Watchtower Study, Week April 15-21, 2024, “Praise the name of Jehovah,” Underlined Responses.

Watchtower Study, April 15-21, 2024, “Praise the name of Jehovah,” Underlined Responses.

Yellow: Direct Response.

Dark Yellow: Additional Response.

Light Blue: Additional Points.

“Praise him, servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord” (PSA. 113:1).

1, 2. What example helps us understand how the lies that have been told about him make Jehovah feel?

IMAGINE that someone you care about says something terrible about you. You know it is a lie, but some believe it and, what is worse, they begin to repeat it and the lie spreads. How would it feel? You would probably be worried that people would damage your reputation and you would feel really bad , right? (Prov. 22:1).

2 This example can help us understand how Jehovah felt when one of his spiritual children lied about him and tarnished his reputation. Eve believed that lie and, as a result, our first parents rebelled against Jehovah. Because of this, all human beings sin and eventually die (Gen. 3:1-6; Rom. 5:12). In fact, the lies that Satan began to spread in the Garden of Eden have caused all the problems in the world, such as death, wars, and suffering. Without a doubt, Jehovah feels very bad because of all these lies and their consequences. But that hasn't made him bitter or resentful. On the contrary, the Bible says that he remains the “happy God” (1 Tim. 1:11).

3. What privilege do we have?

3 We have the privilege of helping to vindicate or defend Jehovah's name. How? Obeying the following command: “Praise the name of the Lord” (Ps. 113:1). And how do you do that ? Speaking well of the person who bears that holy name. Do you feel the desire to do it? Let's look at three powerful reasons that will motivate us to praise the name of God with all our hearts.

WE JOY JEHOVAH

4. Explain with an example why Jehovah feels happy when we praise him (see also the image).

4 Jehovah is our heavenly Father, and he likes us to praise his name (Ps. 119:108). Does that mean that the almighty God is like imperfect human beings, who seek the praise of others to feel better or less insecure? No. To understand it better, let's imagine a girl who approaches her father, gives him a big hug and says: “You are the best dad in the world!” The father feels happy, even moved, by this sincere display of affection. Because? Does he feel insecure and needs the praise of his little daughter to reinforce his self-esteem? Of course not. He is simply a father who loves to see that his daughter loves him and shows his gratitude. Plus, he knows those qualities will make her happier when she grows up. Similarly, Jehovah—the best father there is—is very happy when we praise him.

ILLUSTRATION

With a smile, a little girl gives her father a drawing she made for her. Just as a father feels happy when a child expresses his affection and gratitude, Jehovah feels happy when we praise his name. (See paragraph 4).

5. What do we demonstrate when we praise Jehovah?

5 Satan has told a lie that affects us personally. He states that no human being will be loyal or defend God's name when put to the test. According to him, we will all turn our backs on God if we feel that it will benefit us (Job 1:9-11; 2:4). But faithful Job showed that Satan is a liar. What about us? When we praise Jehovah, we also prove that Satan is wrong. For each of us it is a privilege to defend Jehovah's name and make him happy by being upright (Prov. 27:11).

6. How can we imitate King David and the Levites? (Nehemiah 9:5).

6 Those who love God are moved to praise his name with all their heart. King David wrote: “Praise the Lord, my soul; May all that is within me praise his holy name” (Ps. 103:1). David understood that praising the name of Jehovah is the same as praising Jehovah. To speak of his name is to speak of his reputation, of his beautiful qualities and of his wonderful works. David wanted to treat his Father's name as holy and praise him. He said that he wanted to do it with everything that was inside him, that is, with his entire being. The Levites also took the initiative and praised Jehovah. They humbly recognized that words fell short of the praise that His holy name deserves (read Nehemiah 9:5). How happy Jehovah must have felt to hear those heartfelt and sincere praises!

7. How can we praise Jehovah in our preaching and daily activities?

7 We can praise Jehovah by speaking of him with affection and gratitude. When we preach, our main goal is for people to be attracted to him and come to love him as much as we do (James 4:8). We love to show them with the Bible the beautiful qualities that he has, such as his love, his justice, his wisdom and his power. Another way we can praise Jehovah and rejoice his heart is by imitating him as best we can. (Eph. 5:1) When we do this, people may notice that we are different from other people and wonder why (Matt. 5:14-16). It is likely that opportunities will arise on a daily basis to explain the reasons. In the end, good-hearted people will be drawn to our God. When we praise Jehovah in these ways, we rejoice his heart. (1 Tim. 2:3, 4)

WE JOY JESUS

8. Why is Jesus the best example of someone who praised Jehovah's name?

8 In all the universe, no one knows the Father as well as the Son (Matt. 11:27). Jesus loves his Father and has left us the best example of what it means to praise the name of Jehovah (John 14:31). When he prayed to his Father the night before he died, he summed up his entire ministry like this: “I have made your name known” (John 17:26). How did he do it?

9. What parable did Jesus use to make clear what Jehovah is like?

9 Jesus not only told the people that God's name is Jehovah. The Jews already knew that. Rather, he explained to them “what he is like” (John 1:17, 18). For example, the Hebrew Scriptures said that Jehovah is merciful and compassionate (Ex. 34:5-7). But Jesus brought this truth to life when he told the parable of the prodigal son. When we read that his father saw him “while he was still far away,” he ran to meet him, hugged him, and truly forgave him, we see as clear as day that Jehovah is merciful and compassionate (Luke 15). : 11-32). Jesus certainly helped people understand what Jehovah is like.

10. a) Why do we know that Jesus used his Father's name and wanted others to do so too? (Mark 5:19; see also image). b) What does Jesus want us to do?

10 Did Jesus want others to also use his Father's name? Of course. to).  It is possible that some religious leaders of the time believed that God 's name was so sacred that it should not be pronounced. But Jesus did not allow that tradition —which had no support in Scripture— to prevent him from honoring his Father's name . Let us think of the time when he cured a demon-possessed man in the region of the Gerasenes. The people were so frightened that he begged Jesus to leave (Mark 5:16, 17). But he wanted everyone to know the name of Jehovah. So before leaving, he told the man to tell the people what Jehovah—and not Jesus himself—had done for him. (Read Mark 5:19.) to Our King, b).  Jesus wants us to do the same, to teach the name of Jehovah to everyone (Matt. 24:14; 28:19, 20). When we do it, we rejoice.

ILLUSTRATION

Jesus leaves the region of the Gerasenes riding a boat. While he gradually moves away, he talks to the man who was possessed and who is still on the shore. Jesus told the demon-possessed man whom he had cured to tell the people what Jehovah had done for him. (See paragraph 10).

11. What did Jesus tell his followers to include in their prayers? And, according to Ezekiel 36:23, why is it so important?

11 Jesus knew that Jehovah 's purpose is to sanctify his name, that is, to cleanse it of all the lies that have stained it. That is why he taught his followers to pray: “Our Father who art in heaven, may your name be hallowed” (Matt. 6:9). Jesus understood that in the entire universe there is nothing more important than that (read Ezekiel 36:23). And in all creation no one has done as much as he has to sanctify the name of Jehovah. Still, when he was arrested, what did his enemies accuse him of? Precisely from blasphemy, that is, from staining the holy name of his Father. For him there was no sin more repugnant than that. And, before they arrested him, he already felt terribly bad because he knew that they were going to accuse and condemn him for that sin. In fact, perhaps that was the main reason why, at that moment, “his agony was so great” (Luke 22:41-44).

12. What did Jesus do to sanctify his Father's name in the best way possible?

12 Jesus was willing to endure torture, insults, and false accusations to hallow his Father's name. He knew that he had been totally obedient and that he had nothing to be ashamed of (Heb. 12:2). He also knew that, in those difficult times, it was Satan who was attacking him (Luke 22:2-4; 23:33, 34). The Devil wanted Jesus to stop being faithful to Jehovah, but he did not succeed; His failure of him was total! Jesus demonstrated beyond a doubt that Satan is a liar and that Jehovah does have servants who remain loyal even in the harshest trials.

13. What should we do to make our King happy?

13 Do you want to make your King, Jesus Christ, happy? So continue to praise Jehovah's name and help others see what he is really like. Thus he will be following in the footsteps of Jesus (1 Pet. 2:21). And, like him, he will make Jehovah happy and show that his enemy, Satan, is a despicable liar.

WE HELP SAVE LIVES

14, 15. What extraordinary things happen when we teach people the truth about Jehovah?

14 Why can we say that when we praise Jehovah's name we help save lives? Well, Satan “has blinded the minds” of “the unbelievers” (2 Cor. 4:4). That is why many people have believed his lies and think that God does not exist, that he is far from us, that he does not care about us or that he is cruel and tortures the bad guys forever. These lies only serve to tarnish Jehovah's name and damage his reputation so that no one will want to get close to him. But when we preach and teach the truth about our Father, we prevent Satan from having his way and praise Jehovah's holy name. With what results?

15 The truths of the Bible have tremendous power. When we teach people who Jehovah is and what he is like, extraordinary things happen. As they free themselves from the satanic lies that had blinded them, they open their eyes and begin to see our Father as we see Him. They are impressed when they think of his awesome power (Is. 40:26). His perfect righteousness makes them feel secure (Deut. 32:4). They marvel at his deep wisdom (Is. 55:9; Rom. 11:33). And they take great comfort in learning that he is love in person (1 John 4:8). By drawing closer to Jehovah, they become convinced that they can live forever and become his children. Isn't it an incomparable honor to help people come closer to their heavenly Father? Furthermore, when we do so, Jehovah considers us his “workers with him” (1 Cor. 3:5, 9).

16. What effect can learning God's name have? Give some example.

16 When we talk to someone about God, we may at first only teach them that his name is Jehovah. And the truth is, if a person has a good heart, that alone can change their life. For example, a young woman named Alía b grew up in a family of a non-Christian religion. But she was not satisfied with the beliefs she was taught nor did she feel close to God. Everything changed when she began studying with the Witnesses. When she discovered that in many Bibles God's name had been replaced by simple titles, such as Lord, she could not believe it. Learning the name of God marked a before and after in her life, because she began to see him as a friend. Surprised, she said, “My best friend has a name!” She says: “Now I have a lot of peace. “I feel very privileged.” Steve was a musician who came from a very conservative Jewish family. Because he had seen so much hypocrisy, he decided that he did not want to be part of any religion. However, when a family member died, he agreed to be present at a Bible course led by a Jehovah's Witness. Learning the name of God touched the deepest part of his heart. He says, “I had no idea what God's name was.” And he adds: “For the first time in my life, I saw that God is a real person. “At that moment, I realized I had found a friend.”

17. Why do you want to continue praising Jehovah's name? (See also the image).

17 When we are preaching or teaching, do we tell people what God's name is and what his personality is like? If we do so, we will be praising his name. Therefore, continue to help others know what kind of person Jehovah is, and you will praise his holy name. By doing so you will save lives, follow the example of our King, Jesus Christ, and above all, bring joy to our loving Father, Jehovah. Like the writer of Psalm 145:2, may we all say, “I will praise your name forever and ever.”

ILLUSTRATION

A sister gives Bible classes to an older woman, who has a cross on the wall and a picture on the table. The woman is impressed to see God's name in her own Bible. We praise Jehovah’s name when we teach it to people and show them what he is like. (See paragraph 17).

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

Why do we make Jehovah happy when we praise his name?

We make him happy because we are praising him by speaking of his wonderful name and Jehovah feels happy.

Why do we make Jesus happy when we praise God's name?

We make Jesus happy when we wash away Jehovah's name and help others see what he is really like. Thus we will be following in the footsteps of Jesus who sanctified the name of his father and, like him, we will make Jehovah feel happy and will demonstrate that his enemy, Satan, is a liar.

Why do we help save lives when we praise God's name?

We help save lives when we talk about God, because many people are freed from many lies and know the beautiful qualities of Jehovah.