References for “Life and Ministry Meeting Workbook”

References for Life and Ministry Meeting Workbook

JULY 7-13

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PROVERBS 21

Wise Principles for a Happy Marriage

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“Rejoice With the Wife of Your Youth”

¹³ What if the marriage is under stress because of the way that the mates treat each other? The search for a solution takes effort. For instance, it may be that a pattern of unkind speech has crept into their marriage and now characterizes it. (Proverbs 12:18) As discussed in the preceding article, this can have devastating effects. A Bible proverb says: “Better is it to dwell in a wilderness land than with a contentious wife along with vexation.” (Proverbs 21:19) If you are a wife in such a marriage, ask yourself, ‘Is my disposition making it difficult for my husband to be around me?’ The Bible tells husbands: “Keep on loving your wives and do not be bitterly angry with them.” (Colossians 3:19) If you are a husband, ask yourself, ‘Is my demeanor cold, tempting my wife to seek comfort elsewhere?’ Of course, there is no excuse for sexual immorality. Yet, the fact that such a tragedy could happen is good reason to discuss problems openly.

JULY 21-27

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PROVERBS 23

Wise Principles for the Use of Alcohol

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Drunkenness

Condemned in the Bible. Use of strong drink to the point of drunkenness is strongly censured in the Bible. The wise writer of Proverbs paints a vivid and scientifically accurate picture of the effects of drinking alcoholic beverages to excess. He warns: “Who has woe? Who has uneasiness? Who has contentions? Who has concern? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has dullness of eyes? Those staying a long time with the wine, those coming in to search out mixed wine. Do not look at wine when it exhibits a red color, when it gives off its sparkle in the cup [when the wine looks unduly attractive, sparkling], when it goes with a slickness [when it slides down the throat too easily]. At its end it bites just like a serpent, and it secretes poison just like a viper [it can make one sick physically (for example, causing cirrhosis of the liver) and mentally (producing delirium tremens), and it can actually kill]. Your own eyes will see strange things [the alcohol acts on the control centers of the brain, repressing them; attitudes normally repressed come to the fore; hallucinations appear; gaps in memory are filled by the individual’s telling fantastic experiences in a most plausible way; the person exhibits uninhibited behavior], and your own heart will speak perverse things [thoughts and desires normally suppressed will be expressed].”—Pr 23:29-33; Ho 4:11; Mt 15:18, 19.

The drunkard’s personal experience is described as the writer continues: “And you will certainly become like one lying down in the heart of the sea [experiencing the confusion of one drowning, finally passing into unconsciousness], even like one lying down at the top of a mast [as the rocking of the ship is greatest at this point, the drunkard’s life is in danger from accident, stroke, a fight, and so forth]. ‘They have struck me, but I did not become sick; they have smitten me, but I did not know it [says the drunkard, as if talking to himself; he was insensible to what was actually going on and to the punishment that the experience has inflicted on him]. When shall I wake up? I shall seek it yet some more [he must now sleep off the effects of overindulgence, but he is enslaved by the drink and looks forward to drinking more when he is able].’” He will come to poverty, by spending excessive amounts for liquor and also by becoming unreliable and rendering himself unable to work.—Pr 23:20, 21, 34, 35.

JULY 28–AUGUST 3

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PROVERBS 24

Strengthen Yourself for Adversities

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Questions From Readers

Proverbs 24:16 says: “The righteous one may fall seven times, and he will get up again.” Does this refer to someone who repeatedly falls into sin but then is forgiven by God?

Actually, that is not the point of this verse. Rather, it refers to someone who falls in the sense of repeatedly facing problems or adversities and who gets up again in the sense of being able to recover.

Yes, rather than speak of “falling” in the moral sense of falling into sin, Proverbs 24:16 refers to experiencing problems or difficulties, even repeatedly. In the present wicked system of things, a righteous one may face health or other problems. He may even be the object of intense governmental persecution. But he can trust that God is his support and will help him to cope and succeed. Ask yourself, ‘Have I not seen that things often work out well for God’s servants?’ Why? We are assured that “Jehovah supports all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.”—Ps. 41:1-3; 145:14-19.

AUGUST 4-10

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PROVERBS 25

Wise Principles for Our Speech

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Use the Power of Your Tongue for Good

⁶ The words of Proverbs 25:11 illustrate the importance of choosing the right time to speak: “Like apples of gold in silver carvings is a word spoken at the right time.” Golden apples by themselves would be beautiful. Placing them against the background of silver carvings would enhance their beauty. Similarly, carefully picking a suitable time to speak can make our speech more appealing and effective. How?

⁷ Our words may be just what our hearer truly needs, but unless we discern the best time to speak, their meaning could be lost. (Read Proverbs 15:23.) For example, in March 2011 an earthquake and tsunami devastated parts of eastern Japan, wiping out entire cities. More than 15,000 lost their lives. Although Jehovah’s Witnesses in the area suffered along with their neighbors, they took advantage of every opportunity to use the Bible to comfort those who were mourning. However, many of the local people have deep-rooted Buddhist beliefs and little or no knowledge of Bible teachings. Our brothers discerned that immediately following the tsunami was not necessarily the best time to tell the grief-stricken victims about the resurrection hope. Instead, they used their gift of speech to focus on giving emotional support and explaining from the Bible why such terrible things happen to innocent people.

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Use the Power of Your Tongue for Good

¹⁵ How we say something can be as important as what we say. When Jesus spoke in the synagogue of his hometown of Nazareth, the people were “amazed at the gracious words coming out of his mouth.” (Luke 4:22) Gracious speech appeals to the heart and in no way weakens the power of our tongue. In fact, graciousness can make our speech more persuasive. (Prov. 25:15) We can imitate Jesus’ gracious speech by being kind, courteous, and considerate of others’ feelings. Seeing the effort a crowd made to hear him speak, Jesus was moved with pity and “started to teach them many things.” (Mark 6:34) Even when he was being insulted, Jesus did not resort to harsh speech.—1 Pet. 2:23.

¹⁶ Speaking with mildness and tact can be a challenge when our listener is someone whom we know very well. We might feel at liberty to be very frank. That can be true whether we speak with a family member or a close friend in the congregation. Did Jesus feel that his close relationship with his disciples granted him liberty to speak harshly to them? Not at all! When his closest followers continued to argue over who was greater, Jesus corrected them with kind words and an illustration of a young child. (Mark 9:33-37) Elders can imitate Jesus’ example by giving counsel “in a spirit of mildness.”—Gal. 6:1.

AUGUST 11-17

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PROVERBS 26

Stay Away From “Someone Stupid”

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Rain

Seasons. The two primary seasons in the Promised Land, summer and winter, can rather accurately be viewed as the dry season and the rainy season. (Compare Ps 32:4; Ca 2:11, ftn.) From about mid-April to mid-October very little rain falls. Rain is rare in this period during which the harvest takes place. Proverbs 26:1 shows that rain at harvesttime was considered quite out of place. (Compare 1Sa 12:17-19.) During the rainy season the rain is not constant; it alternates with clear days. Since this is also the cold period, exposure to the rain is very chilling. (Ezr 10:9, 13) Therefore, a comfortable shelter is most appreciated.—Isa 4:6; 25:4; 32:2; Job 24:8.

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Discipline Yields Peaceable Fruit

¹² With some persons more drastic measures may be necessary, as Proverbs 26:3 indicates: “A whip is for the horse, a bridle is for the ass, and the rod is for the back of stupid people.” At times Jehovah let his nation of Israel be subdued by the troubles they brought upon themselves: “They had behaved rebelliously against the sayings of God; and the counsel of the Most High they had disrespected. So with trouble he proceeded to subdue their heart; they stumbled, and there was no one helping. And they began calling to Jehovah for help in their distress; out of the stresses upon them he as usual saved them.” (Psalm 107:11-13) Some stupid ones, however, harden themselves beyond the reach of any kind of healing discipline: “A man repeatedly reproved but making his neck hard will suddenly be broken, and that without healing.”—Proverbs 29:1.

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Lame, Lameness

Proverbial usage. “As one that is mutilating his feet [which would make him lame], as one that is drinking mere violence, is he that is thrusting matters into the hand of someone stupid,” said wise King Solomon. Truly, the man employing a stupid person to handle any project for him is doing crippling violence to his own interests. He is certain to see his proposed work collapse, with damage to himself.—Pr 26:6.

AUGUST 18-24

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PROVERBS 27

How We Benefit From True Friends

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Neighbor

However, faith and trust in a companion, and the advisability of calling on such a person in time of need are counseled in the Proverbs: “Do not leave your own companion or the companion of your father, and do not enter the house of your own brother on the day of your disaster. Better is a neighbor [sha·khenʹ] that is near than a brother that is far away.” (Pr 27:10) Here the writer seems to be saying that a close family friend is one to be valued and should be looked to for help rather than even so close a relative as a brother, if that brother is far away, because he may not be as ready or at least not in as favorable a position to render help as the family companion.

AUGUST 25-31

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | PROVERBS 28

Contrasts Between a Wicked Person and a Righteous Person

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Do You Follow Jehovah Fully?

“THE righteous are like a young lion that is confident.” (Proverbs 28:1) They exercise faith, confidently rely on God’s Word, and boldly go forward in Jehovah’s service in the face of any danger.

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Understanding

Those turning from the Source. The person who turns to transgression begins to discount God as a factor to be considered when making decisions and plans. (Job 34:27) Such a person allows his heart to blind him to the wrongness of his ways and he loses insight. (Ps 36:1-4) Even if claiming to worship God, he puts men’s precepts above God’s; he prefers them. (Isa 29:13, 14) He rationalizes and excuses his loose conduct as mere “sport” (Pr 10:23) and becomes perverted, brutish, stupid in his reasoning, to the extreme of assuming that the invisible God does not see or discern his wrongdoing, as though God’s powers of perception had failed. (Ps 94:4-10; Isa 29:15, 16; Jer 10:21) By his course and actions he says, in effect, “There is no Jehovah” (Ps 14:1-3) and leaves him ‘out of the picture.’ Not being guided by divine principles, he cannot judge matters correctly, see the issues clearly, evaluate the factors involved, and arrive at right decisions.—Pr 28:5.