/secret/lieforun.htm


    Job Held High the Name of Jehovah


    Q 16. Job displayed what attitude toward Jehovah?


    16. Job used and praised the name of Jehovah. Even when crushed by the news of the death of his children, Job did not ascribe anything improper to God. Although Job wrongly attributed his loss to God, he nevertheless upheld the name of Jehovah. In one of his later proverbial utterances, Job declared: "Look! The fear of Jehovah--that is Wisdom, and to turn away from bad is understanding."--Job 28:28.

    Wrongly attributed his loss to GOD...nevertheless upheld the name of Jehovah--by telling lies?

    Q 17. What helped Job to maintain his integrity?

    17. What helped Job to maintain his integrity? Clearly, before the calamities struck, he had already cultivated a close relationship with Jehovah. Although we have no evidence that he knew that Satan had challenged Jehovah, Job was determined to stay loyal. He said: "Until I expire I shall not take away my integrity from myself!" (Job 27:5) How did Job develop this close relationship? No doubt, he cherished what he had heard about God's dealings with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were his distant relatives. And by observing creation, Job could discern many of Jehovah's qualities.--Read Job 12:7-9,13,16.

    CLEARLY

    close relationship with Jehovah--this what happens when an OT example is used for Christians, Jesus is out of the picture

    we have no evidence that he (Job) knew that Satan had challenged.....but

    NO DOUBT...he had heard about God's dealings with Abraham...distant relatives (PROOF?)



    Q 18. (a) How did Job show his devotion to Jehovah? (b) In what ways do we imitate Job's fine example?

    18. What Job learned aroused in him the desire to please Jehovah. In case his family members might have done something displeasing to God or "have cursed God in their heart," he regularly offered sacrifices. (Job 1:5) Even when being severely tested, Job still said positive things about
    Jehovah. (Job 10:12) What a fine example! We too must regularly take in accurate knowledge of Jehovah and his purposes. We hold to a healthy
    routine in such spiritual activities as study, meeting attendance, prayer, and the preaching of the good news. Moreover, we do everything in our
    power to make known the name of Jehovah. And just as Job's integrity pleased Jehovah, so the integrity of God's servants today makes Jehovah's heart rejoice. This subject will be considered in the following article.

    So does this mean that jw fathers are authorized to give prayers in behalf of families, that individual Christians cannot pray through Jesus but
    through their father (Another example of how using OT stories puts Jesus on the roadside).

    Regularly take in knowledge of Jesus (see above)

    Quote

    (John 17:3) This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.

    routine = meeting attendance, study, prayer, preaching...I wonder how often jws pray apart from the meetings?

    name of Jesus?

    Quote

    (Acts 19:17) 17 This became known to all, both the Jews and the Greeks that dwelt in Ephesus; and a fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus went on being magnified.

    Do You Recall?

    • Why did Job attract the attention of Satan the Devil?
    • What tests did Job endure, and how did he react?
    • What will help us to maintain integrity as Job did?
    • What do we learn about Satan from the book of Job?


    CLOSING COMMENTS

    Did you notice that the WTS does not specifically identify ex-jws as apostates nor say what so-called half-truths they tell. It would make some jws start looking at the WTS publications more carefully.

    Hang them by their own words.


    Love, Blondie

  • Heaven
    Heaven

    Whenever I read WTS publications regarding the Bible, and as I have seen, again, throughout this article, I am struck with the frequency and types of words used as follows:

    very likely, "The Bible does not give us an explicit answer", perhaps, could have, likely, possible, possibility, may be, "we have no evidence"

    Unfortunately, using this type of writing is contradictory to 1 Thessalonians 5:21: 'Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good'.

    These types of words speak to and represent nothing more than opinion... and prove nothing. Which says that other conclusions may be just as plausible, if not correct. The writing style used is not convincing me anymore than it did over 30 years ago. If you do not know specifically, if it is purely conjecture, if there is no irrefutable proof, then I do not take it as the truth. If you try to force me to believe it is truth, I discount it and throw it out ... file it under 'G' for 'Garbage'. Always have, always will.

    Thank you, once again, Blondie, for your tireless efforts! We appreciate all that you do.

  • OnTheWayOut
    OnTheWayOut

    Para. 1 ...During his stay in that land, he could have heard of the trials of Job, who was living nearby in the land of Uz. Years later, when Moses and the nation of Israel were near Uz toward the end of their wilderness journey, Moses may have learned about Job's final years.

    Does the answer have to be that Moses heard of such trials and wrote of them? Isn't the Holy Spirit able to dictate the entire story to Moses?

    Good quote on "Jewish tradition."


    Q 3. What do we know about Job, and why did Satan target him?

    God tests no one but allows Satan to? How is God not involved in the testing?

    If God can speak to Adam through angels or Jesus, then it is God testing Job through Satan.
    God had the power to say NO. God can read hearts and minds. Satan knows that.
    It was a bet between two macho kind of guys. Don't make the bet with Satan and it wouldn't happen.


    Q 4. What is integrity?4. ......The term "integrity" carries the thought of being upright, blameless, righteous, and faultless. As used in the Bible,
    human integrity denotes a completeness of heart devotion to the person of Jehovah.

    Was David an example of integrity? Wasn't the punishment under the Law, execution of murderers? Were other murderers in Israel allowed to avoid execution if they "accepted reproof" and "corrected their way"? I don't think so.


    Quote

    *** w07 8/15 p. 12 ‘O Jehovah, Put Me to the Test’ ***
    Because of his weaknesses, David committed several serious wrongs, but he nevertheless ‘walked with integrity of heart.’ (1 Kings 9:4) How? By
    accepting reproof and correcting his way. He thereby showed that he genuinely loved Jehovah. His devotion to God was complete.

    That has to be one of the best Blondie quotes I have seen in Comments. Good job destroying their definition of "integrity."


    Para. 15. ....Some apostates oppose the use of the divine name, Jehovah.

    So just mentioning a fact about the Greek scriptures and the lack of the word translated as "Jehovah" automatically triggers a cult response that the person must be an evil apostate.


    Para. 16. ....In one of his later proverbial utterances, Job declared: "Look! The fear of Jehovah--that is Wisdom, and to turn away from bad is understanding."--Job 28:28.

    It has been suggested that this last verse is a bogus add-on by someone else. It's been suggested because while Job did not curse God, Job did dare to question God on why he bothered to create/give attention to Job and cause him suffering. Job would rather have been left alone or never born than to be a part of this bet with Satan. God did say "Who are you to question me?" That just goes to show that God uses bully tactics.


  • BluesBrother
    BluesBrother

    17 paragraphs of pretty much ordinary Bible comment and one paragraph thrown in of pure vitriol against"apostates".against the developing theme and seemed to be inserted for effect.

    I was at the meeting today . The congo. suddenly woke up from their post Sunday lunch lethargy. The atmosphere suddenly became alive and they sparked with energy. It was like the "Two Minute Hate" sessions in Orwell's 1984..The conductor set the mood by saying, with real passion.

    "Now we discuss nasty horrible evil people" please read read p.15.

    "Satan was the first creature to turn apostate.Modern apostates display characteristics similar to those of the Devil. Their mind may be poisoned by a critical attitude toward individuals in the congregation, Christian elders or the Governing Body. Some apostates oppose the use of the divine name Jehovah. They are not interested in in learning about Jehovah or in serving Him. Like their father Satan, apostates target people of integrity. No wonder servants of Jehovah avoid al contact with them - 2 John 10.11"

    The number of answers was multiple ...Sisters hissed that "apostates are too lazy to do the ministry, and rather spend their time on the Inter net"

    Much was made of 2 John, despite the fact that the scripture talks of those who deny Jesus Christ, not deny the WTS..The Cong was clearly told to avoid all contact [I decided to keep a straight face since we sat in row 2]

    If ever I needed confirmation that J W's have the characteristics of a cult, that was it...

  • hamsterbait
    hamsterbait

    Thanks Blondie again.

    This rehash of the last Job article includes the first anti apostate suggestions which actually target those IN THE CONGO who are critical of the elduhs and arrangements of the Witchtower. So people can start an aposto-hunt in the congregation before the enemy reveals himself.

    The claim that Job in its present form was penned by Moses is impossible. The book contains aramaic idioms and expressions that did not exist in pre exodus hebrew. The poetic form is later too. The device of showing gods in heaven squabbling with each other is also found in other cultures, Homer and mesapotamian texts.

    Any reliable Bible textbook will provide this information. It seems the adolescent told to pen this trash could not be bothered to do more than just look up the old articles from the litterature and cut and paste it.

    I am disgusted that to the money loving Borgers, the Mother's loss of ten children is put down to the same level as losing her change purse! "The loss of her childrenand the family wealth must have devastated her."

    The real reason originally given for addressing others at the Kingdumb Hell as "Brother" or "Sister" was that somebody there for the first time might think a male calling a female by her first name is being too familiar with a woman to whom he is not married. ( again - people might think they are having SEX ie - doing what the GB and all the beth hellites want to do.)

    And thanks again for highlighting the weasel words around 1975. The passive voice is used, the WT and its GB are thereby distancing themselves from their OWN utterances, as if the litterature and talks at the A$$emblies just made themselves up with NO input from HQ.

    Other examples - "in the past, the pages of this journal have taught" "SOME have said that"

    Big OXO to the bright haired one.

    HB

  • Billy the Ex-Bethelite
    Billy the Ex-Bethelite

    Thanks Blondie!

    I'm with Hammy B. Taking the Job account as ancient and true, then running it through the Botchtower Twisting Mill, makes it a highly motivating piece of trash.

    Perhaps they should go ahead and add Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs to the Bible canon, saying Moses witnessed and wrote those too (so pigs are "unclean", they'd rework it somehow with sheep). I'm sure they could use that to make some great mind-numbing articles out of that fiction, too.

    B the X

  • aligot ripounsous
    aligot ripounsous

    Thanks, Blondie,

    I agree with BluesBrother that the whole purpose of this article is to warn followers against apostates, which move, IMO, will result in stirring the curiosity of those who want to know more about what the WTS doesn't want them to know. The thing is that those ones are curious enough already, so that they don't need the WTS 's warning to go foraging into the society's past deeds . As for the noncurious ones, WTS's efforts to put them on guard against apostates are useless, they won't inquire anyway. They are the real assets of the WTS to survive. I know first hand, there are quite a few of those among my wife's JW relatives.

  • choosing life
    choosing life

    The story of Job is very disturbing, if taken literally. Even a small child can see that there is a problem with Jehovah "allowing" Satan to torture a family while he stands idly by.

    I don't know of any other religion that carries on about apostates like the jws. They love to instill that sense of paranoia in their members. Yet they talk in secret words and never address exactly what makes a person an apostate.

    Thanks for the review, Blondie. It always reminds me why I left in the first place.

    j

  • mindmelda
    mindmelda

    Nothing like a little hate to bring people closer together!

    I'm sure that's why every political or religious group that needs blind obedience carefully selects a group or groups of people to hate.

    That comment about not using the name Jehovah in the Greek bible is really hypocritical, because they themselves refuse to use it where Peter (3:14,15) quotes from Isaiah 8:12, 13 where the divine name is used, and applies it directly to Jesus.

    It's in their own bible's footnotes that "the Lord" there is "YHWH". If they were so fanatical about putting the divine name in when quoted from the Hebrew, that scripture would read, "Sanctify the Christ as Yahweh in your hearts." Can't be having that! So, they keep just "the Lord" and ignore the YHWH that was used in Isaiah originally.

    Also, at Hebrews 1:10, where place Peter quotes from Psalms 102: 25 and applies it to Christ, but the original Hebrew uses "YHWH", and the WTS just uses "Lord". Again, here the WTS is squeamish about YHWH where it's applied by a Christian writer to Christ.

    They only use Jehovah in the Greek Bible where it suits them and not when it would demonstrate that Christ is God the Son, or the human manifestation of Jehovah God.

    I love it when they accuse themselves. Tragically hilarious!

  • yadda yadda 2
    yadda yadda 2

    15. Satan was the first creature to turn apostate. Modern-day apostates display characteristics similar to those of the Devil. Their mind may be
    poisoned by a critical attitude toward individuals in the congregations, Christian elders, or the Governing Body. Some apostates oppose the use
    of the divine name, Jehovah. They are not interested in learning about Jehovah or in serving him. Like their father, Satan, apostates target people
    of integrity. (John 8:44) No wonder servants of Jehovah avoid all contact with them!--2 John 10, 11.

    The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses is completely unaccountable to the flock and demand unquestioned submission. Debate, discussion, questioning and criticism is allowed by the Governing Body inside their boardroom, but not for anyone else. Anyone who actively critiques and exposes flaws of certain Watchtower teaching/policies is associated with Satan and labelled an apostate.

    There is a difference between bitter and twisted false accusations and lies, and healthy criticism and debate. This article makes no allowance for the difference.

    The scriptures actually exhort the flock to test those in apostle-like authority - Revelation 2:2. Christians are told to keep testing every inspired expression and to keep testing whether they are in the faith - 1 John 4.1

    How can JW's be sure they are not being deceived by their own leaders unless there is some questioning and debate? How can incompetent and even corrupt elders be exposed and removed unless their is criticsm of them where warranted? It is grossly unfair and a distortion to label 'criticism' of elders and the GB as basically satanic and apostate.

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