Reference for Life and How we dey Preach—Meeting Book
AUGUST 7-13
BETTER THINGS WEY DEY INSIDE BIBLE | EZEKIEL 28-31
“Jehovah Rewarded a Pagan Nation”
it-2 1136 ¶4
Tyre
Destruction of City. In the course of Nebuchadnezzar’s long siege against Tyre, the heads of his soldiers were “made bald” from the chafing of their helmets, and their shoulders were “rubbed bare” from carrying materials used in the construction of siegeworks. Since Nebuchadnezzar received no “wages” for serving as His instrument in executing judgment upon Tyre, Jehovah promised to compensate him with the wealth of Egypt. (Eze 29:17-20) According to the Jewish historian Josephus, the siege lasted 13 years (Against Apion, I, 156 [21]), and it cost the Babylonians a great deal. Secular history does not record exactly how thorough or effective Nebuchadnezzar’s efforts were. But the loss in lives and property to the Tyrians must have been great.—Eze 26:7-12.
it-1 698 ¶5
Egypt, Egyptian
One Babylonian text, dated to Nebuchadnezzar’s 37th year (588 B.C.E.), has been found that mentions a campaign against Egypt. Whether it relates to the original conquest or merely to a subsequent military action cannot be said. At any rate, Nebuchadnezzar received Egypt’s wealth as his pay for military service rendered in Jehovah’s execution of judgment against Tyre, an opposer of God’s people.—Eze 29:18-20; 30:10-12.
g86 11/8 27 ¶4-5
Must All Taxes Be Paid?
To answer this, we might draw a parallel with the conduct of the Creator himself in paying a debt to a secular government for services rendered. Righteous indignation prompted Jehovah to decree the destruction of the ancient city of Tyre. In the accomplishment of this deed, God used the military might of Babylon under their emperor Nebuchadnezzar. Although Babylon was victorious, the engagement was costly. Jehovah thus felt that they should be paid for services rendered. His words appear at Ezekiel 29:18, 19: “Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar himself, the king of Babylon, made his military force perform a great service against Tyre. . . . But as for wages, there proved to be none for him and his military force from Tyre for the service that he had performed against her. Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘Here I am giving to Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon the land of Egypt, and he must carry off its wealth and make a big spoil of it and do a great deal of plundering of it; and it must become wages for his military force.’”
Bible students know that Nebuchadnezzar was a haughty, self-centered, pagan monarch. Babylon and its armies were known for their harsh treatment of captives. Jehovah did not approve of such conduct, yet to him a debt was a debt, and he paid in full.
Better Things Wey Dey Inside Bible—Find Am Well
it-2 604 ¶4-5
Perfection
The first sinner and the king of Tyre. Human sin and imperfection were, of course, preceded by sin and imperfection in the spirit realm, as Jesus’ words at John 8:44 and the account in chapter 3 of Genesis reveal. The dirge recorded at Ezekiel 28:12-19, though directed to the human “king of Tyre,” evidently parallels the course taken by the spirit son of God who first sinned. The pride of “the king of Tyre,” his making himself ‘a god,’ his being called a “cherub,” and the reference to “Eden, the garden of God,” certainly correspond to Biblical information concerning Satan the Devil, who became puffed up with pride, is linked to the serpent in Eden, and is called “the god of this system of things.”—1Ti 3:6; Ge 3:1-5, 14, 15; Re 12:9; 2Co 4:4.
The anonymous king of Tyre, residing in the city claiming to be “perfect in prettiness,” was himself “full of wisdom and perfect [adjective related to Heb. ka·lalʹ] in beauty,” and “faultless [Heb., ta·mimʹ]” in his ways from his creation onward until unrighteousness was found in him. (Eze 27:3; 28:12, 15) The first or direct application of the dirge in Ezekiel may be to the line of Tyrian rulers rather than to any one specific king. (Compare the prophecy directed against the anonymous “king of Babylon” at Isa 14:4-20.) In that case, the reference may be to the early course of friendship and cooperation followed by the Tyrian rulership during the reigns of Kings David and Solomon, when Tyre even contributed toward the building of Jehovah’s temple on Mount Moriah. At first, therefore, there was no fault to be found in the official Tyrian attitude toward Jehovah’s people Israel. (1Ki 5:1-18; 9:10, 11, 14; 2Ch 2:3-16) Later kings, however, departed from this “faultless” course, and Tyre came in for condemnation by God’s prophets Joel and Amos, as well as Ezekiel. (Joe 3:4-8; Am 1:9, 10) Aside from the evident similarity of the course of “the king of Tyre” with that of God’s principal Adversary, the prophecy illustrates again how “perfection” and “faultlessness” can be used in limited senses.
w03 7/1 32 ¶1-3
What Happened to Them?
NOPH and No are Biblical names for Egypt’s once famous capitals of Memphis and Thebes. Noph (Memphis) was some 14 miles [23 km] south of Cairo, on the west side of the Nile River. In time, however, Memphis lost its status as Egypt’s capital. By the turn of the 15th century B.C.E., Egypt had a new capital, No (Thebes), located about 300 miles [500 km] south of Memphis. Among the many temple ruins of Thebes is that of Karnak, considered to be the largest structure ever built with columns. Thebes and its Karnak temple were dedicated to the worship of Amon, the chief god of the Egyptians.
What did Bible prophecy foretell regarding Memphis and Thebes? Judgment was pronounced against Egypt’s Pharaoh and its gods, especially the chief god, “Amon from No.” (Jeremiah 46:25, 26) The crowd of worshipers who flocked there would be “cut off.” (Ezekiel 30:14, 15) And so it turned out. All that is left of Amon’s worship are temple ruins. The modern town of Luxor is situated on part of the site of ancient Thebes, and other small villages exist among its ruins.
As for Memphis, little remains except for its cemeteries. Bible scholar Louis Golding says: “For century upon century the Arab conquerors of Egypt used the titanic ruins of Memphis as a quarry for the building of their capital [Cairo] on the opposite side of the river. So well have the Nile and the Arab builders between them done their work that for miles upon miles within the circuit of the ancient city not a stone protrudes above the black soil.” Truly, as foretold in the Bible, Memphis became “a mere object of astonishment . . . without an inhabitant.”—Jeremiah 46:19.
AUGUST 14-20
BETTER THINGS WEY DEY INSIDE BIBLE | EZEKIEL 32-34
“The Watchman’s Heavy Responsibility”
it-2 1172 ¶2
Watchman
Figurative Use. Jehovah raised up prophets who served as figurative watchmen to the nation of Israel (Jer 6:17), and they, in turn, sometimes spoke of watchmen in a symbolic way. (Isa 21:6, 8; 52:8; 62:6; Ho 9:8) These prophet-watchmen had the responsibility to warn the wicked of impending destruction, and if they failed to do so, they were held accountable. Of course, if the people were unresponsive and failed to heed the warning, their blood was upon themselves. (Eze 3:17-21; 33:1-9) An unfaithful prophet was about as worthless as a blind watchman or a voiceless dog.—Isa 56:10.
w88 1/1 28 ¶13
Keep On Preaching the Kingdom
Avoiding Bloodguilt
13 The responsibility of Jehovah’s dedicated Witnesses to warn people of God’s coming judgment can be compared to that of Ezekiel in his time. He was designated a watchman to the house of Israel. His assignment was to warn the Israelites that execution was coming upon them if they did not turn away from their bad ways. If he as a watchman failed to sound the warning, execution would still come upon the wicked people, but their blood would be upon the head of the negligent watchman. In this Jehovah shows his attitude toward executing judgment: “I take delight, not in the death of the wicked one, but in that someone wicked turns back from his way and actually keeps living. Turn back, turn back from your bad ways, for why is it that you should die, O house of Israel?”—Ezekiel 33:1-11.
w12 3/15 15 ¶3
Maintain Your Sense of Urgency
WHY IS OUR PREACHING URGENT?
3 When you consider what stands to be gained or lost as a result of our preaching, you probably feel an urgent need to speak to others about the good news. (Rom. 10:13, 14) God’s Word says: “When I say to the wicked one: ‘You will positively die,’ and he actually turns back from his sin and carries on justice and righteousness, . . . he will positively keep living. He will not die. None of his sins with which he has sinned will be remembered against him.” (Ezek. 33:14-16) Indeed, the Bible tells those who teach the Kingdom message: “You will save both yourself and those who listen to you.”—1 Tim. 4:16; Ezek. 3:17-21.
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w91 3/15 17 ¶16-17
Keep Pace With Jehovah’s Celestial Chariot
Not Deterred by Indifference
16 Ezekiel also set a fine example by being obedient and not allowing himself to be deterred by indifference or ridicule. Similarly, by keeping up with the development of the pure language, we are attuned to the direction taken by the royal Chariot Rider. Thus we are equipped to respond to his commands, strengthened to be undeterred by the indifference or ridicule of those to whom we speak Jehovah’s judgment message. As with Ezekiel, God has forewarned us that some people would actively oppose, being hardheaded and hardhearted. Others would not hear because they do not want to listen to Jehovah. (Ezekiel 3:7-9) Still others would be hypocrites, as Ezekiel 33:31, 32 states: “They will come in to you, like the coming in of people, and sit before you as my people; and they will certainly hear your words but these they will not do, for with their mouth they are expressing lustful desires and after their unjust gain is where their heart is going. And, look! you are to them like a song of sensuous loves, like one with a pretty voice and playing a stringed instrument well. And they will certainly hear your words, but there are none doing them.”
17 What would be the outcome? Verse 33 adds: “And when it comes true—look! it must come true—they will also have to know that a prophet himself had proved to be in the midst of them.” Those words reveal that Ezekiel did not give up because of lack of response. The apathy of others did not make him apathetic. Whether people listened or not, he obeyed God and fulfilled his commission.
w07 4/1 26 ¶3
Humbly Submitting to Loving Shepherds
3 The prophecy of Isaiah 40:10, 11 emphasizes the tenderness with which Jehovah shepherds his people. (Psalm 23:1-6) During his earthly ministry, Jesus too showed tender concern for his disciples and for people in general. (Matthew 11:28-30; Mark 6:34) Both Jehovah and Jesus deplored the ruthlessness of the shepherds, or leaders, of Israel, who shamelessly neglected and exploited their flocks. (Ezekiel 34:2-10; Matthew 23:3, 4, 15) Jehovah promised: “I will save my sheep, and they will no longer become something for plunder; and I will judge between a sheep and a sheep. And I will raise up over them one shepherd, and he must feed them, even my servant David. He himself will feed them, and he himself will become their shepherd.” (Ezekiel 34:22, 23) In this time of the end, Jesus Christ, the Greater David, is the “one shepherd” whom Jehovah has appointed over all His servants on earth, both the spirit-anointed Christians and the “other sheep.”—John 10:16.
AUGUST 21-27
BETTER THINGS WEY DEY INSIDE BIBLE | EZEKIEL 35-38
“Gog of Magog Will Soon Be Destroyed”
w15 5/15 29-30
Questions From Readers
Who, then, is Gog of Magog? To answer that question, we need to search the Scriptures to find out who attacks God’s people. The Bible speaks not only of the attack by ‘Gog of Magog’ but also of the attack by “the king of the north” and of the attack by “the kings of the earth.” (Ezek. 38:2, 10-13; Dan. 11:40, 44, 45; Rev. 17:14; 19:19) Do these represent separate attacks? Not likely. The Bible is no doubt referring to the same attack under different names. Why can we draw that conclusion? Because the Scriptures tell us that all the nations of the earth will be involved in this final attack that prompts the war of Armageddon.—Rev. 16:14, 16.
When we compare all these Scriptural references about the final attack on God’s people, it becomes evident that the name Gog of Magog refers, not to Satan, but to a coalition of nations. Will this coalition be led by the figurative “king of the north”? We cannot say with any certainty. But this thought does seem to be in harmony with what Jehovah says about Gog: “You will come from your place, from the remotest parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly, a vast army.”—Ezek. 38:6, 15.
w12 9/15 5-6 ¶8-9
How This World Will Come to an End
8 After false religion has been destroyed, God’s servants will still be found “dwelling in security” and “without wall.” (Ezek. 38:11, 14) What will happen to this seemingly defenseless group of people who continue to worship Jehovah? It appears that they will become the object of an all-out assault by “many peoples.” God’s Word describes that development as the attack by “Gog of the land of Magog.” (Read Ezekiel 38:2, 15, 16.) How should we view that attack?
9 Knowing in advance about this attack on God’s people does not make us overly anxious. Rather, our main concern is, not our own salvation, but the sanctification of Jehovah’s name and the vindication of his sovereignty. In fact, Jehovah declared more than 60 times: “You will have to know that I am Jehovah.” (Ezek. 6:7; see footnote.) Hence, we look forward with intense interest to the fulfillment of that outstanding aspect of Ezekiel’s prophecy, trusting that “Jehovah knows how to deliver people of godly devotion out of trial.” (2 Pet. 2:9) Meanwhile, we want to use every opportunity to strengthen our faith so that we will be able to keep our integrity to Jehovah no matter what tests we may face. What should we do? We should pray, study God’s Word and meditate on it, and share the Kingdom message with others. By doing so, we keep our hope of everlasting life firm, like “an anchor.”—Heb. 6:19; Ps. 25:21.
w14 11/15 27 ¶16
“Now You Are God’s People”
16 After the destruction of Babylon the Great, there will be an all-out assault on Jehovah’s people, and at that time we will need to be under the protection that Jehovah will provide for his servants. Since this attack will trigger the final part of the “great tribulation,” it is Jehovah himself who will set the stage and choose the moment for this showdown. (Matt. 24:21; Ezek. 38:2-4) At that time, Gog will attack “a people regathered from the nations,” Jehovah’s people. (Ezek. 38:10-12) That attack will be the signal for the execution of Jehovah’s judgments against Gog and his hordes. Jehovah will magnify his sovereignty and sanctify his name, for he says: “I will certainly . . . make myself known before the eyes of many nations; and they will have to know that I am Jehovah.”—Ezek. 38:18-23.
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w02 6/15 20 ¶12
Learn and Teach Christian Morality
12 The apostle highlighted a prime reason for learning and then applying the morality that you find in the Bible. The Jews’ misconduct reflected on Jehovah: “You, who take pride in law, do you by your transgressing of the Law dishonor God? For ‘the name of God is being blasphemed on account of you people among the nations.’ ” (Romans 2:23, 24) It is equally true now that if we ignore Christian morality, we dishonor its Source. Conversely, if we hold firmly to God’s standards, it reflects well on him, honoring him. (Isaiah 52:5; Ezekiel 36:20) Your being aware of this can strengthen your resolve if you face temptations or situations where ignoring Christian morality might seem the easiest or most convenient way to act. Moreover, Paul’s words teach us something else. Beyond being personally aware that your conduct reflects on God, as you teach others, help them to see that how they apply the moral standards that they are learning will reflect on Jehovah. It is not simply that Christian morality promotes contentment and protects one’s health. It also reflects on the One who provided and encourages that morality.—Psalm 74:10; James 3:17.
w88 9/15 24 ¶11
“They Will Have to Know That I Am Jehovah”
11 After a remnant returned to Judah, that desolated land was transformed into a fruitful “garden of Eden.” (Read Ezekiel 36:33-36.) Similarly, since 1919 Jehovah has transformed the once desolate estate of the anointed remnant into a fruitful spiritual paradise, now shared with the “great crowd.” Since this spiritual paradise has been populated with holy people, let each dedicated Christian work to keep it clean.—Ezekiel 36:37, 38.
AUGUST 28–SEPTEMBER 3
BETTER THINGS WEY DEY INSIDE BIBLE | EZEKIEL 39-41
“Ezekiel’s Temple Vision and You”
w99 3/1 11 ¶16
“Set Your Heart Upon” God’s Temple!
16 For an answer, let us go back to the vision itself. Ezekiel wrote: “In the visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel and gradually set me down upon a very high mountain, on which there was something like the structure of a city to the south.” (Ezekiel 40:2) The setting for this vision, the “very high mountain,” reminds us of Micah 4:1: “It must occur in the final part of the days that the mountain of the house of Jehovah will become firmly established above the top of the mountains, and it will certainly be lifted up above the hills; and to it peoples must stream.” When does this prophecy come into fulfillment? Micah 4:5 shows that this commences while the nations still worship false gods. In fact, it has been in our own time, “the final part of the days,” that pure worship has been lifted up, restored to its proper place in the lives of God’s servants.
(Ezekiel 40:3) When he brought me there, I saw a man whose appearance was like that of copper. He had a flax cord and a measuring reed in his hand, and he was standing in the gateway.
(Ezekiel 40:5) I saw a wall surrounding the outside of the temple. In the man’s hand was a measuring reed six cubits long (to each cubit, a handbreadth was added). He began to measure the wall, and its thickness was one reed and its height was one reed.
w07 8/1 10 ¶2
Highlights From the Book of Ezekiel—II
40:3–43:17—What is significant about the measuring of the temple? The measuring of the temple is a sign that Jehovah’s purpose concerning pure worship is sure to be fulfilled.
w07 8/1 11 ¶4
Highlights From the Book of Ezekiel—II
40:14, 16, 22, 26. The wall carvings of palm trees in the entryways of the temple show that only those who are morally upright are allowed to enter. (Psalm 92:12) This teaches us that our worship is acceptable to Jehovah only if we are upright.
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w12 9/1 21 ¶2
“The Nations Will Have to Know That I Am Jehovah”
“I shall no more let my holy name be profaned,” Jehovah says. When humans blame him for injustice, they are profaning his name. How so? In the Bible, “name” often denotes reputation. One reference work says that God’s name refers to “what is known of him—his revelation of himself; it also represents his fame, and then his honour.” Jehovah’s name embraces his reputation. What is known of Jehovah when it comes to injustice? He hates it! He also has compassion for its victims. (Exodus 22:22-24) When humans claim that God is responsible for the very things he abhors, they are sullying his reputation. They are thus “treating [his] name with disrespect.”—Psalm 74:10.
w89 8/15 14 ¶20
Opening Up the Way Back to Paradise
20 But what of all the war equipment that the nations will leave behind? In view of the symbolic indication of the length of time it will take to dispose of the combustible parts of them, the quantity will be enormous. (Ezekiel 39:8-10) Armageddon survivors may be able to adapt the materials of any remaining war relics of the nations to useful purposes.—Isaiah 2:2-4.