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April 1-7

This Is OurSpiritual HeritagePAGE 3 SONGS: 69, 28

April 8-14

Do You Appreciate OurSpiritual Heritage?

PAGE 18 SONGS: 22, 75

34567F E B R U A R Y 1 5 , 2 0 1 3

Large-Print Edition PART 1

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This publication is not or sale. It is provided as part o

a worldwide Bible educational work supported by vol-

untarydonations. Unlessotherwise indicated, Scripture

quotations are from the modern-language New World

Translation of the Holy ScripturesWith References.

The Watchtower (I N - 7) is published semi-

monthly by Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of

New York, Inc.; L. Weaver, Jr., President; G. F. Simonis,

Secretary-Treasurer; 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn,

NY 11201-2483, and by Watch Tower Bible and Tract

Society of Canada, PO Box 4100, Georgetown,

N L7 Y . Periodicals Postage Paid at Brooklyn, N

and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Sen

address changes to Watchtower, 1000 Red Mills Roa

Wallkill, NY 12589-3299. 5 2013 Watch Tower Bib

and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved

Printed in Canada.

345676FEBRU ARY 15, 2013

Vol. 134, No. 4 Semimonthly ENGLISH

STUDY ARTICLES

This Is Our Spiritual Heritage

Do You Appreciate Our Spiritual

Heritage?Important features of the rich spiritual heritage of Je-

hovahs people are considered in these articles. They

show how God has preserved his Word, has blessed

the use of his name, and has made possible the pres-

ervation of spiritual truth that protects us from reli-gious error.

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PART 1 THE WATCHTOWERFEBRUARY 15, 2013 3

JEHOVAH, the living and enduring God, has

preserved his life-giving message for mankind. It

is sure to last, for the saying [or, word, Bying-ton] of Jehovah endures forever. (1 Pet. 1:23-25)

How grateful we are that Jehovah has lovingly pre-

served such vital information in his written Word,

the Bible!

2 In his Word, God has preserved for the use of

1. What has Jehovah lovingly preserved for the benefit of mankind?2. In his written Word, what has God preserved for the use of hispeople?

This Is OurSpiritual Heritage

This is the heritage of Jehovahs servants.ISA. 54:17, Byington.

HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER?

What has God done to preserve his written Word?

How has Jehovahs name been preserved for the use of hispeople?

Explain how God has preserved spiritual truth despiteassaults on it.

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4 THE WATCHTOWERFEBRUARY 15, 2013 PART 1

his people the very name he chose for himself. The

Scriptures first mention Jehovah God in a his-

tory of the heavens and the earth. (Gen. 2:4)

Gods name was miraculously inscribed several

times on the stone tablets bearing the Ten Com-

mandments. For instance, the first commandment

began: I am Jehovah your God. (Ex. 20:1-17)

Gods name lives on because the Sovereign Lord

Jehovah has preserved his Word and his name de-

spite all satanic efforts to eliminate them.Ps.

73:28.

3

In his Word, Jehovah has also preserved thetruth. Though religious error abounds worldwide,

how thankful we are that God has given us spiritu-

al light and truth! (Read Psalm 43:3, 4.) Where-

as the masses of mankind walk in darkness, we

joyfully keep on walking in God-given spiritual

light.1 John 1:6, 7.

3. Though religious error abounds, what has God preserved?

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WE HAVE A HERITAGETO BE CHERISHED

4 As Christians, we have a precious heritage.

Says Collins Cobuild English Dictionary: Acountrys heritage is all the qualities, traditions, or

features of life there that have continued over

many years and have been passed on from one

generation to another. Our spiritual heritage in-

cludes the blessing of enjoying accurate knowledge

of Gods Word and a clear understanding of the

truth about him and his purposes. It also involves

a very special privilege.

5 That privilege became part of our spiritual leg-acy at our convention in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A.,

in 1931. The letters JW appeared on the printed

program. One sister said: Speculations were made

as to what JW stood forJust Wait, Just Watch,

and the correct one. We had been called Bi-

ble Students, but we adopted the name Jehovahs

4, 5. What spe cial privilege has been ours since the year 1931?

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Witnesses by resolution on Sunday, July 26, 1931.

It was a thrill to receive that Scriptural name.

(Read Isaiah 43:12.) I will never forget the tre-

mendous shout and applause that vibrated through

that meeting place, recalled one brother. No one

else in the world wanted that name, but God has

blessed us in the use of it for over eight decades.

What a special privilege it is to be Jehovahs Wit-

nesses!

6 Our spiritual heritage includes a wealth of ac-

curate and valuable information from the past.

For example, consider Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.These patriarchs and their families must have had

discussions about how to please Jehovah. So it is

not surprising that upright Joseph rejected sexu-

al immorality so as not to sin against God.

(Gen. 39:7-9) Christian traditions were also hand-

ed down orally or by example. Among these were

6. Our spiritual heritage includes what accurate information?

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points regarding the Lords Evening Meal that the

apostle Paul passed on to Christian congregations.

(1 Cor. 11:2, 23) Today, details needed for us to

worship God with spirit and truth are part of

his written Word. (Read John 4:23, 24.) The Bi-

ble is for the enlightenment of all mankind, but

we as Jehovahs servants especially appreciate it.

7 In part, our spiritual heritage consists of more

recently published accounts proving that Jehovah

is on our side. (Ps. 118:7) This makes us feel se-

cure, even when we are persecuted. A heartening

part of our ever-increasing spiritual heritage isthis promise: Any weapon whatever that will be

formed against you will have no success, and any

tongue at all that will rise up against you in the

judgment you will condemn. This is the hereditary

possession [or, heritage, By] of the servants of

Jehovah, and their righteousness is from me, is

7. Our legacy includes what heartening promise?

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the utterance of Jehovah. (Isa. 54:17) Nothing

in Satans arsenal of weapons can do us perma-

nent harm.

8 Satan has tried to destroy Gods Word, elim-

inate the name Jehovah, and suppress the truth.

But he certainly is no match for Jehovah, who has

foiled all these efforts. In this article and in the

next, we will see (1) how God has preserved hisWord; (2) how Jehovah has seen to the preserva-

tion of his name; and (3) how our heavenly Fa-

ther is the Source and Preserver of the truth we

enjoy.

JEHOVAH HAS PRESERVED HIS WORD

9 Jehovah has preserved his Word against all

odds. Says the Enciclopedia Cattolica (Catholic

Encyclopedia): In 1229, the Council of Toulouse

prohibited laymen from using them [vernacular Bi-

8. What will we consider in this article and in the next?

9 -11. What examples show that the Bible has survived various as-

saults?

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bles] in view of the fight against the Albigenses

and the Waldenses . . . The assembly held in 1234

in Tarragona, Spain, under James I issued a sim-

ilar prohibition. . . . The Roman See intervened

in the matter for the first time in 1559, when

Paul IVs Index forbade the printing and posses-

sion of vernacular B[ibles] without the permission

of the Holy Office.10 Despite various assaults on the Bible, it has

been preserved. About 1382, John Wycliffe and

his associates produced the first Bible translation

in English. Another Bible translator was William

Tyndale, who was put to death in 1536. Tied to a

stake, he reportedly cried out, Lord, open the

eyes of the king of England. Then he was stran-

gled and burned.

11 The Bible has survived in the face of opposi-

tion. In 1535, for instance, the English translation

of the Bible by Miles Coverdale came on the scene.

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Coverdale used Tyndales rendition of the New

Testament and of the Old Testament from Gen-

esis through Chronicles. He translated other parts

of the Scriptures from Latin and from Martin Lu-

thers Bible in German. Today, the New World

Translation of the Holy Scriptures is appreciat-

ed for its clarity, fidelity to the Bible text, and use-

fulness in our ministry. We rejoice that no demon-ic or human power will ever block the preservation

of Jehovahs Word.

JEHOVAHS PRESERVATIONOF HIS NAME

12 Jehovah God has seen to it that his name is

preserved in his Word. In this regard, the New

World Translation is playing a major role. In the

introduction, its committee of dedicated transla-

tors wrote: The foremost feature of this transla-tion is the restoration of the divine name to its

12. What role has the New World Translation played in the pres-

ervation of the divine name?

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PART 1 THE WATCHTOWE RFEBRUARY 15, 2013 11

rightful place in the English text. It has been done,

using the commonly accepted English form Jeho-

vah 6,973 times in the Hebrew Scriptures and

237 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures. The

New World Translation is now available, in whole

or in part, in over 116 languages, and more than

178,545,862 copies have been printed.

13 People have known Gods name since the cre-ation of mankind. Adam and Eve were aware of it,

and they knew exactly how to pronounce it. When

Ham showed disrespect for his father after the

Flood, Noah said: Blessed be Jehovah, Shems

God, and let [Hams son] Canaan become a slave

to him. (Gen. 4:1; 9:26) God himself declared:

I am Jehovah. That is my name; and to no one

else shall I give my own glory. God also stated:

I am Jehovah, and there is no one else. With theexception of me there is no God. (Isa. 42:8; 45:5)

13. Why can it be said that people have known G ods name since

the creation of mankind?

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Jehovah has seen to it that his name has been pre-

served and made known to people around the

earth. How privileged we are to use the name Je-

hovah and serve as his Witnesses! In effect, we cry

out: In the name of our God we shall lift our ban-

ners.Ps. 20:5.

14 Gods name does not appear only in the Bi-

ble. Consider the Moabite Stone, found at Dhiban(Dibon), 13 miles (21 km) east of the Dead Sea.

The stone mentions Israels King Omri and

gives Moabite King Meshas version of his revolt

against Israel. (1 Ki. 16:28; 2 Ki. 1:1; 3:4, 5) But

the Moabite Stone is of special interest because

Gods name appears on it in Tetragrammaton

form. The Tetragrammaton also appears repeated-

ly in the Lachish Letters, earthenware fragments

found in Israel.15 Early Bible translators had a part in the pres-

14. Other than in the Bible, where can Gods name be found?

15. What is the Septuagint, and how did it come about?

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ervation of the divine name. After their exile in

Babylon from 607 B.C.E. to 537 B.C.E., many

Jews did not return to Judah and Israel. By the

third century B.C.E., Alexandria, Egypt, had be-

come the home of numerous Jews who needed a

translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek,

then an international language. Completed by the

second century B.C.E., that version is the Septu-agint. Some copies of it contain the name Jeho-

vah in its Hebrew form.

16 The divine name is found in the Bay Psalm

Book, the first piece of literature published in

Englands American colonies. Its original edition

(printed in 1640) contains the Psalms, translat-

ed from Hebrew into the English of that day. It

uses Gods name in such passages as Psalm 1:

1, 2, which says that a blessed man does notwalk in the advice of the wicked, but in the

16. Give an example of the use of Gods name in a book first pub-

lished in the year 1640.

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law of Iehovah, is his longing delight. For more

information about Gods name, see the brochure

The Divine Name That Will Endure Forever.

JEHOVAH PRESERVES SPIRITUAL TRUTH

17 We joyfully serve Jehovah the God of truth.

(Ps. 31:5) The truth about something is all the

facts about it, rather than things that are imagined

or invented, says Collins Cobuild English Dic-tionary. In Biblical Hebrew, the term often trans-

lated truth pertains to something that is true,

trustworthy, faithful, or factual. The Greek word

rendered truth denotes that which conforms to

fact or to what is proper and right.

18 Jehovah has preserved spiritual truth and has

made knowledge of it available to us in ever-

increasing abundance. (2 John 1, 2) Our compre-

hension of the truth steadily becomes clearer, forthe path of the righteous ones is like the bright

17, 18. (a) How would you define the word truth? (b) The truthof the good news consists of what?

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light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day

is firmly established! (Prov. 4:18) Of course, we

fully agree with Jesus, who said in prayer to God:

Your word is truth. (John 17:17) Gods writ-

ten Word contains the truth of the good news,

which consists of the whole body of Christian

teachings. (Gal. 2:14) In part, these include facts

about Jehovahs name, his sovereignty, Jesus ran-som sacrifice, the resurrection, and the Kingdom.

Let us now consider how God has preserved the

truth despite Satans attempts to suppress it.

JEHOVAH FOILS AN

ASSAULT ON THE TRUTH19 After the Flood, there was a saying: Just like

Nimrod a mighty hunter in opposition to Jeho-

vah. (Gen. 10:9) As an opposer of Jehovah God,

Nimrod in effect worshipped Satan and was like

those opposers to whom Jesus said: You are from

your father the Devil, and you wish to do the

19, 20. Who was N imrod, and what endeavor failed in his day?

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desires of your father. That one . . . did not stand

fast in the truth.John 8:44.

20 Nimrods domain included Babel and oth-

er cities between the Tigris and Euphrates riv-

ers. (Gen. 10:10) It was possibly under his di-

rection that the building of Babel and its tower

began about 2269 B.C.E. Contrary to Jehovahs

will that mankind spread throughout the earth,those builders said: Come on! Let us build our-

selves a city and also a tower with its top in the

heavens, and let us make a celebrated name for

ourselves, for fear we may be scattered over all

the surface of the earth. But that scheme had

to be abandoned when God confused the lan-

guage of all the earth and scattered the would-be

tower builders. (Gen. 11:1-4, 8, 9) If Satan had

thus planned to start one religion with everyone

worshipping him, his plot was an utter failure.

Throughout human history, the worship of Jeho-

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vah has prevailed and is gaining momentum with

each passing day.

21 Never has false religion posed a serious

threat to true worship. Why? Because our Grand

Instructor has seen to the preservation of his writ-

ten Word, has kept his name before mankind, and

has been the limitless Source of spiritual truth.

(Isa. 30:20, 21) Worshipping God in accord with

the truth brings us joy, but doing so requires

that we remain spiritually vigilant, relying fully on

Jehovah and following the guidance of his holy

spirit.

22

In the next article, we will trace the develop-ment of certain false doctrines. We will find that

these crumble when tested in the light of the Scrip-

tures. Moreover, we will see how the incompara-

ble Preserver of truth, Jehovah, has blessed us with

true teachings that we cherish as part of our spir-itual heritage.

21, 22. (a) Why has false religion never p osed a serious threat to

true worship? (b) What will we consider in the following article?

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DURING a milestone governing body meeting in

Jerusalem in 49 C.E., the disciple James said:

Symeon [Peter] has related thoroughly how God

for the first time turned his attention to the na-

tions to take out of them a people for his name.

And with this the words of the Prophets agree,

just as it is written, After these things I shall re-turn and rebuild the booth of David that is fall-

1, 2. (a) What was the booth of David, and how was it to be re-built? (b) Who serve together as Jehovahs servants today?

Do You Appreciate OurSpiritual Heritage?

God . . . turned his attention to the nations to takeout of them a people for his name.ACTS 15:14.

HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND?

Specifically identify an unscriptural doctrine, and showhow we have been protected from believing in it.

How have we been released from sin and death?What is your attitude toward Jehovahs sovereignty andthe related issue of integrity?

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en down; and I shall rebuild its ruins and erect it

again, in order that those who remain of the men

may earnestly seek Jehovah, together with people

of all the nations, people who are called by my

name, says Jehovah, who is doing these things,

known from of old.Acts 15:13-18.

2 The booth [or, royal house] of David fell

when King Zedekiah was dethroned. (Amos 9:

11) However, that booth would be rebuilt with

Davids descendant Jesus as the permanent King.

(Ezek. 21:27; Acts 2:29-36) As James pointed out

at that historic meeting, this prophecy of Amos

was being fulfilled in the gathering of Kingdomheirs from both Jews and Gentiles. Today, a rem-

nant of anointed Christians and millions of Je-

sus other sheep are united in declaring Bible

truth as servants of Jehovah.John 10:16.

JEHOVAHS PEOPLE MEET A CHALLENGE

3 When the Jews were taken into captivity in

3, 4. How did J ehovahs p eople survive spiritually in Babylon?

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Babylon, it was clear that the booth of Da-

vid had fallen. Since false religion ran ram-

pant in Babylonia, how did Gods people survive

spiritually during their 70-year exile there from

607 B.C.E. to 537 B.C.E.? The same way we sur-

vive as Jehovahs people in this world under Sa-

tans control. (1 John 5:19) A rich spiritual her-

itage has helped to make such survival possible.4 As part of our spiritual legacy, we have the

written Word of God. Jewish exiles in Babylon

did not have the Holy Scriptures in complete

form, but they did have knowledge of the Mosa-

ic Law, with its Ten Commandments. They knewthe songs of Zion, could recall many proverbs,

and were acquainted with the exploits of earlier

servants of Jehovah. Yes, those exiles wept when

they remembered Zion, and they did not forget

Jehovah. (Read Psalm 137:1-6.) That kept them

alive spiritually even in Babylon, with its many

false doctrines and practices.

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THE TRINITY IS NOT NEW

5 The religious triad, or trinity, was a promi-

nent feature of worship in Babylon. One Babylo-

nian triad was composed of Sin (a moon-god),

Shamash (a sun-god), and Ishtar (a goddess of

fertility and war). In ancient Egypt, a god was of-

ten viewed as being married to a goddess who

bore him a son, forming a divine triad or trini-

ty in which the father, moreover, was not always

the chief, contenting himself on occasion with the

role of prince consort, while the principal deity

of the locality remained the goddess. (New La-rousse Encyclopedia of Mythology) One Egyp-

tian triad consisted of the god Osiris, the goddess

Isis, and their son Horus.

6 Christendom has its triadthe Trinity.

5. What evidence of religious triads, or trinities, do we have from

ancient Babylon and Egypt?

6. How would you define the Trinity, and how have we b een pro-

tected from believing such error?

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Clerics say that the Father, the Son, and the holy

spirit are one God. But that is an assault on the

sovereignty of Jehovah, making it seem that he is

triunein effect, only one third of a supposed

godhead. Jehovahs people have been protected

from believing such error because they agree with

these inspired words: Listen, O Israel: Jehovah

our God is one Jehovah. (Deut. 6:4) Jesus quot-

ed that statement, and would any true Christian

disagree with him?Mark 12:29.

7 The Trinity doctrine runs counter to the com-

mission Jesus gave his followers to make disci-ples of people of all the nations, baptizing them

in the name of the Father and of the Son and of

the holy spirit. (Matt. 28:19) To be baptized as

a genuine Christian and one of Jehovahs Wit-nesses, a person must acknowledge the suprema-

7. Why is it impossible for a person who believes in the Trinity to

be baptized in symbol of a valid dedication to God?

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cy of the Father, Jehovah, as well as the position

and authority of Gods Son, Jesus. The baptism

candidate must also believe that the holy spirit is

Gods active force, not part of a Trinity. (Gen.

1:2) An individual who continues to believe in

the Trinity cannot be baptized in symbol of a val-

id dedication to Jehovah God. How grateful we

are that our spiritual legacy has protected us frombelieving this God-dishonoring teaching!

SPIRITISM REARS ITS UGLY HEAD!

8 Religious thought in Babylonia provided

plenty of room for false doctrines, deities, de-mons, and spiritism. The International Stan-

dard Bible Encyclopaedia states: Next in im-

portance to the gods in the Bab[ylonian] religion

are the demons who had the power to afflict men

with manifold diseases of body or mind. A large

part of the religion seems to have been given up to

8. What was the B abylonian view of gods and demons?

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an agonized struggle against these demons, and

the gods were everywhere approached by prayer

to assist men against these demons.

9 After their Babylonian exile, many Jews fell

prey to unscriptural ideas. As Greek concepts

made inroads, many Jews became vulnerable to

demonic control because they adopted the view

that demons could be evil or good. Our spirituallegacy protects us from the dangers of willing in-

volvement with demons, for we know that God

condemned Babylons spiritistic practices. (Isa.

47:1, 12-15) Moreover, we are guided by Gods

view of spiritism.Read Deuteronomy 18:10-

12; Revelation 21:8.

10 Spiritism has been practiced not only by the

Babylonians but also by supporters of Babylon

9. (a) After their Babylonian exile, how did many Jews fall preyto false religious ideas? (b) How are we protected from the dangers

of willing involvement with the demons?

10. What can be said about the practices and beliefs of Babylon

the Great?

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the Great, the world empire of false religion.

(Rev. 18:21-24) The Interpreters Dictionary of

the Bible states: Babylon [the Great] embraces

more than one empire or culture. It is defined

rather by dominant idolatries than by geographi-

cal or temporal boundaries. (Vol. 1, p. 338)

Riddled with spiritism, idolatry, and other sins,

Babylon the Great still existsbut not for long.

Read Revelation 18:1-5.

11 Jehovah declared: I cannot put up with the

use of uncanny power. (Isa. 1:13) Often called

spiritualism, the practice of spiritism played a no-table role in 19th-century thinking. Zions Watch

Tower of May 1885 therefore said: The belief

that the dead are alive in another sphere or condi-

tion of being is not new. It was part of the religion

of the ancients, and was the very root of all myth-

ology. The article added that the unscriptural

11. What warnings have we published re garding spiritism?

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idea of the dead communicating with the living

has given cover and force to the deceptions prac-

tised by demons under the guise of dis-embodied

spirits of men. They have eagerly availed them-

selves of this mode of concealing their identity,

and have thus perpetuated their sway over the

minds and lives of many. The early booklet

What Say the Scriptures About Spiritism? gave

similar warnings, as have our more recent publi-

cations.

ARE SOULS SUFFERING IN AN

UNDERWORLD?12 All those . . . who have come to know the

truth can answer that question. (2 John 1) We

surely agree with Solomons words: A live dog is

better off than a dead lion. For the living are con-scious that they will die; but as for the dead, they

12. Under inspiration, Solomon said what about the condition of

the dead?

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are conscious of nothing at all . . . All that your

hand finds to do, do with your very power, for

there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor

wisdom in Sheol [mankinds common grave], the

place to which you are going.Eccl. 9:4, 5, 10.

13 The Jews were in a position to know the

truth about the dead. When Greece was divided

among the generals of Alexander the Great, how-

ever, efforts were made to unite Judah with Syria

by such means as Greek religion and Hellenic cul-

ture. As a result, the Jews accepted the false

teachings that the human soul is immortal andthat there is an underworld place of torment. The

Greeks did not originate the idea of an under-

world full of suffering souls, for the Babylonians

thought of the nether world . . . as a place full

of horrors, . . . presided over by gods and demons

of great strength and fierceness. (The Religion

13. How were the J ews affected by Hellenic culture and religion?

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of Babylonia and Assyria) Yes, the Babylonians

believed in the immortality of the soul.

14 Although the righteous man Job did not

have the Scriptures, he knew the truth about

death. He also realized that Jehovah is a loving

God who would have a yearning to resurrect him.

(Job 14:13-15) Abraham too believed in the res-

urrection. (Read Hebrews 11:17-19.) Since it is

impossible to resurrect someone who cannot die,

those God-fearing men did not believe in the im-

mortality of the human soul. Gods spirit un-

doubtedly helped Job and Abraham to under-stand the state of the dead and to exercise faith

in the resurrection. These truths are also part of

our heritage.

RELEASE BY THE RANSOMVITAL15 We are grateful that God has also revealed

14. What did Job and Abraham know about death and resurrection?

15, 16. How have we been released from sin and death?

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the truth about his means to deliver us from the

legacy of sin and death inherited from Adam.

(Rom. 5:12) We realize that Jesus came, not to

be ministered to, but to minister and to give his

soul a ransom in exchange for many. (Mark 10:

45) How good it is to know about the release

by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus!Rom. 3:

22-24.16 First-century Jews and Gentiles needed to

repent of their sins and to exercise faith in Je-

sus ransom sacrifice. Otherwise, they could have

no forgiveness. The situation is the same today.

(John 3:16, 36) If a person clings to false doc-

trines, such as the Trinity and the immortality of

the soul, he cannot benefit from the ransom. But

we can. We know the truth about the Son of

[Gods] love, by means of whom we have our re-

lease by ransom, the forgiveness of our sins.

Col. 1:13, 14.

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PRESS ON AS THE PEOPLE FORJEHOVAHS NAME!

17 Much more could be said about the true

teachings we embrace, our experiences as Godsservants, and the spiritual and material blessings

we enjoy. For decades, our Yearbooks have con-

tained thrilling accounts of our activities in lands

around the globe. Our history is recounted in the

videos Faith in Action, Parts 1 and 2, and in such

publications as Jehovahs WitnessesProclaim-

ers of Gods Kingdom. And our magazines of-

ten contain heartwarming first-person accounts

about beloved fellow believers.

18 We benefit from balanced consideration of

the history of Jehovahs organization, even as the

people of Israel benefited from reflecting on how

God delivered them from Egyptian bondage. (Ex.

12:26, 27) As an old man who could testify toGods wonderful acts, Moses urged the Israelites:

17, 18. Where can we find helpful information about our history,and how can we benefit from learning about it?

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Remember the days of old, consider the years

back from generation to generation; ask your fa-

ther, and he can tell you; your old men, and they

can say it to you. (Deut. 32:7) As Jehovahs

people and the flock of his pasturage, all of us

joyously declare his praise and tell others of his

mighty acts. (Ps. 79:13) Moreover, we do well to

examine our history, learn from it, and plan forthe future.

19 We are grateful that we do not wander in

darkness but enjoy spiritual light from God.

(Prov. 4:18, 19) So let us diligently study Gods

Word and zealously share the truth with oth-ers in the prayerful spirit of the psalmist who

praised the Sovereign Lord Jehovah with the

words: I shall mention your righteousness, yours

alone. O God, you have taught me from my

youth on, and until now I keep telling about your

wonderful works. And even until old age and

19. Since we enjoy spiritual light, what should we do?

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www.jw.org

gray-headedness, O God, do not leave me, until

I may tell about your arm to the generation, to

all those who are to come, about your mighti-

ness.Ps. 71:16-18.

20 As Jehovahs dedicated people, we recognize

the related issues of divine sovereignty and hu-

man integrity. Indeed, we proclaim the undeni-

able truth that Jehovah is the Universal Sovereign,worthy of our wholehearted devotion. (Rev. 4:11)

With his spirit upon us, we also declare good

news to the meek, bind up the brokenhearted, and

comfort those who mourn. (Isa. 61:1, 2) Despite

Satans futile attempts to dominate Gods people

and all mankind, we deeply appreciate our spiri-

tual heritage and are determined to maintain our

integrity to God and laud the Sovereign Lord

Jehovah now and forever.Read Psalm 26:11;86:12.

20. What related issues exist, and how do you feel about them?

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