2020 May 01 Proverbs 13, Second (Idolatry) of the Ten, TWGA, weekly CTC
2020 May 01 Proverbs 13, Second (Idolatry) of the Ten, TWGA, weekly CTC
Prove 13:13-14 A person 'despising instruction' is not considering the outcome of ignoring the counsel, the consequences of bad decisions or actions. The instruction is typically given to protect one from danger, from a course leading to disaster. Thus one ignoring counsel will often find the disaster that could have been averted--he or she will thus "pay the penalty." On the other hand, the one 'respecting the commandment' will be protected from many troubles and dangers, being rewarded with a more successful life, learning the way leading to true happiness and eternal life. Likewise, the truly wise one 'rescues others with knowledge,' brings healing, and helps them to find, understand, and appreciate the path leading to endless life, that they may remain on it, avoiding the snares or traps causing spiritual or literal death. (Prove 11:9; 12:18)
"15 Keen insight wins favor, But the way of the treacherous is harsh."
"16 The shrewd person acts with knowledge, But the fool exposes his own foolishness."
“4 “You must not make for yourself a carved image ("idol", NLT) or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 5 You must not bow down to them nor be enticed to serve them, for I, Jehovah your God, am a God who requires exclusive devotion, bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing loyal love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.””
EGYPT'S IDOLATRY. We need to understand the background here. Israel has just escaped from the world of Egypt, where idols abounded. The Egyptians worshiped many false gods, and no doubt had carved images of them for the purpose of worship. The Israelites faced such practices perhaps from the time they were very young in Egypt, and Jehovah understood this. The real issue was worship—they were not to be enticed to bow down or worship any such idol, or fear it’s influence in their life. They were to trust Jehovah, and worship Him exclusively—the true and living God responsible for blessing every aspect of their lives as they served Him properly.
A DIVIDING OF ONE'S HEART. Jesus said at Matthew 6:24““No one can slave for two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other...” All it takes is the worship of one idol or false god to cause a division in one’s heart away from loving Jehovah the true God exclusively. Our heart would become at least divided, and we would no longer love Jehovah as we should, as Jesus said the greatest commandment of the Law was that we “37...must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment.” (Matth 22:37,38). Thus we cannot, and must not try, to slave for two masters—rather we should love Jehovah the true God, our Creator and Life-giver, the One we owe “life and breath and all things”—and give Him our exclusive worship. Any form of idolatry, whether it be a literal idol, or any other thing that can be worshipped, such as a famous person, or even some hobby or activity we may devote our lives to (while ignoring the will of God), would affect our lives negatively, even dramatically. Psalm 115 describes such idolatry, explaining that such idols may have eyes, but they cannot see, and ears, but cannot hear, and so on. Such idols claiming worship are at least spiritually dead, not able to see, hear, or speak divine truth. Psalm 115:8,9 then says “ 8 The people who make them will become just like them, As will all those who trust in them. 9 O Israel, trust in Jehovah —He is their help and their shield.” While God is reasonable, and does not fault us for taking precautions and seeking help from others, still may we daily look to Jehovah and no other as our supreme help and protection. Psalm 127:1 says “1 Unless Jehovah builds the house, It is in vain that its builders work hard on it. Unless Jehovah guards the city, It is in vain that the guard stays awake.”
IN MARRIAGE. Also, marriage is one area where idolatry can “rear [or, “raise”] it’s ugly head.” To keep the relationship close between husband and wife, Jehovah needs to be in the marriage. As Solomon wrote, a “threefold cord cannot quickly be torn apart.” (Eccle 4:12). As we’ve seen, any form of idolatry can cause spiritual blindness, and prevent either partner from recognizing problems and solutions within the marriage. This matter is to be taken seriously, as is giving Jehovah the honor and place in our hearts that He deserves. Most marriages that have ended, probably have involved some sort of idolatry. For further insight, see the article “Fortify Your Marriage by Rejecting Idolatry” elsewhere on this website.
GOD'S FAVOR. What a blessing is in store for giving Jehovah the exclusive devotion he deserves! Rather than receiving “punishment for the error of fathers upon sons” when we fail to love Him as we should, we would instead receive “loyal love to the thousandth generation of those who love [Jehovah] and keep [His] commandments!” May we thus draw close to Jehovah, as He in turn draws close to us, and continue learning how to serve Him properly. (James 4:8). What He asks of us is really for our own benefit, and the benefit of all peace-loving persons, to cause us true unity, love, and happiness eternally!
"Throw your burden on Jehovah, And he will sustain you. Never will he allow the righteous one to fall."
ISSUE AFTER ISSUE ADDRESSED BY GOD’S KINGDOM: MARRIAGE & PARTNERSHIPS
Philippians 4:5 “Let your reasonableness become known to all men. The Lord is near.”
Hebrews 13:4a “Let marriage be honorable among all...”
MARRIED LIFE. For true Christians generally, God’s word throughout encourages married life.[For those struggling with such a view of marriage, the paragraph headed “OTHER SITUATIONS” below may contain some helpful information.] While the apostle Paul once recommended singleness, he was then speaking to original anointed Christians with the heavenly calling, to become “as angels” in the heavens above. Even at that, marriage while on earth was still an option. For God’s eternal universal purpose, clearly marriage may be considered a gift—to share life’s experiences with a beloved married companion. Who will be your partner, as we clean up our planet, and welcome our ancestors back to life on earth? Who will this partner be if afterward, God wishes you to start a family, even elsewhere in the universe? Supposing there is nothing interfering with the typical romantic feelings experienced by men and women, we might ask: What of one nearing marriageable age—a young man or a young woman?
YOUNG MEN. Considering a restored standard of marriage for most every person, trusting God to help one find a suitable partner, or to help two near marriage to take that step, how might we view the growth process in preparation for this potentially joyful relationship? A young man who is able to work to support himself, upon reaching a marriageable and responsible age, might choose to leave his parents’ home and begin to find and manage a home of his own. He could certainly have begun preparing for such a step years before, with the help of parents and others. All such men should learn how to manage their own home, as they will need to do this well in the caring of a wife and children. If he has not yet found a suitable wife, or a woman that is yet ready to take the step of marriage, how might he proceed? If he has a well-paying job that can support him alone and the paying of taxes for a single person, he may choose this course, while looking for the one to become his wife. However, many young men find it a challenge to rent a place or even pay mortgage on a home early in their working careers.
PARTNERSHIPS. What if two such men, perhaps already friends, neither yet having a marriage relationship, could take a stance as partners—let’s call them “Term Growth Partners.” One could take the lead in finding and paying for the home, being the primary owner or renter, while both work and contribute financially to the home and various expenses and needs that come up. Both are learning or practicing skills necessary for the management of a home that will be essential to begin a marriage and family. Neither one should practice laziness or shirk responsibility. Both should contribute almost equally for the benefit of one another, learning to be considerate of others as if having a family of one’s own. Why not allow such T.G.Partners to receive a tax credit similar to that of married folk, as these men are seeking and readying themselves for this relationship? And if they qualify, why not allow these responsible men even, if they wish, to foster a child who is without loving parents, either a young boy or girl, as long as one of the two men take primary responsibility for the child, and continue looking for a suitable wife, as a mother to the precious child? It should probably be the owner of the home, or primary renter, that be the responsible caregiver and provider for the child, but both should qualify to provide responsible care for the child in this partnership. Once again, a tax credit should be provided as in a family situation.
YOUNG WOMEN. What about a young woman, who herself has reached a marriageable and responsible age, and yet has not found a suitable partner? Why must she be burdened with the care and management of a home, that most young men are already preparing themselves for? Why shouldn’t the young woman remain, if possible, with her parents at their home, while perhaps finding suitable work, also practicing the skills that will be beneficial in support of her husband and children, when she finds him, with God’s blessing? With work, she may contribute to the parents’ expenses while hopefully having something to save for her own family’s needs in the future. This arrangement would prevent unnecessary burdens and expenses on the would-be new family, once she finds a suitable marriage partner! She may have been able to save up more for the family, that otherwise may have been lost to rent or mortgage costs. What does a new family do with two homes, two mortgages, or two rented properties—how much work goes into selling one of them, selling and/or consolidating furniture and other items accumulated in each home? Of course, this must be done in the case of those already on their own, and it may be considered a task helping the two to work out any differences fairly and agreeably between them. However, if the young woman can be free from such unnecessary burdens, how much more easily will be the transition to married life! Perhaps depending on her work situation, she may or may not be considered a dependent for tax purposes, the parents possibly receiving a tax credit to make up for the added expenses associated with her stay. Either way, this would appear to be the most beneficial situation for a young woman looking to marry. Evidently, “Philip the evangelizer” was able to support his four virgin daughters, even as they shared with him in the Christian ministry. (Acts 21:8-9). There are many examples throughout the Scriptures of women remaining at home until marriage—if this is possible in a given situation, we’ve seen many advantages to this. (Genesis 24; 29).
A PRECIOUS CHILD. Considering the foregoing, might there be adequate young families to care for a child who may have been born to a mother that is unwed and is not yet adequately prepared to raise him or her, if there are no relatives in a position to accept this responsibility either? Even if the child was conceived in rape or incest, is he or she not still a precious life? Certainly every precaution should be taken to prevent such a situation, but in the case that it does occur, how does God feel about any child conceived in or out of wedlock, according to His inspired word? Even God’s servant David wrote about his pre-birth self, in Psalm 139.
Notice verses 13-16: “13 For you produced my kidneys; You kept me screened off in my mother’s womb.14 I praise you because in an awe-inspiring way I am wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know this very well.15 My bones were not hidden from you When I was made in secret, When I was woven in the depths of the earth.16 Your eyes even saw me as an embryo; All its parts were written in your book Regarding the days when they were formed, Before any of them existed.”
EVEN “AS AN EMBRYO.” David refers to his time in the womb of his mother, and even as an embryo, before any body parts even existed! It was still David, who would go on to become King of Israel! There is another Bible passage, in the Mosaic Law, that reveals God’s view of an unborn child. This is found at Exodus 21:22-23:
“22 “If men should struggle with each other and they hurt a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but no fatality results, the offender must pay the damages imposed on him by the husband of the woman; and he must pay it through the judges. 23 But if a fatality does occur, then you must give life for life”
GOD’S VIEW OF THE UNBORN. Yes, the unborn child was considered a life to God, such that if it was harmed before birth, the one causing the harm was even to die, if the child died as a result, according to the principle of eye for an eye, and in this case, life for a life. The purpose of such a strong penalty is so that those knowing the Law would AVOID becoming guilty of such things, so as NOT to receive such a harsh outcome. But as mentioned this reveals God’s view of the unborn child—just as much a life or a person as the one causing harm to a pregnant woman. Many women have suffered emotional pain after going through an abortion procedure—why not rather have this precious child, and give it up for adoption if the mother or a relative is yet unready to care for him or her? Yes, God did increase the pain of pregnancy after sin entered the human family, but it wasn’t done so as to prevent a woman from giving birth—it can be a tremendous bonding experience, even talking to or reading to the child before birth. And that increase of pain may well be ending, as the start of God’s Kingdom nears! It may well be that many aborted children will be resurrected by God and Christ in the new world, that they may see the light of day and the love of their parents, if possible, having renewed appreciation for this gift of life! Let’s consider God’s gift of life sacred and precious, and do what we reasonably can to protect it!
OTHER SITUATIONS. Now, of course not everyone is in the same position as the young men and women mentioned previously. Many are happily married, and have families of their own. Of course, those with more experience in life and a strong Christian faith would also be suited to accept foster children, if their hearts were ready for such a gift. And why wouldn’t two older men, unmarried, qualify as T.G.Partners as well, having even more experience in life, each looking for a married partner, and also perhaps qualifying to care for a foster child, if desired? Also, as God’s Kingdom nears, His power will certainly be available upon the human family, manifested in various ways. He can, for instance, restore transgender persons back to their original gender, but this time with the proper feelings appropriate for them, as “male and female He [God] created them.” (Genesis 1:27; Matthew 19:4). Recall that humans are not just spirits—we are physiological creatures, affected by various chemical processes and substances, some of which could create imbalances or disturbances if left unchecked. Some petroleum and plastics molecules, for instance, mimic hormones such as estrogens. As discussed previously in another article, one such substance, a pesticide called atrazine, has been used on some 75% or more of corn crops in the U.S., and can cause male frogs to turn female! Just what effect could it be having on humans? There are similar chemicals no doubt having a similar effect on many, even from a young age. Jesus spoke of a time of “re-creation.” (Matthew 19:28). So why wouldn’t Jehovah God be able to restore precious humans to the condition He intended them to be in for their genuine happiness and satisfaction in life? And let the Kingdom investigate to find alternatives to things that would contribute to “ruining the earth.”
CONCLUSION
GENUINE HAPPINESS. With God’s unfolding eternal purpose in view, brought about through His Kingdom, He doubtless intends many, if not all persons, to be happily married, sharing life’s experiences with a beloved partner. Thus the exhortation to “let marriage be honorable among all...” (Hebrews 13:4). God and Christ are also reasonable and understanding of various factors inhibiting the proper feelings of some men and women toward one another, and can correct such matters. May even young men and women be blessed by God to prepare for married life, and then to find that suitable marriage partner, delighting in the joys associated with that precious bond of union. May all others likewise appreciate this gift of God, and come to bring their lives into harmony with God’s loving purpose for humans, that we may look forward to genuine happiness, in a new world of peace and righteousness, by God’s divine standards!


2025 5C/8C (7Hul-8Lsg2) Find Life and See (7-9) Proverbs B (8) CTC Corner and WGA-B (9) Godlove Home




