Reference for Life and How we dey Preach—Meeting Book
JULY 3-9
BETTER THINGS WEY DEY INSIDE BIBLE | EZEKIEL 11-14
“Do You Have a Heart of Flesh?”
w07 7/1 11 ¶4
Highlights From the Book of Ezekiel—I
In 612 B.C.E., a vision transports Ezekiel to Jerusalem. What detestable things he sees happening in God’s temple! When Jehovah sends his heavenly executional forces (represented by “six men”) to express his anger at the apostates, only those who have received ‘a mark on the forehead’ will be spared. (Ezekiel 9:2-6) First, though, “coals of fire”—God’s fiery message of destruction—must be tossed over the city. (Ezekiel 10:2) While ‘Jehovah will bring upon the head of the wicked their own way,’ he promises to regather the scattered ones of Israel.—Ezekiel 11:17-21.
How Do You Make Personal Decisions?
9 If we are to make wise decisions, as Jesus did, we must rely on Jehovah for guidance. We need to act in accord with these wise words: “Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways take notice of him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not become wise in your own eyes. Fear Jehovah and turn away from bad.” (Prov. 3:5-7) Getting to know Jehovah’s thinking through Bible study can help us to perceive what God would want us to do in a particular situation. The more familiar we are with Jehovah’s thoughts, the more our heart will become sensitive to his guidance.—Ezek. 11:19, ftn.
Better Things Wey Dey Inside Bible—Find Am Well
w07 7/1 13 ¶8
Highlights From the Book of Ezekiel—I
12:26-28. Even to those scoffing at his message, Ezekiel was to say: “There will be no postponement anymore as to any words of [Jehovah].” We must do all we can to help others put their confidence in Jehovah before he brings an end to this system of things.
Benefit Fully From Jehovah’s Provisions
13 For example, consider Ezekiel 14:13, 14, where we read: “If a land sins against me by acting unfaithfully, I will stretch out my hand against it and destroy its food supply, and I will send famine upon it and cut off man and animal from it. ‘Even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were within it, they would be able to save only themselves because of their righteousness,’ declares the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.” By doing some research, we learn that this portion of Ezekiel was written in about the year 612 B.C.E. By that time, Noah and Job had been dead for centuries, and their record of faithfulness was in God’s memory. But Daniel was still alive. In fact, he may have been in his late teens or early 20’s when Jehovah said that he was just as righteous as Noah and Job. The lesson? Jehovah notices and values the integrity of all his faithful worshippers, including those who are relatively young.—Ps. 148:12-14.
w07 7/1 13 ¶9
Highlights From the Book of Ezekiel—I
14:12-23. Gaining salvation is our personal responsibility. No one can do it for us.—Romans 14:12.
JULY 10-16
BETTER THINGS WEY DEY INSIDE BIBLE | EZEKIEL 15-17
“Do You Keep Your Promises?”
w07 7/1 12 ¶6
Highlights From the Book of Ezekiel—I
17:1-24—Who are the two great eagles, how are the young shoots of a cedar plucked off, and who is the “tender one” transplanted by Jehovah? The two eagles represent the rulers of Babylon and Egypt. The first eagle comes to the treetop of the cedar, that is, to the ruler of the government in the royal line of David. This eagle plucks off the top of the young shoots by replacing King Jehoiachin of Judah with Zedekiah. Despite having taken a loyalty oath, Zedekiah seeks the help of the other eagle, Egypt’s ruler, but to no avail. He is to be taken captive and is to die in Babylon. Jehovah also plucks off “a tender one,” the Messianic King. This One is transplanted upon “a high and lofty mountain,” upon heavenly Mount Zion, where he will become “a majestic cedar,” a source of real blessings for the earth.—Revelation 14:1.
w07 7/1 12 ¶6
Highlights From the Book of Ezekiel—I
17:1-24—Who are the two great eagles, how are the young shoots of a cedar plucked off, and who is the “tender one” transplanted by Jehovah? The two eagles represent the rulers of Babylon and Egypt. The first eagle comes to the treetop of the cedar, that is, to the ruler of the government in the royal line of David. This eagle plucks off the top of the young shoots by replacing King Jehoiachin of Judah with Zedekiah. Despite having taken a loyalty oath, Zedekiah seeks the help of the other eagle, Egypt’s ruler, but to no avail. He is to be taken captive and is to die in Babylon. Jehovah also plucks off “a tender one,” the Messianic King. This One is transplanted upon “a high and lofty mountain,” upon heavenly Mount Zion, where he will become “a majestic cedar,” a source of real blessings for the earth.—Revelation 14:1.
w12 10/15 30 ¶11
Let Your Yes Mean Yes
11 Why has Jehovah had the above examples recorded for us in his Word? And how serious is the matter of letting our Yes mean Yes? The Bible clearly warns that a person who is “false to agreements” is among those who are “deserving of death.” (Rom. 1:31, 32) Pharaoh of Egypt, Judean King Zedekiah, and Ananias and Sapphira are among the bad examples highlighted in the Bible of individuals whose Yes did not mean Yes. They all fared badly and stand as warning examples for us.—Ex. 9:27, 28, 34, 35; Ezek. 17:13-15, 19, 20; Acts 5:1-10.
w88 9/15 17 ¶8
Jehovah Unsheathes His Sword!
8 Next, the rulers of Babylon and Egypt were likened to great eagles. One broke off the top of a cedar tree by removing King Jehoiachin and replacing him with Zedekiah. Although Zedekiah took a loyalty oath to Nebuchadnezzar, he broke it, seeking the military help of Egypt’s ruler, the other great eagle. If Zedekiah invoked God’s name in taking his oath, breaking it brought reproach on Jehovah. The very thought of bringing reproach on God should restrain us from ever proving false to our word. Privileged we are indeed to bear the divine name as Jehovah’s Witnesses!—Ezekiel 17:1-21.
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w88 9/15 17 ¶7
Jehovah Unsheathes His Sword!
7 Because of her unfaithful inhabitants, Judah was likened to a wild vine without good fruit and fit only for the fire. (Ezekiel 15:1-8) She was also likened to a foundling saved by God from Egypt and nurtured to womanhood. Jehovah took her as his wife, but she turned to false gods and would suffer destruction for her spiritual adultery. Yet, with faithful ones God would ‘establish an indefinitely lasting covenant’—the new covenant with spiritual Israel.—Ezekiel 16:1-63; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Galatians 6:16.
w07 7/1 12 ¶6
Highlights From the Book of Ezekiel—I
17:1-24—Who are the two great eagles, how are the young shoots of a cedar plucked off, and who is the “tender one” transplanted by Jehovah? The two eagles represent the rulers of Babylon and Egypt. The first eagle comes to the treetop of the cedar, that is, to the ruler of the government in the royal line of David. This eagle plucks off the top of the young shoots by replacing King Jehoiachin of Judah with Zedekiah. Despite having taken a loyalty oath, Zedekiah seeks the help of the other eagle, Egypt’s ruler, but to no avail. He is to be taken captive and is to die in Babylon. Jehovah also plucks off “a tender one,” the Messianic King. This One is transplanted upon “a high and lofty mountain,” upon heavenly Mount Zion, where he will become “a majestic cedar,” a source of real blessings for the earth.—Revelation 14:1.
JULY 17-23
BETTER THINGS WEY DEY INSIDE BIBLE | EZEKIEL 18-20
“When Jehovah Forgives, Does He Forget?”
w12 7/1 18 ¶2
When God Forgives, Does He Forget?
Using the prophet Ezekiel as a spokesman, Jehovah proclaimed judgment against unfaithful Judah and Jerusalem. The nation as a whole had abandoned Jehovah’s worship and filled the land with violence. Jehovah foretold the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. But in the midst of the judgment, Jehovah provided a message of hope. Each individual had a choice; each one was responsible for his own course of action.—Verses 19, 20.
w12 7/1 18 ¶3-7
When God Forgives, Does He Forget?
What, then, if someone changed from doing bad to doing good? Jehovah said: “As regards someone wicked, in case he should turn back from all his sins that he has committed and he should actually keep all my statutes and execute justice and righteousness, he will positively keep living. He will not die.” (Verse 21) Yes, Jehovah was “ready to forgive” a sinner who turned back from his wayward course, manifesting true repentance.—Psalm 86:5.
What about the sins he had committed? “All his transgressions that he has committed—they will not be remembered against him,” Jehovah explained. (Verse 22) Notice that the repentant one’s sins would “not be remembered against him.” Why is this significant?
In the Bible, the Hebrew word translated “remember” can mean more than just to recall the past. Regarding this word, one reference work says: “Quite often, in fact, [it] implies an action or appears in combination with verbs of action.” Thus, “to remember” can mean “to act.” Hence, when Jehovah says of a repentant sinner that his sins “will not be remembered against him,” He is saying that He will not thereafter act against the individual because of those sins, such as by accusing or punishing him.
The words of Ezekiel 18:21, 22 paint a touching picture of the extent of God’s forgiveness. When Jehovah forgives our sins, he will never hold those sins against us in the future. Instead, he puts the sins of repentant ones behind him. (Isaiah 38:17) It is as if he wipes out the record of those sins.—Acts 3:19.
As imperfect humans, we need God’s mercy. After all, we sin many times. (Romans 3:23) But Jehovah wants us to know that if we are sincerely repentant, he is willing to forgive. And when he forgives, he forgets—that is, he will not rehash our sins in order to accuse or punish us ever again. What a comforting thought! Does God’s mercy move you to want to draw closer to him?
w08 4/1 8 ¶4
Armageddon—God’s War to End All Wars
Since God is the Judge, we can be sure that in every case the judgments against the wicked will be righteous. “Is the Judge of all the earth not going to do what is right?” asked Abraham. The answer, Abraham learned, is that Jehovah is always right! (Genesis 18:25) Furthermore, the Bible assures us that Jehovah finds no delight in destroying the wicked; he does so only as a last resort.—Ezekiel 18:32; 2 Peter 3:9.
w06 12/1 27 ¶11
What It Means to Love Our Neighbor
11 In showing love to those who do not serve God, we can do no better than to imitate Jehovah himself. Though he is no lover of wickedness, he shows loving-kindness to all by extending to them the opportunity to turn back from their bad ways and receive everlasting life. (Ezekiel 18:23) Jehovah “desires all to attain to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) It is his will that “all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4) That is why Jesus commissioned his followers to preach and to teach and to “make disciples of people of all the nations.” (Matthew 28:19, 20) By our participation in this work, we show love for both God and neighbor, yes, including even our enemies!
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w13 8/15 11 ¶9
Never Become “Enraged Against Jehovah”
9 We do not know all the facts. Because of not having all the facts, the Israelites in Ezekiel’s day felt that Jehovah’s way was “not adjusted right.” (Ezek. 18:29) It was as if they had set themselves up as judges of God, putting their own standards of justice above Jehovah’s and judging him based on their own limited understanding of events. If we at times do not fully understand a Bible account or the way events develop in our own life, could we perhaps feel in our heart that the way of Jehovah is unfair, “not adjusted right”?—Job 35:2.
w07 7/1 14 ¶3
Highlights From the Book of Ezekiel—I
20:1, 49. The response of the older men of Israel shows that they were skeptical about what Ezekiel had said. May we never develop a doubting attitude toward divine warnings.
JULY 24-30
BETTER THINGS WEY DEY INSIDE BIBLE | EZEKIEL 21-23
“The Kingship Belongs to the One With the Legal Right”
w07 7/1 13 ¶11
Highlights From the Book of Ezekiel—I
In the seventh year of exile, 611 B.C.E., the elderly ones of Israel come to Ezekiel “to inquire of Jehovah.” They hear a long history of Israel’s rebellion and a warning that ‘Jehovah will bring forth his sword’ against them. (Ezekiel 20:1; 21:3) Addressing the chieftain of Israel (Zedekiah), Jehovah says: “Remove the turban, and lift off the crown. This will not be the same. Put on high even what is low, and bring low even the high one. A ruin, a ruin, a ruin I shall make it. As for this also, it will certainly become no one’s until he comes who has the legal right [Jesus Christ], and I must give it to him.”—Ezekiel 21:26, 27.
w11 8/15 9 ¶6
They Waited for the Messiah
6 The Messiah was to be born of Israel’s tribe of Judah. In his deathbed blessing of his sons, the patriarch Jacob foretold: “The scepter will not turn aside from Judah, neither the commander’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to him the obedience of the peoples will belong.” (Gen. 49:10) Many Jewish scholars of the past associated those words with the Messiah. Starting with the rule of Judean King David, the scepter (royal sovereignty) and the commander’s staff (power to command) resided with the tribe of Judah. “Shiloh” signifies “He Whose It Is; He to Whom It Belongs.” The regal line of Judah would end in “Shiloh” as the permanent kingly Heir, for God told Zedekiah, the last Judean king, that rulership would be given to one having the legal right to it. (Ezek. 21:26, 27) After Zedekiah, Jesus was the only descendant of David to whom kingship was promised. Before Jesus’ birth, the angel Gabriel told Mary: “Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule as king over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of his kingdom.” (Luke 1:32, 33) Shiloh must be Jesus Christ, who was a descendant of Judah and David.—Matt. 1:1-3, 6; Luke 3:23, 31-34.
w14 10/15 10 ¶14
Have Unshakable Faith in the Kingdom
14 Consider what Jehovah promised King David of ancient Israel by means of the Davidic covenant. (Read 2 Samuel 7:12, 16.) Jehovah made this covenant with David during David’s reign in Jerusalem, promising him that the Messiah would be his descendant. (Luke 1:30-33) Thus, Jehovah further narrowed the line of descent of the offspring and established that an heir of David would have “the legal right” to the throne of the Messianic Kingdom. (Ezek. 21:25-27) Through Jesus, David’s kingship “will be firmly established forever.” Indeed, David’s offspring “will endure forever; his throne will endure like the sun.” (Ps. 89:34-37) Yes, the Messiah’s rule will never become corrupt, and its accomplishments will last forever!
Better Things Wey Dey Inside Bible—Find Am Well
w07 7/1 14 ¶1
Highlights From the Book of Ezekiel—I
21:3—What is the “sword” that Jehovah brings forth out of its sheath? The “sword” that Jehovah uses to execute his judgment upon Jerusalem and Judah proves to be Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and his army. It could also include the heavenly part of God’s organization consisting of mighty spirit creatures.
w07 7/1 14 ¶6
Highlights From the Book of Ezekiel—I
23:5-49. Making political alliances led Israel and Judah to adopt the false worship of their allies. Let us guard against forming worldly ties that can destroy our faith.—James 4:4.
JULY 31–AUGUST 6
BETTER THINGS WEY DEY INSIDE BIBLE | EZEKIEL 24-27
“A Prophecy Against Tyre Strengthens Confidence in Jehovah’s Word”
si 133 ¶4
Bible Book Number 26—Ezekiel
4 Further proof of authenticity is to be found in the dramatic fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecies against neighboring nations, such as Tyre, Egypt, and Edom. For example, Ezekiel prophesied that Tyre would be devastated, and this was partly fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar took the city after a siege of 13 years. (Ezek. 26:2-21) This conflict did not mean the complete end for Tyre. However, Jehovah’s judgment was that it should be totally destroyed. He had foretold through Ezekiel: “I will scrape her dust away from her and make her a shining, bare surface of a crag. . . . Your stones and your woodwork and your dust they will place in the very midst of the water.” (26:4, 12) This was all fulfilled more than 250 years later when Alexander the Great moved against the island city of Tyre. Alexander’s soldiers scraped up all the debris of the ruined mainland city and threw it into the sea, making a half-mile [800 m] causeway out to the island city. Then, with an intricate siegework, they scaled the 150-foot-high [46 m] walls to take the city in 332 B.C.E. Thousands were killed, and many more were sold into slavery. As Ezekiel had also predicted, Tyre became the ‘bare surface of a crag and a drying yard for dragnets.’ (26:14) On the other side of the Promised Land, the treacherous Edomites were also annihilated, in fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy. (25:12, 13; 35:2-9) And, of course, Ezekiel’s prophecies about the destruction of Jerusalem and Israel’s restoration also proved to be accurate.—17:12-21; 36:7-14.
ce 216 ¶3
The Bible—Is It Really Inspired by God?
3 Tyre was a prominent seaport of Phoenicia that had dealt treacherously with ancient Israel, her southern neighbor that worshiped Jehovah. Through a prophet named Ezekiel, Jehovah foretold its complete destruction over 250 years before it happened. Jehovah declared: “I will bring up against you many nations . . . And they will certainly bring the walls of Tyre to ruin and tear down her towers, and I will scrape her dust away from her and make her a shining, bare surface of a crag. A drying yard for dragnets is what she will become in the midst of the sea.” Ezekiel also named in advance the first nation and its leader to besiege Tyre: “Here I am bringing against Tyre Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon.”—Ezekiel 26:3-5, 7.
it-1 70
Alexander
Instead of pursuing the fleeing Persians after two decisive victories in Asia Minor (the first at the Granicus River; the second on the Plain of Issus, where a great Persian army estimated at half a million met utter defeat), Alexander turned his attention to the island city of Tyre. Centuries earlier it had been foretold that the walls, towers, houses, and the very dust of Tyre would be pitched into the sea. (Eze 26:4, 12) It is, therefore, quite significant that Alexander took the rubble of the mainland city destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar some years before and built with it an 800-m (0.5 mi) causeway out to the island city. The pounding by his navy and engines of war destroyed that proud mistress of the sea in July 332 B.C.E.
Better Things Wey Dey Inside Bible—Find Am Well
w07 7/1 14 ¶2
Highlights From the Book of Ezekiel—I
24:6-14—What does the rust of the cooking pot represent? Jerusalem under siege is likened to a widemouthed cooking pot. Its rust represents the moral filth of the city—the uncleanness, loose conduct, and bloodshed for which she is responsible. So great is her uncleanness that even standing the pot empty upon its coals and making it very hot fails to remove the rust.
w88 9/15 21 ¶24
Jehovah Unsheathes His Sword!
24 Next, Ezekiel was to act in an unusual way. (Read Ezekiel 24:15-18.) Why was the prophet to display no grief when his wife died? To show how stunned the Jews would be at the destruction of Jerusalem, her inhabitants, and the temple. Ezekiel had already said enough about such matters and would not speak God’s message again until Jerusalem’s downfall was reported to him. Similarly, Christendom and her hypocritical religionists will be stunned at the time of their destruction. And after the “great tribulation” begins, what the anointed watchman class had already said about her end will be enough. (Matthew 24:21) But when God’s “sword” descends upon Christendom, such stunned religionists and others ‘will have to know that he is Jehovah.’—Ezekiel 24:19-27.