Comments You Will Not Hear at the 10-16-11 WT Study (AUGUST 15, 2011, pages 23-27)(PEACE)
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JEHOVAH—“THE GOD WHO GIVES PEACE”
“May the God who gives peace be with all of you.”—ROM. 15:33.
OPENING COMMENTS
Does this article discuss problems between women?
Is that because they are only viewed as property?
Or this concept; can you imagine apologizing to your molester? “I’m sorry, I dressed provocatively and tempted you; I understand that you were only trying to show love…”
*** w97 1/1 p.28***
What if a baptized adult Christian sexually molests a child? Is the sinner so wicked that Jehovah will never forgive him? Not necessarily so. Jesus said that ‘blasphemy against the holy spirit’ was unforgivable. And Paul said that there is no sacrifice for sins left for one who practices sin willfully despite knowing the truth. (Luke 12:10; Hebrews 10:26, 27) But nowhere does the Bible say that an adult Christian who sexually abuses a child—whether incestuously or otherwise—cannot be forgiven. Indeed, his sins can be washed clean if he repents sincerely from the heart and turns his conduct around.
*** w97 12/1 p.20 par.15 ‘Continue Forgiving One AnotherFreely’***
No Christian who has been a victim of extremely unjust, detestable, or heinous treatment should feel forced to forgive, or pardon, a wrongdoer who is not repentant. —Psalm 139:21, 22.
***w02 11/1 p. 6 Apologizing—A Key to Making Peace ***
The issue is, not so much who is right and who is wrong, but who will take the initiative to make peace. When the apostle Paul noticed that the Christians in Corinth were taking fellow servants of God to secular courts over such personal differences as financial disagreements, he corrected them: “Why do you not rather let yourselves be wronged? Why do you not rather let yourselves be defrauded?” (1 Corinthians 6:7) Although Paul said this to discourage fellow Christians from airing their personal differences in secular courts, the principle is clear: Peace among fellow believers is more important than proving who is right and who is wrong. Keeping this principle in mind makes it easier to apologize for a wrong that someone thinks we have committed against him or her.
START OF ARTICLE
1, 2. What tense situation is described in Genesis
chapters 32 and 33, and what was the outcome?
THE place is close to Penuel, near the torrent
valley of Jabbok on the east side of
the river Jordan. Esau has heard that his
twin brother, Jacob, is returning home. Even
though 20 years have passed since Esau sold
his right as firstborn to his brother, Jacob
fears that his brother may still harbor murderous
grudge against him. Accompanied by
400 men, Esau marches toward his estranged
brother. Anticipating a hostile reception, Jacob
sends Esau wave upon wave of gifts
amounting to over 550 domestic animals.
With each group of animals, Jacob’s servants
tell Esau that they are a gift from his
brother.
COMMENTS
So is the WTS saying that if a brother has a grudge against you that you can shower him with expensive things and that will smooth things out. Does Jacob think that giving his brother things will take the place of an apology? Does the WTS say not to apologize if you aren’t wrong?
Jesus was “hated without a cause” (Psalm 69:4) did he apologize the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes?
Jacob evidently has gone 20 years without talking with his brother; is that the way to handle disputes. Why hasn’t Jacob sought peace with Esau before he came home?
Where was Esau when he wasn’t “home”?
Why does Esau have 400 men? Was he coming home in peace or only until Jacob showered him with expensive gifts?
2 The moment finally arrives! As Jacob
courageously walks toward Esau, he bows
down—not once but seven times. Jacob has
already taken the most important measure
he can take to soften the heart of his brother.
Jacob has prayed to Jehovah for deliverance
from Esau’s hand. Does Jehovah answer this
prayer? Yes. “Esau went running to meet
him,” the Bible tells us, “and he began to
embrace him and fall upon his neck and kiss
him.”—Gen. 32:11-20; 33:1-4.
COMMENTS
Can you imagine an elder, CO, DO, bowing down to a brother or sister that was offended even once, let alone 7 times?
How many people at the hall who had a grudge against you would have run to you and hugged and kissed you after “solving” a problem?
How many would admit a mistake even when they were wrong?
3. What do we learn from the account of Jacob and
Esau?
3 The account of Jacob and Esau shows
that we should make earnest and practical
efforts to settle matters when problems arise
that may threaten the peace we enjoy within
the Christian congregation. Jacob sought to
make peace with Esau, but not because Jacob
had erred against his brother and owed him
an apology. No, Esau had despised his birthright
and had sold it to Jacob for a bowl of
stew. (Gen. 25:31-34; Heb. 12:16) However,
the way Jacob approached Esau illustrates
the extent to which we should be willing to
go to preserve the peace with our Christian
brothers. It also shows that the true God
blesses our prayerful efforts to make peace.
The Bible contains numerous other examples
that instruct us to be peacemakers.
COMMENTS
Practical efforts = give expensive gifts to those you have offended
How many congregation grudges in your congregation were long standing?
I knew one that lasted 50 years and only ended when one of them died, 50 years of never talking to each other.
Also, unless you are an elder, CO, DO, etc., you must apologize when you are right…or rather no one is complete without fault, yes, because you were born and happen to go to the same congregation, it is partly your fault.
*** w02 11/1 p.6 Apologizing—A Key to Making Peace***
Indeed, when two humans are at odds, there may be a measure of blame on both sides, since both are imperfect and prone to err. This usually calls for mutual concessions.
What was the most important step taken by Jacob in making peace with Esau?
A Superlative Example to Exhort Us
4. What is God’s provision for saving mankind
from sin and death?
4 The most outstanding example of a
peacemaker is Jehovah—“the God who
gives peace.” (Rom. 15:33) Think of the extent
to which Jehovah went to enable us to
have a peaceful relationship with him. As
sinful descendants of Adam and Eve, we deserve
“the wages [that] sin pays.” (Rom. 6:
23) Still, out of his great love, Jehovah arranged
for our salvation by sending his beloved
Son from heaven to be born as a
perfect human. And the Son willingly complied.
He allowed himself to be put to death
by God’s enemies. (John 10:17, 18) The true
God resurrected his beloved Son, who afterward
presented to the Father the value of his
shed blood, which would be a ransom to
save repentant sinners from eternal death.
—Read Hebrews 9:14, 24.
COMMENTS
Outstanding peacemaker = God? What about Sodom and Gomorrah; except for the mob outside Lot’s house, where is there evidence that the rest of the people were warned? And remember every child and baby died that day…eternally. Why didn’t their deaths pay for their sins as Romans 6:23 says? Why must their death be eternal unlike Pharaoh and his armies, etc., etc.
In what way did God “arrange for their salvation” by sending Jesus. What room was there for repentance for the men, women, children and babies of Sodom & Gomorrah, except for the mob outside Lot’s house?
5, 6. How does Jesus’ shed blood affect the damaged
relationship between God and sinful mankind?
5 How does the provision of the ransom
sacrifice of God’s Son affect the damaged relationship
between God and sinful mankind?
“The chastisement meant for our
peace was upon him,” states Isaiah 53:5,
“and because of his wounds there has been
a healing for us.” Instead of being viewed as
God’s enemies, obedient humans can now
enjoy a peaceful relationship with him. “By
means of [Jesus] we have the release by ransom through
the blood of that one, yes, the
forgiveness of our trespasses.”—Eph.1:7.
COMMENTS
Obedient humans = only jws
*** w89 9/1 p.19 par.7***
Only Jehovah’s Witnesses, those of the anointed remnant and the “great crowd,” as a united organization under the protection of the Supreme Organizer, have any Scriptural hope of surviving the impending end of this doomed system dominated by Satan the Devil. (Revelation 7:9-17; 2 Corinthians 4:4) They will make up the “flesh” that Jesus Christ said would be saved through the worst tribulation of all human history.
Peaceful relationship with God = notice there is no or little mention of having a relationship with God; in the 2010 WT-CD there is only one reference to nonanointed jws having a relationship with Jesus; only anointed jws are spoken of as having that privilege.
Brackets again = [Jesus] (that one, NWT) [of] our trespasses in hardbound NWT; it appears that the WTS has trained jws for so many years to depend on one verse citations, the rank and file jw no longer knows how to read the context
6 The Bible states: “God saw good for all
fullness to dwell in [Christ].” This is because
Christ is the key figure in the fulfilling of
God’s purpose. And what is Jehovah’s purpose?
It is “to reconcile again to himself all
other things by making peace through the
[shed] blood” of Jesus Christ. “All other
things” that God thus brings into a peaceful
relationship with him are “the things in the
heavens” and “the things upon the earth.”
What are they?—Read Colossians 1:19, 20.
COMMENTS
[Christ] = “him” (The NWT has an asterisk to refers to Lit. “he”)
[other] = why no brackets in hardbound NWT?
(Colossians 1:19-20) 19 because [God] saw good for all fullness to dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile again to himself all [other] things by making peace through the blood [he shed] on the torture stake, no matter whether they are the things upon the earth or the things in the heavens.
Why the snippets, why not quote in toto?
Remember this scripture is not reviewed the same by the WTS as other religions.
*** w50 10/15 p.396 par.22***
But now trinitarians confront you with Paul’s words at Colossians 1:15-20 according to the King James Version . They argue that, if Jesus Christ was before all things and all things consist by him and were created by him and for him, then he must be the very same as the Almighty, Most High God, or be one person with God. But we must harmonize these verses with all the other scriptures that Jesus Christ was God’s Son and a creation of His. So the Greek word here must be rendered in the sense of “all other”. Note, then, how the New World Translation blasts the trinitarian argument:
7. What are “the things in the heavens” and “the
things upon the earth” that are brought into a
peaceful relationship with God?
7 The provision of the ransom makes it
possible for anointed Christians, who “have
been declared righteous” as sons of God, to
“enjoy peace with God.” (Read Romans
5:1.) They are referred to as “the things in
the heavens” because they have a heavenly
hope and “are to rule as kings over the
earth” and serve as priests to God. (Rev. 5:
10) On the other hand, “the things upon
the earth” refer to repentant humans, who
will eventually attain to everlasting life on
earth.—Ps. 37:29.
COMMENTS
CARROT ON THE STICK = everlasting life on earth
Repentant humans = only jws
Notice that only anointed have the possibility of being considered sons of God. Non-anointed will only be adopted into God’s family after passing the final test by Satan at the end of the 1,000 year reign. Until then they are viewed only as “friends.” I remember anointed saying that Jesus was their brother now but not ours. That they were sons of God but we had to wait. The WTS even refers to non-anointed jws as grandchildren of God.
*** w95 8/1 p.13 par.19***
Even though the other sheep are not directly included among the “sons” spoken of at Isaiah 54:13, they are blessed with being taught by Jehovah. Therefore, they properly address God as “Father” because he will, in effect, be their Grandfather through the “Eternal Father,” Jesus Christ.—Matthew 6:9; Isaiah 9:6.
8. How are you affected by reflecting on the extent
to which Jehovah went to enable mankind to be at
peace with him?
8 Expressing his heartfelt gratitude for Jehovah’s
provision, Paul wrote to the anointed
Christians in Ephesus: “God, who is rich
in mercy, . . . made us alive together with the
Christ, even when we were dead in trespasses—
by undeserved kindness you have been
saved.” (Eph. 2:4, 5) Whether we have a
heavenly hope or an earthly hope, we are
deeply indebted to God for his mercy and
undeserved kindness. Our hearts are filled
with gratitude as we consider the extent
to which Jehovah went to make it possible
for mankind to enjoy peace with him.
When we are confronted with situations
that threaten the peaceful unity of the congregation,
should not our appreciatively reflecting
on God’s example move us to be
peacemakers?
COMMENTS
Where is Jesus? (WJ) “Our hearts are filled with gratitude as we consider the extent to which Jehovah went to make…”
In my case, the elders lied repeatedly and were not ashamed when being caught, never admitting it, let alone apologizing or making amends. Should we have apologized to the elders and said we were mistaken about their lies? How dangerous is that?
Learning From the Ways of Abraham and Isaac
9, 10. How did Abraham prove himself to be a
peacemaker in dealing with Lot when tension arose
among their herdsmen?
9 Concerning the patriarch Abraham, the
Bible states: “ ‘Abraham put faith in Jehovah,
and it was counted to him as righteousness,’
and he came to be called ‘Jehovah’s
friend.’ ” (Jas. 2:23) Abraham’s faith was
made evident by his peace-loving ways. For
example, as Abraham’s flocks and herds
increased, tension developed between his
herdsmen and those of his nephew Lot.
(Gen. 12:5; 13:7) The obvious solution was
that Abraham and Lot separate. How would
Abraham deal with this delicate situation?
Instead of using his age and status with
God to tell his nephew what to do, Abraham
proved himself to be a true peacemaker.
COMMENTS
Remember Abraham’s peace-loving ways had him send Hagar and Ishmael into the desert and they would have perished if God had not stepped in.
Remember Abraham’s peace-loving ways had not strengthened his faith that God would provide an heir without having to take Hagar as a concubine.
Remember Abraham’s peace-loving ways would have had faith that God would protect him from Abimelech’s possibly killing him to take Sarah as his wife and putting Sarah in the position of being violated.
How many elders, Cos, DOs, GB members, etc., do you know that took the hind end of a situation not using their age or status?
10 “Please, do not let any quarreling continue
between me and you and between my
herdsmen and your herdsmen,” Abraham
told his nephew, “for we men are brothers.”
The patriarch continued: “Is not the whole
land available to you? Please, separate from
me. If you go to the left, then I will go to the
right; but if you go to the right, then I will go
to the left.” Lot chose the most fertile part
of the land, but Abraham held no grudge
against him. (Gen. 13:8-11) Later on when
Lot was taken captive by invading armies,
Abraham did not hesitate to rescue his nephew.—
Gen.14:14-16.
COMMENTS
How many fights did you know of in your congregation? Four-hour screaming matches between the elders? Elders’ wives fighting over who had the privilege to select the wine glass, flowers, china for the Memorial? The sisters in field service ripping on one or the other sister (not there to hear of course) as to how they dressed, nail polish, heel height, not at enough meetings, not out in field service enough, unruly children, sluts, under the guise of merely wanting to “help” but never talking to them privately to “help”?
I remember a brother seeking reinstatement had no car. The bus line ended 1 mile before the KH and it was coooooooooold that winter. We finally picked him up and took him home and told the elders we could no longer consider ourselves Christians if we passed him again. They grudgingly said we could (we would have continued anyway) and warned us about him. They should have warned us about their loveless, unchristian lives.
11. How did Abraham pursue peace with his Philistine
neighbors?
11 Think also of how Abraham pursued
peace with his Philistine neighbors in the
land of Canaan. The Philistines had “seized
by violence” a well of water dug by Abraham’s
servants at Beer-sheba. How would a
man who had rescued his nephew by overcoming
the four kings who had captured
him respond to this act? Rather than fight
back and repossess his well, Abraham chose
to remain silent about the matter. In time,
the Philistine king visited Abraham to make
a covenant of peace. Only after he got Abraham to
swear to him to be kind to the Philistine
king’s offspring did Abraham bring up
the matter of his stolen well. Shocked to hear
about this, the king restored the well to
Abraham. As for Abraham, he continued to
live peacefully as an alien resident in the
land.—Gen. 21:22-31, 34.
COMMENTS
I doubt that even Abraham was foolhardy enough to think he could take on the Philistines in a fight, even with God’s help. He was going to be there the rest of his life.
Do you think that the WTS is worried about the lack of peace between jws or jws making trouble with non-jws because of an arrogant stance that God is on their side?
12, 13. (a) How did Isaac follow the example of his
father? (b) How did Jehovah bless Isaac’s peace loving
ways?
12 Abraham’s son Isaac followed the
peace-loving ways of his father. This is evident
from the manner in which Isaac dealt
with the Philistines. Because of a famine in
the land, Isaac moved his household north,
from Beer-lanai-roi in the arid region of the
Negeb into the more fertile territory of the
Philistines at Gerar. There Jehovah blessed
Isaac with bumper crops and increased his
livestock. The Philistines began to envy him.
Not wanting Isaac to prosper as his father
had prospered, the Philistines stopped up
the wells that Abraham’s servants had dug
in the region. Finally, the Philistine king told
Isaac to ‘move from their neighborhood.’
The peaceful man Isaac complied.—Gen. 24:
62; 26:1, 12-17.
COMMENTS
So how does this apply? Jealous jws in the congregation who spread rumors and lies to get other jws in trouble?
Should jws not be too caring of their property and be willing to give it up to any non-jw who wants it?
13 After Isaac moved his encampment farther
away, his shepherds dug another well.
Philistine shepherds claimed that the water
was theirs. Like his father, Abraham, Isaac
did not fight over a well. Instead, Isaac again
had his men dig a well. The Philistines also
claimed this one for themselves. For the sake
of peace, Isaac moved his large encampment
away to yet another location. There his servants
dug a well that Isaac named Rehoboth.
In time, he moved to the more fertile region
of Beer-sheba, where Jehovah blessed him
and told him: “Do not be afraid, because I
am with you, and I will bless you and multiply
your seed on account of Abraham my
servant.”—Gen. 26:17-25.
COMMENTS
Why then does the WTS have so many lawsuits going on, basically fighting over property?
Why don’t they move to another location like Isaac?
14. How did Isaac prove himself to be a peacemaker
when the Philistine king sought to make a covenant
of peace with him?
14 Isaac surely had the ability to fight for
his right to use all the wells that his servants
had dug. After all, the Philistine king and his
officials came to visit him in Beer-sheba and
sought to make a covenant of peace with
him, saying: “We have unmistakably seen
that Jehovah has proved to be with you.”
Still, for the sake of peace, Isaac had more
than once opted to move rather than fight.
This time too Isaac proved himself to be
a peacemaker. The historical record states:
“He made a feast for [his visitors] and they
ate and drank. Next morning they were early
in rising and they made sworn statements
one to the other. After that Isaac sent them
away. . . in peace.”—Gen. 26:26-31.
COMMENTS
So Isaac had the ability to fight for his right…but he didn’t.
Why does the WTS fight then?
Learning From the Son Whom Jacob Loved the Most
15. Why were Joseph’s brothers unable to speak
peacefully to him?
15 Isaac’s son Jacob grew up to be “a
blameless man.” (Gen. 25:27) As discussed
at the outset, Jacob sought to make peace
with his brother, Esau. Undoubtedly, Jacob
had benefited from the peaceable example
of his father, Isaac. What can be said about
Jacob’s sons? Of his 12 sons, Joseph was the
one whom Jacob loved the most. Joseph was
an obedient, respectful son who cared deeply
for his father’s interests. (Gen. 37:2, 14)
However, Joseph’s older brothers became so
jealous of him that they were unable to
speak peacefully to him. Cruelly, they sold
Joseph into slavery and tricked their father
into believing that Joseph had been killed
by a wild beast.—Gen. 37:4, 28, 31-33.
COMMENTS
Jacob was a blameless man; but still he took another wife (because his father-in-law tricked him), but then took 2 more concubines (same as wives legally) because his wives were have a “who can have the most children” contest. Imagine if your wife “forced” you to have sex to another woman?
Note here that it was not non-believers that sold Joseph, it was his brothers.
16, 17. How did Joseph prove himself to be a peace loving
brother to his siblings?
16 Jehovah proved to be with Joseph. In
time, Joseph became Egypt’s prime minister
—second in power only to Pharaoh. When a
severe famine brought Joseph’s brothers to
Egypt, they did not even recognize him in
his official Egyptian attire. (Gen. 42:5-7)
How easy it would have been for Joseph to
repay his brothers for their cruelty to him
and to their father! Rather than seek revenge,
however, Joseph tried to make peace
with them. When it became clear that his
brothers had repented, he made himself
known to them, saying: “Do not feel hurt
and do not be angry with yourselves because
you sold me here; because for the
preservation of life God has sent me ahead
of you.” Then he proceeded to kiss all his
brothers and to weep over them.—Gen. 45:
1, 5, 15.
COMMENTS
How many reading here realize that Joseph married the daughter of an Egyptian priest, and had 2 sons that eventually inherited two portions of Israel?
In this story, where do you see the attitudes of elders on judicial committees when it comes to wrong-doing and reinstatement? Do you see the same mercy Joseph showed. Joseph took the first step not as elders make a member wait 6 months and put a letter in the contribution box before even considering their repentance. Did Joseph send them away saying it would be another 20 years before he would forgive?
17 After the death of their father, Jacob,
Joseph’s brothers thought that Joseph
might take vengeance on them. As they expressed
their fears to him, Joseph “burst
into tears” and replied: “Do not be afraid. I
myself shall keep supplying you and your
little children with food.” Peace-loving Joseph
“comforted them and spoke reassuringly
to them.”—Gen. 50:15-21.
COMMENTS
Have you had the experience of an elder who “holds back” only because he is afraid of a CO or another elder in the congregation, from wreaking his vengeance. Do you have jws with elephant memories?
“Written for Our Instruction”
18, 19. (a) How have you benefited from considering
the examples of peacemakers discussed in this
article? (b) What will we consider in the next article?
18 “All the things that were written aforetime were written
for our instruction, “wrote Paul, “that through our endurance and
through the comfort from the Scriptures we
might have hope.” (Rom.15:4) How have we
benefited from considering not only the superlative
example of Jehovah but also the Scriptural accounts of
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph?
COMMENTS
The WTS takes this literally since Paul was only talking about the OT.
19 Does not appreciatively reflecting on
what Jehovah has done to heal the damaged
relationship between him and sinful mankind
move us to do all we can to pursue
peace with others? The examples of Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph show that parents
can have a good influence on their children.
Moreover, these accounts also show
that Jehovah blesses the efforts of those who
try to make peace. No wonder Paul refers to
Jehovah as “the God who gives peace”!
(Read Romans 15:33; 16:20.) The following
article will consider why Paul stressed the
need for us to pursue peace and how we can
be peacemakers.
COMMENTS
No relationship with Jesus? What is Jesus role in this healing?
Peace in the congregation is modeled by the elders…what was your experience?
What Did You Learn?
? In what way did Jacob seek peace
when he was about to meet Esau?
? How have you been affected by
what Jehovah did to enable mankind
to be at peace with him?
? What have you learned from the
examples of the peacemakers
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and
Joseph?
CLOSING COMMENTS
Next Week, PURSUE PEACE.
What do you do if you have been wronged in some LARGE way? Financial fraud, theft, your child was molested….Is it just a case of forgiveness?
Love, Blondie