Watchtower 2012, en

34567JANUARY 1, 2012

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM

ABRAHAM?

THE PURPOSE OF THIS MAGAZINE, The Watchtower, is to honor Jehovah God, the Supreme Ruler of the universe.Just as watchtowers in ancient times enabled a person to observe developments from afar, so this magazine showsus the significance of world events in the light of Bible prophecies. It comforts people with the good news thatGod’s Kingdom, which is a real government in heaven, will soon bring an end to all wickedness and transform theearth into a paradise. It promotes faith in Jesus Christ, who died so that we might gain everlasting life and who isnow ruling as King of God’s Kingdom. This magazine has been published by Jehovah’s Witnesses continuouslysince 1879 and is nonpolitical. It adheres to the Bible as its authority.This publication is not for sale. It is provided as part of a worldwide Bible educational work supported by voluntary donations. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripturequotations are from the modern-language New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References.

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Printing Each Issue:42,182,000 IN 194 LANGUAGES

JANUARY 1, 2012

FROM OUR COVER3 Who Was Abraham?5 Abraham—A Man of Faith6 Abraham—A Man of Courage9 Abraham—A Man of Humility

10 Abraham—A Man of Love

REGULAR FEATURES16 Learn From God’s Word

—Does the Bible Foretell the Future?

18 Draw Close to God—“I, Jehovah YourGod, Am Grasping Your Right Hand”

19 The Bible Changes Lives

22 Did You Know?

23 Our Readers Ask . . . Why Did God AskAbraham to Sacrifice His Son?

24 Imitate Their Faith—She Acted Wisely,Bravely, and Selflessly

30 For Young People—Guard Against Wicked Spirits!

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE12 Where Frontiers Mean Nothing

FEW men have had greater impact on theworld’s religions. Revered by Jews, Mus-

lims, and Christians alike, Abraham� hasbeen described as “a giant in Scripture” andas “a towering example of faith.” The Biblecalls him “the father of all those havingfaith.”—Romans 4:11.

Why is Abraham so highly regarded? Forone thing, Abraham has the distinction ofbeing the only person whom the Bible di-rectly refers to as God’s friend—and threetimes at that!—2 Chronicles 20:7, footnote;Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23.

In other ways, however, Abraham was anordinary person like us. He faced many ofthe same struggles that we do—and he metthem successfully. Would you like to knowhow he did so? Consider what the Bible re-veals about this remarkable man.

His BackgroundBorn in the year 2018 B.C.E., Abraham

grew up in Ur. (Genesis 11:27-31) Ur wasa large and prosperous city. It was alsosteeped in idol worship. Abraham’s father,Terah, may have been among those whoworshipped various idols. (Joshua 24:2) Yet,Abraham chose to direct his worship solelyto Jehovah� rather than to the lifeless idolsof other gods.

What moved Abraham to make that deci-sion? Well, his life overlapped that of Noah’sson Shem by 150 years. If he associated with

� Originally, Abrahamwas known as Abram andhis wifewas known as Sarai. Later, God changed Abram’s nameto Abraham, meaning “Father of a Multitude,” and hechanged Sarai’s name to Sarah, meaning “Princess.” (Gen-esis 17:5, 15) For simplicity, in this series of articles, we willrefer to them as Abraham and Sarah.� Jehovah is the name of God as revealed in the Bible.

that much-older man, how might he havebeen affected? Abraham could have learnedfirsthand from Shem what it was like to sur-vive the global Flood. He may also havelearned the importance of worshipping Je-hovah, the God who had preserved Shemand his family through that Deluge.

Whether it was through Shem or by someother means, Abraham responded favorablyto what he learned about the true God.When Jehovah, “the examiner of hearts,”observed Abraham, he saw something goodin theman—andhehelped tomake the goodgrow.—Proverbs 17:3; 2 Chronicles 16:9.

His LifeAbraham lived a full and exciting life, one

that was often challenging but never mean-ingless. Consider just a few of the things heexperienced.

ˇ While Abrahamwas living in Ur, God di-rected him to leave the land of his birthand head out to a land that He wouldshow him. Although Abraham and Sarahdid not know all the details—where theywere going or why God was asking themto leave—they obeyed. Abraham and Saraheventually came to dwell in tents in the landof Canaan, living as sojourners for the rest oftheir lives.—Acts 7:2, 3; Hebrews 11:8, 9,13.

ˇ While Abraham and Sarah were stillchildless, Jehovah promised to make a greatnation out of Abraham. Jehovah added thatall the families of the earth would be blessedby means of Abraham. (Genesis 11:30; 12:1-3) Jehovah later affirmed that promise. Hetold Abraham that his offspring would be-come numerous, like the stars of heaven.—Genesis 15:5, 6.

WHO WAS ABRAHAM?

THE WATCHTOWER ˙ JANUARY 1, 2012 3

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The Watchtower (ISSN 0043-1087) is published semi-monthly by Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of NewYork, Inc.; M. H. Larson, President; G. F. Simonis,Secretary-Treasurer; 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY11201-2483, and by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Societyof Canada, PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4. Pe-riodicals Postage Paid at Brooklyn, NY, and at addition-al mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changesto Watchtower, 1000 Red Mills Road, Wallkill, NY 12589-3299. � 2012 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society ofPennsylvania. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada.

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ˇ When Abrahamwas 99 years old and Sarah was nearing90, Jehovah promised that they would have a son. Thatseemed impossible from a human standpoint, but Abrahamand Sarah soon learned that nothing is “too extraordinaryfor Jehovah.” (Genesis 18:14) One year later, at the age of100, Abraham became father to a son, whom he namedIsaac. (Genesis 17:21; 21:1-5) God specifically promised thatthrough Isaac, great blessings would come to mankind.

ˇ A number of years later, Jehovah made a very unusualrequest of Abraham: He asked Abraham to sacrifice his be-loved son, Isaac, although the young man was unmarriedand had no children.� Though the prospect of losing hisson must have pained him, Abraham prepared to obey andoffer Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham firmly believed that Godhad the power to resurrect Isaac, if necessary, in order tomake His promises come true. (Hebrews 11:19) At the cru-cial moment when Abraham was about to offer up his son,God intervened, sparing Isaac’s life. He commended Abra-ham for his outstanding obedience. Jehovah then repeatedhis earlier promises to Abraham.—Genesis 22:1-18.

ˇ After 175 years of life, Abraham fell asleep in death. He“died in a good old age,” says the Bible, adding that he was“old and satisfied.” (Genesis 25:7, 8) Abraham thus experi-enced the fulfillment of another promise made by God—namely, that he would enjoy a long life before dying inpeace.—Genesis 15:15.

His LegacyAbraham is far more than a religious or historical figure

from the distant past. To this day, his story lives, providing arich example for all of us to imitate. (Hebrews 11:8-10, 17-19) Let us consider four of the good qualities that Abrahamdisplayed. We will begin with what is perhaps his best-known quality—faith.

� See the article “Our Readers Ask . . . Why Did God Ask Abraham to Sacri-fice His Son?” on page 23 of this issue.

In its first ten chapters,the Bible book of Genesisrecounts the life histories ofseveral men of faith, includ-ing Abel, Enoch, and Noah.Yet, it devotes most of thenext 15 chapters to the lifeof one man—Abraham.

Moreover, the Bible firstmentions some of its mostimportant concepts in con-nection with Abraham. Forexample, in Abraham’s lifestory we find . . .ˇ the first reference to Godas a Shield for, or Protectorof, his servants.—Genesis15:1; see Deuteronomy 33:29; Psalm 115:9; Proverbs30:5.ˇ the first mention of put-ting faith in God.—Genesis15:6.ˇ the first occurrence ofthe word prophet.—Genesis20:7.ˇ the first reference to a par-ent’s love.—Genesis 22:2.

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WHAT IS FAITH? As used in the Bible, “faith”refers to firm belief in something unseen.Such belief is based on solid evidence. A per-son with faith in God focuses on the fulfill-ment of Jehovah’s promises, confident thatthey are as good as done.HOW DID ABRAHAM DISPLAY FAITH? Abra-ham demonstrated that he believed God’spromises. In faith, Abraham left the countryof his birth, confident that Jehovah wouldkeep His promise to show him a differentland. In faith, Abraham wandered throughCanaan, sure that his offspring would even-

tually possess that land. And in faith, Abra-ham obediently attempted to offer Isaac as asacrifice, confident that, if need be, Jeho-vah would resurrect Isaac.—Hebrews 11:8, 9,17-19.

Abraham focused on the future rather thanon the past. Although Abraham and Sa-rah may have enjoyed a more comfort-able lifestyle in Ur than they did in Ca-naan, “they did not keep thinking aboutthe country they had left.” (Hebrews 11:15, Today’s English Version) Rather, they fo-cused on how God would bless them and

A B R A H A M A MAN OF FAITHAbraham stands outside in the stillness of evening. As he looks up at the bright, starryheavens, he cannot help but think of God’s promise that his offspring will become asnumerous as those luminaries. (Genesis 15:5) To Abraham, the stars are a visiblereminder of Jehovah’s promise. They are also a guarantee. After all, if Jehovah has thepower to create the vast universe and everything in it, can he not also enable Abrahamand Sarah to have a child? Such is the nature of Abraham’s faith.

their descendants in the future.—Hebrews11:16.

Was Abraham’s faith well-founded? With-out question. Jehovah kept every one ofhis promises. Abraham’s offspring eventual-ly multiplied into the nation known as Isra-el. In time, the Israelites came to dwell inCanaan, the very land that Jehovah hadpromised to Abraham.—Joshua 11:23.WHAT ARE THE LESSONS FOR US? We can beconfident that Jehovah will keep his promis-es. Even if some of them seem impossiblefrom a human standpoint, we trust that“with God all things are possible.”—Mat-thew 19:26.

Abraham’s example also teaches us to fo-cus, not on how things were in the past, buton what we will enjoy in the future. That iswhat a man named Jason has learned to do.Jason suffers from a debilitating disease that

has left him completely paralyzed. “I mustadmit that there are times when I find my-self thinking about the past,” says Jason. Headds: “It’s the little things that I miss themost, things like hugging my wife, Aman-da.”

Nevertheless, Jason has absolute faith thatJehovah will fulfill his promises, includingthe promise that our earth will soon becomea paradise and that faithful humans will begranted everlasting life in perfect health.�(Psalm 37:10, 11, 29; Isaiah 35:5, 6; Revela-tion 21:3, 4) “I remind myself that the bestof times are yet ahead,” says Jason, explain-ing: “Soon, this will all be over—the stress,the anxiety, the sadness, the guilt—and itwill be gone forever.” What an excellent ex-ample of faith like that of Abraham!

� To learn more about the future earthly paradise, seechapters 3, 7, and 8 of the book What Does the Bible Real-ly Teach? published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

A B R A H A M A MAN OF COURAGEAbraham looks at his family and servants as they prepare to head out into Canaan.(Genesis 12:1-5) Surveying this large group of people who depend on him for theirlivelihood, Abraham keenly senses his responsibility toward them. How will he providefor their material needs while in an unknown land? Might such a task havebeen easier back in Ur, a prosperous area with extensive pastures, fertilesoil, and an ample water supply? What if he becomes ill or dies inthe new land? Who will take care of his family? If Abraham hasany such worries, he does not let his fears paralyze him. He isdetermined to act, to obey God’s commands, comewhat may—a sign of true courage.


WHAT IS COURAGE? It is the quality of be-ing strong, bold, and valiant—the oppositeof timidity or cowardice. Being courageousdoes not necessarily mean that we are nev-er afraid. Rather, a person with God-givencourage takes action in spite of his fears.HOW DID ABRAHAM DISPLAY COURAGE?Abraham was willing to go against the crowd.Abraham grew up in an environment wherepeople worshipped a multitude of gods andidols. Yet, he did not let fear of what otherswould think hold him back from doingwhat he knew was right. Rather, Abrahamboldly took a different course in life, choos-ing to worship only one God—“the MostHigh God,” Jehovah.—Genesis 14:21, 22.

Abraham put his worship of the true Godahead of material interests. He was willing togive up his comfortable life in Ur and headout into the wilderness, fully trusting thatJehovah would care for his material needs.Of course, as the years went on, Abrahammay have thought about some of the com-forts he had enjoyed inUr. But Abrahamwascertain that Jehovah would always providefor him and his family. Clinging to Jehovahas the most important Person in his life,Abraham found the courage to obey God’scommands.WHAT ARE THE LESSONS FOR US? We canimitate Abraham by cultivating the courageto obey Jehovah, even if others around us donot do so. For example, the Bible teachesthat those who take a stand for their beliefin JehovahGod maybe opposed, perhaps bywell-meaning friends or relatives. (John 15:20) Whenwe are convinced of what we havelearned about Jehovah, however, we standup for our beliefs, doing so in a respectfulmanner.—1 Peter 3:15.

We can also trust inGod’s promise that hewill provide for those who place their faithin him. Such trust gives us the courage to

center our lives on spiritual things rath-er than on material concerns. (Matthew 6:33) Consider how one family has done justthat.

Although having two young sons, Dougand Becky wanted to move to a countrywhere there was a greater need for preachersof the Bible’s good news. After careful re-search and fervent prayer, they decided togo ahead with their plans. “It took courageto pack up the kids and move, not know-ing exactly how things would work out for

us,” says Doug. “But early in our decision-making process, we discussed the exampleof Abraham and Sarah. Thinking about howthey trusted in Jehovah—and how he neverlet them down—really helped us.”

Regarding their life in a foreign land,Doug says: “We’ve been blessed in a tre-mendous way.” He explains: “Because ourlifestyle is much simpler, we are able tospend most of our day together as a family—preaching, talking with one another, andplaying together with the boys. It’s a feel-ing of freedom that is difficult to put intowords.”

Of course, not everyone is in a position tomake such a drastic adjustment. Yet, all of uscan imitate Abraham’s example by givingpriority to our worship of God, trusting thathe will be there to support us. When we doso,we areheeding theBible’s admonition to“be of good courage and say: ‘Jehovah is myhelper; I will not be afraid.’”—Hebrews 13:5, 6.

A person with God-givencourage takes action inspite of his fears

Sarah was married to an outstanding manof faith. But this godly woman herself set anexample worthy of note. In fact, the Biblethree times mentions her by name as some-one whose example godly women do well toimitate. (Isaiah 51:1, 2; Hebrews 11:11; 1 Pe-ter 3:3-6) Although the Scriptures reveal rela-tively little about this remarkable woman, we

are nonetheless able to glimpse a beautifulpicture of her.

Think, for example, of Sarah’s initial reac-tion when Abraham informed her of God’sdirection to leave Ur. Did she wonder wherethey were headed and why? Did she haveconcerns about their material needs? Did shefeel sad at the thought of leaving her friendsand family, not knowing when—if ever—shewould see them again? Undoubtedly, suchthoughts crossed her mind. Even so, she will-ingly left, trusting that Jehovah would blessher for her obedience.—Acts 7:2, 3.

In addition to being an obedient servantof God, Sarah was an excellent wife. Ratherthan competing with her husband for controlof the affairs of the family, Sarah cultivatedheartfelt respect for her husband, lovinglysupporting him as he guided their family. Inso doing, she adorned herself—made herselfbeautiful—by her positive inner qualities.—1 Peter 3:1-6.

Can such traits benefit wives today? “Sa-rah’s example has taught me that I shouldfeel free to speak up and express my view-point to my husband,” says a woman namedJill, who has been happily married for over30 years. “At the same time,” she continues,“as head of the family, my husband has theresponsibility to make the final decision.Once he has done so, it’s my job to do what-ever I can to make that decision work.”

Perhaps the most touching lesson we learnfrom Sarah is this: Although she was verybeautiful, Sarah did not allow her physicalbeauty to cause her to become proud. (Gen-esis 12:10-13) Rather, she humbly supportedAbraham through the ups and downs oftheir life together. Without a doubt, Abra-ham and Sarah were a faithful, humble, andloving couple—a couple who truly broughtblessings to each other.

A Godly Womanand a Precious Wife


Abraham sits in his tent, enjoying the shade it provides during the sweltering heatof the day. As he gazes toward the horizon, Abraham catches sight of three men whoare visiting the area.�Without hesitation, he runs to meet the visitors, urging them torest for a bit and enjoy his hospitality. He offers to give them “a piece of bread,” butthen proceeds to arrange an elaborate meal consisting of freshly baked bread,butter, milk, and choice, tender meat. In serving this meal to his visitors, Abrahamdisplays not only outstanding hospitality but also, as we will see, genuine humility.—Genesis 18:1-8.

WHAT IS HUMILITY? Humility is freedomfrom pride or arrogance. A humble personappreciates that everyone excels him in onewayor another. (Philippians 2:3) He listens tothe suggestions of others, and he is willing toperform lowly tasks in their behalf.HOW DID ABRAHAM DISPLAY HUMILITY?Abraham gladly served others. As mentionedat the outset, when Abraham caught sight ofthe three visitors, he immediately set out

� Although Abraham may not have initially realized it,these visitors were angelic messengers of God.—Hebrews13:2.

to accommodate their needs. His wife, Sa-rah, quickly began preparing a meal. Notice,though, who was also doing much of thework: Abraham ran tomeet the visitors, he of-fered to give them something to eat, he ran tothe herd and selected an animal to slaughter,and he set all the provisions before the visi-tors. Rather than delegatingeverything tohisservants, this humble man threw himselfinto that lowly work. He did not view it as be-neath his dignity to serve others.

Abraham listened to the suggestions of thoseunder his authority. The Bible records only a

A B R A H A M A MAN OF HUMILITY

10 THE WATCHTOWER ˙ JANUARY 1, 2012

WHAT IS LOVE? Love is a feeling of warmpersonal attachment or deep affection. Aloving person demonstrates by his actionshow he feels about those whom he loves,even if doing so calls for personal sacrifice.HOW DID ABRAHAM DISPLAY LOVE? Abra-ham showed that he loved his family. Un-doubtedly, Abrahamwas a busy man. Yet, henever neglected his family’s emotional orspiritual needs. In fact, Jehovah himself no-ticed that Abraham took the lead inworshipas a family head. (Genesis 18:19) What is

more, Jehovah expressly mentioned Abra-ham’s love. Speaking to Abraham, He re-ferred to Isaac as the “son whom you solove.”—Genesis 22:2.

We can further sense Abraham’s love inthe way he reacted to the death of hisdear wife, Sarah. Abraham wailed over her.Though strong and manly, he was not afraidto showhis grief. Abrahamexhibited a beau-tiful blend of strength and gentleness.

Abraham showed that he loved his God. Hisentire life course expressed such love. How

A B R A H A M A MAN OF LOVEAbraham can hardly bear his sorrow. His beloved wife, Sarah, has died. A myriadof fond memories fill the aged man’s head while he says his final good-byes.As the grief rises in his heart, the tears fall. (Genesis 23:1, 2) Far from being acause for shame or embarrassment, those tears give evidence of one ofAbraham’s finest qualities—his love.

handful of conversations between Abrahamand Sarah. Yet, twice we read that Abrahamlistened to Sarah’s ideas and acted on them.(Genesis 16:2; 21:8-14) On one of those occa-sions, her suggestion was initially “very dis-pleasing to Abraham.” But when Jehovahspoke to Abraham, evaluating her idea as agood one, Abraham humbly yielded and im-plemented the suggestion.WHAT ARE THE LESSONS FOR US? If we aretruly humble, we will be happy to serve oth-ers. We will find joy in doing whatever wecan to make their life more comfortable.

We may also show humility by the way werespond to other people’s suggestions. In-stead of rejecting an idea simply because wedid not think of it ourselves, we may wisely

welcome comments from others. (Proverbs15:22) Such an open-minded attitude espe-cially benefits those with a measure of au-thority. “I’ve found that a good overseercreates an environment where people feelfree to express themselves,” says an experi-enced supervisor named John. He adds: “Ittakes humility to recognize that someoneun-der your oversight may have a better way ofdoing things than you do. But then again, noone—not even an overseer—has a monopolyon good ideas.”

When we imitate Abraham by listening tothe suggestions of others and by performinglowly services in their behalf, we gain Je-hovah’s favor. After all, “God opposes thehaughty ones, but he gives undeserved kind-ness to the humble ones.”—1 Peter 5:5.


so?We might be remindedof what the Biblesays at 1 John 5:3: “This is what the love ofGod means, that we observe his command-ments.” By that definition, Abraham was astellar example of love for God.

Time and again, when Jehovah gave Abra-ham a command, Abraham obeyed imme-diately. (Genesis 12:4; 17:22, 23; 21:12-14;22:1-3) It did not matter whether the com-mand was easy or hard to obey; nor did itmatter much whether Abraham knew whyJehovahhad askedhim to complywith it. To

Abraham, such factors were insignificant. Ifhis God wanted him to do something, hewas willing to do it. Abraham viewed eachcommand as an opportunity to demon-strate his love for Jehovah.WHAT ARE THE LESSONS FOR US? We canimitate Abraham by showing warm affec-tion for others, especially for members ofour family. We would never want to allowthe pressures of life to crowd out time forthosewho mean the most to us.

We also do well to cultivate heartfelt lovefor Jehovah. Such love can be a powerfulforce in our lives. For example, it can moti-vate us to make changes in our attitudes,speech, and conduct in order to please God.—1 Peter 1:14-16.

Granted, obeying Jehovah’s commands isnot always easy. But we can be sure that theOne who helped Abraham—the One whocalled him “my friend”—will be there tosupport us too. (Isaiah 41:8) His Word, theBible, promises: “He will make you firm, hewill make you strong.” (1 Peter 5:10) What aheartwarming promise from that trustedFriend of Abraham!

Many would answer yes. Perhaps theywould be surprised to learn that Abrahamwas just one of several vigorous, faithfulmen whom the Bible describes as givingway to tears in times of distress. Others in-clude Joseph, David, the apostle Peter, theelders of the congregation in Ephesus, andeven Jesus. (Genesis 50:1; 2 Samuel 18:33;Luke 22:61, 62; John 11:35; Acts 20:36-38)Clearly, the Bible does not teach that it isunmanly to cry.

Is It Unmanly to Cry?


THE walled city of Valenca do Minho, innorthern Portugal, was built in dan-gerous times. Its battlements overlook

the Minho River, the frontier between Spainand Portugal. Across the river lies the Span-ish city of Tui, with a cathedral that lookssuspiciously like a fortress. The main forti-fications of Tui and Valenca date to the17th century, when Spain and Portugal wereat war.

In 1995, border posts and customs con-trols between these two countries of the Eu-ropeanUnion became things of the past. Butuniting peoples means more than disman-tling border controls. It also involves mindsand hearts. In Valenca stands a small, attrac-tive building that shows how barriers be-tween peoples can be bridged. It is a place of

worship—a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Wit-nesses—shared by Spanish and Portuguesecongregations of Witnesses.

This story began in 2001, when the Wit-nesses in Tui found themselves in need of anew Kingdom Hall. They had to vacate theirrented premises, and they lacked sufficientfunds to build a new hall. Even rented prop-erty was beyond their budget, since the con-gregation was not a large one. So theseSpanish Witnesses asked their Portuguesebrothers inValenca if they would mind shar-ing their hall, which lay just a couple ofmiles (km) from the center of Tui.

“We discussed the decision at a meetingin December 2001,” recalls Eduardo Vila, amember of the TuiCongregation in Spain. “Irealized when I left that meeting that Jeho-

WhereFrontiersMeanNothingJehovah’s Witnesses strive to overcomebarriers between peoples. They take toheart the principle underlying Jesus’ wordsto his disciples: “All you are brothers.”(Matthew 23:8) This is well illustrated intwo of the Witnesses’ places of worship—one in Portugal and one in Spain.


vah had touched the hearts of our Portu-guese brothers. They had made great sacri-fices to build an attractive Kingdom Hall,and it was faith strengthening to see thatthey were willing to share what they had.”

“We welcomed the Spanish brothers toour Kingdom Hall,” says Americo Almeida, aPortuguese Witness who was present at thesame meeting. “We trusted that Jehovahwould bless this arrangement, and we madethe decision unanimously.” The Witnessesfrom both sides of the border get along welltogether. “It may seem strange, but we don’teven notice that we are from two differentcountries. We are just spiritual brothers,”says Paolo from Valenca.

One of the first things visitors notice in-side the Kingdom Hall is the two iden-

tical clocks on the rearwall, telling differenttimes. Spain is one hourahead of Portugal, butthe difference in timezones is the only discor-dant note in the King-dom Hall. When thebuilding needed renova-tion, a Regional Build-ing Committee based inSpain supervised enthu-siasticworkers frombothcongregations. “Many professionals camefrom Spain to help us, some from over100 miles (160 km) away,” recalls Paolo.“The project cemented bonds of affectionbetween the congregations.”

“It may seemstrange, butwe don’t evennotice that weare from twodifferentcountries. Weare just spiritualbrothers”

View of Tui and the Minho River from the walled city of Valenca do Minho


Let us consider a second example of over-coming the challenges of frontiers.

Unity in a Divided ValleyPuigcerda is a Spanish city on the border

with France. It lies in the heart of a fertilevalley surrounded by lofty peaks of the Pyr-enees mountains. The whole valley, knownas Cerdana, was once part of Spain. But in1659, in a peace accord known as the Treatyof the Pyrenees, Spain ceded half the valleyto France.

Today, French people do their shoppingin Puigcerda, the principal city of the val-ley. And since 1997, Jehovah’s Witnesses inPuigcerda have also opened the doors oftheir Kingdom Hall to their French counter-

parts. In that year the French Witnesses hadto leave their rented property. The nearestKingdom Hall in France was an hour’s driveaway, and during winter months the highmountain pass that travelers must cross toreach it is often snowbound.

When the French Witnesses explainedtheir urgent need of a meeting place,the Spanish Witnesses immediately offeredtheir own Kingdom Hall. “All the Spanishbrothers felt enthusiastic about sharing thehall,” remembers Prem, a local Witness. “Ofcourse this spirit sprang from the Scripturaltraining we had received over the years. Acouple of weeks later, we began sharing ourKingdom Hall, and we have been togetherfor the past 13 years.”

“Puigcerda was the ideal place for us tohave a Kingdom Hall,” explains Eric, anoverseer in the French congregation. “And Istill remember the warm welcome that theSpanish congregation gave us. They adornedtheir hall with a large bunch of flowers and asign reading, ‘You are welcome, dear broth-ers and sisters.’”

“People assumed that the closing of ourKingdom Hall in France meant that the con-gregation had disappeared,” Eric adds. “Butour regular preaching in the area—which in-cluded the distribution of printed invita-tions to attend our meetings in Spain—soonrevealed otherwise. Interested people arehappy to come to the hall in Spain. Further-more, the fact that we share a hall with ourSpanish brothers has drawn us closer togeth-er. Before, we knew that there was a Spanishcongregation on the other side of the bor-der, but we had little contact. Now that wesee one another regularly, we do not feel soisolated in this remote mountain valley.”

“The projectcementedbonds ofaffection

between thecongregations”

Renovating the Kingdom Hall

Did cultural barriers create any uneasi-ness? “When I learned that our meetingswould be held across the frontier in Spain,I felt somewhat concerned,” confessed aFrench Witness in her 80’s. “But thanks tothe welcome and friendliness of the broth-ers in Puigcerda, the change presented noproblem whatever. On the contrary, it hasbeen an opportunity to affirm the interna-tional unity of Jehovah’s people.”

The Foundation of a Closer UnionThe founders of European union stated

that member countries were “determined tolay the foundations of an ever closer unionamong the peoples of Europe.” The disman-

tling of border posts in the 1980’s and 1990’swas designed to accelerate this process. Butbarriers also need to be overcome in themind.

Jehovah’s Witnesses work hard to eradi-cate prejudice and mistrust. They under-stand that diversity enriches their ranks andthat “God is not partial.” (Acts 10:34) At theirinternational conventions and in their King-dom Halls, they have seen “how good andhow pleasant it is for brothers to dwell to-gether in unity!” (Psalm 133:1) The unitythat Witnesses from Valenca and Puigcerdahave forged with their brothers from neigh-boring countries is living proof of that.

“How good andhow pleasant it isfor brothers todwell together inunity!”PSALM 133:1

The Pyrenees and the Cerdana valley

Two elders from the two congregations—one Spanish and the otherFrench—that meet in the Kingdom Hall in Puigcerda

1. Are Bible prophecies specific?Only Almighty God can foresee the future

in detail. (Amos 3:7) For example, since earlytimes, he foretold the arrival of someonecalled the Messiah, or Christ. The Messiahwould be a descendant of the faithful manAbraham. He would be a ruler who wouldmake it possible for obedient humans to re-gain the blessing of perfect life free of disease.(Genesis 22:18; Isaiah 53:4, 5) This PromisedOne was to come from Bethlehem.—Read Mi-cah 5:2.

Jesus proved to be the Messiah. Over sevencenturies in advance, the Bible foretold thatthe Messiah would be born of a virgin andwould be despised. He would give his life forthe sins of many, and he would be buriedwith the rich. (Isaiah 7:14; 53:3, 9, 12) The Bi-

ble also proclaimed, over five centuries in ad-vance, that he would enter Jerusalem on adonkey and that he would be betrayed for 30pieces of silver. Every detail came true.—ReadZechariah 9:9; 11:12.

2. Does God predict dates?Over five centuries in advance, the Bible prophe-

sied the exact year of the Messiah’s appearance.The time until his arrival was measured in weeks ofyears, meaning that each “week” was seven yearslong. There would be 7 plus 62 of such weeks, mak-ing a total of 69 weeks of years. That equals 483years. When did that span of years begin? Accord-ing to the Bible, the period began when God’s ser-vant Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem and began torebuild the city. Persian history establishes the dateas 455 B.C.E. (Nehemiah 2:1-5) Jesus was baptizedas the Messiah 483 years later, in the year 29 C.E.,exactly on time.—Read Daniel 9:25.

LEARN FROM GOD’S WORD

Does the BibleForetell the Future?

This article considers questions youmay have raised and shows where youcan read the answers in your Bible.Jehovah’s Witnesses would be pleasedto discuss these answers with you.

3. Are Bible prophecies comingtrue now?

Jesus prophesied momentous events for ourtime. His prophecy mentions the good news ofGod’s Kingdom, which will bring worldwide reliefto people who love God. The Kingdom will bring anend to the entire wicked system of things in whichwe live.—Read Matthew 24:14, 21, 22.

Bible prophecies describe in detail the conclud-ing period of the present system of things. The Bi-ble revealed that in contrast with what might beexpected in an age of progress, people wouldbe ruining the earth. Distress caused by wars,food shortages, earthquakes, and disease epidem-ics would increase. (Luke 21:11; Revelation 11:18)Moral standards would collapse. In these difficulttimes, Jesus’ followers would preach the good newsof God’s Kingdom in all nations.—Read Matthew24:3, 7, 8; 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

4. What will be mankind’s future?Almighty God has good things in store for faithful

mankind. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, along with hischosen ones, will rule over the earth from heaven.They make up the Kingdom government, whichwill rule for a thousand years. The dead will beraised and will have the opportunity of beingjudged worthy of everlasting life. Furthermore, theKingdom will cure everyone then living. Sicknessand death will be no more.—Read Revelation 5:10;20:6,12; 21:4, 5.

For more information, see pages 23-25 and197-201 of the book pictured here.

WHAT DOESTHE BIBLE

Really TEACH?

17


“HOLD my hand,” says a father tohis young son as they get ready

to cross a busy street. With his fa-ther’s strong hand wrapped aroundhis tiny fingers, the boy feels safe, un-afraid. Have you ever wished thatsomeone could take your hand andsafely lead you through life’s uncer-tainties? If so, you may find com-fort in the words recorded by Isaiah.—Read Isaiah 41:10,13.

Isaiah directed his words to Israel.Though God viewed that nation as his “specialproperty,” it was surrounded by enemies. (Exo-dus 19:5) Did Israel need to fear? Jehovah usedIsaiah to convey a reassuring message. As weexamine those words, let us keep in mind thatthey also apply to God’s worshippers today.—Romans 15:4.

“Do not be afraid,” urges Jehovah. (Verse 10)These are not empty words. Jehovah explainswhy his people do not need to fear: “For I amwith you.” He is not a distant source of aid,promising only to arrive in time to help in mo-ments of need. He wants his people to knowthat he is with them—as if by their side—everready to support them. Is that not a comfortingthought?

Jehovah further assures his worshippers, say-ing: “Do not gaze about.” (Verse 10) The He-brew verb used here can refer to those who“look about in all directions to see whetherthere is anything that can harm them.” Jehovahexplains why his people do not need to lookover their shoulder in fear: “For I am yourGod.” What could be more reassuring than

that? Jehovah is “the Most High,”“the Almighty One.” (Psalm 91:1)With the all-powerful Jehovah as theirGod, why should they fear?

What, then, can Jehovah’s worship-pers expect from him? He promis-es: “I will really keep fast hold ofyou with my right hand of righteous-ness.” (Verse 10) He also says: “I, Je-hovah your God, am grasping yourright hand.” (Verse 13) What do youthink of when you hear those words?

“Taken together, these two verses present apowerful picture of parent and child,” explainsone reference work. “[The father] does notmerely stand by to defend, but he is also physi-cally with the child; he will not allow the childto be separated from him.” Just imagine—Jeho-vah will not allow his people to be separatedfrom him, even during what may seem to bethe darkest moments in their life.—Hebrews 13:5, 6.

Jehovah’s worshippers today can find muchcomfort in the words Isaiah recorded. In these“critical times hard to deal with,” we may attimes feel overwhelmed by the pressures of life.(2 Timothy 3:1) But we do not have to face suchchallenges alone. Jehovah is willing to reachout and grasp our hand. Like trusting children,we can hold on to his mighty hand, confidentthat he will lead us in the right direction andhelp us in our time of need.—Psalm 63:7, 8.

DRAW CLOSE TO GOD

“I, Jehovah Your God, Am GraspingYour Right Hand”

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SUGGESTED BIBLE READING FOR JANUARY:˛ Isaiah 24-42

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MY PAST: I was born deaf todeaf parents. The first six yearsof my life were pleasant. Thenmy parents divorced. Even though I was veryyoung, I understood what divorce meant,and it hurt me deeply. After the divorce,my father and my older brother stayed inTroitsk, while my mother moved to Chelya-binsk and took me with her. In time, she re-married.My stepfather was analcoholic, andhe often beat my mother and me.

In 1993, my beloved older brotherdrowned. The accident came as a big shockto our family. My mother took to drinking,and she joined my stepfather in mistreat-ing me. I began to search for a better life.I was desperate to find love and warmth. Istarted attending different churches, look-

ing for comfort, but I foundnone.HOW THE BIBLE CHANGEDMY LIFE: When I was 13 yearsold, a classmate, who was oneof Jehovah’s Witnesses, toldme some stories from the Bi-ble. I enjoyed learning aboutsuch Bible characters as Noahand Job, who served God de-spite difficult circumstances.Soon I was studying the Biblewith the Witnesses and at-tending their meetings.

Studying the Bible openedmy eyes to many beautifultruths. I was touched to learnthat God has a name. (Psalm

83:18) I was impressed to see how accuratelythe Bible foretold conditions that would ex-ist during “the last days.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)And I was thrilled to learn about the hope ofthe resurrection. Just think—I will see mybrother again!—John 5:28, 29.

However, not everyone shared my new-found joy. My mother and my stepfatherwere hostile toward Jehovah’s Witnesses.They tried to pressure me into quitting my

THE BIBLE CHANGES LIVES

HOW did a young woman with a tragic childhood find real meaning in life?What moved a violent political rebel to become a peaceable minister of religion?Read these accounts to find the answers.

“I was touched to learn thatGod has a name”

“I was desperateto find love andwarmth.”—INNA LEZHNINA

YEAR BORN: 1981

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: RUSSIAHISTORY: TRAGIC CHILDHOOD

Bible study. But I loved what I was learning,and I wasn’t about to quit.

It was not easy to copewith the oppositionfrom my family. Another blow came whenmy younger brother, who had accompaniedme to meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses, alsodrowned. Yet, the Witnesses were always

there for me. Among them, Ifound the love and warmththat I had longed for mywhole life. I knew that thismust be the true religion. In1996, I was baptized as oneof Jehovah’s Witnesses.HOW I HAVE BENEFITED:For the past six years, I’ve

been married to a wonderful man namedDmitry. Together we serve at the branchoffice of Jehovah’s Witnesses in St. Peters-burg. In time, my parents’ attitude towardmy beliefs softened.

I am so thankful to know Jehovah! Servinghim has given my life real meaning.

MY PAST: I was born in Ha-vana,Cuba, andwas raised ina poor neighborhood wherestreet brawls were common.As I grew up, I developed aninterest in judo and othercombat sports.

I was a good student, andmy parents encouraged meto go to a university. Whilethere, I began to feel that thepolitical system of my coun-tryneeded to change. I decid-ed to rebel. A classmate and I

“I was troubled bymany questions.”—RAUDEL RODR

´IGUEZ RODR

´IGUEZ

YEAR BORN: 1959

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: CUBAHISTORY: POLITICAL REBEL

My husband and I enjoysharing sign-languagepublications with the deaf

20

attacked a police officer, hoping to rob himof his gun. The struggle left the officer withserious head injuries. My classmate and Iwere put in prison for that attack and sen-tenced todeathbyfiring squad. Iwas only 20years old, yet I was about to die!

In the loneliness of my prison cell, I re-hearsed how I would behave before the fir-ing squad. I didn’t want to show any fear. Atthe same time, I was troubled by many ques-tions. I wondered: ‘Why is there so much in-justice in the world? Is this life all there is?’HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY LIFE: Ourdeath penalty was eventually commuted to asentence of 30 years in prison. It was at thispoint that I met some of Jehovah’s Witness-es, who were in prison for their religiousbeliefs. I was impressed by the Witnesses’courageous yet peaceable behavior. Thoughwrongly imprisoned, they were not angry orbitter.

The Witnesses taught me that God has apurpose for mankind. They showed me fromthe Bible that he will transform our earthinto a paradise free of crime and injustice.They taught me that the earth will be filledwith good people, who will have the oppor-tunity to live forever in perfect conditions.—Psalm 37:29.

I enjoyedwhat Iwas learning from theWit-nesses, but my personality had little in com-mon with theirs. I thought that being politi-cally neutral or turning the other cheekwould be impossible for me. So I decided toread the Bible on my own. WhenI finished, I realized that Jeho-vah’s Witnesses are the only peo-ple who behave like the earlyChristians.

From studying the Bible, Iknew that I needed tomake somedrastic changes in my life. For ex-ample, I needed to clean up my

speech, as I was in the habit of constantly us-ing swear words. I also needed to quit smok-ing. And I would have to stop taking sides onpolitical issues. It wasn’t easy to make thesechanges, but with Jehovah’s help, I graduallysucceeded.

One of the hardest changes was learning tocontrol my temper. I still pray for self-controlin this regard. I have been greatly helped bysuch Bible verses as Proverbs 16:32, whichsays: “He that is slow to anger is better than amighty man, and he that is controlling hisspirit than the one capturing a city.”

In 1991, I was baptized as one of Jehovah’sWitnesses. The baptism was performed in abarrel of water in the prison. The next year,some of us prisoners were released and sentto Spain becausewehad relatives there. Uponarriving in Spain, I immediately attendedmeetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Wit-nesses there welcomed me as if I had beenamong themfor years, and theyhelpedme tostart my life anew.HOW I HAVE BENEFITED: I am a happyman, serving God along with my wife andour daughters. I amprivileged to spend mostof my time helping others to learn the Bible.Sometimes I think back to that young manwho was about to die, and I appreciate howmuch I have gained since then. Not only amI alive but I also have hope. I look forward tothepromisedParadise—to the timewhen jus-tice will prevail and “death will be no more.”—Revelation 21:3, 4.


ˇ According to the book of Esther,Ahasuerus chooses the Jewish maid-en Esther to be his queen, and sheproceeds to save her people froman attempted genocide. For a longtime, opinions differed widely as towhich Persian king Ahasuerus mighthave been. However, the problem ap-pears to have been settled by the deci-phering of trilingual inscriptions onPersian monuments. These leave littledoubt that Ahasuerus was Xerxes I, theson of Darius the Great (Hystaspis).The way the name Xerxes appears inthe Persian inscription, when transliter-ated into Hebrew, is almost identical to

the way it appears in the Hebrew textof the book of Esther.

Everything said in the book of Estherregarding Ahasuerus agrees with thisidentification. From his capital at Susa(Shushan), in Elam, the Persian mon-arch also ruled over Media, and his do-main extended from India to the is-lands of the Mediterranean. (Esther 1:2, 3; 8:9; 10:1) “This is all true of Xerxes,but of no other Persian monarch,” saysscholar Lewis Bayles Paton. “The char-acter of Ahasuerus, as portrayed in theBook of Est[her], also agrees well withthe account of Xerxes given by Herodo-tus and other Greek historians.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Who is the Persian King Ahasuerus mentionedin the Bible book of Esther?

STONE RELIEF OFXERXES (STANDING)

AND DARIUS THEGREAT (SEATED)

Werner Forman/ArtResource, NY

ˇ The Bible book of Exodus states thatthe Egyptians put their Hebrew slavesto work making bricks. The slaves hadto make a prescribed number eachday, using clay mortar and straw.—Ex-odus 1:14; 5:10-14.

The making of sun-dried brickswas an important occupation in theNile Valley in Bible times. Ancient mon-uments built from this material stillstand in Egypt. A wall painting in the15th-century B.C.E. tomb of Rekhmirein Thebes, almost contemporary withthe events recounted in the book of Ex-odus, illustrates the process.

The International Standard Bible En-cyclopedia describes the scene in thispainting as follows: “Water is brought

from a pool; mud is mixed with a hoeand then carried to a spot conve-nient for the brickmaker. This mud ispressed into a wooden mold which thebrickmaker holds to the ground. Themold is then lifted off, leaving a newlyshaped brick to dry in the sun. Rowsand rows of bricks are molded and,when dry, stacked preparatory to use.This procedure is still followed in theNear East.”

Different papyrus documents fromthe second millennium B.C.E. also re-fer to the making of bricks by serfs, tothe use of straw and brick-clay, and tothe daily production quota of bricksthat workers had to meet.

What evidence is there that bricks were made inancient Egypt?

DETAIL OF WALLPAINTING IN TOMB

OF REKHMIREErich Lessing/Art Resource, NY


ˇ As recorded in the Bible book of Genesis, Je-hovah God asked Abraham to offer his son Isaacas a sacrifice. (Genesis 22:2) Some Bible readersstruggle to understand that account. “When Ifirst heard this story as a child, I was outraged,”says a professor named Carol. “What kind ofGod would ask such a thing?” While such feel-ings are understandable, we do well to keep acouple of points in mind.

First, consider what Jehovah did not do. Hedid not allow Abraham to go through with thesacrifice, even though Abraham was preparedto do so, nor has God ever again made such arequest of anyone. Jehovah wants all of his wor-shippers, including children, to continue living—to enjoy a long and satisfying life.

Second, the Bible suggests that Jehovah hada special reason for asking Abraham to sacrificeIsaac. God knew that many centuries later, Hewould allow His own Son,� Jesus, to die in ourbehalf. (Matthew 20:28) Jehovah wanted toconvey to us just how much this sacrifice wouldcost him. He provided a powerful demonstra-tion of that future sacrifice by what he asked ofAbraham. How so?

� The Bible does not teach that God literally fathered Je-sus by means of a woman. Rather, Jehovah created the spir-it creature who was later sent to the earth to be born to thevirgin Mary. As the Creator of Jesus, then, God may rightlybe called his Father.

Consider Jehovah’s words to Abraham:“Take, please, your son, your only son whomyou so love, Isaac, and . . . offer him up as aburnt offering.” (Genesis 22:2) Notice that Je-hovah referred to Isaac as the son “whom youso love.” Jehovah knew how precious Isaac wasto Abraham. God also knew how He felt abouthis Son, Jesus. Jehovah loved Jesus so dearlythat he twice spoke from heaven, directly refer-ring to Jesus as “my Son, the beloved.”—Mark 1:11; 9:7.

Note, too, that Jehovah’s request to Abrahamincluded the word “please.” One Bible scholarsuggests that God’s use of this word indicatesthat “the LORD appreciates the costliness ofwhat he is asking.” As we can imagine, that re-quest would have grieved Abraham deeply; in asimilar way, we can barely imagine the intensepain that Jehovah must have felt as he watchedhis beloved Son suffer and die. It was undoubt-edly the greatest pain Jehovah had ever experi-enced or ever will experience.

Really, then, although we may recoil at thethought of what Jehovah asked Abraham to do,we are wise to remember that Jehovah did notallow that faithful patriarch to go through withthe sacrifice. He spared Abraham the worst lossa parent can suffer; he protected Isaac fromdeath. Yet, Jehovah did not shield “his own Sonbut delivered him up for us all.” (Romans 8:32)Why did Jehovah submit himself to such a terri-ble ordeal? He did so in order that “we mightgain life.” (1 John 4:9) What a powerful remind-er of God’s love for us! Are we not moved toshow our love for him in return?�

� To learn more about why Jesus’ death was necessaryand how we can demonstrate our appreciation for it, seechapter 5 of the book What Does the Bible Really Teach?

OUR READERS ASK . . .

Why did God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son?


The king watched her intently as she ap-proached, extending his golden scepter to-wardher. It was a simple gesture, but it meantEsther’s life, for by it the king excused herfrom the offense she had just committed—that of appearing before himwithout a roy-al invitation. As she came to the throne, Es-ther reached out and gratefully touched thetop of the scepter.—Esther 5:1, 2.�

Everything about King Ahasuerus bespokehis immense wealth and power. The royalgarb of the Persian monarchs of those timesreputedly cost the equivalent of hundreds ofmillions of dollars. Yet, Esther could seesome warmth in her husband’s eyes; in hisown way, he did love her. He said: “What doyou have, O Esther the queen, and what isyour request? To the half of the kingship—letit even be given to you!”—Esther 5:3.

Esther had already shown remarkable faith

� In the previous article in this series, we saw how theorphan Esther was adopted by her much older cousin,Mordecai, and was later chosen to be the wife of Ahasue-rus, the king of Persia. The king’s adviser, Haman, hatcheda wicked plot to exterminate Mordecai’s people, the Jews.Mordecai convinced Esther to approach the king to pleadin behalf of her people.—See the article “Imitate TheirFaith—She Stood Up for God’s People,” in the October 1,2011, issue of The Watchtower.

and courage; she came before the king to pro-tect her people from a plot to wipe them allout. So far, she had met with success, butgreater challenges lay ahead. She had to con-vince this proud monarch that his mosttrusted adviser was a wicked man who hadduped him into condemning Esther’s peopleto death. How would she persuade him, andwhat canwe learn from her faith?

She Wisely Chose “a Time to Speak”ShouldEstherhave revealed to the king the

whole problem in front of his court? Doingso might have humiliated him and given hisadviser Haman time to dispute her charges.Sowhat did Esther do? Centuries earlier, wiseKing Solomon was inspired to write: “Foreverything there is an appointed time, . . . atime to keep quiet and a time to speak.” (Ec-clesiastes 3:1, 7) We may imagine Esther’sadoptive father, the faithful man Mordecai,teaching the young woman such principlesas she grew up under his care. Esther certain-ly understood the importance of choosingcarefully the “time to speak.”

Esther said: “If to the king it does seemgood, let the king with Haman come today to

IMITATE THEIR FAITH

She Acted Wisely,Bravely,and SelflesslyESTHER slowly approached the throne, her heart racing. Imaginea hush falling over the great royal chamber in the Persian palace of

Shushan, a silence so profound that Esther could hear her own soft footsteps and therustling of her royal garments. She could not let her attention wander to the grandeurof the royal court, the graceful columns, the richly carved ceiling of cedars imported fromdistant Lebanon. She trained all her attention on the man seated upon the throne, theman who held her life in his hands.


the banquet that I have made for him.” (Es-ther 5:4) The king agreed and had Hamansummoned. Can you see how wisely Estherspoke? She preserved her husband’s dignityand created a more suitable setting for reveal-ing her concerns to him.

No doubt Esther prepared that feast care-fully, seeing to it that in every detail shecatered to her husband’s preferences. Thebanquet included fine wine to encourage ahappy mood. (Psalm 104:15) Ahasuerus en-joyed himself, and he was moved to ask Es-ther again what her petition might be. Wasthis now the time to speak?

Esther thought not. Rather, she invited theking and Haman to come to a second ban-quet, on the following day. (Esther 5:7, 8)Whydid she delay? Remember, all of Esther’speople were facing death by the king’s de-cree. With so much at stake, Esther had to besure that the moment was right. So shewaited, creating yet another opportunity toshow her husband how highly she regardedhim.

Patience is a rare and precious quality.Though distressed and eager to speak her

mind, Esther patiently waited for the rightmoment.We can learn much fromher exam-ple, for all of us have likely seen wrongs thatneed to be put right. If we seek to convincesomeone in authority to address a problem,wemayneed to imitate Esther andbe patient.Proverbs 25:15 says: “By patience a com-mander is induced, and a mild tongue itselfcan break a bone.” If we wait patiently for theright moment and speak mildly, as Estherdid, even opposition as hard as bone may bebroken. Did Esther’s God, Jehovah, bless herpatience and wisdom?

Patience Paves the Way for JusticeEsther’s patience paved the way for a re-

markable chain of events. Haman left thefirst banquet in high spirits, “joyful and mer-ry of heart” that the king and queen favoredhim so. As Haman passed through the castlegate, though, his eyes fell upon Mordecai,that Jew who still refused to pay him specialhomage. Mordecai’s reasons had nothing todo with disrespect but, rather, with his con-science and his relationship with JehovahGod. Yet, Haman “was immediately filledwith rage.”—Esther 5:9.

Esther humbly acknowledged the king’s mercy


When Haman told his wife and friends ofthis slight, they urged him to prepare a hugestake, over 72 feet (22 m) tall, and then to askthe king’s permission to hang Mordecai onit. Haman liked their idea and immediatelyset about the task.—Esther 5:12-14.

Meanwhile, the king had an unusualnight. “The king’s sleep fled,” the Bible tellsus, so he had the official records of State readaloud to him. The reading included the re-port of an assassination plot against Ahasue-rus. He remembered the affair; his would-bemurderers were caught and executed. What,though, about the man who had exposedthe plot—Mordecai? Suddenly alert, the kingasked how Mordecai had been rewarded. Theanswer? Nothing at all had been done for theman.—Esther 6:1-3.

Agitated, the king asked what court of-ficials were available to help him correct thisoversight. Of all people, Haman was in theking’s court—early, it seems, because he waseager to secure permission to execute Morde-cai. But before he could make his request, theking asked Haman how best to honor a manwho had won the king’s favor. Haman as-sumed that the kinghadhim inmind. SoHa-man devised a lavish honor: Clothe the manin royal garb, and have a high official paradehim around Shushan on the king’s ownhorse, calling out the man’s praises for all tohear. Imagine the expression on Haman’sface when he learned that the man to behonored was Mordecai! And whom did theking assign to sing out Mordecai’s praises?Haman!—Esther 6:4-10.

Hamangrudginglycarriedoutwhat tohimwas an odious duty and then rushedhome indistress. His wife and friends said that thisturn of events could only bode ill; he wasbound to fail in his fight against Mordecaithe Jew.—Esther 6:12,13.

Because Esther was patient, waiting thatone extra day to present her request to the

king, Haman was given time to lay the basisfor his own downfall. And might not Jeho-vah God have been behind the king’s sleep-lessness? (Proverbs 21:1) Little wonder thatGod’s Word encourages us to show a “wait-ing attitude.” (Micah 7:7) When we wait onGod, we may find that his solutions to ourproblems far exceed anything we might havedevised ourselves.

She Spoke Up BravelyEsther dared not test the king’s patience

any further; at her second banquet, she hadto tell all. But how? As it turned out, the kinggave her the opportunity, asking again whather petition might be. (Esther 7:2) Esther’s“time to speak” had come.

We may imagine Esther saying a silentprayer to her God before uttering thesewords: “If I have found favor in your eyes,O king, and if to the king it does seem good,let there be given me myown soul at my peti-tion and my people at my request.” (Es-ther 7:3) Notice that she assured the kingthat she respected his judgment regardingwhat seemed good. How Esther differed fromVashti, the king’s previous wife, who hadpurposely humiliated her husband! (Esther1:10-12) Further, Esther did not criticize theking’s folly of trusting in Haman. Rather, she


begged the king to protect her from a dangerto her own life.

That request surely moved and amazed theking. Who would dare endanger his queen?Esther went on: “We have been sold, I andmy people, to be annihilated, killed and de-stroyed. Now if we had been sold for meremen slaves and for mere maidservants, Ishould have kept silent. But the distress isnot appropriate when with damage to theking.” (Esther 7:4) Note that Esther franklyexposed the problem, yet she added that shewould have kept quiet about it if mere slaveryhad been the threat. This genocide, though,would be too costly to the king himself tokeep quiet about it.

Esther’s example teaches us much aboutthe art of persuasion. If you ever need to laybare a serious problem to a loved one or evento a person inhigh authority, amixture of pa-tience, respect, and candor can be of greathelp.—Proverbs 16:21, 23.

Ahasuerus demanded: “Who is this, andjust where is the one who has emboldenedhimself to do that way?” Imagine Estherpointing a finger as she said: “The man, theadversary and enemy, is this bad Haman.”The accusation hung in the air. Terror filledHaman. Picture the volatile monarch’s face

coloring as he realized that his trusted advis-er had duped him into signing an order thatwould destroy his own beloved wife! Theking stormed out into the garden to regainhis composure.—Esther 7:5-7.

Haman, exposed as the scheming cowardthat he was, groveled at the queen’s feet.When the king came back into the room andsaw Haman pleading with Esther on hercouch, he angrily accusedHamanof attempt-ing to rape the queen in the king’s ownhome. That sounded the death knell for Ha-man. He was taken away, his face covered.Oneof the king’s officials then spoke up, tell-ing the king of the huge stake that Hamanhad intended for Mordecai. Ahasuerus im-mediately ordered that Haman himself behanged upon it.—Esther 7:8-10.

In today’s unjust world, it is easy to imag-ine that we will never see justice done.Have you ever felt that way? Esther neverdespaired, never turned cynical, never lostfaith. When the time came, she spoke upbravely for what was right, and she trusted inJehovah to do the rest. Let us do the same! Je-hovah has not changed since Esther’s day. Heis still more than able to catch thewicked andcunning in their own traps, just as he did Ha-man.—Psalm 7:11-16.

Esther bravely pointed out the wickedness of Haman

Why did Mordecai allow Esther to marrya pagan unbeliever?There is no basis for the suggestion of somescholars that Mordecai was an opportunistwho wanted Esther to wed the king for thesake of prestige. A faithful Jew, he would nothave favored such a marriage. (Deuterono-my 7:3) Ancient Jewish tradition holds thatMordecai tried to prevent the marriage. Itseems unlikely that either he or Esther, mereforeigners in a land ruled by an autocratwho held a godlike status, would have hadmuch choice in the matter. In time, it be-came clear that Jehovah used Esther’s mar-riage as a means of protecting his people.—Esther 4:14.

Why does the book of Esther contain nomention of God’s personal name, Jehovah?Mordecai was evidently the inspired writerof the book. Perhaps the book was at firstkept with official Persian records before itwas taken back to Jerusalem. The use of Je-hovah’s name might have moved worship-pers of the Persian gods to destroy the book.In any case, Jehovah’s involvement in thestory is clear. Interestingly, God’s personalname is concealed in the original Hebrewtext by means of acrostics, wherein thephrasing appears to have been arranged de-liberately so that the first or the last letters ofsuccessive words spell out God’s name.—Es-ther 1:20, footnote.

Is the book of Esther historicallyinaccurate?Critics level that charge against the book.However, some scholars have noted that thewriter of the book showed a remarkably de-tailed knowledge of Persian royalty, architec-ture, and customs. True, no mention ofQueen Esther has been found in survivingsecular documents, but Esther would hardlybe the only royal personage who was erasedfrom public records. What is more, secularrecords do show that a man named Mardu-ka, a Persian equivalent of Mordecai, servedas a court official in Shushan at the time de-scribed in the book.

Questions About EstherShe Acted Unselfishly for Jehovah

and for His PeopleAt last, the king learned who Mordecai was

—not only his loyal protector against assassi-nation but also the adoptive father of Es-ther. Ahasuerus bestowed Haman’s positionas prime minister on Mordecai. Haman’shouse—including his immense fortune—theking gave to Esther, who placed Mordecaiover it.—Esther 8:1, 2.

Now that Esther and Mordecai were safe,could the queen relax? Only if she were self-ish. At that moment, Haman’s decree to killall the Jews was making its way to every cor-ner of the empire. Haman had cast lots, orPur—evidently a form of spiritism—to deter-mine the opportune time to carry out this vi-cious attack. (Esther 9:24-26) The day was yetmonths away, but it was fast approaching.Could disaster still be averted?

Esther unselfishly risked her life again, ap-pearing before the king once more withoutan official invitation. This time, she wept forher people, pleading with her husband to re-voke the terrible edict. But laws passed in thePersian monarch’s name could not be re-voked. (Daniel 6:12, 15) So the king empow-ered Esther and Mordecai to enact new laws.A second proclamation was sent out, givingthe Jews the right to defend themselves. Rid-

Esther and Mordecai sent out proclamationsto the Jews of the Persian Empire

ers sped to every part of the empire, takingthe Jews this good news. Hope was kindledanew in many hearts. (Esther 8:3-16) We mayimagine the Jews throughout that vast em-pire arming themselves and preparing forbattle, which they could never have donewithout that new edict. More important,though, would “Jehovah of armies” be withhis people?—1 Samuel 17:45.

When the chosen day finally came, God’speople were ready. Even many Persian of-ficials were on their side now, as news hadtraveled far and wide about the new primeminister, Mordecai the Jew. Jehovah gave hispeople a great victory. He no doubt saw to itthat, lest his people face terrible reprisals,their enemies suffered a thorough defeat.�—Esther 9:1-6.

Furthermore, Mordecai would never besafe to preside over Haman’s house while tensons of that evil man still lived. They toowere killed. (Esther 9:7-10) A Bible prophecywas thus fulfilled, forGodhad earlier foretoldthe complete destruction of the Amalekites,who had proved to be wicked enemies of hispeople. (Deuteronomy 25:17-19) The sons of

� The king allowed the Jews a second day to finish theirconquest of their enemies. (Esther 9:12-14) To this day, theJews commemorate that victory each spring in a festivalcalled Purim, named after the lots that Haman cast in hisquest to destroy Israel.

Haman may well have been among the verylast of that condemned nation.

Esther had to take on her young shouldersher share of very heavy burdens—such as roy-al edicts involving war and execution. Itcould not have been easy. But Jehovah’s willrequired that his people be protected fromdestruction; the nation of Israel was to pro-duce the promised Messiah, the one sourceof hope for all mankind! (Genesis 22:18) Ser-vants ofGod today are delighted to know thatwhen the Messiah, Jesus, came to the earth,he forbade his followers from that time for-ward to take part in physical warfare.—Mat-thew 26:52.

Nonetheless, Christians do engage in aspiritual warfare; Satan is ever more eager todestroy our faith in Jehovah God. (2 Corin-thians 10:3, 4) What a blessing to have Estheras an example! Like her, may we show faithby our wise and patient use of persuasion, byour courage, andbyour unselfish willingnessto stand up for God’s people.

29

In fighting for God’s people, Esther andMordecai fulfilled another Bible prophecy.Over a dozen centuries earlier, Jehovah in-spired the patriarch Jacob to foretell regard-ing one of his sons: “Benjamin will keep ontearing like a wolf. In the morning he willeat the animal seized and at evening he willdivide spoil.” (Genesis 49:27) In the “morn-ing” of Israel’s kingly history, Benjamin’s de-scendants included King Saul and othermighty warriors for Jehovah’s people. In the“evening” of that royal history, after the sunhad set on Israel’s kingly line, Esther andMordecai, both of the tribe of Benjamin,warred effectively against Jehovah’s ene-mies. In a sense, they also divided spoil, inthat Haman’s vast estate went to them.

A Prophecy Fulfilled


– ANALYZE THE SCENES.—READ GENESIS 6:1-6 AND ACTS 19:11-20.

Describe the appearance of the Nephilim as you picture them. ��

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How do you imagine the men felt after encountering a wicked spirit,as described at Acts 19:13-16? ��

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— DIG DEEPER.

Using research materials at your disposal, find out more about the Nephilim.Why, do you think, did they have such a violent disposition?��

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In what way can it be said that wicked spirits “forsook their own properdwelling place”? (Read Jude 6.) Why, do you think, was it unnatural—evenperverted—for them to seek out human wives? ��

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What do the two accounts that you read tell you about the obsession wickedspirits have with sex and violence?��

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FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Guard Against Wicked Spirits!Instructions: Do this exercise in quiet surroundings. As you read thescriptures, imagine that you are part of the events. Visualize the scenes.Hear the voices. Feel the emotions of the characters. Let the accountscome to life.

˜ APPLY WHAT YOU LEARNED. WRITE DOWNWHAT YOU LEARNED ABOUT . . .

The vicious and selfish disposition of wickedspirits. ��

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FOR FURTHER APPLICATION.

Since wicked spirits can no longer materialize,in what indirect ways might they try to influ-ence you?��

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What forms of entertainment today reflect theattitude and interests of wicked spirits?��

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How can you show that you are determined toresist the influence of wicked spirits? (RereadActs 19:18, 19.)��

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™ WHAT ASPECTS OF THESE ACCOUNTSCAPTURE YOUR INTEREST MOST, ANDWHY?��

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IF YOUDON’T HAVEA BIBLE,

ASK JEHOVAH’S WITNESSESFOR ONE, OR

READ IT ONLINE ATwww.watchtower.org

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Even in this troubled world, you can gain happiness from accurate Bible knowledge of God, his Kingdom,and his wonderful purpose for mankind. If you would welcome further information or would like to havesomeone visit you to conduct a free Bible study, please write to Jehovah’s Witnesses at the appropriateaddress listed on page 4.

www.watchtower.org wp12 01/01-E

Does the Bible really foretell the future?SEE PAGES 16-17.

How did a young woman with a tragic childhood findreal meaning in life? SEE PAGES 19-20.

Why did the faithful man Abraham attemptto offer up his son? SEE PAGE 23.

What can the example of Queen Esther of Bibletimes teach us about courage, patience, andpersuasiveness? SEE PAGES 24-29.

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