How Dedication Benefits Us

4. What does the friendship between David and Jonathan tell us about commitment?

⁴ Christian dedication is a serious matter. It is more than a mere commitment. How, though, does making a dedication benefit us? By way of comparison, let us consider how making a commitment in human relationships brings benefits. One example is friendship. To enjoy the privilege of having a friend, you have to accept the responsibility of being a friend. That involves a commitment​—you feel an obligation to care about your friend. One of the most outstanding friendships described in the Bible is that of David and Jonathan. They even made a covenant of friendship with each other. (Read 1 Samuel 17:57; 18:1, 3.) Although friendships with that level of commitment are rare, most friendships flourish when companions are committed, or feel some obligation, to each other.​—Prov. 17:17; 18:24.

5. How could a slave permanently benefit from belonging to a good master?

⁵ The Law that God gave to Israel describes another relationship in which people benefited by making a commitment. If a slave wanted the security of belonging permanently to a good master, he could enter a permanent and binding agreement with him. The Law states: “If the slave should insistently say, ‘I really love my master, my wife and my sons; I do not want to go out as one set free,’ then his master must bring him near to the true God and must bring him up against the door or the doorpost; and his master must pierce his ear through with an awl, and he must be his slave to time indefinite.”​—Ex. 21:5, 6.

6, 7. (a) How does commitment benefit people? (b) What does that indicate about our relationship with Jehovah?

⁶ Marriage is a relationship that requires a high level of commitment. It is a commitment, not to a contract, but to a person. Two people who merely live together without getting married can never enjoy real security; neither can their children. But partners who are committed to each other in honorable marriage have an impelling Scriptural reason for striving to resolve their difficulties with love when problems arise.​—Matt. 19:5, 6; 1 Cor. 13:7, 8; Heb. 13:4.

⁷ In Bible times, people benefited from having binding contracts in business and employment. (Matt. 20:1, 2, 8) Today, the same holds true. For example, we benefit from having a binding written agreement, or written contract, before we begin a business venture or start working as an employee in a company. Hence, if commitment enhances relationships such as friendship, marriage, and employment, how much more will making an unreserved dedication benefit you in your relationship with Jehovah! Let us now consider how people in the past have benefited from being dedicated to Jehovah God and how this was far more than just a commitment.

How Dedication to God Benefited Israel

8. What did being dedicated to God mean for Israel?

⁸ The nation of Israel as a whole became dedicated to Jehovah when they made a vow to God. Jehovah had them assemble near Mount Sinai, and he said to them: “If you will strictly obey my voice and will indeed keep my covenant, then you will certainly become my special property out of all other peoples.” The people answered unanimously: “All that Jehovah has spoken we are willing to do.” (Ex. 19:4-8) Being dedicated meant much more for Israel than being committed to do something. It meant that they belonged to Jehovah, and Jehovah treated them as his “special property.”

9. How did Israel benefit from being dedicated to God?

⁹ The Israelites benefited from belonging to Jehovah. He was loyal and cared for them as a loving parent cares for a child. To Israel, God said: “Can a wife forget her suckling so that she should not pity the son of her belly? Even these women can forget, yet I myself shall not forget you.” (Isa. 49:15) Jehovah gave them the guidance of the Law, the encouragement of the prophets, and the protection of the angels. A psalmist wrote: “He is telling his word to Jacob, his regulations and his judicial decisions to Israel. He has not done that way to any other nation.” (Ps. 147:19, 20; read Psalm 34:7, 19; 48:14.) As Jehovah cared for the nation that belonged to him in the past, so he will care for those who dedicate themselves to him today.

Dedication to God Leads to Happiness

16, 17. Why does making a dedication to Jehovah lead to happiness?

¹⁶ Being dedicated to Jehovah results in happiness because it involves the giving of ourselves. Jesus stated a basic truth when he said: “There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.” (Acts 20:35) Jesus fully experienced the happiness of giving during his earthly ministry. When necessary, he went without rest, food, and comfort so that he could help others to find the road to life. (John 4:34) Jesus found delight in making his Father’s heart rejoice. Jesus said: “I always do the things pleasing to him.”​—John 8:29; Prov. 27:11.

¹⁷ Thus, Jesus pointed his followers toward a satisfying way of life when he said: “If anyone wants to come after me, let him disown himself.” (Matt. 16:24) Doing so draws us closer to Jehovah. Could we place ourselves in the hands of anyone else who could care for us more lovingly?

18. Why does living in harmony with our dedication to Jehovah bring more happiness than being dedicated to anything or anyone else?

¹⁸ Dedicating ourselves to Jehovah and thereafter living in harmony with that dedication by doing his will brings more happiness than being dedicated to anything or anyone else. For example, many people devote their life to the pursuit of material wealth without attaining true happiness and genuine satisfaction. However, those who dedicate themselves to Jehovah find long-lasting happiness. (Matt. 6:24) The honor of being “God’s fellow workers” makes them happy, yet their dedication is not to a work but to our appreciative God. (1 Cor. 3:9) No one could be more appreciative of their self-sacrifice than he is. He will even restore his loyal ones to their youth so that they can benefit from his care forever.​—Job 33:25; read Hebrews 6:10.

19. What privilege is enjoyed by those who are dedicated to Jehovah?

¹⁹ Dedicating your life to Jehovah brings you into a close relationship with him. The Bible says: “Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.” (Jas. 4:8; Ps. 25:14)