Why are Jehovah's Witnesses as a whole not permitted to read the elder's manual?
On the first day of the unfermented cakes, well before his arrest and sacrificial death, Jesus Christ instructed his disciples on how to prepare for the Passover. When he did so, he did not provide advance, detailed instructions for all of his disciples; instead, he dispatched only two of them to find a suitable location, which he evidently had already planned with the householder. Only after these two trustworthy disciples carried out their assignment did Jesus come to the house where the Lord's Evening Meal would be held. (Mark 14:13-17) Why did he do this? Jesus must have known how dangerous it was for him to divulge too much information even to his most trusted apostles. After all, did not Judas Iscariot betray him by bringing a crowd of soldiers to arrest him in the Garden of Gethsemane, a place frequented by Jesus and his apostles? (Mark 14:32, 43-45)
Later, as Jesus gave his apostles direction for the preaching work, they asked for advance knowledge of the coming of God's Kingdom. In response, Jesus said: "It does not belong to you to get knowledge of the times or seasons which the Father has placed in his own jurisdiction." (Acts 1:7) Clearly, then, both Jehovah and Jesus recognized the need to limit what information their loyal subjects had access to, for the sake of keeping them focused on their immediate responsibility--that of glorifying the name of Jehovah through the preaching and teaching work. (Acts 1:8)
Sadly, as was the case at the start of the Christian congregation, so it is today. Those whose teachings "spread like gangrene" have at times infiltrated the spiritual paradise of Jehovah's people. These unscrupulous ones have obtained confidential information and even used it to help the wicked governmental authorities to inflict harm on God's people and hinder the preaching work, "framing trouble by decree." (1 Tim. 2:17; Ps. 94:20) Apostates, like Satan, have arisen within the organization and have spoken twisted things against both the local bodies of elders and even the "faithful and discreet slave" and its Governing Body. (Acts 20:29, 30; Matt. 24:45-47) Some may even go so far as to air their imagined grievances through print, radio, TV, and the Internet, in an effort to smear Jehovah's name and bring reproach on his organization. Thankfully, God's spirit has provided protection for his people, and such liars and their falsehoods are exposed, much to their chagrin. As part of the "evil slave", opposers and apostates are assigned their deserved place with the hypocrites. (Isa. 54:17; Matt. 24:48-51)
Recognizing this, and being aware that "the whole world is lying the power of the wicked one," the "faithful and discreet slave" class has chosen to necessarily limit the amount of information available about the handling of judicial matters and other congregational procedures. This enables the congregation elders to carry out their shepherding work "decently and by arrangement"--handling problems and giving Scriptural counsel in an organized, theocratic manner. This maintains peace within the congregation and honors Jehovah, who is a God of peace. (1 Cor. 14:33, 40) Following the direction of the "slave" class means that the elders are recognizing the authority of Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the Christian congregation. Recognizing that Jesus appointed the "faithful slave" to care for his earthly belongings, we need never doubt that he has been and will continue providing clear guidelines for Jehovah's organization.
But what if we are personally concerned about some specific matter, perhaps a judicial matter involving ourselves or our loved ones? What if it may appear that some injustice occurred? Is this reason to question the wisdom of obeying Jehovah's appointed "gifts in men"? By no means! (Eph. 4:8, 11-14) Rather, let us humbly follow the example of the prophet Micah, who wrote: "But as for me, it is for Jehovah that I shall keep on the lookout. I will show a waiting attitude for the God of my salvation." (Micah 7:7) Imperfect men may err, but it is Jehovah who will see to it that his will is done in his due time, not ours. May we wisely trust in him by trusting those whom he trusts and obediently carrying out our assignments in the short time remaining before the end of this system.--Heb. 13:17; 1 Cor. 15:58.