RHODA

(Rhoʹda) [rose].

A member of the Christian congregation in Jerusalem at the time of the apostle Peter’s miraculous release from prison in 44 C.E. Rhoda was a servant girl, presumably in the household of Mark’s mother Mary. At least she was one of those who spent the night there praying for Peter. Answering a knock at the door of the gateway, and recognizing Peter’s voice, Rhoda was so overcome with joy that, instead of letting him in, she ran back inside to tell the others. “You are mad,” they said, but she continued insisting. All the while Peter kept knocking until they finally let him in.—Acts 12:3, 5, 12-16.

RHODES

An island off the SW corner of Turkey and one of the largest in the Aegean Sea, measuring some forty-five miles long by twenty miles wide (72 by 32 kilometers). Its capital city also is called Rhodes. A ship on which Paul was traveling came from Cos to Rhodes near the close of the apostle’s third missionary journey in the spring of 56 C.E.—Acts 21:1.

Rhodes, because of its strategic location and good harbors, was prominent as a trading center early in its history. However, it appears that in time the city of Rhodes itself became more noted as a cultural center.

The Colossus of Rhodes, a bronze statue of the sun-god Helios, stood near the harbor of the city of Rhodes. Considered one of the “seven wonders of the ancient world,” it is said to have been some seventy cubits (c. 102 feet [31 meters]) high. Though it was not standing in Paul’s day, having been toppled by an earthquake in the third century B.C.E., enormous fragments of the Colossus did exist well into the Common Era. The idea that the statue straddled the entrance to the harbor with ships sailing between its legs cannot be verified.

RIB

In the human body there are twenty-four of these long, slender, curved bones enclosing the chest cavity, arranged in twelve pairs. The ribs are among the bones in the marrow of which blood is produced, and they form a cage protecting the heart and lungs.

In the creation of woman, God did not make her separate and distinct from man by forming her from the dust of the ground, as he had done in the creation of Adam. He took from Adam’s side a rib, from which base He built for Adam a perfect counterpart, the woman Eve. (Gen. 2:21, 22) Adam, nevertheless, remained a perfect man, now united as ‘bone of bone and flesh of flesh’ with his wife. (Gen. 2:23; Deut. 32:4) Moreover, this did not disturb the reproductive cells of Adam so as to affect his children, boys or girls in their rib structure. The human male and female each have twenty-four ribs.

It is of interest to note that a rib that has been removed will grow again, replacing itself, as long as the periosteum (the membrane of connective tissue that covers the bone) is allowed to remain. Whether Jehovah God followed this procedure or not the record does not state; however, as man’s Creator, God was certainly aware of this unusual quality of the rib bones.

The word “rib” is found again in the Bible in Daniel’s account of the vision that God gave to him during the rule of King Belshazzar of Babylon. A first beast representing the dynastic line of rulers of Babylon appeared, followed by a beast like a bear, which pictured the next ‘king’ or line of world rulers, namely, of Medo-Persia. This bearlike beast had three ribs in its mouth. These ribs may denote that the ‘king’ symbolized by the bear pushed its conquests in three directions, as Medo-Persia did. Since the number three is used in the Scriptures as a symbol of intensity or emphasis, the three ribs may also emphasize the greed of this symbolic bear for territorial conquests.—Dan. 7:5, 17; see BEASTS, SYMBOLIC.

RIBAI

(Riʹbai) [Jehovah strives].

A Benjamite of Gibeah whose son Ittai (Ithai) was one of David’s “thirty” famous warriors.—2 Sam. 23:24, 29; 1 Chron. 11:31.

RIBLAH

(Ribʹlah).

1. A location on the eastern boundary of “the land of Canaan.” (Num. 34:2, 10, 11) Its precise location has not been determined.

2. A town N of Israel “in the land of Hamath.” (Jer. 52:9) The site generally accepted for Riblah is on the E bank of the Orontes River, about thirty-six miles (58 kilometers) NE of Baalbek, in the valley between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountains. Evidently Pharaoh Nechoh encamped at Riblah after defeating King Josiah, about 629 B.C.E. He was at that time marching N to fight against the Babylonians, who by then dominated Assyria. Jehoahaz succeeded Josiah, but after three months Nechoh replaced Jehoahaz with Eliakim (Jehoiakim). Nechoh had Jehoahaz brought to him at Riblah before taking this king captive to Egypt. (2 Ki. 23:29-34) Riblah was a strategic location for a military camp. It dominated a N-S trade and military route between Egypt and the Euphrates. Water was readily available, and food and fuel could be obtained from the surrounding valley and forests.

The same military advantages served the Babylonians at a later time. At some point after beginning the siege of Jerusalem in late 609 B.C.E., Nebuchadnezzar apparently set up a camp at Riblah to direct military operations from there. This put him in position to strike Damascus or to return speedily to Babylon if necessary. When Zedekiah was captured in 607 B.C.E. he was brought to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah, as were certain other important men of the city shortly thereafter.—2 Ki. 25:1, 5-7, 18-21; Jer. 39:5; 52:9-11, 26, 27.

Many authorities conclude that the “Diblah” at Ezekiel 6:14 should read “Riblah,” referring to the Riblah on the Orontes.—See DIBLAH.

RICHES

Throughout the Scriptures the emphasis is placed, not on the possession of material riches, but on a good standing with Jehovah God, a standing that is maintained by a person’s continuing to do the divine will by faith. Christ Jesus encouraged others to be “rich toward God” (Luke 12:21) and to store up “treasures in heaven.” (Matt. 6:20; Luke 12:33) An individual’s record of fine works would be like riches deposited with the Creator in heaven, assuring lasting blessings for the one concerned. Persons who became spirit-anointed followers of Jesus Christ could look forward to the “glorious riches” of a heavenly inheritance (Eph. 1:18) and, during their ‘alien residence’ on earth, they would be rich or abound in faith, love goodness and other Godlike qualities.—Compare Galatians 5:22, 23; James 2:5; 1 Peter 2:11, 12; 2 Peter 1:5-8.

THE WEALTHY PATRIARCHS

Faithful servants of Jehovah God, such as the patriarchs Abraham and Job, were not given the commission of assisting others to adopt true worship. For this reason their time appears to have been mainly filled with caring for the physical and spiritual needs of their respective households. Jehovah blessed the diligent efforts of these servants of his so that they came to have much livestock, many servants and gold and silver.—Gen. 12:16; 13:2; 14:14; 30:43; 32:10; Job 1:2, 3; 42:10-12.

Though wealthy, these men were not materialists. They appreciated that their material prosperity was due to Jehovah’s blessing upon them, and they were not greedy for riches. Abraham, after defeating four allied kings and recovering all the goods that they had seized from Sodom, could have greatly increased his wealth. But he turned down the offer of the king of Sodom to take the recovered goods, saying: “I do lift up my hand in an oath to Jehovah the Most High God, Producer of heaven and earth, that, from a thread to a sandal lace, no, I shall take nothing from anything that is yours, in order that you may not say, ‘It was I who made Abram rich.’ Nothing for me!” (Gen. 14:22-24) When Job lost all his livestock and his children, he exclaimed: “Jehovah himself has given, and Jehovah himself has taken away. Let the name of Jehovah continue to be blessed.”—Job 1:21.

Abraham, Job and others showed that they could be trusted with riches. They were industrious and used their material possessions properly. Job, for example, was ever ready to help the poor and afflicted. (Job 29:12-16) In view of their right attitude, there was good reason for Jehovah God to protect his servants from being defrauded by selfish and greedy men.—Gen. 31:5-12; Job 1:10; Ps. 105:14.

ISRAEL, IF OBEDIENT, WAS TO BE A PROSPEROUS NATION

As in the case of the faithful patriarchs, the material prosperity of the Israelites depended upon their maintaining a proper relationship with Jehovah God. Moses strictly counseled them to remember that it was Jehovah their God who gave them power to make wealth. (Deut. 8:18) Yes, Jehovah was the One who gave an inheritance of land to that nation in covenant relationship with him. (Num. 34:2-12) He could also see to it that they received the rain in its season and did not experience loss through crop failures or invasions by enemy forces.—Lev. 26:4-7.

It was God’s purpose that Israel, if obedient, would be a prosperous nation. Said Moses: “Jehovah will open up to you his good storehouse, the heavens, to give the rain on your land in its season and to bless every deed of your hand; and you will certainly lend to many nations, while you yourself will not borrow. And Jehovah will indeed put you at the head and not at the tail; and you must come to be only on top, and you will not come to be on the bottom, because you keep obeying the commandments of Jehovah your God.” (Deut. 28:12, 13) The prosperity of the nation would have brought honor to Jehovah, constituting a powerful proof to surrounding nations that he was the “Enricher” (1 Sam. 2:7) of his people and that the Law he had given to them was beyond compare in securing the welfare of all concerned.

That Israel’s prosperity did move other peoples to glorify Jehovah is illustrated in the case of King Solomon. At the start of his kingship, he, when given the opportunity to request what he wanted from Jehovah, did not ask for great riches, but requested wisdom and knowledge to judge the nation. Jehovah granted Solomon his request and also gave him “wealth and riches and honor.” (2 Chron. 1:7-12; 9:22-27) As a result reports of Solomon’s wisdom and wealth came to be associated with the name of Jehovah. Having heard about Solomon in connection with Jehovah, the queen of Sheba, for instance, came from a distant land to see whether the reports about his wisdom and prosperity were true. (1 Ki. 10:1, 2) What she saw prompted her to acknowledge Jehovah’s love for Israel. She said: “True has the word proved to be that I heard in my own land about your matters and about your wisdom. And I did not put faith in the words until I had come that my own eyes might see; and, look! I had not been told the half. You have surpassed in wisdom and prosperity the things heard to which I listened. Happy are your men; happy are these servants of yours who are standing before you constantly, listening to your wisdom! May Jehovah your God come to be blessed, who has taken delight in you by putting you upon the throne of Israel; because Jehovah loves Israel to time indefinite, so that he appointed you as king to render judicial decision and righteousness.”—1 Ki. 10:6-9.

As a prosperous nation the Israelites were able to enjoy food and drink (1 Ki. 4:20; Eccl. 5:18, 19) and their riches served to protect them from the problems of poverty. (Prov. 10:15; Eccl. 7:12) However, although it was in harmony with Jehovah’s purpose that the Israelites enjoyed prosperity from their hard work (compare Proverbs 6:6-11; 20:13; 24:33, 34), he also saw to it that they were warned concerning the danger of forgetting him as the Source of their wealth and beginning to trust in their riches. (Deut. 8:7-17; Ps. 49:6-9; Prov. 11:4; 18:10, 11; Jer. 9:23, 24) They were reminded that riches were but temporary (Prov. 23:4, 5), could not be given to God as a ransom to deliver one from death (Ps. 49:6, 7) and were of no value to the dead. (Ps. 49:16, 17; Eccl. 5:15) They were shown that attaching undue importance to riches would lead to fraudulent practices and Jehovah’s disfavor. (Prov. 28:20; compare Jeremiah 5:26-28; 17:9-11.) They were also encouraged to “honor Jehovah with [their] valuable things.”—Prov. 3:9.

Of course, the prosperity of the nation did not mean that every individual was wealthy or that those who had little were necessarily under divine disapproval. Unforeseen occurrences might plunge individuals into poverty. (Eccl. 9:11, 12) Death could leave behind orphans and widows. Accidents and sickness could temporarily or permanently hinder a person from performing necessary work. Hence the Israelites were encouraged to be generous with their riches in giving aid to the poor and afflicted in their midst.—Lev. 25:35; Deut. 15:7, 8; Ps. 112:5, 9; Prov. 19:17; see GIFTS OF MERCY; POOR.

RICHES AMONG THE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST JESUS

Unlike the patriarchs and the nation of Israel, the followers of Jesus Christ had the commission to “make disciples of people of all the nations.” (Matt. 28:19, 20) Fulfilling that commission required time and effort that might otherwise have been properly used in secular pursuits. Therefore, one who continued to cling to his wealth rather than unburdening himself in order to be able to use his time and resources to fulfill that commission could not be a disciple of Jesus, with the prospect of gaining life in the heavens. That is why the Son of God said: “How difficult a thing it will be for those having money to make their way into the kingdom of God! It is easier, in fact, for a camel to get through the eye of a sewing needle than for a rich man to get into the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:24, 25) These words were prompted by the reaction of a rich young ruler upon being told by Jesus: “Sell all the things you have and distribute to poor people, and you will have treasure in the heavens; and come be my follower.” (Luke 18:22, 23) That rich young ruler was under obligation to help needy fellow Israelites. (Prov. 14:21; 28:27; Isa. 58:6, 7; Ezek. 18:7-9) But his unwillingness to use his wealth to assist others and thereby to free himself to be a follower of Jesus Christ blocked his gaining entrance into the kingdom of the heavens.

Christ’s followers, however, were not to reduce themselves to a state of poverty and then depend upon others for support. Rather, they were to work hard so as to be able to care for their families and also have “something to distribute to someone in need.” (Eph. 4:28; 1 Thess. 4:10-12; 2 Thess. 3:10-12; 1 Tim. 5:8) They were to be content with sustenance and covering, not striving to become rich. Any who made material pursuits of prime concern were in danger of becoming involved in dishonest practices and losing their faith because of neglecting spiritual things. This did happen to some, as shown by Paul’s words to Timothy: “Those who are determined to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many senseless and hurtful desires, which plunge men into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things, and by reaching out for this love some have been led astray from the faith and have stabbed themselves all over with many pains.”—1 Tim. 6:9, 10.

Of course, what Jesus said to the rich young ruler does not mean that a Christian cannot have riches. In the first century C.E., for instance, wealthy Christians were associated with the congregation at Ephesus. The apostle Paul did not instruct Timothy to advise these rich brothers specifically to divest themselves of