Study From The Watchtower, Week of January 2 to 8, 2023, Jehovah helps us to fulfill our ministry, Underlined Answers.

Study From The Watchtower, 2-8-January 2023, Jehovah helps us to fulfill our ministry, Underlined Answers.

Yellow:  Direct Answer.

Dark Yellow:  Additional Answer.

Light Blue:  Additional Points.

“They will surely know that there was a prophet among them” (EZEQ. 2:5).

1. What do we Christians know, and of what are we convinced?

NO wonder that some people oppose our preaching, and it is very likely that this opposition will intensify in the future (Dan. 11:44; 2 Tim. 3:12; Rev. 16:21). But we are convinced that Jehovah is going to help us. Why do we say it? Because he has always helped his servants to fulfill the work that he has assigned them, no matter how difficult it was. To verify that this is so, let us look at some events in the life of the prophet Ezekiel, who preached to the exiled Jews in Babylon.

2. (a) How did Jehovah describe the Jews to whom Ezekiel would have to preach? (Ezekiel 2:3-6). b) What will we see in this article?

2 What were the people to whom Ezekiel would have to preach? a). Jehovah said that these Jews were “rebellious,” “defiant,” and “stubborn at heart.” They were as bad as thorns and as dangerous as scorpions. No wonder Jehovah told Ezekiel several times: “Do not be afraid” (read Ezekiel 2:3-6). b).  Ezekiel was able to fulfill his mission because 1) it was Jehovah who sent him, 2) the holy spirit gave him strength, and 3) he fed on the words of God. How did these three factors help you, and how do they help us today?

JEHOVAH SENT EZEKIEL

3. What words should have encouraged Ezekiel, and how did Jehovah confirm his support?

3 Jehovah said to Ezekiel: “I am sending you” (Ezek. 2:3, 4). That must have cheered him up a lot. He surely remembered that  Jehovah had used similar words when he chose Moses and Isaiah to be his prophets (Ex. 3:10; Is. 6:8). Ezekiel also knew that Jehovah had helped these prophets to carry out very difficult tasks. So when God told him twice, “I am sending you,” he knew he could count on his support. In addition, in the book of Ezekiel we find this affirmation many times: "I received the words of the Lord" (Ezek. 14:2). And time after time the phrase appears: "I received again the words of Jehovah" (Ezek. 6:1).So the prophet had no doubt that it was Jehovah who had sent him. Furthermore, since his father was a priest, he surely had taught her that Jehovah always confirmed to his prophets that he would give them his full support. In fact, Jehovah had told Isaac, Jacob, and Jeremiah: “I am with you” (Gen. 26:24; 28:15; Jer. 1:8).

4. What comforting words should have encouraged Ezekiel?

4 How would most of the Israelites respond to the message? Jehovah told Ezekiel: “The house of Israel will refuse to listen to you because they do not want to listen to me” (Ezek. 3:7). By rejecting this prophet, they were rejecting Jehovah. These words must have reassured Ezekiel because the rejection of the people did not mean that he was a bad prophet. In addition, Jehovah confirmed to him that, when his messages of condemnation were fulfilled, those Jews would know “that there was a prophet among them” (Ezek. 2: 5; 33:33). Surely these comforting words gave Ezequiel the encouragement he needed to fulfill his ministry.

JEHOVAH SENDS US

5. Why does Isaiah 44:8 encourage us?

5 We too are encouraged to know that it is Jehovah who sends us. He gives us the immense honor of being his witnesses (Is. 43:10). Just as Jehovah said to Ezekiel: “Do not be afraid,” to us he says: “Do not be terrified.” Why should we not fear our opponents? Because, as in the case of Ezekiel, it is Jehovah who sends us and gives us all his support (read Isaiah 44: 8).

6. (a) How does Jehovah confirm his support for us? b) What comforts and encourages us?

6 Jehovah confirms his support for us. a). For example, just before saying, “You are my witnesses,” he stated, “When you cross the waters, I will be with you, and when you cross the rivers, they will not cover you. When you pass through the fire, you will not be burned and the flames will not scorch you” (Is. 43:2). Sometimes when we preach, we encounter obstacles that are like rivers and face trials that are like fire. But, with the help of Jehovah, we continue to preach (Is. 41:13). The same thing happens to us as to Ezekiel: most people reject the message. We keep in mind that this rejection does not mean that we are bad witnesses of God. b).  It comforts and encourages us to know that Jehovah is pleased if we continue to declare the message faithfully.The apostle Paul said: "Each person will receive his reward according to his work" (1 Cor. 3:8; 4:1, 2). A sister who has pioneered for many years says: “I am glad that Jehovah rewards our efforts.”

ILLUSTRATION

Series of images: 1. Ezequiel preaches in his assigned territory. Most people reject his message, but one man listens intently. 2. A marriage with his daughter in preaching. Most reject his message, but one woman listens intently.

Like Ezekiel, we may face indifference and opposition. But we know that Jehovah is with us. (See paragraphs 5 and 6).

THE HOLY SPIRIT GAVE STRENGTH TO EZEKIEL

7. How must Ezekiel feel every time he thought about the vision he received? (See cover drawing.)

7 Ezekiel saw how powerful God's holy spirit is . In a vision he saw that spirit at work in powerful spirit beings and in the enormous wheels of a heavenly chariot (Ezek. 1:20, 21). He himself tells us of his reaction: "When I saw him, I fell face down on the ground." He was so impressed that he fell to the ground (Ezek. 1:28). Probably, each time he thought about that impressive vision, he became more convinced that he could fulfill his ministry with the help of God's spirit.

ILLUSTRATION

Ezekiel sees a vision of Jehovah's heavenly chariot, further convincing him that Jehovah will help him fulfill his ministry. (See paragraph 7).

8, 9. (a) What command did Jehovah give Ezekiel? (b) What else did Jehovah do to strengthen Ezekiel?

8 a).  Jehovah commanded Ezekiel: “Son of man, stand up so that I may speak with you.” That order and the spirit of God gave him the strength he needed to get up. He wrote: “The spirit entered me and caused me to stand up” (Ezek. 2:1, 2). b). Subsequently and throughout his ministry, “the hand of Jehovah”—that is, his holy spirit—guided him (Ezek. 3:22; 8:1; 33:22; 37:1; 40:1 ). That spirit gave Ezekiel the strength he needed to fulfill the mission of preaching to the “hard-headed and stubborn-hearted” Jews in his territory (Ezek. 3:7).Jehovah said to him: “I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. I have made your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them, and do not be terrified by their faces” (Ezek. 3:8, 9). It is as if Jehovah had said to him: “Don't let his stubbornness discourage you. I will make you strong."

9 From then on, the spirit of God led Ezekiel through the territory where he had to preach. He wrote: "The hand of the Lord was strong upon me." It took the prophet a week to assimilate and internalize the message he had to announce (Ezek. 3:14, 15). Jehovah then told him to go to a plain, where the spirit entered him (Ezek. 3:23, 24). Ezequiel was already ready to start preaching.

THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES US STRENGTH

10. What help do we need to fulfill our ministry, and why?

10 What help do we need to fulfill our ministry? To answer this question, let's think about Ezekiel. Before starting to preach, the holy spirit gave him the strength he needed. Like Ezekiel, we could not preach if it were not for the help of the holy spirit . Why do we say this? Because Satan fights against us to stop the preaching (Rev. 12:17). From a human point of view, it might seem that Satan is too powerful a match for us. But with our preaching we are defeating him (Rev. 12:9-11). When we participate in the ministry, we show that his threats do not scare us. Every time we preach it is a defeat for Satan.So the fact that we can preach despite opposition shows that the holy spirit is giving us strength and that we have Jehovah's approval (Matt. 5:10-12; 1 Pet. 4:14).

ILLUSTRATION

The mother in the previous image preaches on the phone to the woman who listened carefully. In the background is the heavenly chariot of Jehovah.

As in the case of Ezekiel, what helps us to fulfill our ministry today? (See paragraph 10).

11. How will the holy spirit help us, and what must we do to continue receiving it?

11 The fact that Jehovah hardened Ezekiel's face and forehead guarantees us something else: that the holy spirit can help us overcome any obstacle that arises in our ministry (2 Cor. 4:7-9). So what must we do to continue receiving God's spirit? Ask for it in prayer with insistence, with the certainty that Jehovah will listen to us. Jesus told his disciples to "keep on asking," "keep on seeking," and "keep on knocking." What will Jehovah's response be? That he “will give holy spirit to those who ask him” (Luke 11:9, 13; Acts 1:14; 2:4).

EZEKIEL FED ON THE WORDS OF GOD

12. According to Ezekiel 2:9-3:3, where did the scroll come from, and what message did it contain?

12 In addition to being empowered by the holy spirit, Ezekiel fed on the words, or message, of God. In a vision, he saw a hand carrying a scroll (read Ezekiel 2:9-3:3). Where did the roll come from? What message did it contain? And how did he feed Ezekiel? The scroll came from the throne of Jehovah . God probably used one of the four angels that Ezekiel had seen to deliver the scroll to him (Ezek. 1:8; 10:7, 20). The scroll contained the words of God: the long message of condemnation that Ezekiel was to announce to the rebellious exiles (Ezek. 2:7). That message was written on the front and back of the scroll.

13. What did Jehovah tell Ezekiel to do with the scroll, and why was it sweet?

13 Jehovah told his prophet: “Eat the scroll . . . and fill your stomach with it.” Ezequiel was obedient and ate it whole. What does this part of the vision mean? That Ezequiel had to fully assimilate the message that he had to announce. That message had to become a part of him; she had to influence his deepest feelings. Then something unexpected happened. Ezekiel discovered that the scroll "was as sweet as honey" (Ezek. 3:3). Why? Because, for him, the honor of representing Jehovah was something sweet or pleasant (Ps. 19:8-11). He was very grateful that Jehovah had chosen him to be his prophet.

14. What helped Ezequiel to be ready to fulfill his mission?

14 Later, Jehovah told Ezekiel: “Listen and accept in your heart all the words that I say to you” (Ezek. 3:10). Jehovah was telling him to try to remember the words written on the scroll and to meditate on them. That would feed Ezekiel's faith and make clear in his mind the powerful message he was to bring to the people (Ezek. 3:11). With God's message in his mouth and in his heart, the prophet was ready to begin preaching and fulfill his mission (compare Psalm 19:14).

WE FEED ON THE WORDS OF GOD

15. What must we accept in our hearts so as not to abandon our ministry?

15 In order not to abandon our ministry, we too must continue to feed on the words of God. We need to accept in our hearts everything that Jehovah tells us. Today Jehovah speaks to us through his written Word, the Bible. What can we do to ensure that God's Word continues to influence our thoughts, feelings, and motives?

16. What are we to do with God's Word, and how do we do it?

16 Our body is nourished when we eat and digest food. Our faith is also nourished when we study the Word of God and meditate on it. That is the lesson that the vision of the scroll teaches us. Jehovah wants us to “fill our stomachs” with his Word, that we assimilate his message. And we did that by praying, reading and meditating. First we pray to prepare our hearts to receive God's thoughts. Then we read a portion of the Bible. And then we pause to meditate and think carefully about what we have read. What will be the result? The more we meditate, the better our heart will assimilate the message of God's Word.

17. Why is it so important that we meditate on what we read in the Bible?

17 Why is it so important that we read the Bible and meditate on it? Because doing so gives us the strength we need to announce the Kingdom message now and in the near future the harsh message of condemnation that we may have to proclaim. Also, when we meditate on Jehovah's precious qualities, our friendship with him grows stronger. And, as a result, we enjoy something very sweet and pleasant: inner peace and contentment (Ps. 119:103).

DECIDED TO MOVE ON

18. What will the people of the territory have to recognize, and why?

18 Although we are not prophets inspired by God like Ezekiel, we do have the inspired message that Jehovah has left in his Word. We are determined to continue announcing it until Jehovah says that we must not preach anymore. When the time comes for Jehovah to carry out his sentence, the people of the territory will not be able to say that they were not warned or that God did not take them into account (Ezek. 3:19; 18:23). Rather, they will have to recognize that the message we were preaching came from God.

19. Where will we get the strength to fulfill our ministry?

19 Where will we get the strength to fulfill our ministry? We have the three factors that strengthened Ezekiel: we continue to preach because we know that it is Jehovah who has sent us, because the holy spirit gives us strength, and because we feed on the Word of God. With Jehovah's help we are determined to fulfill our ministry and to endure “to the end” (Matt. 24:13).

HOW DO THESE THREE FACTORS HELP US FULFILL OUR MINISTRY?

Jehovah is the one who sends us.

By rejecting us, they are rejecting Jehovah

We are also encouraged to know that it is Jehovah who sends us. He gives us the immense honor of being his witnesses

Because, as in the case of Ezekiel, it is Jehovah who sends us and gives us his full support.

Sometimes when we preach, we encounter obstacles that are like rivers and face trials that are like fire. But, with Jehovah's help, we continue to preach. 

The same thing happens to us as to Ezekiel: most people reject the message. We keep in mind that this rejection does not mean that we are bad witnesses of God. 

The holy spirit gives us strength.

When we participate in the ministry, we show that their threats do not scare us. Every time we preach it is a defeat for Satan. So the fact that we can preach despite opposition shows that the holy spirit is giving us strength and that we have Jehovah's approval.

The holy spirit can help us overcome any obstacle that comes our way in our ministry.

We feed on the words of God.

In order not to abandon our ministry, we too must continue to feed on the words of God. We need to accept in our hearts everything that Jehovah tells us.

Our faith is also nourished when we study the Word of God and meditate on it.

When we feed on the word of God, we gain the Strength we need to announce the Kingdom message now and in the near future the harsh message of condemnation that we may have to proclaim.