TREASURES FROM GOD'S WORD: Week of October 28 - November 3, 2024, “Remember that we are dust,” Prepared Speech.

TREASURES FROM GOD'S WORD:  October 28-November 3, 2024, “He Remembers That We Are Dust.” Prepared Speech.

“Remember that we are dust” (10 mins.)

And how much we all appreciate the person who is understanding, considerate, and compassionate. Jehovah God is truly outstanding in this regard. Despite the weaknesses and frailties of those of us who strive to do his will, he does not abandon us. Even when his servants become guilty of serious transgressions, he does not deprive us of the opportunity to return to him in repentance. Because Jehovah is compassionate, he is also reasonable. We can read together Psalm 103:14 which says the following:

LET'S READ PSALM 103:14.

For he knows how we are formed, and remembers that we are dust.

This biblical text contains a great truth: all of us, regardless of the education we have, regardless of the social position we possess, are absolutely nothing. We are that, we are dust, we are nothing.

And these words were written by King David, under inspiration, reminding this human being through his holy spirit where we come from. He was saying to a king, you are dust, and he was acknowledging it in that way. If we read Psalm 103 in its entirety, David is speaking of the mistakes that have been made, the mistakes that he himself made. 

He speaks of Mercy, he speaks of Loyal love, and ends by saying this, that we are formed, and that we are dust. That is, we are nothing. That is what we are going to talk about in this section of Treasures of the Bible, precisely with the title: "He remembers that we are dust." And it is that, in the physical sense, we are dust.

Our body has components that appear in dust. There are 26 chemical elements in the human body, citing the most important ones: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur. 

And it has been proven that every hour, humans can renew up to 20 million skin cells, a large part of which turn into dust. So, when we clean our house and there is a lot of dust, it is possibly our own skin cells that have accumulated over the hours or the day.

And Jehovah knows this perfectly well: we are dust. And it is wonderful to know that Jehovah created the human being from dust, therefore, he recognizes that we have limitations, and those limitations can cause discouragement and unhappiness. That is why King David, when we read the words of Psalm 103:14, is not referring to the natural limitations that we have as human beings. Even if we are perfect, there will be limitations, but here he is referring to human weaknesses or errors caused by inherited imperfection.

And it is interesting that some Christians have said that the longer they have been in the truth, the more imperfect they seem to be, and this may be because, as their knowledge of and appreciation for Jehovah’s righteous requirements increase, they feel that they are not doing all that Jehovah requires. “But what does Jehovah think of these errors and our human weaknesses?” Please read Psalm 103:8 as it says:

LET'S READ PSALM 103:8.

Jehovah is merciful and compassionate, he is patient* and full of loyal love.

And how beneficial it is to know that Jehovah is compassionate, and has shown it. At least in two stories in the Bible, he demonstrates compassion. Like on the occasion when he was going to destroy Sodom, Gomorrah and another city. 

When he did not hear of this and was asked to go to the mountains, he asked Jehovah to please not send him any more, to allow him to go to the city of Zoar, this city was decreed by Jehovah to be destroyed. But because he accepted Lot's request, out of consideration for him, out of compassion for him, he allowed him to go to this city and did not destroy it.

He changed his plans. And what can we say about the case of Nineveh, where 120,000 people were decreed to die, but their change of attitude, the repentance they showed, made Jehovah feel compassion and not kill them. He remembered that they were imperfect, that they were dust. And the compassion and mercy of Jehovah is not momentary, it is lasting. For example, if we read in Psalm 103 now verses 9 and 10, it says:

LET'S READ PSALM 103:9,10.

9 He will not continually point out our faults or hold a grudge forever. 10 He has not treated us according to our sins or given us what we deserve for our mistakes. 

He does not constantly remind us of the mistakes we have made nor does he give us what we deserve for those mistakes. Now, if Jehovah does not do it, why should we do it with each one individually? Why do we have to constantly remind ourselves of a mistake that Jehovah has already forgiven us for? Why do we have to demand or ask God to charge us for a bad attitude, bad thought or bad behavior? We can think, what faithful servant of Jehovah did not make mistakes?

The answer is all of them, mistakes that we know of and are recorded in the Bible, and many more that have not been written down, but all of them made mistakes, and some more serious than others. One case that we can highlight is that of Samson. He made mistakes by saying things that he should not have, and that cost him many privileges, many blessings from God, but Jehovah did not give up on this man. He continues to use him to the last to fulfill his purpose.

If Jehovah does not give up on us, why should we think of ourselves that way? For example, let us consider the case of a young brother named Michael. This brother was very busy serving Jehovah. Sadly, he made a mistake and, as a result, lost his responsibilities as a ministerial servant and regular pioneer.

He says, “Up until that point I was serving Jehovah to the fullest, going full speed, but suddenly I felt as if I had hit a wall.” But then he says words that demonstrate his good attitude. “I knew that Jehovah would not abandon me, but I wondered if one day my friendship with him could be like before, or if I would serve the congregation as much as in the past.”

He said, “I focused on getting closer to Jehovah. What helped me was having the habit of praying to him from the heart, studying and meditating.” Over time, this young brother regained his responsibilities, and now he is an elder and a regular pioneer. And that is the attitude we want to show, that we are aware that we are dust. Jehovah sees us and knows that we are like that, that our tendency is to make mistakes.

That is why we are not so strict or demanding with ourselves. If Jehovah is not, why should we be? We will always make mistakes. And when that happens, it is more noticeable within the family. That is why, if we look at our Activity Guide, the scene, the image, and the question comes up: Can you see from the way I treat my husband or wife that I am reasonable like Jehovah? We are aware that within the family circle and between a couple there will be problems, mistakes, lack of communication or things of that nature that can endanger family peace.

A good conversation or a good reminder, the best way to serve, the best we can do, is to think like Jehovah. He remembers our physical composition, we are nothing. Therefore, let us not demand more than Jehovah demands of us, in fact, he does not ask us for more than we can give, because he remembers that we are dust.