The Watchtower Study, "Article 38", Week of November 13 to 19, 2023, Young man, what do you want your life to be like?, Answers.

The Study Watchtower, «Article 38», 13-19-November-2023, Young man, what do you want your life to be like?, Answers. 

“Discernment will protect you” (PROV. 2:11).

1. What did Jehoash, Uzziah and Josiah face?

These three Biblical characters faced a very important responsibility, since they individually became kings of Judah and occupied the throne at a very young age.

We see that they faced a very great responsibility. The three were very young when they were forced to be Kings, but it was not only a responsibility for being Kings, which would have been a lot, but they were also kings of the nation of Judah.

Jehoash was probably 7 years old, Josiah 8, and Uzziah 16. However, even though they were very young, we will see that they had the necessary help to be able to do their work well.

2. Why is it good to study the stories of Jehoash, Uzziah and Josiah?

It is good to study the stories of these three Biblical characters, since by studying their stories, we can learn the importance of choosing good friends, always being humble and constantly seeking Jehovah.

As we have seen, these three Biblical characters came to have a very great responsibility, that of being very young kings. We cannot imagine what that means. But by analyzing their lives, we can learn a lot from their good and bad decisions, and how Jehovah helps us if we are humble.

CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDSHIPS WELL

3. What did Jehoash do thanks to Jehoiada's influence?

Thanks to the influence and advice of Jehoiadá. Jehoash was wise, and we say this because he listened to Jehoiada's advice, and thanks to this good influence, he decided to serve God and help the people to do the same.

Jehoash He was 7 years old when his father died and became king. Since he was so young, the High Priest Jehoiada raised him as if he were his son. Jehoash learned a lot about Jehovah from Jehoiada.

In 2 Chronicles 24:2 we see that Jehoash did what was right in the sight of Jehovah. Jehoash served Jehovah and encouraged the people to do the same. In verse 4 the same chapter 24 shows that Jehoash Some time later desired in his heart to renew the house of Jehovah, and he did so. In 2 Chronicles 24:14, it tells us that during all the days of Jehoiada, burnt sacrifices were offered regularly in the house of Jehovah. 

4. How does treasuring Jehovah's commandments help us? (Proverbs 2:1, 10-12).

When we treasure Jehovah's commandments in our hearts, we will be receiving a wonderful gift, because if we do so we will come to love Jehovah more and we will be driven to follow his standards.

Jehovah's commandments towards us are a treasure. And according to the text we have read, when we accept wisdom in our hearts and knowledge is pleasing to the soul, we will have the ability to think and discernment to choose our path well.

Parents have many ways to teach their children, each one chooses the most appropriate one. However, whatever way parents teach their children, they should always be based on the Bible, and try not to set rules, but rather, explain why it is good for those rules to be applied. 

5. What effect can your decisions have on your parents and Jehovah? (Proverbs 22:6; 23:15, 24, 25).

It can have a very positive effect, since if the children follow the parents' advice based on the word of God, the Bible, they will feel very happy and not only that, above all they will make Jehovah very happy, and their friendship with he may last forever.

The decisions children make always affect their parents and Jehovah. Therefore, as parents we must keep in mind the words that we have just read in verse 6 of Chapter 22 of Proverbs, which tells us that if we educate the child in the path of good, he will never leave it. And as children we must remember Chapter 23 and verse 15, where it says that the heart of the father is glad with the wisdom of the son. So, whether we are parents or children, we must keep in mind that the parents of a righteous person, or a wise person, will be very happy and full of joy.

6. Who did Jehoash listen to, and what was the result of this decision? (2 Chronicles 24:17, 18).

Jehoash made the poor decision to listen to the advice of the princes of Judah, who did not love Jehovah, and as a result, he sadly became an apostate and a murderer, and was later killed by his own servants.

In a previous paragraph, we saw that Jehoash was educated by Jehoiada, and at that time he learned many things about Jehovah. Jehoash applied in his life the good things he had learned, he even encouraged his people to serve Jehovah. But when Jehoiada dies, Jehoash begins to stray from the path, he listens to the princes of Judah who did not love Jehovah.

In 2 Chronicles 24:22 we see that King Jehoash did not remember the loyal love he had received from Jehoiada, his father. He distanced himself so much from Jehovah that when his cousin Zechariah wanted to warn him and correct him, Jehoash ordered him to be killed. As 2 Chronicles 24:21 shows, we see that they conspired against him and by order of the king they stoned him in the courtyard of the house of the Lord. From this text we learn that friendships can influence us positively or negatively. In this case Jehoash became a prostate and a murderer. 

7. Which friends should you choose? (See also the image).

If we remember Jehoash's bad decision, it was because he got together with people who did not love Jehovah. So we must choose friends who are a positive influence on us, so to speak, we must choose friends who love Jehovah and who want to gladden his heart.

In Proverbs 13:20 we see that he who walks with the wise will become wise, but he who associates with fools will end badly. Applying this text in our lives, we can have friends of any age, but we must make sure that these friends love Jehovah and that they provide us with wisdom and good advice.

This paragraph encourages us to have honest, Jehovah-fearing friends, friends who make us have more faith in our God. Hence the importance of listening to the words of Proverbs 27:17, which says that as iron sharpens iron, and a man makes his friend better. Knowing this, we must be careful who we choose as friends.

In the end the paragraph encourages us to be honest and think that if our friends do not love Jehovah we do not need him in our lives. But if our friends love Jehovah, the paragraph encourages us to take great care of these friendships, since they are very good for us.

ILLUSTRATION

A mature sister gives advice to a younger sister about the clothes they see displayed in a store. One mannequin is wearing a miniskirt, and another is wearing a long skirt. If we keep in mind the example of Jehoash, we will listen to the advice of good friends. (See paragraphs 3 and 7).

8. What should you keep in mind if you use social networks?

When we use social networks, we must ask ourselves: What is the real reason why we use them? Do we want to impress others? Do we want to encourage others, or receive a lot of praise? Do we let other people negatively influence our behavior? way of thinking, speaking and acting? We must ask ourselves these questions and keep in mind that we do not want to please people, but we want to please Jehovah.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ALWAYS BEING HUMBLE

9. What did Uzziah do with Jehovah's help? (2 Chronicles 26:1-5).

With the help of Jehovah Uzziah defeated many enemy nations, and ensured that Jerusalem was well protected. For which he felt very happy, for everything he was achieving and above all he knew that all these achievements were being possible thanks to Jehovah's help. 

As we have read in the text, Uzziah ruled Jerusalem for 52 of the 68 years he lived. During that time he always did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah. In 2 Chronicles 26:6-15, we see that with the help of Jehovah, Uzziah won many battles, built towers and dug cisterns for his livestock, encouraged agriculture, built war machines that threw stones and arrows, and raised an army of more of 300,000 men, fully equipped for battle. Therefore, we see that if we do Jehovah's will, Jehovah will reward us.

10. How did Uzziah end?

Unfortunately Uzziah spoiled all the good he had done in his faithful service, and Jehovah punished him with leprosy.

In the previous paragraph, we have seen how Uzziah feared Jehovah and Jehovah rewarded him for it. However, in 2 chronicles 26:16 we see that as soon as he became strong, his heart became arrogant and he sought his own ruin and was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense in the temple. altar of incense. Seeing this, we understand that Uzziah made a mistake, was unfaithful to Jehovah, and did something inappropriate.

Jehovah was angry with Uzziah and caused him to break out with leprosy, a disease that would accompany him until the day he died.

11. What does a humble person do? (See also the images).

A humble person admits that he is imperfect and needs others to correct him. Therefore, if we strive to always be humble and fear Jehovah, we will do well in life.

Since we learn about Jehovah, our lives change, and we become humble. One of the things we learn is to pray to ask that things go well for us in life. Therefore everything we receive comes from Jehovah 

In 1 Corinthians 4:7, he reminds us that everything we have, we have received, therefore, we should never boast about what we receive, as if it were our merit to have received. Rather we will strive to apply what we read in Proverbs 22:4 that the result of humility and the fear of the Lord is wealth, glory, and life. This reminds us that instead of bragging about our achievements, we should give all the credit to Jehovah.

ILLUSTRATION

Series of images: 1. A sister prays before stepping onto the platform at a circuit assembly. 2. A brother interviews his sister and another sister. 3. At the end of the program, they congratulate the first sister, and she gives all the credit to Jehovah. Instead of boasting about our achievements, we should give all the credit to Jehovah. (See paragraph 11).

DON'T STOP SEEKING JEHOVAH

12. When Josiah was young, what did he do to seek Jehovah? (2 Chronicles 34:1-3).

At only 16 years old, Josiah began to seek Jehovah in his adolescence. He sought him because he wanted to know his God better and thus do his will. It was not easy for Josiah to be king, even worse at that time, since most people worshiped false gods. For this reason he had to be very brave to remove from the country everything that had to do with the worship of false gods.

Josiah became king of Jerusalem when he was only 8 years old. Yes, he had a very complicated task before, and we say this because at that time, most people worshiped false gods. Still, he remained upright and did not stray from the way of Jehovah. 

When he had reigned for 12 years, he began to clean the sacred posts, metal statues and sculpted images, everything that had to do with the idolatry of Judah and Jerusalem.

13. What effect will dedicating yourself to Jehovah have on your life?

When we decide to dedicate ourselves to Jehovah, at that moment serving Jehovah must be the first thing in our life, because when we dedicate ourselves to Jehovah, we no longer live for ourselves, but for who created us. For this reason we strive to make our creator happy, since if we fulfill our dedication, we will receive many blessings now and in the future.

In Mark 12:30, we are commanded to love Jehovah our God with all our heart, with all our mind, and with all our strength. Therefore, no matter how old we are when we decide to dedicate ourselves, get baptized, and serve Jehovah, we are aware that the decision we make at one point must be the most important of our lives. For this reason we must strive to make Jehovah happy and thus we will receive many blessings. 

14. How do some young people imitate King Josiah?

In the paragraph we can see the experience of brother Johan, who was baptized when he was 12 years old, he mentions that his classmates put a lot of pressure on him to smoke electronic cigarettes or vape. But what helped him handle that situation is thinking about the effects of smoking cigarettes or vaping, as this could have negative effects on their health and their friendship with Jehovah.

We can also see the experience of a young sister who was baptized at the age of 14 named Rachel. She mentions that to overcome any difficulty that may arise in the place where she studies, she always tries to relate what she sees with something spiritual, since sometimes Sometimes when he studied at school a story reminded him of a story or a prophecy from the Bible. And at other times a conversation would remind her of a Bible text that she could share with someone in her class.

We know that many young people have to be upright and courageous to stand firm in their schools and not give in to the pressures of their peers. They remember Jehovah's commands and analyze what would happen if they gave in to those pressures, they would displease Jehovah. Therefore, it is good to remember the example of Josiah and although the problems of our young people today are different from those of Josiah in ancient times, young people can learn a lot from the wisdom and loyalty of Josiah. 

Furthermore, if young people face trials today, it will be easier for them to know how to act in the face of the trials that will be presented to them during their lives.

15. What helped Josiah to serve Jehovah faithfully? (2 Chronicles 34:14, 18-21).

What helped Josias to faithfully serve God was to hear the voice of Jehovah. During the works they found the book of the law that had been given to him through Moses, when Josiah heard what the book said, he immediately made the necessary changes to obey the law of Jehovah. And because he heard the voice of God he was able to serve Jehovah faithfully.

Today, it is very good for us to do the same as Josiah did. For this reason, we must have the habit of reading the Bible every day, and try to remember the texts that we find interesting, perhaps writing them down in a notebook. If we do this, we will imitate King Josiah, because we will be learning and applying what we read in the word of Jehovah.

16. Why did Josiah make a serious mistake, and what is the lesson?

In the paragraph we can see that Josiah made a serious mistake because he trusted in himself, instead of asking Jehovah to guide him. And the lesson we can learn from this story is that, no matter how old we are or how long we have been studying the word of God, we must continue seeking Jehovah, and we do so when we always follow his guidance, studying his word and listening to the advice from mature brothers.

Josiah stopped being humble, and let himself be carried away by his own judgment instead of continuing to obey Jehovah. In James 1:35 we see that he who looks carefully at the perfect law that belongs to freedom and persists in it, does not hear it and forget it, but does the work, and he will be happy in what he does. This text teaches us that no matter how many years we have studied the Bible, no matter how much we know about the word of Jehovah, we should not trust or take our spirituality for granted. 

YOUNG MAN, YOU CAN DO WELL IN LIFE

17. What do the stories of three kings of Judah teach us?

Sometimes we may think that children and young people cannot assume responsibilities or make important decisions. However, from these three stories we learn that children and adolescents can also make decisions and live lives that make Jehovah happy.

Life is very long and surely makes great mistakes, but if young people copy the good things that these three kings did, they will surely do well and will have a beautiful friendship with their God.

18. What biblical examples show that we can do well in life? (See also the image).

We have the example of David Mark and Timothy who did well in life because they decided to serve Jehovah and dedicate themselves to him. Mentioning David's example will help young people serve Jehovah faithfully. And as for Mark and Timothy, they both decided to serve Jehovah when they were young and made a record of faithful service, and thanks to that good decision they gladdened Jehovah's heart and did very well in life.

In the Bible we find many examples of young people who approached Jehovah and abided by his rules. Many of them made mistakes but even so, Jehovah continued to consider them his faithful servants. In our day, studying the lives of these young people and learning about the lives of David, Mark or Timothy among others will encourage young people to dedicate their lives to Jehovah. 

The first words of Kings 9:4,5 teach us that if we dedicate ourselves to Jehovah and are willing to do God's will we will do very well in life. 

ILLUSTRATION

David spins the sling hard, preparing to throw a stone at Goliath in the middle of the battlefield. When he was young, David approached Jehovah. Thus he got his approval and did well in life. (See paragraph 18)

19. What can your life be like?

Jehovah greatly values ​​what we do for him, in Proverbs 20 24, we see that Jehovah directs us in man's steps. Therefore this verse teaches us that we must trust that Jehovah will help us make the best decisions and guide us along the best path so that our lives will be wonderful and happy.

Our dear young brothers should be sure that if they trust in Jehovah and do not rely on their own way of seeing things, he will help them make good decisions, because if they rely on him, they can have a wonderful life. and happy, always keeping in mind that Jehovah greatly values ​​everything that our dear young brothers do for him.

WHAT LESSONS DO WE DRAW FROM THE LIFE OF THESE KINGS?

Jehoash

The valuable lesson we can learn from Jehoash's bad decision is the importance of selecting friends who will be a positive influence in our lives. Hence, the importance of choosing friends who love Jehovah and seek to gladden his heart. Since, as we have seen in the study, there are no restrictions regarding the age of the friends we can have, since we can have friendships of different ages, as seen in the case of Jehoás and Jehoiadá.

Uzziah

In the case of Uzziah, we see that despite his record of faithful service and the blessings of Jehovah, Uzziah made a serious mistake. And he gave vent to his pride. Which teaches us that we must be humble.

Josiah

Josiah made a serious mistake when he trusted in himself, instead of asking Jehovah for help. The lesson of Josiah's poor decisions is clear: Even those who have studied the Bible for a long time and have spiritual experience can make serious mistakes if they stop depending on Jehovah.