The Study Watchtower, "Article 3", Week of March 13 to 19, 2023, Jehovah makes things go well for us, Answers.

The Study Watchtower, «Article 3», 13-19-March-2023, Jehovah makes things go well for us, Answers.

“Jehovah was with Joseph and […] made sure that everything he did turned out well” (GEN. 39:3).

1, 2. (a) Why don't tests take us by surprise?

Because we know that the Bible says in Acts 14:22 that Christians have to go through many difficulties to enter the Kingdom of God. We also know that some of our problems will only be fully resolved when we live in the new world, where there will be no more death, no more sadness, no crying, no pain, as all of these things will completely disappear.

The text that has been mentioned from Acts 14:22 when it says that we have to go through many difficulties to enter the kingdom of God, there the apostle Paul seems contradictory that he went with those words to encourage his companions when he had just received a beating in Lystra as a result of declaring the good news, but what the apostle meant was that Christians have a wonderful hope and that hope despite our sufferings is worth going through those sufferings because we know what awaits us at each of us both the anointed and those who hope to live here on earth.

1, 2. b) What will we talk about in this article?

We'll talk about how Jehovah doesn't keep us from going through trials, but he can make us succeed during them, even help us endure them. And, we will see how he helped José to do well in everything and how he can help us today.

Yes, that idea is very interesting because perhaps one tends to assess success or not in a test when the test ends when it has been passed, but it is not the idea that we are going to analyze today but rather that in the course of that test we are going to see evidence that Jehovah is helping us and therefore we can consider that as a success during it. 

WHEN AN UNEXPECTED CHANGE OCCURS

3. How did Jose's life change overnight?

Joseph's life changed overnight, first, his brothers out of jealousy sold him to some Midianite merchants, then these men sold him again, this time to Potiphar who was the head of the guard of the Pharaoh of Egypt. So, his life had an unexpected change: he went from being a very called son to being a slave in Egypt.

And this drastic change with him did not happen little by little, he did not have to adjust to the circumstances, but it happened overnight, something that can happen to any of us as well.

4. What situations similar to José's could we face?

Like Joseph, we may suffer the contempt of our relatives, ridicule or even persecution, simply for being disciples of Jesus.

And it is true that we know that although we live in this world and we know that something unforeseen can happen to us at any moment, it is still something difficult, just as José's life changed from one moment to the next, our life can also change with a call a medical appointment an accident but we have to always keep in mind that as with José, Jehovah is going to help us to be successful.

And as the apostle Paul also says very well in the first of Corinthians 10:13, because it is something that is normal among all people, something better always happens, it is that nothing happens, but the reality is that there is always a problem of a one nature or another, but what we have is to have faith and hope that Jehovah will not let us be tempted beyond what one can bear, but along with the temptation he will also give us the way out, for this reason When we have problems, we must leave it in his hands and he will support us whenever he sees it necessary.

5. What did Potiphar realize? (Genesis 39:2-6).

Potiphar realized that Jehovah was with Joseph and made sure that everything he did turned out well for him. Consequently, Joseph became known as a competent and hard-working young man, so Potiphar made him his personal assistant and put him in charge of his entire household.

And we know that Potiphar was Egyptian that he had an Egyptian religion that had an Egyptian culture very different customs, how surprising and evident the qualities of Jose should be to realize that he was different that they were excellent what has been mentioned about his competence, but to come to To say that he realized that Jehovah was with Joseph was something else was to come to recognize that there was a God above him who was giving him his help, and that this is very interesting because that is what shows that everything was named for him. what was named because Jehovah was leading the threads.

And in the image we can see the beginning of this relationship between José and Potiphar, nothing that we see in the image can suggest that José's life from that moment on was going to be wonderful, but quite the opposite, without However, we easily learn that Jehovah has everything under control and that what at first may seem like a curse he can fill it with blessings. 

ILLUSTRATION

Potiphar buys Joseph to be his slave. Jehovah made things go well for Joseph even when he was sold to Potiphar to be his slave. (See paragraph 5).

6. How must Jose feel?

For sure. José had feelings of nostalgia for his family, it is possible that what he most wanted was to be free and return to his father's house. It is true that he had many privileges, but it was not easy to remain the slave of a man who worshiped other gods. And anyway, Jehovah did not make Potiphar release him.

Perhaps José thought that his circumstances could change and get better, but it was not like that. Jehovah did not allow José to be released and he still had to face that situation and much worse as we are going to see now later.

And in paragraph 2 we saw that Jehovah does not prevent tests from coming to us but that he does help us to overcome them and the case of José shows us precisely this, how Jehovah that although he allows us to be tested also offers help to be able to endure. 

IF THE SITUATION WORSE

7. Why can it be said that José's situation worsened? (Genesis 39:14, 15).

Things got worse for Joseph, because Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him, she got so angry that she accused Joseph of attempted rape, so Potiphar put Joseph in prison, a dark and depressing place. Also, the Bible in Psalm 105: 17: 18 says that Joseph had his feet shackled and chained by his neck, so he went from being a trusted slave to being a common prisoner.

And the story does not end there, but it continues because when Potiphar found out, he obviously puts him in jail and says that maybe it wasn't a cell like perhaps others that weren't so bad but he said it was a cistern hole, that is, It was a dark place, cold, perhaps humid, he was going to expose himself as badly as possible in the situation.

And although in the previous paragraph we have seen that it was not the life that José wanted, it was not a bad life either, he had certain privileges he had a high position among all the other servants, however all this changes and also not for a short time because although we only read it in one verse of the Bible, it is said that this lasted for years, so we have to put ourselves in Joseph's shoes again to see how he goes from a good position to a very bad position and that it lasts for years .

8. What can we be sure of even when things get worse?

We must be sure that Jehovah, our Heavenly Father, is very aware of everything that happens to us and cares about us. Furthermore, He has promised us: that he will never leave us and will never forsake us.

That we have to keep in mind the words of Hebrews 13:5 that Jehovah has promised us that he will never leave us and will never abandon us, so even though we think that the problem we have has no solution, we have to think that Jehovah is going to always be there to help us.

Yes, he also invites us in first Peter 5:6, 7 to throw all our worries on him because he cares about us, so he encourages us to pray to him in all situations but especially in difficult ones, because we ask him for help because he is going to provide us with some help and surely that José is what he did at all times.

9. What shows that Jehovah was with Joseph during his years in jail? (Genesis 39:21-23).

This shows that Jehovah was always with Joseph, since, just as he had done with Potiphar, he allowed him to gain the trust and respect of the head of the prison, which is why he put him in charge of all the prisoners. Really, this was only possible because, as Genesis 3923 says, Jehovah was with Joseph and Jehovah was in charge that everything he did turn out well for him.

So we see that even in that dark stage of Joseph's life, Jehovah was with him and he earned trust and respect and they put him in charge of all the other prisoners, then as in the case of Potiphar here it says that the The head of the pressure did not worry about anything either, he only entrusted everything to him because, apart from having his mind busier as has been commented, since Jehovah was with José, he supported him in everything because otherwise it is logical to think that after the accusations that he had, they were not going to put him in charge of everything, so it is clear that Jehovah did not abandon Joseph.

We do see that José is busy with those chores and therefore is capable of not succumbing to negative feelings and that on the other hand the people around him realize that he is different from someone who, as the Bible says. everything he did worked out for him, therefore he has divine favor.

ILLUSTRATION

Well, I can see in this account of José that José never complained, he could have had all the trust in Jehovah, that is why Jehovah blessed him so much because there I don't know why he complained about anything.

José gives orders to other prisoners. Jehovah was with Joseph even during his years in jail, so he was put in charge of all the prisoners. (See paragraph 9).

10. Why is it likely that José did not feel that everything was working out for him? 

Jehovah gave Joseph the gift of interpreting dreams. And although Joseph did not know it at the time, the fact that Jehovah will help him explain the meaning of the dreams to Pharaoh, allowed that later, already appointed as administrator of food for all of Egypt, he could save his own family, who were over time they became ancestors of the Messiah.

And this contributed to the fulfillment of Jehovah's purpose since years later when there was a time that affected not only Egypt but also Canaan where his family lived, the family of Joseph including his father, thanks to the important position that he He was the administrator of Egypt's food because now he was able to save his family, so thanks to that Jehovah's purpose was fulfilled because also through their family through their lineage came the Messiah.

11. What gift did Jehovah give Joseph, and how did this contribute to the fulfillment of Jehovah's purpose?

Jehovah gave Joseph the gift of interpreting dreams. And although Joseph did not know it at the time, the fact that Jehovah will help him explain the meaning of the dreams to Pharaoh, allowed that later, already appointed as administrator of food for all Egypt, he could save his own family, who were over time they became ancestors of the Messiah.

12. What did Jehovah do for Joseph to do well?

Jehovah intervened in the midst of all the difficulties that Joseph went through so that everything he did would turn out well. So Jehovah, true to his name and its meaning, turned the evil plan of Joseph's brothers into a means to accomplish his will.

Jehovah also gave him the gift of interpreting dreams and so he interpreted the dreams that disturbed Pharaoh.

WHAT DOES JEHOVAH DO TO GO WELL FOR US?

13. Does Jehovah intervene in every situation we face?

No, he does not do it. In fact, the Bible in Ecclesiastes 9:11 says that everyone has a bad moment and some unforeseen event. Despite this, what we can be sure of, when we go through a test, is that Jehovah is very aware of everything and listens to our cries for Help, moreover, as Psalm 55:22 says, He will not hold, he will never allow calle el justo, so it will help us successfully face difficulties.

The Bible does not support the idea that Jehovah intervenes in every situation, but as Ecclesiastes 9:11 says, some evil comes to us at some point and some unforeseen event.

14. How does Jehovah help us in difficult times?

Jehovah comforts and encourages us just when we need it. For example, a brother from Turkmenistan who was sentenced to two years in jail says that on the day of his trial, a brother showed him Isaiah 30:15, which says: his strength will depend on remaining calm and confident . He says that this verse helped him to be calm and trust in Jehovah, and it also gave him strength during all the time he was in prison. This example shows us that Jehovah gives us comfort and encouragement when we need it most.

May Jehovah comfort us, and the example of the brother from Turkmenistan is mentioned. there his strength will depend on remaining calm and showing confidence, so he says that these words helped him to be calmer at all times, so we see that Jehovah is always watching over us.

15, 16. What do we learn from Tori's experience?

Our sister Tori, went through a difficult trial, she lost her son in death. Despite her pain, some time later, she realized how Jehovah had helped her. She remembers that Jehovah lovingly supported her the whole time Mason, her son, was sick, even when he was too weak to receive visitors, for example. The Brothers traveled two hours to go to the hospital and support her, they also helped her financially. So, she mentions that they always had what it took to hold on. So we learn from this experience that we often don't realize how Jehovah has helped us during a trial until we leave it behind.

And although it is true that perhaps the problems we face will not be solved in the way that we would expect or in the best way in this case that our sister Tori's son would have been cured, but we are capable of meditating and taking time to think about Those moments from the past that were perhaps distressing are surely going to discover like her that in one way or another Jehovah was helping and caring for us.

 “Jehovah Gave Us Just What We Needed”

Mason was diagnosed with cancer when he was seven years old, and he bravely battled this disease for six years. Because of cancer, he was hospitalized several times. But the brothers noticed that he always did the same thing when he left the hospital: he went to preach right away. Until he had the strength, Mason loved to talk about Jehovah with other people.

When Mason died, more than 700 people attended his funeral, including teachers and classmates. A teacher who went to see him shortly before he died said that she would like his children to have as much faith as he did. She also commented that, in the five years that she had lived in the area, she had not been visited by the Witnesses. Just the day after that visit, two Witnesses came to her house, and she said that she would go to the meeting.

Tori, Mason's mom, said: “Thinking about Jehovah not performing a miracle to save my little boy sometimes made it hard for me to see that he was actually helping us succeed. He was there, by our side. Jehovah gave us just what we needed when we needed it.”

LET US LOOK AT THE BLESSINGS THAT JEHOVAH HAS GIVEN US

17, 18. What will help us see and appreciate Jehovah's support when we experience a trial? (Psalm 40:5).

What will help us is to stop and think often about how Jehovah is helping us to face a trial successfully. We must keep in mind what Psalms 40:5 says, There are many wonderful works and thoughts of Jehovah in our favor. Therefore, it would be good that at the end of each day we ask ourselves: “What blessings from Jehovah have I received today? Although the test is still there, what is he doing to help me endure, and then we must thank him for the support he gives us. We are sure that, just as he helped Joseph, during the trials, Jehovah promises to give us strength and help us endure.

I find it interesting that neither of the two paragraphs talks about the hope of eternal life or talks about clinging to that hope if they don't talk about today, today at the end of the day ask yourself what Jehovah has done for you today and it is then a day at Maybe it will help us reach the end of that day where we have eternal life.

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

What did Jehovah do for Joseph to do well during the time he was a slave in Potiphar's house?

Well Jehovah gave his grace in his favor and this ability to work, to prosper so that everything would go well for Joseph. And Potiphar realized and took advantage of this ability and this blessing that he had, because if he treated Joseph well, Jehovah will bless Potiphar's house.

What did Jehovah do for Joseph to do well in prison?

Again he gave him his grace, his favor, charisma and that blessing that accompanied it, since in that hole in that cistern he was able to flourish and prosper. José earned the trust and respect of this prison chief who made him his right hand and thanks to that José had certain privileges, certain advantages and above all his mind was occupied. 

What is Jehovah doing today so that things go well for us?

Jehovah does not leave us alone, Jehovah gives us his blessing so that we can prosper even if we are in situations like a hole or a cistern. Jehovah blesses us and makes people cross our path who can also help us and also gives us the necessary tools, since he wants us to know that he, his beloved son Jesus Christ, his angels are watching of us. He also gives us the Holy Spirit so that we can endure and not lose faith or hope in him.