Then came special pioneer work in 1937. This meant our going into unassigned towns or towns where the congregations of Jehovah’s people needed help. We shall never forget the kindness of our Christian brothers in a New Jersey city to which we were first sent. They extended generous hospitality and helped us to find an apartment. And then how delighted we were to be getting regularly to meetings again and enjoying the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in the faith!

In 1939 we were privileged to be present in Madison Square Garden, New York city, when the Watch Tower Society’s president, J. F. Rutherford, delivered his powerful lecture on “Government and Peace” in spite of the determined efforts of mobsters to break up the gathering. Their yells and jeers failed to drown out the lecture, which proceeded to its grand climax.

GLADDENING RESULTS

In 1943 my partner and I were assigned to work in cooperation with the Boston, Massachusetts, congregation, and we have had the satisfying experience of seeing it grow and divide and subdivide, until now there are ten congregations in the area. Meantime we often wondered about the effects of our service in the many isolated areas we covered. Well, imagine our joy to receive a letter, forwarded by the Society, from a Witness in the deep south who wanted to let us know what our calls meant to her and her family! The year after our last visit, when other Witnesses arrived, they were ready for baptism​—father, mother, and grown son and daughter. They soon sold their property and became pioneer ministers.

I am now infirm, but as I still do what I am able, I am continually reminded of the many blessed privileges that Jehovah has granted me through the years. How happy I am that I followed the wise course of the psalmist and could say as he did: “In the sovereign Lord Jehovah I have placed my refuge”!​—Ps. 73:28.

Preach Release to Babylon’s Captives

EARLY release or inescapable destruction with what is holding them in bondage! That is the issue facing all people today. Release from what? Release from Babylon the Great.​—Rev. 18:4.

What is this Babylon from which “my people” must get release? It could not be today’s political or commercial organizations, for the Bible prophetically shows that their leaders mourn the destruction of Babylon the Great. (Rev. 18:9-19) It, therefore, could only be the world empire of false religion. The name Babylon certainly befits her, for was not ancient Babylon the fountainhead of false religion and did she not, as a world power, hold many peoples in bondage, refusing to let them go? Surely!​—Isa. 14:4, 17.

To persons held captive in modern Babylon Jehovah’s witnesses have the commission to preach a release, even as did their Leader Jesus Christ when on earth nineteen centuries ago: “Jehovah’s spirit is upon me, because he anointed me to declare good news to the poor, he sent me forth to preach a release to the captives and a recovery of sight to the blind, to send the crushed ones away with a release.” (Luke 4:18)a Those Jews who heeded the preaching of Jesus and his apostles obtained a release and so escaped the destruction that befell their nation in 70 C.E. And so today only those who obtain a release can hope to escape destruction.

However, let us never forget that for release from Babylon to mean safety, protection and life, more is required than merely to sever one’s connections with Babylon the Great. Ever so many persons have done that and yet will be destroyed at Armageddon when Jehovah wipes out the commercial and political paramours of Great Babylon. As The Watchtower as far back as 1934 pointed out, for persons to become “sheep” they must make a presentation of themselves to do Jehovah’s will and be baptized in water just as Jesus was, and then follow his example in preaching a release to others still in bondage.​—Matt. 28:19, 20.

What does this mean for Jehovah’s witnesses today? That there is much work for them to do. They must not only help persons to sever their connections with Babylon the Great but, by making return visits, by conducting Bible studies with them and by inviting them to associate with the Witnesses at the Kingdom Halls, help them to take their stand for Jehovah God and his Son, Christ the King. That means much work, hard work, dependable work, unselfish work!​—1 Cor. 15:58.

It also means urgency. The end of this system of things is drawing on apace! All those destroyed with Babylon the Great or later at Armageddon cannot hope for a resurrection. Nor may we overlook the fact that it is those who get this release who will be sharing in the vindication of Jehovah’s name, making his heart glad.​—Prov. 27:11.

What reasons for us to put first in our lives God’s kingdom and his righteousness! (Matt. 6:33) What reasons for us to discipline ourselves, making sure that we neither needlessly associate with nor imitate those who are “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” (2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 Cor. 15:33) May we at all times give evidence that we do love Jehovah God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves, by making use of every opportunity to preach release to Babylon’s captives!​—Mark 12:29-31.

[Footnotes]

Questions From Readers

● Deuteronomy 10:6 reads, “And’ the sons of Israel pulled away from Beeroth Bene-jaakan for Moserah.” However, Numbers 33:31, 32 says exactly the reverse. How are we to understand this seeming discrepancy?

The account in the book of Numbers states that when the Israelites were on their journey through the wilderness they “pulled away from Moseroth and went camping in Bene-jaakan. After that they pulled away from Bene-jaakan and went camping in Hor-haggidgad.” So the account at Deuteronomy does list the direction of travel of the Israelites in reverse order from the Numbers account. In view of the many years spent in the wilderness, it is quite possible that the Israelites passed twice through this region.

As The Pentateuch and Haftorahs (Deuteronomy) commentary on Deuteronomy 10:6 suggests: “A probable explanation is that the Israelites, after journeying on a southern direction to the land of Edom, had to turn sharply to the north. . . . They may have had to retrace their steps for a short distance, and revisit some of the places they had passed through, this time in the reverse order.” It is to be noted that the record of Deuteronomy (10:6) refers to Aaron’s death immediately after referring to the station of Moserah, whereas the Numbers account (Nu 33:31-39) describes the Israelites’ travels to Ezion-geber and then northwest to Kadesh before dealing with the matter of the death of Aaron. This, together with the long number of years involved, would certainly allow for a measure of backtracking, if such were the case. Benejaakan (Beeroth Bene-jaakan, meaning “wells of the sons of Jaakan”) is usually identified with a site a few miles north of Kadesh-barnea.

● 1 Kings 15:14 and; 2 Chronicles 14:5 seem to contradict each other. One says Asa removed the high places, the other says he did not. How is this to be understood?

The record at 2 Chronicles 14:2-5 states: “Asa proceeded to do what was good and right in the eyes of Jehovah his God. So he removed the foreign altars and the high places and