Thursday, November 5
Be liberal, ready to share.
How can we do that? By using our time and energy to help and encourage others. When we “practice giving,” we are sure to draw closer both to Jehovah and to our friends. We can also be generous toward Jehovah. “Honor Jehovah with your valuable things,” admonish the Scriptures. Those “valuable things” include our time, energy, and resources, which we can freely spend in his service. Even young children can learn to be generous toward Jehovah. “When our family makes a donation at the Kingdom Hall, we let our children put the money in the contribution box,” says their father, Jason. “They enjoy it because, as they put it, they’re ‘giving something to Jehovah.’” Children who experience the joy of giving to Jehovah while they are young are likely to continue being generous toward him in adulthood.
COMMENTARY
Most parents are willing to give good things to their children.
However, at times responsible parents must also administer discipline, which may come in the form of withholding something or even taking something away from a child. A grown child, for example, may be required to fend for themselves without any more support from mom and dad.
In this regard Jehovah is no different. In ancient times he often was forced to withdraw his blessing in order to try to bring his people to their senses.
One instance is recorded in the 4th chapter of Amos, which reads: “‘And I also, for my part, gave you people cleanness of teeth in all your cities and want of bread in all your places; but you did not come back to me,’ is the utterance of Jehovah. And as for me, I also withheld from you people the downpour when there were yet three months to the harvest; and I made it rain on one city, but on another city I would not make it rain. There was one tract of land that would be rained on, but a tract of land on which I would not make it rain would be dried up.’”
Unfortunately, there were several instances where God withdrew his protection from the nation entirely and allowed his people to suffer total devastation of their farms, homes and cities at the hands of pillagers.
Ultimately Jehovah was forced to temporarily remove himself from even speaking to and guiding his nation. Amos 8:11 states: “‘Look! There are days coming,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘and I will send a famine into the land, a famine, not for bread, and a thirst, not for water, but for hearing the words of Jehovah.’”
When are these “days coming”?
The Watchtower claims that Christendom has experienced this type of “spiritual famine.” But how can that be the case? Is there a shortage of preachers, evangelizers, book-sellers – all peddling their particular theology? Some of the so-called mega-church preachers have massive television audiences that make the reach of the Watchtower pale in comparison.
Of course, it could be argued that they do not hear the true word of Jehovah; but conversely, neither have they any appetite for it in the first place and so they feel no thirst, or hunger pangs. That being the case, their being deprived of the word of Jehovah would not be seen by them as a punishment.
But what about Jehovah’s Witnesses?
True, Jehovah’s Witnesses always have the Bible. But who can deny that the Bible only comes alive when it is expounded upon by one having knowledge and authority? Recall that when Jesus began his ministry he captivated the receptive Jews because he spoke with authority.
That being true, it is the Watchtower itself which likewise has spoken the word of Jehovah with authority. And it has trained and equipped millions of circuit overseers, elders, ministerial servants, and pioneers to speak its message with authority too.
The Watchtower advertises itself as Jehovah’s exclusive, earthly channel of communication, does it not? And certainly Jehovah’s Witnesses view it that way.
That being the case, the collapse of the Watchtower would result in a “famine” and a “thirst” on the part of Jehovah’s Witnesses for “hearing the words of Jehovah.”
The question is, will that happen? The answer: Absolutely!