The Study Watchtower, "Article 17", Week of June 19 to 25, 2023, Jehovah will help you face unexpected problems, Answers.

The Study Watchtower, "Article 17", June 19-25, 2023, Jehovah will help you face unexpected problems, Answers.

"Many are the difficulties of the righteous, but Jehovah delivers him from them all" (Ps. 34:19).

1. What are we convinced of?

We are very convinced that obeying Biblical principles always benefits us, and we say it because we know that Jehovah loves us and that everything he tells us is for our own benefit.

2. What problems might we have, and what might we wonder about?

There are so many problems that we can have in this system, and many of them serious. For example: A health problem, a disagreement with a family member or loved one, or being violently persecuted for our beliefs. Or possibly we are suffering the devastating consequences of a disaster, however Jehovah will always be there giving us the support we need.

And the questions that we could ask ourselves is why is this happening to me? Have I done something wrong? Has God abandoned me? And how are you, we can ask ourselves many more similar questions because Satan is very cunning and plays with our minds especially in delicate moments.

3. What does Psalm 34:19 teach us?

This Psalm could not be more direct, and it tells us that Jehovah absolutely frees us from all difficulties, as long as we are fair and have faith in God, and we demonstrate it by doing things as he wants.

It also teaches us that God wants us to focus on the eternal future that awaits us; that is the life he wants for us. And so that we can focus on our wonderful future, he helps us get ahead day by day.

4. What will we analyze in this article?

In this article, we will analyze how the example of biblical characters who also suffered trials and calamities or who had to face unexpected problems helps us.

EXAMPLES OF BIBLICAL TIMES

5. What problems did Laban cause Jacob? (See cover drawing.)

The problems that Laban caused him were that he cheated on him and gave him his eldest daughter, Leah, as his wife. After a week, she allowed him to marry Raquel on the condition that she work for him for another seven years. Laban was also unfair to Jacob in business matters, as he took advantage of him for 20 years.

On top of that, he cheated on him in every decision he had to make and ended up working for a person who was not fair as we see in the drawing for many years, apart from the fact that he cheated on him by giving him the hand of another of his daughters with whom he was not in love.

ILLUSTRATION

Jacob is with his family and his servants. They give water to a large herd of sheep and goats. Jacob worked 20 years for Laban, who took advantage of him. During that time, Jehovah blessed Jacob. (See paragraph 5).

6. What other problems did Jacob have?

Jacob had a large family, and his children did not always get along. So much so that they came to sell José as a slave. and apart from that, two of Jacob's sons Simeon and Levi dishonored the family and name of Jehovah. Furthermore, his beloved wife, Raquel, died giving birth to her second child.

Little by little, Jacob's life became more complicated, with an extended family that did not get along and even sold Joseph as a slave, his beloved Raquel, who was so hard to be with, dies giving birth to her second son, then came a time of famine and the difficulties of supporting his extended family… a host of problems.

7. How did Jehovah show Jacob that he was pleased with him?

He demonstrated it when, despite Laban's constant deceptions, Jacob was doing very well, so much so that he came to have many material possessions and all this thanks to Jehovah. Which reflects that Jehovah was pleased with him.

Jehovah was seeing it, and he was seeing that he fully trusted Jehovah even with the problems he suffered. And that is why within his troubles, he provided him materially in abundance and made preparations for him to meet Joseph again who thought he was already dead.

8. What did King David want to do?

King David wanted from his heart to build a temple to his God.

He with great wealth, he wanted, and not only that, he was very enthusiastic about building a temple for Jehovah and began to make all the preparations for it, once he thought he had God's approval, so his illusion grew rapidly .  

9. How did David react when his expectations were not met?

He set out to gather the money and materials that his son Solomon would need to carry out the project.

When Jehovah changed his decision, we can imagine that David could have felt bad with all the illusion he had of doing this project. But in his place, he channeled his emotions and feelings and began to prepare other preparations, leaving everything his son needed for him to do, a great reaction that teaches us how to act when we want something and we cannot do it.

10. How did Jehovah bless David?

After telling David that he would not build the temple, Jehovah made a pact with David: In which, he made him the promise that one of his descendants would reign forever.

This reaction of humility and serenity of David pleased Jehovah and as we see in 2 Samuel 7:16 he blessed him by promising that his lineage would reign forever and he will know it in the resurrection. 

Jehovah will also bless us if we obey him even in aspects that we would like to do and cannot because of the circumstances.

11. What blessings did first-century Christians receive even though the Kingdom did not come when they expected? (Acts 6:7).

When they saw the Good News being preached in more and more places, they realized that Jehovah was blessing their work.

The Christians of the first century saw their work and work in the ministry blessed when they saw that their work was bearing fruit and their preaching was expanding throughout the world and continues to be so today.

12. What did first-century Christians do during a time of famine?

Despite the fact that a time of famine had come, they adapted, and with Jehovah's help they continued to do their best in the preaching work and willingly shared what they had with their brothers in Judea.

In a time of economic need when there was a time of famine, many people might think of being prudent and working to feed their families. But these first-century Christians were not afraid, they trusted in Jehovah and continued to dedicate the same or more energy to the ministry, and they found themselves supported by the power of God supplying them with everything they needed.

13. What blessings did Christians receive during the time of famine?

In the face of a time of famine, first-century Christians received material help and saw with their own eyes that Jehovah was taking care of them. And they probably felt closer to the brothers who offered their support. In addition, those who made donations or participated in one way or another in relief work, felt very happy. And the blessing of Jehovah came, because they were willing to adapt to the changes despite the fact that the circumstances were unfavorable.

The blessings were many and in two senses, those who gave help and those who received it. Those who received help, whether material or otherwise, saw the hand of Jehovah that, through multiple tools, is used to give us everything we need. And the brothers and sisters who were the tools found infinite moments of happiness in their lives for helping in these relief efforts for the people of God.

14. What happened to Barnabas and the apostle Paul, and what was the result? (Acts 14:21, 22).

Barnabas and Paul went to preach to a region that a priori gladly accepted them and listened to them but the situation changed quickly and they were stoned by bad people, but they did not give up, they kept preaching, in one place after another, they never gave up on the persecution giving a great testimony of the word of God.

We experience this situation that Barnabas and Pablo experienced practically every day in our ministry when people do not listen to us, they do not want to know anything about us and they laugh at what we are doing. We can start the morning of preaching happy and eager, and the situation can suddenly change like Barnabas and Paul when we knock on a door or meet a certain person contrary to the Bible, but we do not take a step back for that, but rather we we always stand firm.

PRESENT EXAMPLES

15. What do you learn from the example of Brother Alexander Macmillan?

Without a doubt, he left us a good example for all of us, especially for those of us who have been enduring in this system for longer than we expected.

An event like the First World War can lead us to think that it is the end of which the Bible speaks, but we saw that many brothers were wrong, but in the case of Alexander, he recognized that he judged a situation over which he had no power, because it only corresponds to God to know the appointed day, and what they had to do was continue with the ministry that Jehovah gave us, and he did so, rectified, apologized and strengthened his faith even more, and that is what we have what we do every day

16. What unexpected problem did Brother Jennings and his wife face? (James 4:14).

This couple, who had a great evangelizing responsibility, suddenly like a mist, as we read in James 4:14, changed their lives due to an illness that prevented them from continuing their service, but Jehovah continued to help them because they trusted in him and adapted to the new circumstances knowing that the important thing awaits us when God brings his perfect kingdom.

17. How has Brother Jennings' example helped other Christians?

The example of this brother has helped a lot because it teaches us that there are times in life when we have to pause, rethink our service to God and adapt it to our new circumstances, because it is not a failure as this old man felt, it is taking care of our health , a mandate also from Jehovah, who is proud of our endurance and love of life, and that even with a change of circumstances we always continue by his side contributing our grain of sand in one way or another.

18. What can we learn from the example of a widowed sister in Nigeria? (See the photos that stage this experience).

This sister trusted Jehovah at all times, and so she transferred it to her sheet as we see in the illustration. Of course, she was worried about what they would eat in the next few days because they had nothing else, but she put her faith in Jehovah, and God sent her everything she needed through his people, it teaches us that Jehovah is always by our side and never hurts us. he will leave if we have faith in him.

ILLUSTRATION

Images of a mother and her daughter, who face economic problems: 1. A mother and her daughter eat the little food they have sitting outside their humble home. 2. They are very happy when they receive a package of relief supplies. If we trust in Jehovah, unexpected problems can make us feel closer to him. (See paragraph 18).

19. What did Alexei Yershov have to deal with?

Alexei had to face losing his freedom with criminal charges in his own home and from the complaint of a supposed person who was studying the Bible. Therefore, while our brother thought that he was helping to save someone's life, this person treacherously took his life, so our brother had to face a tough ordeal that changed his life.

20. What has brother Yershov done to make his friendship with Jehovah stronger?

Our dear brother has turned this situation into a moment to further strengthen his faith in Jehovah through prayer, the support of his wife and deep study of the Bible to combat discouragement because as we know, the Bible gives us comfort and endurance in all time.

21. What did we learn in this article?

We have learned that from one moment to the next, and we are talking in a matter of seconds, our lives can change radically, and instead of fighting against it, we have learned to leave these matters in the hands of Jehovah, who will give us the stamina we need to face the new situation and overcome it with the support of God and his people.

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

How does Jehovah help us to have a realistic view of life in this system?

Jehovah teaches us to focus on what is really important, on knowing that this life is a means to an end, that it is the reign of God for all eternity in physical and mental perfection and that we have to focus on seeing ourselves there and on these riches that in this system.

Jehovah helps us to have a realistic view of life in this system by reminding us that although he promises us that we will be happy if we serve him, that does not mean that we will have a problem-free life now, because he wants us to focus on the eternal future that awaits us, that is the life he wants for us.

Furthermore, he helps us move forward day by day, reminding us that his mercy is new each day, and that we can trust him to provide what we need. He also gives us examples of faithful servants past and present who have faced difficulties and trials, but have trusted him and found comfort and hope in the midst of adversity.

What did Jehovah do to support his faithful servants in Bible times?

Jehovah always lends us a hand, our faith in him and our requests and prayers are always answered in one way or another, directly through God or through his people, or by any other means, Jehovah always shows us that he is by our side reaching out to us.

Jehovah supported his faithful servants in Bible times in various ways. For example, Jacob had many material possessions despite his father-in-law's deceit, since he was able to recover his son Joseph, he also encouraged David by promising that one of his descendants would reign forever, and he blessed the great work that the Christians of the first century. In each case, Jehovah demonstrated his love and care for his faithful servants, helping them maintain their faith and hope in the midst of adversity and rewarding them for his faithfulness. 

How has Jehovah helped his servants in our day?

Jehovah, as we have seen in the current examples, provided everything our brothers needed, either materially through food sustenance or other theocratic tasks to which we adapt after a change due to illness. Jehovah knows our feelings and emotions, and even if they are negative because we feel bad about what we are experiencing, God will give us what we need at the right time.

Jehovah has helped his servants in our day in many ways. In this mentioned article, several examples of brothers who faced unexpected difficulties such as serious illnesses, job loss and family problems will be presented, but who found comfort and hope in the midst of adversity by trusting in Jehovah.

In addition, Jehovah has provided comfort and strength through prayer and Bible study, and has given support and companionship through fellow believers. In short, Jehovah is always ready to help his faithful servants in any situation, and we can trust him to provide what we need.