The Watchtower, September 15, 1968
Download: PDF — The Watchtower, September 15, 1968
The Watchtower — September 15, 1968
Source: jw.org
Contents
The Art of Correcting Another
Grand Blessings from God Near at Hand!
“This Is the Land” of the Word of Truth
Archaeology and the Land Support the Word of Truth
Serving as Long as I Can Be of Any Use
Why Man Dies
The Seriousness of It
A Ready and Fitting Defense
Questions From Readers
Announcements
The Art of Correcting Another
The Art of Correcting Another
ANYONE can correct another. But to correct another in a way that does some good is an art. It is necessary to know, not only what to say, but when to say it and where and how.
Take, for example, this true-life incident. In a certain living room there was a group of what might be called well-educated people. All were listening intently as one of their number, a man, told an interesting story. At one point his wife interrupted to correct him on a slight mistake in grammar. Clearly displeased, the husband repeated his grammatical error with added emphasis and proceeded with his story. Obviously, his wife had not learned the art of correcting another.
Most important in the art of correction is the question of motive. The motive should never be a negative one, to belittle, to embarrass another, or out of resentment or spite. The very best motive for offering correction is love. No doubt the wife who corrected her husband in the matter of grammar did so because of her love for him. She probably would not have thought of saying anything if another man had made that mistake, because it probably would have meant little to her. No doubt about it, among the ways that love can be shown is by offering correction. As God’s Word says: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.”—Prov. 27:6, RS.
However, one who is truly a friend, and who really loves others, also needs to cultivate empathy. More is needed than good intentions. They might be likened to the power needed to run machines. Important as the power is, it is also important for machinery to be finely adjusted, with gears and bearings not too loose nor too tight, and essential also is enough of the right kind of lubrication. Otherwise, in spite of all the power available, the machine will soon grind to a halt. Similarly when correcting another, you need, not only good intentions, but also the wisdom of empathy, that is, the ability to put yourself in the other’s place, so as to know how to go about it, that the correction might do some good.
Important in the art of correcting another is being certain of your facts. You may think you know, and then find out you were mistaken and so suffer embarrassment for having presumed to correct. Not to be overlooked is the need to take into consideration circumstances that might have a bearing on whether a thing is wise or unwise, whether a certain course of action should be criticized or not. A person may make a very poor showing along a certain line of activity, but if you knew all the facts, all the obstacles he had to contend with, you might be less inclined to correct him. Under the circumstances he might be doing very well indeed.
There is also the matter of correcting trifles. One young husband complained to his very bright young wife: “Dearie, within just two minutes you have corrected me four times, and that in regard to sheer trifles. Did it really matter whether these little things were done in just a certain way?” No, it would not have mattered, and in mentioning them she betrayed a lack of empathy. Apparently she was letting herself get into the bad habit of correcting her spouse in regard to trifles, unessential details, and so was in danger of becoming a nagger.—Prov. 21:9; 27:15.
Why did she do it? Why do so many others like her do it? It could well be because of some unconscious discontent with their lot of submission as defined in the Scriptures. Or it might be a feeling of rivalry of which not even she herself was aware. This, in turn, might be due to thoughtlessness on the part of her husband. A wise and loving husband can do much to remedy matters by ever showing appreciation for what his wife is and for all she contributes to his comfort, pleasure and well-being, physically, emotionally and intellectually.—1 Cor. 11:3, 9.
WHEN AND WHERE?
If it seems advisable to give correction, it is well to keep in mind that, whenever possible, it is best to correct another in private. Illustrating this is still another true-life incident.
A mature Christian was training another Christian, a motherly person, in the house-to-house ministry in one of the low-income housing projects in Brooklyn, New York. As was his custom, from time to time he would offer suggestions on how she could improve her ministry, correcting her. Afterward he felt he had done quite well in giving thought, time and effort to help this beginner. But that was the last time he saw her for months. What had gone wrong?
When another mature Christian called to find out why she had stopped attending the congregation’s meetings he learned that she had been greatly hurt because she had been corrected in the presence of others, fellow Christians. It took considerable patient explaining to help her get over her hurt and see matters in their right light. After that she again began to associate with her fellow Christians at the local Kingdom Hall. What a lesson that was for the minister who had tried to help her in the first place! Unless we are careful and display empathy, we can do more harm than good, even with the best intentions in the world.
Married couples in particular do well to keep this principle in mind. As one Christian marriage counselor well observed: “It is good for man and wife to give counsel to each other, but always do it in private. Have regard for each other’s feelings. Do not belittle your mate before others. Nor is it wise to do it in the form of teasing.” This includes parents’ not correcting each other in the presence of their children.
But it must be added that at times those in authority might be required to give correction in the presence of others, even as noted at 1 Timothy 5:20: “Reprove before all onlookers persons who practice sin.” However, that is done, not over minor matters, but when one makes a practice of sin. And it is not so much for the sinner’s benefit as for the benefit of onlookers, even as the apostle Paul goes on to say: “That the rest also may have fear.”
HOW AND TO WHOM?
Except for such rare occasions, it is always wise to put the one to be corrected in a receptive frame of mind. One of the ways this can be done is by first giving some praise or commendation. By first having something favorable to say you can make a person more amenable to correction. It will help him to appreciate that you are not prejudiced, that you take note of the strong and good points as well as the weak points and, more than that, that you have empathy and appreciate that receiving correction is not likely to be pleasant.
If you would master the art of correcting another you must be concerned with how you give the correction. Unless the error is very serious and there is willfulness or indifference associated with it, it is best to proceed in offering correction in a gentle manner, with kindness and mildness. Wise is the inspired advice: “Brothers, even though a man takes some false step before he is aware of it, you who have spiritual qualifications try to restore such a man in a spirit of mildness, as you each keep an eye on yourself, for fear you also may be tempted.” (Gal. 6:1) Yes, kindness and mildness make it so much easier for another to accept your correction. This, however, requires self-control, for correcting another in mildness, in kindness and calmly is not following the line of least resistance.
The art of correcting another includes taking into consideration the matter of position. Certainly those in authority need not feel apologetic when they, in wisdom and with mildness, offer correction to those in their charge. Administering correction is part of the duty of husbands, fathers, teachers and Christian shepherds. True, these themselves might at times err and have need to have an error called to their attention. This, of course, should be done in a most respectful manner.
All these principles governing the correcting of another can well be applied by Christian ministers to their preaching and teaching activity. It might be said that they have been commissioned by Jehovah God to offer correction to all with whom they come in contact in their ministry. How so? In that they have been commanded to warn the world of mankind of the impending destruction of this system of things. To carry out this commission effectively requires their mastering the art of correcting others.
So they also must, first of all, be fully informed so as to know what to say; they must also have the right motive, giving the warning out of the goodness of their heart, because of love, even though others may not appreciate it. They must consider the time and place, not insisting upon being heard when it is not convenient for others to listen. Neither do they press their message on those who do not appreciate sacred things; they ‘do not throw what is holy to dogs.’ And in doing all this they give with mildness and kindness a reason for the hope that is in them. By thus mastering the art of correcting another they can hope to do the most good in their Christian ministry.—Matt. 7:6; 1 Pet. 3:15.
Grand Blessings from God Near at Hand!
Grand Blessings from God Near at Hand!
DO YOU want to live in peace and happiness? Do you desire good health and long life for yourself and your loved ones? Do you long to see wickedness and suffering end? Every honest-hearted person wants these things. But today, in all parts of the earth, violence, crime, hunger and sickness are increasing. Why is the world so filled with trouble? What does it all mean? Is there any sound reason to believe that conditions will really get better in our lifetime?
Yes, there is reason for such hope, and it is clearly set out in a book that is published in more languages than any other book in the world. That book is the Bible. It tells us of God’s purpose to set up an entirely new system of things for mankind. If you had the power to do so, would you not bring to an end the conditions that cause so much sorrow? Of course you would! Should we think that the Creator of mankind will do any less? The Bible tells us that “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) Surely this loving heavenly Father knows what mankind needs. He has the power to fill those needs, and he will most certainly do so, for Psalm 145:16 says of God: “You are opening your hand and satisfying the desire of every living thing.”—See also Deuteronomy 32:4.
When will God satisfy man’s desire for true peace and happiness, along with lasting health and life? Must mankind wait for thousands of years more? No! The time is near at hand! But how can this be? Conditions in the world are getting worse, not better. True, but the Bible clearly showed, long in advance, that these very conditions would come. It prophesied that ‘in the last days critical times hard to deal with would be here.’ In describing those “last days” it said: “Men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection . . . betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power.” Does this not describe perfectly conditions existing today? Yes, the existence of these very conditions is proof that we are living in the “last days” of the present wicked system of things.—2 Tim. 3:1-5.
Soon the loving Creator will bring to their end both wickedness and those who cause it. But God will richly bless honesthearted ones who want to do what is right, for he promises: “The world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.”—1 John 2:17.
WHAT GOD WILL DO FOR MANKIND
What a change this earth will experience! There will be no more war, nor will there be any of the suffering that war brings. Hatred, selfishness, crime and violence will all be things of the past. Instead, there will be perfect peace and security on earth. God’s own Word declares: “Just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more; . . . the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.” (Ps. 37:10, 11) Such peace will exist, not only between nations, but among neighbors and in every household. Think what a grand blessing that could be to you! And how reassuring to know that the fulfillment of this heartwarming promise does not depend on men! It is God who will bring it about. How? By destroying the wicked and by educating his people in the ways of peace.—Prov. 2:21, 22; Isa. 54:13.
Among the many blessings that people will enjoy in the new system of God’s making is good health. Even death, which brings much sorrow to all of us, will be no more. The Creator’s promise is: “And [God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be any more. . . . Look! I am making all things new.” (Rev. 21:4, 5) That is something that no human ruler, no scientist, no doctor can do; but it is something that God will do.
Is it reasonable that God’s only purpose for man is that he spend twenty years growing up, perhaps another twenty or thirty years gaining knowledge and experience, and shortly thereafter begin to grow old, suffer from sickness and die? Why should man’s life be so short when even a turtle may live to the age of two hundred years and a tree may live far longer? God made man to live, not to die. The Creator promises that soon it will be possible to enjoy life everlastingly, right here on earth. His Word says: “He will actually swallow up death forever.” And it also explains: “The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.” (Isa. 25:8; Ps. 37:29) With peace-loving neighbors, good health and satisfying activity to fill our lives, what a pleasure that will be!
How can you be sure that this new system will come? How can you be sure it is not just a dream? You can be confident because Almighty God has promised it. The One who created and sustains the universe has given his guarantee that it will come. “God . . . cannot lie.” (Titus 1:2) As a man of faith rightly said to his fellowmen: “Not one word out of all the good words that Jehovah your God has spoken to you has failed. They have all come true for you. Not one word of them has failed.”—Josh. 23:14.
These thrilling truths about a new system of things are found in God’s Word, the Bible, the Holy Scriptures. There is no other source of information available to man that explains in a truly satisfying way the reason for what has happened on earth and God’s purpose for mankind. While men were used to write the Bible, they did so under the direction of God’s powerful active force or holy spirit, so that “all Scripture is inspired of God.” (2 Tim. 3:16) Just as an invisible radio beam can carry information to you, so God’s invisible active force directed the writers of the Bible to put down what he wanted mankind to know. That is why one of those writers, the apostle Paul, could say: “When you received God’s word, which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men, but, just as it truthfully is, as the word of God.”—1 Thess. 2:13.
WORLDWIDE CHANGE NEAR
God’s Word of truth tells us very clearly that we are fast nearing a worldwide change. It shows us that our time is the one Jesus Christ had in mind when he foretold the end of this wicked system. Jesus foretold many things that his future followers should watch for so they would know when the end was near. He said that the last days of this wicked system would be marked by such things as world wars, food shortages, increasing lawlessness and a growing loss of faith in God. (Matt. 24:3-12) He said there would be “anguish of nations, not knowing the way out,” and that men would “become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth.” (Luke 21:25, 26) We have seen the fulfillment of these prophecies in our lifetime.
Many men who study world events are convinced that a great change is definitely in the making. The famous writer Walter Lippmann said: “For us all the world is disorderly and dangerous, ungoverned and apparently ungovernable. Everywhere there is great anxiety and bewilderment.” He added that all this “marks, I believe, the historic fact that we are living through the closing chapters of the established and traditional way of life.”a Also as reported back in 1960, a former United States Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, declared that our time is “a period of unequaled instability, unequaled violence.” And he warned: “I know enough of what is going on to assure you that, in fifteen years from today, this world is going to be too dangerous to live in.”b
All the many things foretold in God’s Word of truth indicate that the time for world change is upon us right now! What we see going on throughout the world today in fulfillment of Bible prophecy shows that our time is the one that will see the destruction of this entire wicked system. Present-day governments will be removed to make way for the rule of all the earth by God’s government. (Dan. 2:44; Luke 21:31, 32) Nothing can stop this change, because God has purposed it.
TRUTH THAT LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE
The coming world change will affect every person on the face of the earth, including you. If you love life and want to live, you should hasten to take in accurate knowledge of God, his purposes and his requirements. That is what God wants you to do, for it is his will that “all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.” (1 Tim. 2:4) Accurate knowledge from God’s Word of truth will enable honest-hearted persons to survive the end of the present wicked system. As the Bible says: “Seek Jehovah, all you meek ones of the earth . . . Seek righteousness, seek meekness. Probably you may be concealed in the day of Jehovah’s anger.”—Zeph. 2:3.
Accurate knowledge of God will show you how to find protection during the end of this system. It will also reveal the way to eternal life in God’s grand new system. Jesus Christ said in prayer to God: “This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.”—John 17:3; see also John 4:14.
How encouraging it is to know that soon we will see the end of all the world’s troubles! How thrilling it is to know that we have the hope of shortly entering a new system where we can forever enjoy life to the full! This should give every one of us strong reasons for wanting to learn the truth from the Bible. By seeking this truth we begin to lay “a fine foundation for the future, in order [to] get a firm hold on the real life,” “eternal life” in God’s new system of things.—1 Tim. 6:19, AV.
[Footnotes]
Newsweek, October 9, 1967, p. 21.
U.S. News & World Report, June 13, 1960, pp. 116, 119.
“This Is the Land” of the Word of Truth
“This Is the Land” of the Word of Truth
“Jehovah went on to say to him: ‘This is the land about which I have sworn to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, “To your seed I shall give it.” I have caused you to see it with your own eyes.’”—Deut. 34:4.
1. Geography is of what interest to us?
SINCE you are blessed with life on this wonderful earth where man resides, you may be interested in geography, at least to some extent, because men are interested in their home. Geography truly is a fascinating, descriptive science of the earth and its life. It deals especially with the description of the land surface and the areas occupied by water, the seas and other bodies of water. It studies the air, the distribution of plant, animal and human life, as well as the natural resources of the land, and also, to a degree, man’s industries and the records of these various elements and their mutual relation to one another.
2. Explain two ways of becoming familiar with regions of the earth.
2 In giving consideration to the earth, you can, of course, actually see many of its features. Also, maps are available in considerable detail. So you do not have to go to every part of the earth to learn something about it, but it is physically possible for you to verify what you learn from study by actually visiting and seeing the various regions of earth. All of this results in what could be referred to as a fine geography lesson, personal firsthand study of the science of the earth and its features.
3. What unusual “geography lesson” did the summer of 1967 provide?
3 Familiarity with sections of the earth is also gained through news items reporting current events. During the summer of 1967 the attention of the world was centered upon a small portion of the globe that lies just east of the Mediterranean Sea. In June of that year a brief, violent war was waged and the news media of the world carried detailed accounts of the conflict and the territory where it took place. These printed reports included maps, diagrams, pictures, photographs and drawings, indicating to readers the geographical features of the area, indeed a lesson in the geography of that part of the earth, enabling people to have a clearer understanding of the area than prior to these published reports.
4, 5. (a) In the accounts of the Israel-Arab war of 1967, how is the battleground shown to be unique? (b) Of what heightened interest is this to us?
4 The accounts of this Israeli-Arab conflict, which erupted into war June 5, 1967, included a feature that is true of no other part of the earth. They made innumerable references to facts that are applicable exclusively and distinctively to this area. This is very significant. It confirms the fact that this land was the locale for past events of greatest importance that concern you. Notice some of the points made in the reports:
5 Jerusalem was referred to as “this historic city,” “revered by Christians because it was the site of many major events in the life of Jesus.” Reference was made to “the ancient Biblical roads between (Tel Aviv) and Jerusalem,” “the Christian holy places,” the Mount of Olives, Calvary, the site of King Solomon’s temple, to Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus, “Damascus . . . founded by Uz, son of Aram . . . already a city by the time of Abraham. . . . Paul was converted to Christianity on his way to the city.”
6. State additional facts emphasizing the history of this region of the earth.
6 Emphasizing the historical nature of the battleground, a Jewish rabbi is reported to have said excitedly: “We are now realizing the dreams of the Jews for two thousand years! We are entering the messianic era.” The area was referred to in the war reports as “the land of Canaan which the Arabs call by its Roman name Palestine and the Jews call Israel,” and the combatants as “the descendants of Isaac and the descendants of Ishmael.” “Jews and Arabs have a historic association going back 3,500 years, both being Semitic peoples. Jews trace their ancestry to Abraham through his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob. Arabs also claim to be descendants from Abraham through another son, Ishmael.”
7, 8. (a) Relative to a map published with a war bulletin, to what points is interest directed? (b) Give additional direct ties of modern events with Bible history.
7 Relative to a map published with a war bulletin: “The map . . . gives, at a glance, the extent of the Israeli victory. Israel now holds strategic positions that make its frontiers far more defensible than in the past—the Old City of Jerusalem and the Judean Hills; the Samarian Hills of Jordan; the Golan Heights of Syria; the Gaza Plain; positions dominating the Strait of Tiran, and key communications junctions in Sinai running right to the east bank of the Suez Canal.”
8 The Wailing Wall, the Mount of Olives, Mount Scopus, the Valley of Jehoshaphat, Tiberias, the Sea of Galilee, the Syrian bluffs above the waters where Peter fished, the Mount of Beatitudes, the site of the miracle of the loaves and fishes, Mount Hermon, all these figured in the geography of the war and, impressively: “It was in this cruel and lovely land, 2,000 years ago, that peace and mercy were first preached by a Jew of Nazareth as universal doctrine.”
9. As to this particular section of the earth, what does the Creator’s Word say?
9 The One who made the earth, Jehovah the Creator, arranged matters so that in this particular section of the earth, in a relatively small area, events took place that are of great importance to you. This portion of the earth is that referred to in Deuteronomy 34:1-4: “Then Moses proceeded to go up from the desert plains of Moab into Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which fronts toward Jericho. And Jehovah went showing him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, and all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh and all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, and the Negeb and the District, the valley plain of Jericho, the city of the palm trees, as far as Zoar. And Jehovah went on to say to him: ‘This is the land about which I have sworn to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, “To your seed I shall give it.” I have caused you to see it with your own eyes, as you will not cross over there.’”
10. (a) From the further description of the land given in Joshua 1:4 and Genesis 15:18-21, point out on the map herewith included areas and the boundaries. (b) So when Jehovah told Moses, “This is the land,” to what did he refer?
10 A further description of this land is: “From the wilderness and this Lebanon to the great river, the river Euphrates, that is, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun your territory will prove to be.” (Josh. 1:4) In showing the land to Moses, Jehovah God made reference to his promise to Abraham, and it was to Abraham that Jehovah gave this description of the land: “On that day Jehovah concluded with Abram [Abraham] a covenant, saying: ‘To your seed I will give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Rephaim and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebusites.’” (Gen. 15:18-21) Moses was interested in all the land. He very much wanted to go to the northern part of the land of promise in the region of the Mountains of Lebanon, but God did not allow him to do so. Rather, eventually God showed him the land from the vantage point on the top of Pisgah on Mount Nebo. (Deut. 3:23-28) So you see, this was a very specific and definitely described territory that God selected for his purpose; and to his covenant people, the Israelites, Jehovah God gave as a gift this delightful land. This wonderful Promised Land was the setting for many events recorded in God’s Word the Bible, and largely it was the location for the recording of the Word of truth. So the Promised Land of which Jehovah said, “This is the land,” is the land of the Word of truth, the land of the Bible, the land of the book that is today the religious book of Christians.
11. How does the land support the Word?
11 The land of the Word of truth demonstrates that reliance upon the Word is completely reasonable. The land supports the Word. Persons question the existence of places to which the Bible makes reference and they question events that the Bible says occurred. We cannot doubt the fact of the existence of the Bible, because we have the book of Holy Scriptures, but these persons deny the accuracy of the Bible. Are they going to try to deny the existence of the land? Hardly; the land is there!
12. Give reasons why Christians today are especially interested in this land.
12 The land and what it contains today you and anyone else can see. The description of the Promised Land as contained in the Bible is not vague but, on the contrary, descriptions provide specific names and specific places. Christians should take an interest in these details because they are a part of the Word of truth. In his farewell, the servant of Jehovah, Joshua, stated: “I am going today in the way of all the earth, and you well know with all your hearts and with all your souls that not one word out of all the good words that Jehovah your God has spoken to you has failed. They have all come true for you. Not one word of them has failed.” (Josh. 23:14) In his farewell Joshua made reference to the ‘good land that Jehovah has given you.’ Christians rely on the Word of truth and, in doing so, are aided and strengthened by their knowledge of the land of the Word of truth.
13, 14. (a) Have the Bible’s geographical references always been well understood? (b) What did Martin Luther say on this? (c) How recent are scientific maps of Bible lands? (d) To what extent can we come to know the Bible territory?
13 The many features referred to in the description of the land show the extent of the area of the Land of Promise. Mentioned are the Euphrates River, the Mediterranean or Western Sea, the river of Egypt, the Mountains of Lebanon and other geographical points. Do you know where those places are? The Land of Promise lies at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea and extends from the seacoast eastwardly. It can now be there located on any map of the world.
14 The Bible’s geographical references were not well understood until this past century. A Bible scholar, Martin Luther, who lived from 1483 to 1546, is quoted as having said: “It would be nice also to know how the (Biblical) lands were situated with reference to one another, so that the strange, unfamiliar words and names might not make reading disagreeable and understanding puzzling and hard.” Apparently the first map of Bible lands that was adjudged to be truly scientific was published about 1880. Today there is no reason why you cannot become very familiar with the Land of Promise. The understanding of the land that is now available will be helpful to you in your understanding of the Bible itself. This land, the setting for the events of the Word of truth, is real and not mythical. It is a land you can visit today.
15. (a) Included in Jehovah’s gifts to man are what two that are still with us for our benefit? (b) How are they of benefit to us?
15 The Bible, the Word of truth, itself constitutes an invaluable gift from Jehovah, a gift not to the Israelites alone but to all interested believers. These two great gifts, the land and God’s Word, are still with us. Neither can be obliterated. The Word directs us to pay attention to the land. This land of Palestine, the land of Jehovah’s worship of old, means more to Christians than it does to other persons. The Bible’s extensive use of definite locations makes the land and the locations important to us. While surface features of the land have changed throughout the centuries, the land is still there and your use of it in pinpointing events emphasizes the truthfulness of the Biblical account and makes the Word of truth live for you.
16. To what extent do we relate events to locations?
16 It is natural and it is proper for you to relate events mentioned in the Bible to the location when this is given in the account. When the setting is known, interest is added to the event and meaning is appreciated more fully. There are many reasons why we should become acquainted with the land itself, so we may know as fully as possible what it was that Jehovah referred to when he said to his servant Moses, “This is the land.”
A SMALL STAGE FOR TREMENDOUS EVENTS
17. What paradisaic description once applied to this land?
17 “Jehovah your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of torrent valleys of water, springs and watery deeps issuing forth in the valley plain and in the mountainous region, a land of wheat and barley and vines and figs and pomegranates, a land of oil olives and honey, a land in which you will not eat bread with scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land the stones of which are iron and out of the mountains of which you will mine copper. When you have eaten and satisfied yourself, you must also bless Jehovah your God for the good land that he has given you.” (Deut. 8:7-10) The land is thus described in the Bible as being at that time a veritable paradise. The ancient land serves as a pattern of the earth under the reign of Jehovah’s heavenly kingdom by Christ Jesus, paradise.
18. Using the map on page 555, describe the Land of Promise further.
18 The area of the ancient Land of Promise is determined by the descriptions that have been previously set out herein and also by the one found in Numbers 34:1-12. We will not set out the text here but recommend that you read it from your copy of the Bible. On the map herewith you will see the extent of this land that constitutes the small stage for the important events enacted thereon. Speaking strictly, it was only about 35 miles in width from east to west and 300 miles in length in a general northerly and southerly direction. Actually about 150 miles of it was settled, amounting to an area of approximately 6,000 square miles. This was in the days of the power of the kingdom under Solomon, “For he was holding in subjection everything this side of the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, even all the kings this side of the River; and peace itself became his in every region of his, all around. And Judah and Israel continued to dwell in security, everyone under his own vine and under his own fig tree, from Dan to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon.”—1 Ki. 4:24, 25.
19. The stage for Bible drama assumed what proportions?
19 In addition to this the Israelites settled east of the Jordan over a considerable area, and this in addition to the area above described as being under Solomon gives a total of about 10,000 square miles. So that is the size of the stage for dramatic events.
20. State the general geographical characteristics of the land along the Mediterranean Sea, referring to the map on page 557.
20 The variety and the extremes that are found in this geographic area are easily visualized and it will be helpful for us to do so. The Promised Land has some general characteristics that are quite easy to remember. The land as actually occupied by the Jews extended from the Lebanon Mountains shown on the map herewith in the north to the wilderness in the south, the Negeb. Along the Western Sea or the Great Sea, now known as the Mediterranean, which constituted the western boundary of the Land of Promise, there is a series of plains, the area of the plains extending along the seacoast through Caesarea and Sharon.
21. Eastwardly, what is the next characteristic?
21 East of there, between the seacoast and the mountains, is the Shephelah (“Lowland”) or the hill country. On the map you see the Shephelah toward the south above the Negeb. In this hill country, the Shephelah, you see on the map the city of Lachish, referred to twenty-three times in the Bible.
22. On the map, where are the other points here named?
22 Lying generally east of the Shephelah or hill country are the mountains of Samaria and of Judah. They include the territory in which the city of Jerusalem is located. You see Jerusalem, also called Zion, on the map, west of the northern end of the Dead Sea, and you see the Mount of Olives and Bethany. To the north of there are the mountains of Samaria, including Mount Gerizim. There is Jacob’s Well, the village of Sychar and also the city of Samaria. This area was in the territory of the ten tribes of Israel following the division of the nation of Israel into two parts.
23. Point out on the map the Rift Valley and related locations mentioned here.
23 Look to the right of Jerusalem and to the north, that is, to the northeast of Jerusalem, and you see the city of Jericho. Jericho is located on the western side of the next important geographical feature of the Promised Land. This outstanding geographical feature is the great Rift Valley, which runs north and south from the mountains in the north and contains the Jordan Valley, the river Jordan, the Sea of Galilee, the Salt Sea or Dead Sea and extends down to the Arabah and the Red Sea.
24. Where did Moses stand to view the land?
24 Then east of the Jordan River and east of the Salt Sea are the hills and tablelands of Moab. On the map you see Mount Nebo and Pisgah indicated. At this high elevation Moses stood and surveyed the land, looking north and west and south, being able to see across the countryside toward the Mediterranean Sea, and he viewed the great area and heard Jehovah’s words to him: “This is the land.”
25. Using the map, review the five general geographical features of the land.
25 Thus you have some general features of the Promised Land: the plain along the Mediterranean seacoast, the hill country or Shephelah, the mountains of Samaria and of Judah, where Jerusalem is located, the great Rift or Jordan Valley including Jericho, and then there are the hills and tablelands east of the Jordan River including the country of Moab.
26. Locate on the map other Bible sites.
26 Many physical features mentioned in the Bible can be located on this and other maps, including the Kidron Valley, the Valley of Hinnom, the Arabah, Arnon River, Jordan River, Mount of Olives, Plain of Esdraelon, Mount Carmel, Mount Hermon, river Jabbok.
27. (a) What fact is important to us? (b) Why is this of importance? (c) What now overwhelms certain criticism?
27 Here is something important to us: in each of these areas there is an abundance of discovered archaeological support of the Bible involving places mentioned in the Word of truth. Why should this be so important? Because of the fact that, while there are many places mentioned in the Bible that have been known and located throughout the centuries, there are many other places that the Scriptures name but the locations of which have not been known over the years; and critics of God’s Word have said in effect that, since the locations of these sites are not known, it follows that the Bible accounts are not true and the Scriptures are therefore not reliable. The facts of archaeological support prove something essential to us in this connection. They prove that, when persons claim that places mentioned in God’s Word never existed, the persons making these claims are wrong. “Skeptical criticism” of the Bible on the basis of nonidentification of Bible sites has especially come forth from the eighteenth century onward. In the language of one archaeological authority, William Foxwell Albright: “The patriarchal narratives of Genesis and the Mosaic tradition of the following books of the Pentateuch have been discredited by the modern higher criticism . . . Some treat Moses as a legendary figure.” This criticism has been characterized as “the hypercritical attitude which previously obtained” but which is now overwhelmed by the facts of more recent discoveries in the Promised Land.
28, 29. The land is of what advantage to the truth seeker?
28 So the situation is that we have the land before us; we can visit it. The geographical surface features of the land itself are plain and evident and can be identified by even the casual visitor as being those referred to in the Word of God. However, in respect to people and places that have heretofore been identified by the Bible itself, critics who oppose God’s Word and attempt to discredit it have claimed that such persons and places were fictitious and therefore, because of this, the Bible account is mythical, unreliable and not to be taken as a sure guide.
29 We have said that the facts of archaeological support prove such Bible critics to be wrong. Are you not interested in noticing just a few of these archaeological discoveries that confirm the Bible? The following article deals with some of such.
[Map on page 555]
(For fully formatted text, see publication)
THE PROMISED LAND VIEWED BY MOSES
SCALE OF MILES
0 50 100
Euphrates River
Tiphsah
Hamath
Mountains of Lebanon
GREAT SEA
Sidon
Tyre
Damascus
Dan
GILEAD
Jordan River
Mount Nebo
Gaza
SHEPHELAH
Salt Sea
NEGEB
Beer-sheba
River of Egypt
WILDERNESS
Red Sea
[Map on page 557]
(For fully formatted text, see publication)
THE LAND OF THE WORD OF TRUTH
(where many events referred to in the Bible took place)
SCALE OF MILES 0 10 20 30
Gebal
Sidon
Tyre
Lebanon Mountains
Mount Hermon
Dan
GREAT SEA (Western Sea)
NAPHTALI
Hazor
Chorazin
Nazareth
Sea of Galilee
Plain of Esdraelon (Jezreel)
Mount Carmel
Caesarea
Megiddo
Beth-shan
MANASSEH
Samaria
Mount Ebal
Sychar
Shechem
Jacob’s Well
Mount Gerizim
Plain of Sharon
GILEAD
River Jabbok
EPHRAIM
Shiloh
Bethel
Michmash
Mizpah
Jericho
Jordan River
Gibeah
Gibeon
Qumran
Desert Plains of Moab
Plain of Elah
Jerusalem
Mount Nebo (Pisgah)
PHILISTINES
Azekah
Bethlehem
Lachish
Beth-zur
JUDAH
SHEPHELAH
Hebron
Debir
Dead Sea
The District
Arnon River
Beer-sheba
RIFT VALLEY
MOAB
Gomorrah
Sodom
Zoar
NEGEB
ARABAH
EDOM
WILDERNESS
Red Sea
Ezion-geber
JERUSALEM
Temple
Mount of Olives
Valley of Hinnom
Kidron Valley
Bethany
Archaeology and the Land Support the Word of Truth
Archaeology and the Land Support the Word of Truth
“You well know with all your hearts and with all your souls that not one word out of all the good words that Jehovah your God has spoken to you has failed. They have all come true for you. Not one word of them has failed.”—Josh. 23:14.
1. To whom are Jehovah’s gifts of the land and the Word given?
THE Land of Promise, which Jehovah God gave to his people Israel, supports and confirms his Word of truth, the Bible, which he has given as an invaluable gift, not to the Israelites alone, but to all who would worship him. The Word refers to the land; the land supports the Word and particularly conquers the evil Bible criticism with the good facts from archaeology. We feel you will be interested in some of these facts and in the comments relative to them made by authorities in the field of archaeology.
2, 3. Give experts’ opinion that evil Bible criticism is conquered by good from archaeology.
2 “It is perfectly true to say that Biblical archaeology has done a great deal to correct the impression that was abroad at the close of the last century and in the early part of this century, that Biblical history was of doubtful trustworthiness in many places.” So states J. A. Thompson in The Bible and Archaeology.
3 “In Palestine, places and towns that are frequently mentioned in the Bible are being brought back once more into the light of day. They look exactly as the Bible describes them and lie exactly where the Bible locates them.” This is the view of Werner Keller in The Bible As History, Introduction, and he continues, “There kept hammering in my brain this one sentence: ‘The Bible is right after all!’”
4. Is there evidence outside the Bible of the great deluge?
4 Have you heard of the Bible account of the great deluge, the Flood, being called in question? It has been ridiculed by some Bible critics who have thereby dishonored God and Christ Jesus, doing injury to those whom they succeeded in influencing. Yet archaeological excavations are interpreted as confirming the Bible account of the Flood, appearing in the seventh chapter of the book of Genesis. There is archaeological support of the truthful Scriptural account of the “tower with its top in the heavens.”—Gen. 11:3, 4.
5. Point to the maps to locate sites now determined as here listed.
5 Places referred to in the tenth and eleventh chapters of the Genesis account, the existence and location of which are confirmed by the reports of archaeology, include the site of Calah, Erech, Ur of the Chaldeans, Haran, cities all of them; and the persons of Genesis chapter eleven, namely, Peleg, Serug, Nahor, Terah and Haran, referred to in cuneiform writings that were found in the ruins of the palace of Mari. The ancient site of Shechem and of the wells at Beer-sheba are likewise so indicated.
6. State the confirmed facts regarding Jericho, and locate the site on one of our maps.
6 The destruction of the ancient city of Jericho, located on the west side of the great Rift Valley is mentioned in Joshua 6:20, 24, showing the miraculous fall of the walls of Jericho and that city’s overthrow by the Hebrews under Joshua. When no archaeological confirmation of the Bible’s account was available, the truthfulness of it was glibly disputed. This is no longer possible. Archaeology confirms the Bible account of the destruction of the city. Excavations began at Jericho in 1930. Excavators found that the double walls surrounding the city had fallen down the slope as if toppled by an earthquake or some other unseen force. Houses had been built on rafters that bridged the tops of the two walls and in one section part of the wall stood and could have been where Rahab’s house had been preserved in the Biblical catastrophe. The excavators found evidence of intense fire. The city had been burned. This was no ordinary burning, because the layer of ashes was unusually thick and it appeared that all available fuel had been gathered to accomplish a thorough destruction. The city had not been looted, neither had there been any substantial rebuilding of the city until hundreds of years thereafter, about the time of King Ahab, when the Bible tells us that it was rebuilt. Today you can go to the Rift Valley, to the site of the excavations of the ruins of that ancient city of Jericho and see this archaeological support of the Bible account.
7. Here many other sites claim attention. What is each, and where is it on the large map?
7 As in the case of the ruins of Jericho, so the ruins of another city taken by the Israelites under Joshua, Hazor, together with evidences of Joshua’s destruction of it are included in the archaeological findings. Documentary evidence outside of that of the Bible, referring to the Israelites’ actually being in the land of Canaan, is the Nephtoah monument (Josh. 15:9) containing such reference. In the list of the archaeologists’ findings are the remains at Bethel (Judg. 1:22-25), sites of certain Philistine cities (Jer. 25:17, 20), the ruins of Gibeah (1 Sam. 10:20-26), the Michmash site still there (1 Sam. 13:5, 23), the place where David conquered Goliath (1 Sam. 17:2, 3), the ruins of Beth-shan and the house of Ashtoreth (1 Sam. 31:10), Megiddo in the north plain of Jezreel with its great stables (1 Ki. 9:15), Ezion-geber with its copper and ship works (1 Ki. 9:26), the site of Gebal (Ezek. 27:9), the stronghold at Mizpah (1 Ki. 15:16, 22) and the palaces of Samaria with their ivory and other luxurious furnishings (1 Ki. 22:39).
8. Relate the Bible account concerning King Mesha.
8 The book of the Word of truth states at 2 Kings 1:1: “Moab began to revolt against Israel after the death of Ahab.” In 2 Kings 3:4, 5 this is verified: “As regards Mesha the king of Moab, he became a sheep raiser, and he paid to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs and a hundred thousand unshorn male sheep. And it came about that as soon as Ahab died, the king of Moab began to revolt against the king of Israel.” The 2 Ki chapter 3 continues in respect to action taken by King Jehoram against King Mesha of Moab. The Moabites were greatly humiliated and they were defeated.
9. What has archaeology contributed to the Mesha account in support of the Bible?
9 Archaeology has provided an account of the revolt written by King Mesha, a stone called the Moabite Stone. Written in a dialect differing little from Biblical Hebrew, it was erected by King Mesha partly to commemorate his revolt. In 1868 this stone was found within the territory of Moab about halfway along the east side of the Dead Sea. The king of Moab shows himself to be a worshiper of the god Chemosh. In his account he mentions the name of Israel’s God, Jehovah. The false god Chemosh could not save Moab. The writing of Mesha on the Moabite Stone could not cover up Jehovah’s victory over Moab. Said Jeremiah: “The people of Chemosh have perished.” And Zephaniah prophesied: “Moab herself will become just like Sodom, and the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah.” (Jer. 48:46; Zeph. 2:9) This has been the case with Mesha and his people, the Moabites. The Moabite Stone not only uses the Tetragrammaton in Hebrew-Phoenician characters but it mentions fourteen places found in the Bible record. This stone has long been available to Bible researchers.
10. Where lie the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah, and this according to what authority?
10 “Moab herself will become just like Sodom, and the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah,” stated Zephaniah. What was the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring cities of the plain? “We can say with certainty today that . . . the riddle of the disappearance of the two cities has been solved,” declares Werner Keller. The solution is that these corrupt cities of the plain lie in ruins in the area that at the present time is beneath the surface of the waters of the southern end of the Dead Sea, the waters of which are at a level higher than they were before the destruction of these cities. Surely it is true that “from . . . when Israel consolidated its occupation of . . . Palestine . . . Biblical tradition is increasingly illuminated by archaeological and documentary material of all kinds.” “To sum up, we can now again treat the Bible from beginning to end as an authentic document of religious history,” says archaeologist Albright.
11. Name the “wonders” here listed and locate each one that is shown on the accompanying maps.
11 The fulfillment of Jehovah’s prophetic pronouncements of destruction upon his enemies as they were centered in the various cities of their times is shown in the ruins of those cities. Such ruins are wonderful confirmations of the accuracy of the pronouncements of God’s prophets. These “wonders” are listed by one authority as including Tyre, Sidon, Bethel, Samaria, Jerusalem, Babylon and the nations of Egypt, Edom and the Philistines. Sites that have been the scene of excavation for archaeological research include: Hazor, Chorazin, Nazareth, Caesarea, Samaria, Shechem, Shiloh, Bethel, Jericho, Gibeon, Gibeah, Jerusalem, Qumran, Beth-zur, Lachish, Debir and Ezion-geber, and this does not complete the list by any means.
12. What are Lachish and Azekah, where are they located, and what support do they now give to the Word of God?
12 On the large map in this issue in the Shephelah you will find located Lachish, near which was Azekah. The ruins of both of these cities have been excavated. From these excavations have come archaeological treasures that establish a multitude of details in confirmation of the Bible accounts. In 1935 in the ruins of a guardroom of the Double Gatehouse there were found eighteen pieces of pottery inscribed with writings. These turned out to be a number of letters, and the collection is now known as the “Lachish Letters.” They confirm the Bible’s mentioning fire signals in Jeremiah 6:1, and Lachish as a neighboring town of Azekah referred to in Jeremiah 34:7. They confirm the Scriptures in mentioning Lachish and Azekah as the last two fortified cities left remaining. They confirm the fact that Judah went down to Egypt for assistance in violation of Jehovah’s commands. We have in the “Lachish Letters” the record of this military outpost holding out against Nebuchadnezzar. Furthermore, they show that the Jews at that time did not object to using the name Jehovah. The four Hebrew letters, the Tetragrammaton, of the name of God, Jehovah, are included in the “Lachish Letters.”
13. (a) What are some of the Bible-supporting sites found today in Samaria? (b) What other points can travelers now see? Where are they on the map?
13 In the eighth chapter of Joshua the account states that Mount Ebal was the place where Joshua built an altar to Jehovah, and the people of Israel, their old men, officers, judges, priests, Levites, alien residents and the natives, all gathered there in front of Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. To Israel were read the blessing and the malediction. Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal are there today. You can visit them. In 1963 hundreds of Jehovah’s witnesses went to this geographical site and to other sites in the Land of Promise, and there in the southern part of the land of Samaria in the vicinity of Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal many of them, as Jesus did, drank water from Jacob’s Well near the village of Sychar where the cool, refreshing underground stream still flows. The Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee, towns of Bethlehem and Hebron, the Valley of Hinnom, with many, many other geographical locations, are still there and you can see them. Anyone can see them, and, inasmuch as they are still observable today, they serve as support for the Word of truth.
14. Today, what corresponds to the view Jesus had when he sat on the Mount of Olives?
14 These last-mentioned examples are quite obvious and so is this one establishing the accuracy of the Scriptural setting of Jesus’ great prophecy. Mark 13:3 says: Jesus “was sitting on the Mount of Olives with the temple in view.” The Mount of Olives is still there today. From it you look to the west, past the Garden of Gethsemane, over the Kidron Valley to the easterly walls of the present city of Jerusalem and you see the location where, in Jesus’ day, the marvelous temple was standing as depicted on the Watch Tower Society’s 1968 calendar. The location previously occupied by the temple is now occupied by a Mohammedan mosque, the Dome of the Rock. The place is there, the land is there, the geography verifies Mark 13:3. As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives he had the temple in view and the temple site is in view today from the Mount of Olives.
15. In addition to the Bible, what is proof of the existence of Pontius Pilate? Where was it found?
15 Pontius Pilate figured in the ministry of Jesus, as that ministry drew to a close, and quite recently Caesarea on the coastal plain contributed a valuable archaeological find in respect to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Jerusalem in the time of Christ Jesus. Pilate was known only by the record concerning him in the Bible and the writings of ancient historians, particularly Josephus, but archaeological evidence concerning him has been unknown. However, in 1961 an Italian archaeological expedition from the University of Milan found near Caesarea a stone slab thirty-one by twenty-three inches in size bearing writings including the Latin names of Pontius Pilate and Tiberius. This is archaeological proof of Pilate’s existence. Jehovah’s witnesses know Pilate existed because of what is stated in the Bible. As for those who deny the Bible: what are they going to do about the Pontius Pilate inscription?
16. What benefit is there for us in the support of the Bible provided by archaeology?
16 The record of the support that the land gives to the Word of truth continues and here is set out but a small portion of it. What effect should this knowledge have on us? What benefit is it to us? What benefit is there to us in the support of the Bible provided by archaeology? Wherein is the wonderful gift of Jehovah in the Promised Land an aid to us at this late date? Knowledge of the Bible and the land, support of the Bible by archaeology and by the land itself should increase our appreciation for the Word of truth. As the discovery of ancient manuscripts has helped restore the pure, original text of the Bible, so the discovery of the multitude of artifacts has brought convincing confirmation that the things stated in the Bible text are historically, chronologically and geographically reliable right down to the minutest detail.
17, 18. (a) What is the published view of the principal librarian of the British Museum? (b) of archaeologist Glueck?
17 Thus archaeology confounds the critics of the Bible. A noted British scholar, director and principal librarian of the British Museum for many years, said concerning the Bible: “The evidence of archaeology has been to re-establish its authority and likewise to augment its value by rendering it more intelligible through a fuller knowledge of its background and setting. Archaeology has not yet said its last word; but the result already achieved confirms what faith would suggest that the Bible can do nothing but gain from an increase of knowledge.”
18 Archaeologist Nelson Glueck in his book, Rivers in the Desert, says (1959, p. 31): “As a matter of fact, however, it may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference.”
19. (a) What does archaeology confirm? (b) How can we familiarize ourselves with the Promised Land?
19 Let us list or relist benefits brought to the cause of truth and the Word of God by the facts of archaeology. Archaeology: confirms the patriarchal narratives, the rule of Saul, the reign of David, aids in the location of geographical places, helps fix the chronology of Bible events, informs us regarding the customs and the culture of Bible times, gives historical background to the Bible and aids in the understanding of the meaning of some Bible words. Undeniably the land of the Word of truth is existing; it is there. So are we going to become as well acquainted with it as we can? When places and areas are mentioned in the Bible account or in our study of the Word of God, will we consult maps that we have in our Bibles or other maps and locate these places? Do we wish to increase our understanding of what we read in the Bible? We certainly do. Visualizing the geography enhances our understanding of the written word (something that we should desire). We can gradually familiarize ourselves with the Promised Land and thereby gain more familiarity with the Bible itself.
20. How should we respond to Jehovah’s gift of the land and the Word?
20 The land exalts its Creator. We are glad for his exaltation. The gift vindicates the Giver. We rejoice in Jehovah’s vindication. We love and appreciate the gift of God’s Word. We say with Psalm 119:130, 140: “The very disclosure of your words gives light, making the inexperienced ones understand. Your saying is very much refined, and your own servant loves it.” We are Jehovah’s servants. We love his Word of truth!
21. For us, Joshua 23:14 has what import?
21 The critics and contradictors of God’s Word have nothing to offer but falsehood, doubt, perplexity, perversion. That is not for us. Rather, the truth expressed by Joshua is recognized by Jehovah’s witnesses, who join in saying: ‘We well know with all our hearts and with all our souls that not one word out of all the good words that Jehovah our God has spoken to us has failed. They have all come true for us. Not one word of them has failed.’—Josh. 23:14.
[Map on page 561]
(For fully formatted text, see publication)
MESOPOTAMIA
SHINAR
Haran
Nineveh
Calah
Mari
Euphrates River
Tigris River
Babylon
Erech
Ur
Persian Gulf
[Picture on page 562]
Moabite Stone, showing the Divine Name
[Picture on page 563]
One of the “Lachish Letters,” containing ancient Hebrew letters for “Jehovah”
[Picture on page 564]
Partial inscription found at Caesarea, second line of which reads “[Pon]tius Pilatus”
Serving as Long as I Can Be of Any Use
Serving as Long as I Can Be of Any Use
As told by William T. Hannan
IT WAS back in 1922 that I saw my privilege and opportunity to serve my God Jehovah more fully. A call had gone forth for more workers at the headquarters of the Watch Tower Society in Brooklyn, New York, as it was beginning to print its own Bible literature. I wrote for an application, and among the questions it contained was: “How long can you stay?” After giving that question serious thought I wrote down: “As long as I can be of any use.” I am truly thankful to Jehovah that, by his undeserved kindness, I have been able to ‘be of use,’ serving him full time for the past forty-six years and that I can still look forward to further years of use in his service.
I was privileged to hear of God’s purposes seventy years ago, in 1898, at the early age of six. My mother first gleaned a measure of understanding of God’s glorious purposes from a tract that had been used in wrapping a holiday gift parcel sent to her by her sister, my aunt. However, as the top of the tract was missing, there was nothing to identify the author or publisher of it.
…