that law could feel free to practice polygamy the same as their distant relatives do, the Arab Mohammedans. In sharp contrast, Jesus Christ declared God’s will for his footstep followers to be marriage that copied the example in Paradise. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was perfect and sinless. So in the matter of human marriage he held to the standard of the perfect man in Paradise, that of a man’s having but one living wife. (Matt. 19:1-9) It is the only standard that will be permitted in the Paradise soon to be restored under God’s kingdom.

18. Why should a worshiper of Jehovah be willing that a wife should cost him something, and what wife could be considered as “from Jehovah”?

¹⁸ Before the much-married King Solomon fell away from God’s pure worship, he wrote these words: “Has one found a good wife? One has found a good thing and one gets good will from Jehovah.” (Prov. 18:22) “The inheritance from fathers is a house and wealth, but a discreet wife is from Jehovah.” (Prov. 19:14) A worshiper of Jehovah God should be willing, therefore, that his wife should cost him something, either before or after marriage, especially such a wife as would get him good will from Jehovah, a wife such as he could consider “from Jehovah” because of her complete dedication and exclusive devotion to God.

19. What examples of payment of a bride price does the Bible offer?

¹⁹ In Bible times among God’s chosen people it was the custom to pay a bride price as the initial expense of having a wife. David the giant-killer paid two hundred foreskins of Philistine soldiers for his wife Michal, King Saul’s daughter. (1 Sam. 18:20-27) The prophet Hosea paid fifteen silver pieces and one and a half homer-measures of barley for his wife. (Hos. 3:1-3) Jesus Christ paid for his spiritual bride by the sacrifice of his own life. (Eph. 5:25, 26) Remember, too, that Eve cost Adam a rib.—Gen. 2:21, 22.

20, 21. In places, what expensive marriage custom still exists for the bride’s father, and what Bible examples do we have of it?

²⁰ That ancient custom still persists in many parts of the earth today. Also, in some parts it is the custom for the father to give a dowry along with his daughter, that is, money, goods or an estate which a woman brings to her bridegroom at marriage. This is expensive to her father. But the giving of dowry was anciently practiced even in the nation of Israel. Take the case of Caleb, the companion of Joshua in spying out the land of Canaan. In spite of his age he was permitted to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land of Palestine with Joshua as the successor of the prophet Moses. Caleb had to conquer his portion of the land. He promised to give his daughter Achsah to the man capturing the enemy city of Kiriath-sepher. His nephew Othniel captured it. When Achsah was being given him as wife, she asked an addition to a certain dowry from her father Caleb. Hence to a southern piece of land for her, Caleb added the needed springs of water.—Josh. 15:13-19.

²¹ Pharaoh king of Egypt married off his daughter to King Solomon. To the bride Pharaoh gave as a “parting gift,” or dowry, the city of Gezer, which city King Solomon then built up. (1 Ki. 9:16, 17) A dowry is not a way of paying a man to marry one’s daughter, but it does give material assistance to the man taking her. It spares her of being entirely an expense to her husband.

22. (a) At Pentecost A.D. 33 were bride price and dowry abolished for the Christian congregation, and what are the indications? (b) According to God’s new covenant, what standard of marriage must Christians follow today?

²² When the Christian congregation was established on the day of Pentecost, A.D. 33, the original members were Jews and those who had become Jewish proselytes by circumcision. For three and a half years the Christian congregation continued exclusively of Jews and proselytes. These Jews brought their marriage customs in some regards over to Christianity. Even Jesus Christ their Leader used Jewish marriage customs to illustrate his talks by parables. (Matt. 22:1-14; 25:1-13; Luke 12:35-40) Some marriage arrangements of the Jews were, indeed, abolished by Jehovah’s new covenant with the Christian congregation, although he had set them forth and had authorized them in his law to the Jews through Moses. But no record exists that bride price and dowry were abolished or forbidden among Christians, no, nor wedding celebrations either. Jehovah’s new covenant, however, did restore to the Christian congregation the perfect standard of marriage that he himself set up with the perfect man and woman in the Paradise of Eden. That standard we Christians must follow today.

(Other articles in this series to follow)

Exercising Practical Wisdom in a Doomed World

FAR though modern man has been able to reach out into space, he has not been able to reach the heavens where Jehovah God dwells. And although the more man learns about nature the more proof he has of God’s existence, with it all he no more sees God in his works than does a cow looking up into the sky. Such wisdom is most impractical. Why? Because not only has it filled the earth with strife, confusion and corruption, but it ignores the fact that only Jehovah God can give security now and at Armageddon.a

Blindly men and nations fight over world domination. Ignoring God’s Word, they are in the dark to the fact that the question as to who will rule the world has long been settled. Jehovah God himself has given the administration of all things into the hands of his Son, Jesus Christ. Those who are wise will submit themselves to this powerful King and line up with his will.—Eph. 1:10-12.

As Jesus showed in one of his illustrations, when faced with superior forces the wise thing to do is to negotiate peace. Since Jesus Christ will soon act as Almighty God’s executioner, it is the course of wisdom for us to negotiate peace with God by dedicating ourselves to do his will. Having sued for peace, we must be willing to say good-by to all our belongings, if need be, and continue to pay the running expenses, as it were, of our dedication. Thereafter we must keep a strong, sharp, decided attitude toward it. If we let ourselves become weak, like salt that has lost its flavor, we would be unfit for God’s use.—Luke 14:25-35.

Further illustrating the course of practical wisdom in a doomed world, Jesus told of an unjust steward who, when about to lose his position, made friends for himself by reducing the amounts his master’s debtors owed. His own master or lord, not the Lord Jesus, commended him for his shrewdness, his practical worldly wisdom. So we today, if we have practical wisdom, will make friends of Jehovah God and Jesus Christ with whatever unrighteous riches we have. Then when this old world goes down, these Friends will bring us into their everlasting dwelling places.—Luke 16:1-9.

Yes, as Jesus emphasized in his sermon on the mount, it is not enough merely to hear the good news of God’s kingdom and to believe it to be true. We must do something about it, act upon it. Only then shall we be like the wise man who built his house on a rock-mass. Our obedience to God’s righteous requirements will give us a firm foundation that will enable us to weather Armageddon.—Matt. 7:24-27.

God’s righteous requirements at the present time relate primarily to making known his name and kingdom by preaching from house to house, on the streets, and whenever opportunity affords. We must be concerned about working efficiently by properly preparing ourselves. Then our tool, the Word of God, will be like a sharp ax, effective in accomplishing our purpose.—Eccl. 10:10.

So particularly during this month of November, let all exercise practical wisdom by urging others to sue for peace with God and by using all we have to make friends of Jehovah God and Jesus Christ.