DAILY TEXT, Today's Friday, December 29, 2023, Pay attention and listen to the words of the wise (Prov. 22:17).

Let us examine the scriptures every day 2023

Friday December 29

Pay attention and listen to the words of the wise (Prov. 22:17).

King Uzziah rejected the advice. With the intention of offering incense, he entered a part of the temple that only priests could enter. They said to him, “Uzziah, it is not your place to burn incense to Jehovah! Only priests can burn incense.” How did Uzziah react? The Bible says he “was furious.” And why did he reject the advice? It is likely that because he was the king, he believed that he could do whatever he wanted. But Jehovah did not see it that way. If Uzziah had been humble, accepted the advice, and left the temple immediately, Jehovah might have forgiven him. But because of his boldness Jehovah struck him with leprosy, and he had that disease “until the day of his death” (2 Chron. 26:16-21). What do we learn from what happened to Uzziah? That if we reject the counsel of the Bible, we will lose Jehovah's approval, no matter who we are. w22.02 9 para. 7.

THEY ACCEPTED THE ADVICE

How did Job react when he was advised?

In the Bible, we also find examples of people who accepted advice, and God blessed them for it. Let's look at the case of Job. Although he wanted to please God, he was not perfect. When he was under a lot of pressure, he said things that weren't right. And that's why he received direct advice from Elihu and Jehovah. What was Job's reaction? He was humble and accepted advice. He said, “I spoke without understanding.” And he added: “I take back what I said and repent in dust and ashes.” Jehovah blessed Job for being humble (Job 42:3-6, 12-17).

How did Moses react when Jehovah corrected him, and why is he a good example for us?

Moses is a good example of someone who accepted Jehovah's correction after making a serious mistake. On one occasion, he became angry and did not honor Jehovah. Therefore, he missed the opportunity to enter the Promised Land (Num. 20:1-13). When Moses expressed to Jehovah how disappointed he was with that decision, he told him: “Never speak to me about it again” (Deut. 3:23-27). Instead of becoming bitter, Moses accepted that decision, and Jehovah continued to use him as leader of the nation of Israel (Deut. 4:1). Job and Moses are good examples for us. Job changed his way of seeing things and did not try to justify himself. And Moses demonstrated that he accepted Jehovah's correction by serving him faithfully even after losing something very valuable to him.

According to Proverbs 4:10-13, how does accepting advice benefit us? And what good attitude have some brothers shown?

If we imitate the example of faithful men like Job and Moses, we will do well (read Proverbs 4:10-13). Many brothers have done that. Emmanuel, a brother living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, received advice from some brothers. Let's see what he says: “Some mature brothers in my congregation realized that I was about to be shipwrecked in a spiritual sense and came to help me. I followed his advice, and thanks to that I have avoided many problems.” A pioneer from Canada named Megan confesses: “The advice I have received has not always been what I wanted to hear, but it has always been what I needed to hear.” And a brother from Croatia named Marko says: “I lost a privilege of service, but I recognize that the advice they gave me helped me regain balance in a spiritual sense.”

What did Brother Karl Klein realize?

Another example of someone who benefited from accepting counsel is Brother Karl Klein, who was a member of the Governing Body. In his biography, he said that Brother Joseph Rutherford, a very good friend of his, once gave him very clear advice. Brother Klein acknowledged that at first he did not react very well. He explained: “The next time [Brother Rutherford] saw me, he said in a cheerful voice, 'How are you, Karl!' But because I was still feeling hurt, I just greeted him through gritted teeth. To this he replied: 'Karl, be careful! The Devil wants to trap you!' I felt embarrassed, and replied, 'Oh, it's all right, Brother Rutherford.' But he knew it wasn't true, so he repeated the warning: 'It's okay. Just be careful. The Devil wants to trap you.' How right he was! When we hold a grudge against a brother, especially for saying something he has the right to say […], we expose ourselves to the tricks of the Devil” c (Eph. 4: 25-27). Brother Klein accepted Brother Rutherford's advice, and they remained very good friends.

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