by 88JM 10 Replies latest jw friends
Having to sit through this at the meeting just now.
Blatantly saying to obey without question: "Will you be as determined to comply with God's guidance as Jeremiah was?", "...accepting the guidance given through the faithful slave class is for your lasting good."
This is so painful to sit through :(
What pompous pricks!!
Sorry you have to endure this..
So sorry for you, I've just finished a nice pizza from the local Italian restaurant and am now in the bath relaxing. Not sure Jeremiah would approve but it works for me
As usual, they equate the organization (represented by the FDS) with God. Idolatry at its finest (a feature of the control that you pinpointed).
Jeremiah complied with "God's guidance" but not the guidance of the religious leaders of his day.
Jeremiah words to rulers/religious leaders of his time
(Jeremiah 38:1-6) 38 And Sheph·a·ti′ah the son of Mat′tan and Ged·a·li′ah the son of Pash′hur and Ju′cal the son of Shel·e·mi′ah and Pash′hur the son of Mal·chi′jah got to hear the words that Jeremiah was speaking to all the people, saying: 2 “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘The one continuing to dwell in this city is the one that will die by the sword, by the famine and by the pestilence. But the one going out to the Chal·de′ans is the one that will keep living and that will certainly come to have his soul as a spoil and alive.’ 3 This is what Jehovah has said, ‘Without fail this city will be given into the hand of the military force of the king of Babylon, and he will certainly capture it.’” 4 And the princes began to say to the king: “Let this man, please, be put to death, for that is how he is weakening the hands of the men of war who are left remaining in this city and the hands of all the people, by speaking to them according to these words. For this man is one seeking not for the peace of this people but for calamity.” 5 So King Zed·e·ki′ah said: “Look! He is in YOUR hands. For there is nothing at all in which the king himself can prevail against YOU.” 6 And they proceeded to take Jeremiah and throw him into the cistern of Mal·chi′jah the son of the king, which was in the Courtyard of the Guard. So they let Jeremiah down by means of ropes. Now in the cistern there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah began to sink down into the mire.
Paul counseling Peter on shunning Gentile Christians
(Galatians 2:11-14) 11 However, when Ce′phas came to Antioch, I resisted him face to face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before the arrival of certain men from James, he used to eat with people of the nations; but when they arrived, he went withdrawing and separating himself, in fear of those of the circumcised class. 13 The rest of the Jews also joined him in putting on this pretense, so that even Bar′na·bas was led along with them in their pretense. 14 But when I saw they were not walking straight according to the truth of the good news, I said to Ce′phas before them all: “If you, though you are a Jew, live as the nations do, and not as Jews do, how is it that you are compelling people of the nations to live according to Jewish practice?”
Jesus said this about the Pharisees and scribes, teach commands of men as doctrines
(Matthew 15:1-14) 15 Then there came to Jesus from Jerusalem Pharisees and scribes, saying: 2 “Why is it your disciples overstep the tradition of the men of former times? For example, they do not wash their hands when about to eat a meal.” 3 In reply he said to them: “Why is it YOU also overstep the commandment of God because of YOUR tradition? 4 For example, God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Let him that reviles father or mother end up in death.’ 5 But YOU say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother: “Whatever I have by which you might get benefit from me is a gift dedicated to God,” 6 he must not honor his father at all.’ And so YOU have made the word of God invalid because of YOUR tradition. 7 YOU hypocrites, Isaiah aptly prophesied about YOU, when he said, 8 ‘This people honors me with their lips, yet their heart is far removed from me. 9 It is in vain that they keep worshiping me, because they teach commands of men as doctrines.’” 10 With that he called the crowd near and said to them: “Listen and get the sense of it: 11 Not what enters into [his] mouth defiles a man; but it is what proceeds out of [his] mouth that defiles a man.” 12 Then the disciples came up and said to him: “Do you know that the Pharisees stumbled at hearing what you said?” 13 In reply he said: “Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. 14 LET them be. Blind guides is what they are. If, then, a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
Abigail disobeyed her husband Nabal to save the lives of her household
*** w09 7/1 p. 20 She Acted With Discretion ***
In a sense, we have already seen Abigail take the first step toward righting this terrible wrong. Unlike her husband, Nabal, she proved willing to listen. The young servant said of Nabal: “He is too much of a good-for-nothing fellow to speak to him.” (1 Samuel 25:17) Tragically, Nabal’s sense of his own importance rendered him unwilling to listen. Such arrogance is all too common to this day. But the young man knew Abigail to be different, which is no doubt why he approached her with this problem.
Abigail thought and acted quickly. “At once Abigail hastened,” we read. Four times in this one account we find the same verb, “to hasten,” used regarding this woman. She prepared a generous gift for David and his men. It included bread, wine, sheep, roasted grain, cakes of raisins, and cakes of figs. Clearly, Abigail knew well what she had and was thoroughly in charge of her household duties, much like the capable wife later described in the book of Proverbs. (Proverbs 31:10-31) She sent the provisions ahead with some of her servants, then followed alone. “But,” we read, “to her husband Nabal she told nothing.”—1 Samuel 25:18, 19.
Does this mean that Abigail was rebelling against her husband’s rightful headship? Not at all. Nabal had acted wickedly against an anointed servant of Jehovah, an action that was likely to result in death for many innocent members of Nabal’s household. If Abigail failed to act, might she become a sharer in her husband’s guilt? In any event, she had to put her submission to her God ahead of submission to her husband.
It would have been nice to quote Jeremiah 23;16
Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Do not listen to the words
of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes;
they speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth
of the Lord. Unfortunately the RF would have no clue who
Jeremiah was referring too.
My favorite scripture is Jeremiah 9:4,5. One of the last times I went in service was with my fellow elder and "friend".....at that time, the PO.
I made him pull out his Bible and read this scripture after he spent the entire morning complaining that he was being overlooked for assembly talks.
He read it out loud.
I said "guess who I apply this too?"
That's a brilliant scripture daringhart13 - thanks.
Thanks also Blondie. That account of Peter being counselled is a favourite of mine - no one is above correction, despite what elders may think. The WTS referrs to this account very seldom. Like King David who they basically idolize, they seem to like to paint Peter as being a great guy who learnt his lesson and never put a foot wrong after his denial of Jesus.
Blondie - >> Jeremiah complied with "God's guidance" but not the guidance of the religious leaders of his day.
Good ol' Jeremiah. Just one more religious nutter hearing voices in his head. Today he'd be given medication and strict supervision.
