1, 2. (a) Why do many find it difficult to trust those in authority?
In general, people want to trust those who have authority, however, it is a historical fact that man has dominated man for his own evil, as mentioned in Ecclesiastes 8 verse 9, that is why people lose their trust in political and religious leaders.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
And for example, speaking about politics, the paragraph clearly mentions that the laws that are made today favor the rich but harm the poor, since trust is lost.
Although religious leaders should be examples of impartiality, but they are not, their behavior is not biased, leaving much to be desired, so since people see them as representatives of God, they stop believing in God.
And for all these reasons that have been mentioned, we need to help our Bible students learn to trust Jehovah and those he has appointed to lead us here on earth.
Most people find it difficult to trust those in authority because
b) What will we see in this article?
Well yes, in today's Watchtower we will see situations that put our faith to the test and how to trust in Jehovah being in those situations, one of them is when we read a certain story from the Bible.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
We are also going to have when we receive instructions from Jehovah's organization.
And also when we face tests in the future.
WE TRUST JEHOVAH WHEN WE READ THE BIBLE
3. Why can some stories in the Bible test our trust in Jehovah?
Because under our human vision, then, reading these stories may make us wonder what way Jehovah has to judge and the example is mentioned that Jehovah sentenced an Israelite to death for collecting firewood on the Sabbath and yet centuries later he forgives the king Although David had committed adultery, murder, so from our human point of view, perhaps these things are difficult for us to understand.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Yes, as it was commented, perhaps we wonder why Jehovah forgives David such serious sins and then this man who seems to simply collect firewood on a Saturday, which may not be so important, does not forgive him, but as we see, even if it seems unfair or favoritism is not.
It is curious, but in reality, how we see the Bible and its study in this paragraph can even shake our trust in God, and this will always be the case when we study or read, we do so with a critical spirit, lack of modesty, if we start judging God and the decisions he has made could even harm our spirituality.
4. How do Genesis 18:20, 21 and Deuteronomy 10:17 help us trust in Jehovah's decisions?
Well, there we notice how Jehovah takes the trouble to personally worry about how things are, for example, we see the contrast with human beings who make mistakes when judging, but Jehovah is not like that as we have seen in Genesis, he says I am going to go down to see if the complaints they are true, so Jehovah is never wrong he takes into account all the facts.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
And Deuteronomy reminds us that Jehovah is the Almighty and also that obviously he does not act with partiality or accept bribes so with him there is no corruption as we saw what happened with politicians that many people reject him for his behavior but Jehovah has always acted with justice.
And as the paragraph explains, the important thing is to get to know Jehovah better Jehovah is not a secretive God, he gives us a lot of information about what he is like, about his qualities, about his purpose, it is true that he does not give us all the information about why he takes certain decisions in certain stories but it does allow us to know him well enough to trust him.
Thus, when we read the biblical story, questions arise or we are missing some detail of the story so that we can trust but strive to know Jehovah better because when we know them better, we see what Psalm 145:17 says that he is just in all his ways. and this is what will give us confidence in him.
Jehovah is not going to give all the details and we have to wait we can pass on that story that we do not fully understand because later on it is easy for us to continue knowing more qualities of Jehovah how he always acts in justice and we can better understand how he proceeds
5. What effect does imperfection have on our sense of justice? (See the sidebar “Imperfection Clouds Our Sense of Justice.”)
What imperfection causes in us is to cloud our eyes, not to see things as they really are, and the paragraph shows us a very clear example in which Jonah went to warn the city of Nineveh that it had 1,120,000 Ninevites that Jehovah had said that the was going to destroy, but Jonah focused on the bad things they had been doing, not on the repentance that they later came to show and that thought that they had to be destroyed blinded his mind and he did not understand the change in position that Jehovah himself had , thus we see the difference that there is many times between our imperfect point of view and the perfect point of view that Jehovah has regarding the issues.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
And another example in chapter 18 of Ezekiel Jehovah explains that if someone wicked begins to do what is righteous he will preserve his own life and on the other hand if someone righteous renounces his justice and acts badly he will die for it, obviously some Israelites were not in agreement ok but Jehovah said o house of Israel indeed it is my ways that are unjust is it not your ways that are unjust this shows that people often have a wrong view of justice as if they were looking through glasses tarnished.
And the paragraph at the beginning reminds us that when we see situations that are not fair, feeling a little hurt is normal because, as Genesis 1:26 reminds me, we are made in the image of Jehovah and we can develop and show qualities like his, how justice can be but the paragraph also reminds us, as Jonas has already mentioned, that we have something against what is that we are imperfect, therefore we cannot trust our sense of Justice because it is not balanced.
And in the text of First Samuel 16:7 we are reminded that Jehovah sees things in a very different way from that of man and that man, for example, we only see what is in front of our eyes but Jehovah has the power to see the heart something that we are never able to do so we can fully trust in divine judgment.
Imperfection clouds our sense of justice
ILLUSTRATION:
A man with foggy glasses that prevent him from seeing his surroundings clearly.
Because we are imperfect, we are sometimes harsher or more forgiving than Jehovah (1 Sam. 16:7). That can make us question the way he does things. Our situation is similar to that of someone who has fogged up glasses: no matter how hard he tries, he cannot see things clearly. Similarly, imperfection can cloud our sense of justice and make it hard for us to understand why Jehovah does things the way he does. When that happens, it is our way of seeing things that is wrong, not Jehovah's (Ezek. 18:29).
6. Why is Jehovah not obliged to explain to us?
Well, because he is the one who has created us and does not need us to give him the approval for what he has done and as Isaiah shows here who can advise Jehovah who can teach him who can tell him what is fair and transmit knowledge and as he says then Isaiah 55:9 the ways of Jehovah are far above those of the human being.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
And something very different is that Jehovah on some occasions has allowed his servants to say how it was in the case of Abraham or Jonah but another thing is that he has the obligation to give us explanations, he decides so that if at any time he questions why he should have done something or not it is better to think that this corresponds to Jehovah and not to us.
The way he treated Abraham that is related in Genesis 18 shows the greatness of Jehovah he was not irritated to think that Abraham was taking a dare trying to reason with Jehovah himself about the number of righteous in Sodom, Jehovah was not irritated Thinking, well, now I have to give explanations to a human being, he did not do it that way, that also shows us how Jehovah is capable of understanding that sometimes certain doubts and questions may arise, he is understanding.
And at the same time we must be balanced because also the influence of the world, which is becoming more and more critical, is pressuring more and more to ask for any kind of explanation that affects us and then we turn around and ask Jehovah for explanations because he does things but his paragraph is very of course it is not.
TRUST JEHOVAH WHEN RECEIVING INSTRUCTIONS
7. Whom might we have a hard time trusting, and why?
Well, it may be difficult for us to trust the representatives that Jehovah has here on earth and many times we may wonder if they are doing things Jehovah's way or their own way.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
For example, this same situation could have been experienced by a relative of that man who violated the Sabbath law when they were cutting firewood if he asked himself, well, Moses perhaps consulted the law to Jehovah, he made sure that this must be the case, because it could also happen to us do not trust Jehovah's representatives here on earth.
And why is that important because Jehovah himself has placed his trust in them if he has trusted them who are we not to do it.
8. What similarity is there between what is mentioned at Acts 16:4, 5 and the way the congregation functions today?
Well, one similarity is that the decisions are guided by Jehovah because when the governing body of the first cycle around the year 49 made this important decision of circumcision, the decision was made that was perhaps surprising considering that the apostles and the elders were of Jewish origin but that decision favored the ministry and as it has been read in verse 5 the result was that the congregations became firm in the faith and growing day after day today we can also be sure that the decisions that the faithful and prudent slave they take have Jehovah's guidance and direction.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
In their day, the congregations also obeyed and Jehovah blesses them for it because today we also see the same result if each of us obeys the methods that Jehovah has and we also do it as a congregation, we will directly see that blessing from Jehovah.
The similarity we see is that it is the same channel the governing body communicates through the congregations with us in order to follow Jehovah's instructions.
And the structure remains the same. Jehovah used imperfect men but with the guidance of his holy spirit, which is perfect. So today we also have the same structure, imperfect men guided by Jehovah's spirit, which is perfect.
9. When might it be difficult for us to support the elders' decisions, and why?
It can be difficult if there has been a restructuring in our congregation if perhaps we or a friend or family member have been asked to change congregations and we may have mixed feelings that we will be separated from people with whom we got along.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Yes then it is difficult when a decision affects us personally and especially if due to this decision we experience some difficulty and another thing that also makes it difficult is if we ask ourselves if it is not something that Jehovah has directly said but that they are decisions based on guidance that Jehovah has given so one wonders again is it that they are going away from Jehovah's direction.
The Watchtower reference stated that there may be varying personal circumstances in a brother's final decision such as factors such as employment, an unbelieving spouse, or transportation, but the reference still indicates that there are clear spiritual and other advantages when someone he belongs to the congregation where he lives in the territory so it is very good that this is taken into account.
Sometimes we say but I don't understand it or because to me but many times it is not about understanding it but simply about trusting the paragraph gives a powerful lesson that says that Jehovah trusts the decisions of the elders because we less than also trust their decisions.
10. According to Hebrews 13:17, why should we support the elderly?
Because Jehovah asks us, we are told in the text that we must be obedient and submissive because it is the channel that Jehovah has put in our days to receive instructions, so if Jehovah asks us, how can we not obey?
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
And also the apostle Paul pleaded with Christians to do everything possible to maintain the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace, there is much power and urgency in this plea because maintaining unity is a serious matter that is why we must all support the decisions of the elders without criticizing them.
And also to think that the elders have been appointed by holy spirit they have been appointed by Jehovah so by supporting them we are showing that we trust in Jehovah and also the purpose why they have been appointed have been appointed to shepherd us and take care of us so we owe ourselves feel happy and grateful.
And if we were not obedient to these brothers who have been appointed by Jehovah, if we put complications as verse 17 of the Hebrews says, then, after all, this would harm ourselves, it would be counterproductive, so we want to be obedient, humble and accept these decisions.
The text of Ephesians 4:2 and 3 is interesting, that unity comes from the bond of peace, so questioning decisions, making negative comments will create divisions precisely because it does not promote peace, on the contrary, it creates many problems, so it will be much more difficult for us to be happy to be joyful in the congregation and to follow other guidelines that are very important for our spiritual health so we have to make an effort to support.
11. What can help us to trust more in the guidance of the elders?
Because when they make decisions they do not do it on their own initiative but rather they do it under prayer asking for the spirit of Jehovah and they take into account all the biblical principles to make a decision therefore if we trust them we trust Jehovah.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Also to think that depending on the decisions they make they have to be accountable to Jehovah, that is also seen in First Peter 5:2 and 3 God has put the flock in their care, so they have to be accountable to Jehovah himself with which they have that responsibility but I'm sure they take it very seriously.
So also remember the interests that move the elders to make decisions are not personal interests that come to benefit them but are constantly focused on the desire to please Jehovah and to give the best for the brothers therefore all those decisions that they are going to take them, they will take them into account based on the word of Jehovah, also in the guidance of the governing body and always as an end is to benefit the brothers and the congregation.
And it will also help us to trust in the guidance of the elders to see the result of the congregations of how we are united happily serving the one true God very different from what we see in the world divided in many aspects so to see the result of the blessing of Jehovah also helps us to trust.
12. What questions should the elders discuss to know if a person is repentant?
Questions such as if the person really hates what he did if he is determined not to commit that sin again if the bad friends that led him to sin are willing to count on them and under this question of the elders they will pray to Jehovah they will analyze the biblical principles and the person's attitude and decide whether the person can remain in the congregation or be expelled.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
The elders must be convinced that the sinner's heart has been changed. The elders will try to find answers to questions such as what the sin has done to repair its relationship with Jehovah and with others that its actions have hurt.
As the beginning of the paragraph says, this is a very serious responsibility that the elders have because the sinner could make the rest could also give less importance to Jehovah's norms, therefore all these issues that have been mentioned are very necessary because Jehovah expects that elders make good decisions in these matters.
What a difference in the congregation with respect to the world where decisions are sometimes made trying to reach a consensus to an agreement but in the congregation it is a theocratic way of acting following biblical principles and that gives us a lot of confidence to see that Jehovah wants the congregation keep clean because he has paid a high price for that congregation the blood of his son and also see the effort now made by the elders to pray study find out so that things are done the way of Jehovah in a theocratic way gives us a lot of confidence .
And we notice how the elders take this great responsibility very seriously, which they studied so conscientiously to analyze a heart with questions as deep as the ones we have seen, they also pray to Jehovah and, as it says at the end of the paragraph, depending on the case, it is not always necessary to expel, so It is a great responsibility that the elderly have and they take it very seriously.
All this is not a procedure that we have invented ourselves, we do go to the final reference of the first letter to the Corinthians there is in verse 12 and 13 under divine inspiration it says it is not you who judge those inside while God judges those of out take out the evil person in your midst, so we have biblical support there and therefore we can trust that things are done the right way in the congregation.
13. What might concern us if a family member or friend of ours is expelled?
Well, we could think that they have been wrong, that some factor has been overlooked or that they have not judged the matter as Jehovah wanted to judge it.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Perhaps a close family friend may be that we know many details of his life and the situation in which he is involved and probably our own hearts have drawn conclusions, we have judged the brother and we have found him free of guilt but in reality he is deceiving us our hearts our own perfection, the elders have taken everything into account all the details that had to be taken into account in terms of the attitude they have had regarding the biblical principles involved and impartially judging as Jehovah judges because they have come to take the most appropriate decision for the brother and also for the congregation.
14. What should we remember if the elders decide to expel a family member or friend of ours?
Well, an important idea is that expulsion is a measure that Jehovah has placed within his organization from the beginning, we have seen that Jehovah's decisions are fair, that what he decides is correct, and that our point of view, due to imperfection, is not the correct so if we maintain that position that Jehovah has put him in his organization it makes sense then we will accept it.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Also the benefit that this will mean for the person in particular if he does not realize the seriousness of his sin following the idea that Ecclesiastes 8 says that the heart of men can be emboldened or made hard to sin so with the measure expulsion can get the person to think and well change their way of acting.
Another important thing that is achieved is that this bad influence does not affect the congregation and the text of Galatians 5:9 reminds us that it does not take much for there to be a bad influence on the congregation because it makes the comparison of leaven that is very necessary. little so that there is a fermentation of the whole mass and that could happen in the congregation if this action is not taken.
On the other hand, as indicated in the second book of chronicles 19:6 and 7, we see how they judge for Jehovah, not for any man, it is interesting in the verse Jehovah says watch what you do or be careful with what you do because Jehovah our God does not tolerate injustice for So it is a very serious responsibility.
Thus we see how this measure that Jehovah has put is a measure of love moved by the love he feels for the congregation and also for the person so that he can recover his friendship so when we support him we are also showing love to our family member or friend.
TRUSTING JEHOVAH NOW PREPARES US FOR THE FUTURE
15. Why do we need to rely on Jehovah's guidance today more than ever?
Because it is a training if we are obeying today maybe the little things that are done to us every day in the future instructions will probably come maybe we will not understand but if today we are obedient and trust in the future we will also do it.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
We have Luke 16:10 and it is that this training that we are doing now, distressing situations that we have are small compared to what is going to come later and Luke 16:10 says that what is faithful in the least will be faithful in much so it is that this gives us the confidence to be able to pass the great tribulation.
Many times we say well I will be able to withstand those tests in the Apocalypse or I will follow the instructions that we receive in the Apocalypse, but maybe the right questions are will I be able to withstand the tests well now how do I follow the instructions now because probably how do I do it now I will do it the great tribulation what is it that we also see in the image the face of this brother because he is doubting and if we don't do it now or if we don't do it now maybe we can also have this same face of the great tribulation and it is something that we do not want.
ILLUSTRATION:
A group of brothers and sisters gathered in a basement. As one brother gives instructions, another looks at him skeptically.
What will help us trust and obey the instructions we receive during the Apocalypse? (See paragraph 15).
Well, we see the difference between the brothers who are smiling listening to the new instruction and the brother who may be thinking this does not make any sense but even if he may follow the instruction but having that attitude may mean that at some point he stops following the instructions.
16. How will our trust in Jehovah’s decisions soon be tested?
We know that soon the end will come and there will be a great destruction at Armageddon Jesus Christ is described as the one who will bring that revelation and will cause those who do not know God and do not obey the good news the good news of Jesus to receive destruction, so Perhaps there are not people who we would have liked to be there, he is going to do a test and we want to consider it from now on to increase our trust in Jehovah and Jesus as judges.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
I do like it a lot when the paragraph says very clearly it is not up to us to decide who will receive Jehovah's mercy and who will not and it makes me think precisely the three reasons that we saw at the beginning of this article we do not have all the details we also saw as Jehovah does not owe us any explanation and also we are imperfect for which all that means that it is not up to us to make this decision, what is left to do on our part because doing what the paragraph says strengthens the confidence that Jehovah will do in the future and support on our part.
17. What will be the results of Jehovah's decisions at the end of this system?
We have a wonderful future ahead of us, one day we will be in the new world false religion greedy business system corrupt governments will disappear satan and demons are locked up, then we will understand what true justice is if we trust Jehovah and support his organization today we will be there and we will be very happy that we did, then we will see that all our efforts paid off.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Neither the false religion nor the greedy commercial system nor the governments that oppress and make people suffer will exist anymore. Health problems, old age and the death of our loved ones will be a thing of the past. Satan and his demons will be locked up for 1,000 years. All the damage that his rebellion has caused will be gone.
18. What lessons do we learn from the example of the Israelites mentioned at Numbers 11:4-6 and 21:5?
Well, we learn that after the great tribulation it may happen to us like the Israelites when they left Egypt that things are not exactly as we expected that we have an assignment that we do not like too much or that the living conditions are not exactly comfortable and that attitude of complaint could hit us as it happened to them.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
If we are still under the sub-topic that we are in training so we learn that we always have to train ourselves to trust Jehovah we know that from the very beginning of human history that has been a test for the human to trust how Jehovah does things.
So the key is not so much the difficulties that we have in this world as perhaps the discomforts that we have in the new world, but the spirit of gratitude that we have to Jehovah for the things that we have and that he gives us.
And we can also train our hearts to be grateful if we do it now every day with everything that Jehovah gives us, whether it be little things, things that we sometimes take for granted, but doing that, dedicating time every day, that we will train our hearts and in the future in the difficult moments our heart will be ready to be grateful.
19. How would you summarize the main points of this article?
We have to trust Jehovah because he always does things the right way and for this he has chosen people on earth who carry out his instructions, therefore trusting Jehovah is also trusting them.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
We also have to trust the people he has chosen to carry out his instructions. Let us never forget what Jehovah said through the prophet Isaiah: “Your strength from him will depend on your keeping calm and showing confidence.”
WHAT WILL HELP US IN THE FOLLOWING SITUATIONS TO TRUST JEHOVAH'S WAY OF DOING THINGS?
When we read some stories from the Bible.
We have to remember that the Bible does not always give all the details but we do know enough about Jehovah to trust in his justice, then we also saw imperfection as clouding our sense of justice and that Jehovah does not have to give us explanations for why. what makes things one way or another.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
The Bible doesn't say. However, we can be sure that Jehovah “never commits injustice.” Human beings often make mistakes in judging because we get carried away by things like the opinion of others or prejudices. But Jehovah is not like that, he takes into account all the facts. The more we know Jehovah and his standards, the more we will trust his decisions.
When we receive instructions.
From a logical point of view trusting in Jehovah also means trusting in his earthly representatives because Jehovah trusts them, that is a very good reason to follow the instructions given by Jehovah's organization.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Also taking into account that their representatives always take Jehovah into account both praying and studying his word.
And we have seen that the model that is followed now is the same as the previous one in that when we read in the Bible we trust in the first century the governing body communicates the decisions to us and we know that Jehovah blesses those decisions and we want to do what has been connected the idea of maintaining peace with trust, that is, if we show trust, we maintain a good atmosphere and achieve unity in the congregation.
When we face trials in the future.
Well, paying attention to the instructions we receive now and learning to obey and trust them will help us to have the necessary confidence for when we have bigger issues in the future.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
And be very grateful for everything Jehovah gives us.
How we react now to the organization's guidance will help us know the answer. If we trust the instructions we receive now and obey them right away, we will probably do the same during the Apocalypse.
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