—Who Is He? According to John.” Copious notes were taken as speakers whittled away pet trinitarian arguments until the doctrine of the Trinity was exposed beyond denial to be what it is—false! When the chairman announced that this absorbing subject could be had in a sixty-four-page booklet, a burst of applause resounded and crowds rushed toward the attendants to get their copies. During intermission many were seen happily thumbing through the booklet and checking the convincing arguments made therein.

SERVICE AND LOVE

Accurate knowledge of God’s Word is a propulsive power that drives ministers into action. And the hour-and-a-half demonstration on Friday night that revolved around the experience of a reporter who was gathering material for a story on Jehovah’s witnesses showed Jehovah’s organization to be one of action, where there is work for all. How deeply publishers appreciated seeing demonstrated before them Jehovah’s tender loving care by means of his organization! And many took advantage of these assemblies to express their appreciation by actively engaging in the field ministry, inviting the neighborhood people to come and share these spiritual blessings with them.

These assemblies reminded all that there is much to do and that there still is a great need for full-time pioneer ministers. Slightly over 3 percent now pioneer. Those in the audience were urged to pioneer if possible. In fact, they were told that a 5-percent goal for each congregation is most reasonable. Pioneering calls for great courage.

But can there not be love without deeds? No, not really. (1 John 3:18) Then, can there be deeds without love? Yes, but conventioners learned that these are worthless. (1 Cor. 13:1-8) They heard that they must learn to clothe all their deeds with love, that love is what should prompt them to serve God, that “love builds up,” that “love never fails.”—1 Cor. 8:1; 13:8.

Love, joy and sadness were mingled as the final speaker wrapped the whole assembly in admonishing tones, encouraging all to draw courage from the Word of God and to stand courageously before Jehovah, come what may, for Jehovah “is faithful that promised.” (Heb. 10:23) So filled with renewed courage, enlightened and refreshed, conventioners left their assembly points more determined than ever not to miss a single opportunity to tell others about Jehovah’s triumphant kingdom until He says, “It is enough!”

Like Jehovah’s Dewdrops Among Many Peoples

JEHOVAH’S dewdrops are beautiful; they are exceedingly many, and, most important of all, they are refreshing and life-sustaining.

Fittingly, in the Scriptures various persons and things are likened to the dew. Thus Moses likened his farewell prophetic song to the dew. (Deut. 32:2) The favor of the king is also likened to the dew. (Prov. 19:12) The loving unity of brothers is compared to the dew. (Ps. 133:1, 3) Jehovah even likens himself to the dew. (Hos. 14:5) And he also likens his faithful servants on earth, the remaining ones of spiritual Israel or Jacob, to dew: “The remaining ones of Jacob must become in the midst of many peoples like dew from Jehovah . . . that does not hope for man or wait for the sons of earthling man.”—Mic. 5:7.a

Concerning the beauty of the dew, W. A. Bentley, a leading American meteorologist, once stated: “The myriads of opalescent, iridescent drops sparkling over meadow and hillside of a dew morning create one of Nature’s loveliest effects.” God’s anointed servants are like dew in this respect, for they are prophetically spoken of, at Canticles 4:7, as being “altogether beautiful” in the eyes of their Shepherd-Bridegroom Jesus Christ. And so they also appear to Jehovah God and to men of goodwill: “How comely are the feet of those who declare good news of good things!”—Rom. 10:15.

Just as dewdrops are many, so, today, those associating with Jehovah’s “dewdrops” and becoming like dewdrops themselves are exceedingly many, their numbers at the present time increasing some hundred a day and totaling well over nine hundred thousand now. Concerning these the psalmist David prophesied: “You have your company of young men just like dewdrops.”—Ps. 110:3.

But in particular are God’s people like dew in their refreshing and life-giving activities. Concerning this quality of Jehovah’s literal dewdrops we are told: “The value of this blessing cannot be adequately appreciated by the Western reader; but in Palestine . . . rain rarely, if ever, falls from April to September and, the heat of the sun being at the time very strong, all vegetation would be parched and dried up were it not for the copious dews which fall during the night . . . during the months of April, May, August and September, and after the early and before the latter rains.”—McClintock & Strong’s Cyclopædia.

Concerning these dews of Palestine, Newsweek, August 26, 1957, after quoting Genesis 27:28, had the following to say: “Despite a few such scattered hints in the Bible, the agricultural importance of dew has been ignored in recent centuries. Textbooks carefully explain how water in a plant is transported upward from the roots; a reverse process, the intake of the dew and its movement downward, is never mentioned.

“Now a modern Israeli scientist, who was inspired by the Bible to study dew, has established that this nocturnal deposit of water may spell the difference between a bountiful harvest and drought-ridden starvation. . . . He tells how a water spray simulating dew brought full recovery to wilting citrus trees unirrigated for many rainless months. His bedewed cucumbers were half again as plump as unbedewed ones. Most vegetables . . . grow faster, and yield more when ‘dew’ irrigated . . . Absorption can be so pronounced, he reports, that the soil around the roots will become moist, giving the plant an added reservoir to draw from the next morning.”

Surely, just as Jehovah provided literal dewdrops for the refreshment and life of vegetation, so he has provided symbolic dewdrops to serve for the refreshment and life of those who are “hungering and thirsting for righteousness.” To accomplish their purpose, these who are likened to dewdrops must go forth, searching for men of goodwill and, upon finding them, offer them the refreshing waters of life, in keeping with the prophetic invitation: “The spirit and the bride keep on saying: ‘Come!’ And let anyone hearing say: ‘Come!’”—Matt. 5:6; Rev. 22:17.

The fact that the dew falls ever so gently shows that these Christian ministers are to be kind and gentle in bringing the truth to the people. And just as the dew keeps falling regularly every evening, during its season, so these Witnesses must be regular, not spasmodic, in serving as refreshing dewdrops, especially in faithfully conducting Bible studies with the people in their homes, so that these can become refreshed and revived and take their stand for Jehovah and join in serving, like dewdrops themselves, to bring refreshment to still others.

Surely this is a most happifying work in which to be engaged! During the month of October these Christian witnesses will bring refreshment to the people by offering the Awake! magazine on a subscription basis.

[Footnotes]

Questions From Readers

● Why was Joshua commanded to hamstring horses? Does this have any meaning for Christians today?—R. B., United States.

The command referred to appears at Joshua 11:6 and reads: “Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I am abandoning all of them slain to Israel. Their horses you will hamstring, and their chariots you will burn in the fire.” And Joshua 11:9 tells of Joshua as doing “just as Jehovah had said to him: their horses he hamstrung, and their chariots he burned in the fire.”

The hamstrings of a horse are the back tendons above the hock of the hind legs of the horse; the hock of the hind legs corresponding to the knee of the horse’s front legs. By cutting these tendons the horses were crippled and no longer able to serve war purposes, either for cavalry or to pull war chariots. This was the simplest way to put a horse out of the battle. Of course, after these horses were hamstrung, disabled, they would be put to death,