Atalaya Septiembre 2011

34567SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

WHO REALLYRULES THEWORLD?

THE PURPOSE OF THIS MAGAZINE, The Watchtower, is to honor Jehovah God, the Supreme Ruler of the universe.Just as watchtowers in ancient times enabled a person to observe developments from afar, so this magazine showsus the significance of world events in the light of Bible prophecies. It comforts people with the good news thatGod’s Kingdom, which is a real government in heaven, will soon bring an end to all wickedness and transform theearth into a paradise. It promotes faith in Jesus Christ, who died so that we might gain everlasting life and who isnow ruling as King of God’s Kingdom. This magazine has been published by Jehovah’s Witnesses continuouslysince 1879 and is nonpolitical. It adheres to the Bible as its authority.This publication is not for sale. It is provided as part of a worldwide Bible educational work supported by voluntary donations. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripturequotations are from the modern-language New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References.

34567�

Printing Each Issue:42,162,000 IN 188 LANGUAGES

SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

FROM OUR COVER3 Is There Someone Behind All Evil?4 Who Really Rules the World?7 The World’s Secret Ruler Exposed

REGULAR FEATURES10 Our Readers Ask . . .

14 Did You Know?

15 Draw Close to God—“O Jehovah, . . . You Know Me”

& 16 Learn From God’s Word—How Can You Draw Close to God?

24 A Letter From Congo (Kinshasa)

30 For Young People—Falsely Accused!

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE11 “The Seven Species” of the Good Land

& 18 Olivetan—“The Humble Little Translator”of the French Bible

21 Taxes—Must You Pay Them?

26 A Man Agreeable to Jehovah’s HeartPhoto: Alain Leprince - La Piscine-musee, Roubaix /

Courtesy of the former Bouchard Museum, Paris

“I SHOOK hands with the devil.” So said thecommander of the United Nations forces

in Rwanda, reflecting on their failure to stopthe genocide in that land during 1994. Com-menting on the unbelievable savagery atthat time, another observer stated: “If some-one still dares to deny Satan, meet me at amass grave in Rwanda.” Are such atrocitiesreally the workof the Devil?

Most people do not regard wanton vio-lence and cruelty as the work of an invisiblewicked spirit creature. Many think that suchthings are a result of the evil inherent in hu-mannature and that themain cause of evil isour own dark instincts. Others theorize thata group of the wealthy and powerful, somesort of a shadowy global network, has beenmanipulating people for decades in order torule the world. Then, of course, there arethose who blame the national governmentsand rulers for all the injustice and sufferingthey see.

What do you believe? Why is it that evil,cruelty, atrocities, and suffering run ram-pant throughout the world today in spite ofefforts to curb them? Why is it that mankindseems to be dashing headlong into a self-destructive course, turning a deaf ear to re-peatedwarnings? Is there someone behind itall? Who really rules the world? The answermight surprise you.

Is There SomeoneBehind All Evil?

THE WATCHTOWER ˙ SEPTEMBER 1, 2011 3

4

34567�

Would you welcome more information or afree home Bible study? Please send yourrequest to Jehovah’s Witnesses, using oneof these addresses. For a complete list ofaddresses, seewww.watchtower.org/address.

America, United States of: 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn,NY 11201-2483. Australia: PO Box 280, Ingleburn, NSW 1890.Bahamas: PO Box N-1247, Nassau, NP. Britain: The Ridge-way, London NW7 1RN. Canada: PO Box 4100, George-town, ON L7G 4Y4. Germany: 65617 Selters. Guam: 143 Je-hovah St, Barrigada, GU 96913. Jamaica: PO Box 103, OldHarbour, St. Catherine. Japan: 4-7-1 Nakashinden, Ebina City,Kanagawa-Pref, 243-0496. Puerto Rico: PO Box 3980, Guay-nabo, PR 00970. South Africa: Private Bag X2067, Krugers-dorp, 1740. Trinidad and Tobago: Lower Rapsey Street & Lax-mi Lane, Curepe.

The Watchtower (ISSN 0043-1087) is publishedsemimonthly by Watchtower Bible and Tract So-ciety of New York, Inc.; M. H. Larson, Presi-dent; G. F. Simonis, Secretary-Treasurer; 25 ColumbiaHeights, Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483, and by Watch Tow-er Bible and Tract Society of Canada, PO Box 4100,Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4. Periodicals Postage Paid atBrooklyn, NY, and at additional mailing offices. POST-MASTER: Send address changes to Watchtower,1000 Red Mills Road, Wallkill, NY 12589-3299.� 2011 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society ofPennsylvania. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada.

Vol. 132, No. 17 Semimonthly ENGLISH

LIKELY you have never met any leaders oforganized crime. Does that mean they do

not exist? Criminal bosses are skilled at hid-ing their identity or even operating from be-hind prison bars. Yet, newspaper headlinesabout drug wars, prostitution rings, and hu-man trafficking, to name a few, remind us ofthe corrupting influence and dire conse-quences of the activities and of the existenceof such crime figures. By the mark they leaveon human society, we know that criminalleaders exist.

God’sWord, the Bible, reveals that Satan isa real person who, like a powerful criminalkingpin, sees to it that his will is accom-plished through “lying signs” and “unrigh-teous deception.” In fact, he “keeps trans-forming himself into an angel of light,” saysthe Bible. (2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10; 2 Corin-thians 11:14) The Devil’s existence can like-wise be ascertained by the marks left by him.Yet, most people find it difficult to believe inan invisible, wicked spirit being. Before weexamine more closely what the Bible saysabout theDevil, let us look at some commonobstacles and erroneous beliefs that preventmany from accepting the idea that the Devilis a real person.

˛ “How could a loving God create the Dev-il?” Since the Bible says that God is good andperfect, it seems contradictory to think thathe would have created an evil, malicious,and wicked being. The fact is that the Bibledoes not say that God created such a person.On the contrary, it says about God: “TheRock, perfect is his activity, for all his waysare justice. AGodof faithfulness, withwhomthere is no injustice; righteous and upright ishe.”—Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 5:4.

The point to consider is whether a perfectperson created by God could do anythingother than what is right. Far from mak-ing his creatures like robots, God grantedthem free will—the ability to make their ownchoices.Hence, a perfect, intelligent creaturecan choose to do good or to do evil. In reali-ty, only deeds performed by an intelligentcreature, humanor spirit, endowed with freewill could have real moral significance.

It follows, therefore, that God would nothave granted his creatures moral freedomand at the same time prevented them fromdoing evil should they choose to do so. Jesusreferred to a misuse of free will when he saidof the Devil: “He did not stand fast in thetruth.” (John 8:44) That statement clearlyindicates that the one who became the Devilwas originally a perfect spirit person, who atone time did “stand fast in the truth.”� Je-hovah God made his creatures free moralagents because he loves and trusts them.

� To understand why God did not immediately put anend to the Devil’s rebellion, see chapter 11 of the bookWhat Does the Bible Really Teach? published by Jehovah’sWitnesses.

Who ReallyRules theWorld?

NOW PUBLISHED IN 188 LANGUAGES: Acholi, Af-rikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Armenian(West), Aymara, Azerbaijani, Azerbaijani (Cyrillic),Baoule, Bengali, Bicol, Bislama, Bulgarian, Cambodian,Cebuano, Chichewa, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Tra-ditional)� (audio Mandarin only), Chitonga, Chuukese,Cibemba, Croatian, Czech,� Danish,� Dutch,�� Efik, En-glish�� (also Braille), Estonian, Ewe, Fijian, Finnish,�French,�� Ga, Georgian, German,�� Greek, Greenland-ic, Guarani,�� Gujarati, Gun, Haitian Creole, Hau-sa, Hebrew, Hiligaynon, Hindi, Hiri Motu, Hungarian,��Icelandic, Igbo, Iloko, Indonesian, Isoko, Italian,�� Japa-nese,�� Kannada, Kazakh, Kikaonde, Kikongo, Kikuyu, Ki-

luba, Kimbundu, Kinyarwanda, Kirghiz, Kiribati, Kirun-di, Kongo, Korean,�� Kwangali, Kwanyama, Latvian,Lingala, Lithuanian, Luganda, Lunda, Luo, Luvale, Mac-edonian, Malagasy, Malayalam, Maltese, Marathi, Mar-shallese, Mauritian Creole, Maya, Mixe, Mizo, Moore,Myanmar, Ndebele, Ndonga, Nepali, Niuean, Norwe-gian,�� Nyaneka, Nzema, Oromo, Ossetian, Otetela, Pa-lauan, Pangasinan, Papiamento (Curacao), Persian, Pol-ish,�� Ponapean, Portuguese,�� Punjabi, Quechua(Ancash), Quechua (Ayacucho), Quechua (Bolivia), Que-chua (Cuzco), Quichua, Rarotongan, Romanian, Rus-sian,�� Samoan, Sango, Sepedi, Serbian, Serbian (Ro-man), Sesotho, Seychelles Creole, Shona, Silozi, Sinhala,

Slovak, Slovenian, Solomon Islands Pidgin, Spanish,�� Sra-nantongo, Swahili, Swati, Swedish,� Tagalog,� Tahitian,Tamil, Tatar, Telugu, Tetum, Thai, Tigrinya, Tiv, Tok Pisin,Tongan, Totonac, Tshiluba, Tshwa, Tsonga, Tswana, Tum-buka, Turkish, Tuvaluan, Twi, Tzotzil, Ukrainian, Umbun-du, Urdu, Uruund, Uzbek, Venda, Vietnamese, Wallisian,Waray-Waray, Wolaita, Xhosa, Yapese, Yoruba, Zande,Zapotec (Isthmus), Zulu

� CD also available.� MP3 CD-ROM also available.� Audio recordings also available at www.jw.org.

—See the box “Could a Perfect Creature LosePerfection?” onpage 6.˛ “The Devil is a servant of God” For some,the Bible seems to suggest this idea in thebook of Job. According to one Bible com-mentary, the statement that the Devil was“roving about in the earth” refers to the roleof ancient Persian spies, who traveled and re-ported matters in the service of their king.(Job 1:7) However, if the Devil were reallyGod’s spy, why would he have to explain toGod that hehad come from“roving about inthe earth”? Far from depicting him as an allyof God, the account in Job calls the Devil bythe name Satan, meaning “Resister,” thus

indicating that he is actually God’s chief Ad-versary. (Job 1:6) Where, then, does the ideathat the Devil is inGod’s service come from?

As early as the first century C.E., apocry-phal books, such as the “Book of Jubilees”and the “Common Rule” of the Qumransect, depicted the Devil as bargaining withGod and yet subject to His will. In his bookMephistopheles, historian J. B. Russell ex-plains that Protestant Reformer Martin Lu-ther regarded the Devil as God’s tool, “like apruning hook or a hoe that he uses to culti-vate his garden.” The idea is, adds Russell,that “the hoe takes pleasure in destroying

Is the Devil a servant of Godor a resister of God?

the weeds,” but it remains in God’s mightyhand, thus fulfilling God’s will. Luther’steaching—later accepted by French theolo-gian John Calvin—offended many believers’sense of justice. How could a loving God notonly permit evil but even will it to happen?(James 1:13) This doctrine, along with thehorrors of the 20th century, prevents manypeople from believing both in God and inthe Devil.˛ “The Devil is merely a principle of evil”To consider the Devil a mere principleof evil would make some Bible passagesalmost impossible to understand. For in-stance, as described at Job 2:3-6, with whomwas God having a conversation? Was he pos-sibly speaking to an abstract principle of evilin Job, or was he perhaps even talking tohimself? Furthermore, would God be prais-ing the virtues of Job at one moment and al-lowing Job to be tested by a principle of evilthe next? Ascribing such motives to Godwould amount to making him a perverse Be-ing, not the one “in whom there is no un-righteousness.” (Psalm92:15) Quite the con-trary, God refused to ‘thrust out his hand’ toharm Job. Clearly, the Devil is not a principleof evil or a dark side of God’s personality buta spirit person who made himself God’s Ad-versary.

Who Really Is Ruling the World?Today, many feel that it is old-fashioned

to believe in the Devil. However, no expla-nation for the harsh reality of evil, apartfrom the Devil, has proved satisfactory. Infact, the attempt to do away with the idea ofthe Devil has led many people to reject Godand any moral boundaries altogether.

“The devil’s deepest wile,” wrote 19th-century poet Charles-Pierre Baudelaire, “isto persuade us that he does not exist.” Byconcealing his identity, the Devil has actual-ly raised doubts about the existence of God.If the Devil did not exist, would that notmakeGod responsible for all evil? Is that notexactly what the Devil wants people to be-lieve?

Like a criminal boss, the Devil concealshis identity in order to achieve his objective.What is that objective? The Bible answers:“The god of this system of things has blind-ed the minds of the unbelievers, that the il-luminationof the glorious goodnews aboutthe Christ, who is the image of God, mightnot shine through.”—2 Corinthians 4:4.

One important question remains. Whatwill God do with this secret mastermindwho is behind all evil and suffering? This wewill consider in the following article.

The perfection granted by God to his intelligent creatures is relative.Although created perfect, Adam needed to respect the physical limitsimposed upon him by his Creator. For example, he could not eat dirt,gravel, or wood without suffering the consequences. If he had ignoredthe law of gravity and jumped from a high cliff, he would have died orbeen severely injured.Likewise, no perfect creature—human or angelic—can go beyond themoral boundaries set by God without exposing himself to ill effects.Thus, when an intelligent creature misuses his free will, he easily falls intoerror and sin.—Genesis 1:29; Matthew 4:4.

Could a Perfect Creature Lose Perfection?


“THE ruler of this world will be cast out,”said Jesus to the people onone occasion.

Later, he added that ‘the ruler of the worldhad no hold on him’ and that “the ruler ofthis world has been judged.” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) Of whomwas Jesus speaking?

Considering what Jesus was saying about“the ruler of this world,” it is obvious thathe could not have been referring to his Fa-ther, Jehovah God. Who, then, is “the rulerof this world”? How will he be “cast out,”and how has he been “judged”?

“The Ruler of This World”Reveals Himself

Just as a master criminal often takes prideinboasting about his power, so did theDevilwhen tempting Jesus, the Son of God. Aftershowing Jesus “all the kingdoms” of theworld, Satanmadehim this offer: “Iwill giveyou all this authority and the glory of them,because it has been delivered to me, and towhomever I wish I give it. You, therefore, ifyou do an act of worship before me, it willall be yours.”—Luke 4:5-7.

If theDevilweremerely a principle of evil,as some have suggested, how could thattemptation be explained? Was Jesus beingtempted by some evil thought or by someinner turmoil that possibly followed hisbaptism? If so, how could it be said that“there is no sin in him”? (1 John 3:5) Farfrom denying the Devil’s power over man-kind, Jesus actuallyconfirmed it by speakingof him as “the ruler of the world,” describ-ing him as “a murderer” and “a liar.”—John14:30; 8:44; The New Jerusalem Bible.

Some 60 years after Christ’s encounterwith the Devil, the apostle John remindedChristians of theDevil’s powerful influence,saying that “the whole world is lying in thepower of the wicked one.” That one, Johnalso said, “is misleading the entire inhabitedearth.” (1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9) Clear-ly, the Bible speaks of an invisible spirit as“the ruler of the world.” But what is the ex-tent of his influence over mankind?

The World Ruler DelegatesPower to Associates

Writing about the Christians’ fight for thefaith, the apostle Paul clearly identified theirworst enemies. “We have a wrestling,” hecandidly said, “not against blood and flesh,but against the governments, against the au-thorities, against the world rulers of thisdarkness, against the wicked spirit forces inthe heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) Thus,this fight goes beyond the human sphere,since it is carried out, “not against blood andflesh,” but against “wicked spirit forces.”

According to most modern Bible transla-tions, “the wicked spirit forces” here refer,not to an abstract principle of evil, but topowerful wicked spirit persons. Some ver-sions offer such renderings as “the spiri-tual hosts of wickedness in the heavenlyplaces” (Revised Standard Version), “the spir-itual army of evil in the heavens” (The Jeru-salem Bible), and “the superhuman forces ofevil in the heavens” (The New English Bible).Thus, the Devil has been exercising his pow-er through other rebel angels who forsook“their own proper dwelling place” in heav-en.—Jude 6.

TheWorld’s Secret Ruler Exposed

8 THE WATCHTOWER ˙ SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

The prophetic Bible book of Daniel dis-closes how these “world rulers” have beenexerting control over the world since an-cient times. Deeply concerned about fellowJews who in 537 B.C.E. had returned to Je-rusalem from their Babylonian exile, theprophet Daniel prayed in their behalf forthree weeks. An angel, sent by God to re-assure the prophet, told him why his arrivalhad been delayed. He said: “The prince ofthe royal realm of Persia was standing in op-position to me for twenty-one days.”—Dan-iel 10:2,13.

Who was this ‘prince of Persia’? The an-gel was obviously not referring to PersianKing Cyrus, who at that time looked with fa-vor upon Daniel and his people. Moreover,how could a mere human king resist a spiritcreature for three weeks when it took oneangel only one night to destroy 185,000mighty warriors? (Isaiah 37:36) This hostile‘prince of Persia’ could only be an agent ofthe Devil, that is, a demon who was givencontrol over the realm of the Persian Em-pire. Later in the account, God’s angel statedthat he would once again have to fightagainst “the prince of Persia” and anoth-er demon prince, “the prince of Greece.”—Daniel 10:20.

What can we conclude from this? Simplythat there really are invisible “world rulers,”demon princes who share control of theworld under the authority of their chief, Sa-tan the Devil. But what has been their aimuntil now?

The World Ruler Shows His True FaceIn the last book of the Bible, Revelation,

the apostle John relates how Jesus, as Mi-chael the archangel, defeats the Devil andhis demons and tells of the disastrous conse-quences resulting from their expulsion fromheaven. We read: “Woe for the earth . . . be-

cause the Devil has come down to you, hav-ing great anger, knowing he has a short peri-od of time.”—Revelation 12:9,12.

How has the Devil shown great anger? Justas many desperate criminals follow the poli-cy of ‘rule or ruin,’ the Devil and his demonsare determined to bring the earth and its in-habitants to ruin with them. Knowing thathis time is short, the Devil has been us-ing one of the key elements of humansociety under his control—big business—topromote a frenzied spirit of consumerism,which leads to depletionof natural resourcesand destruction of the environment world-wide, thus threatening humanity’s survival.—Revelation 11:18; 18:11-17.

Since the beginning of human history, theDevil’s thirst for power has also been reflect-ed in politics and religion. The bookof Reve-lation depicts political powers as wild beaststo whom the Devil has given “great authori-ty.” It also describes the shameless alliancebetween politics and religion as disgustingspiritual adultery. (Revelation 13:2; 17:1, 2)Think of the oppression, enslavement, wars,and ethnic conflicts over the centuries thathave resulted in the loss of millions of lives.Can anyone honestly say that the shockingand horrifying events that have tainted thepages of human history were the normal ac-tivity of humans? Or were they the resultof manipulation by unseen wicked spiritforces?

The Bible unmistakably identifies and un-masks the one who has been maneuveringhuman leaders and world powers. Whetherconsciously or not, human society reflectsthe personality of its ruler and his ‘rule orruin’ policy. But for how long will human-kind suffer under the Devil’s rulership?

The Devil’s Last GaspChrist’s activityon earth in thefirst centu-

ry sounded the death knell for theDevil and

his demons. When Jesus’ disciples relatedhow they had cast out unseen demons, hetold them: “I began to behold Satan alreadyfallen like lightning from heaven.” (Luke 10:18) With those words, Jesus was rejoicing athis future victoryover the ruler of theworld,to take place once Jesus was back in heavenas Michael the archangel. (Revelation 12:7-9) A thorough study of Bible propheciesindicates that this victory took place inheaven in or shortly after 1914.�

Since that date, the Devil knows that thetime remaining before his destruction isshort. Although ‘the whole world is lying inhis power,’ millions of people today havenot been misled by his desperate attempts tocontrol them. The Bible has opened theireyes to his true identity and his designs.(2 Corinthians 2:11) They draw hope fromPaul’s words to fellow Christians: “The Godwho gives peacewill crush Satan under yourfeet shortly.”�—Romans 16:20.

Soon will come the Devil’s last gasp! Un-der Christ’s loving rulership, righteous hu-mans will turn God’s symbolic footstool,the earth, into a paradise. Violence, hatred,and greed will be gone forever. “The formerthings will not be called to mind,” says theBible. (Isaiah 65:17) What a relief it will befor all who break free from the secret ruler ofthis world and his authority!

� For more details on this date, see the appendix to thebook What Does the Bible Really Teach? published by Jeho-vah’s Witnesses, pages 215 to 218.� Paul’s words here echo the first Bible prophecy, record-

ed at Genesis 3:15, pointing to the Devil’s eventual de-struction. To describe the event, Paul used a Greek wordthat means “to shatter, shiver, break in pieces by crush-ing.”—Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old andNew Testament Words.

Under Christ’s loving rulership, righteous humanswill turn the earth into a paradise


ˇ To many, the word “Armageddon” evokesscenes of mass destruction—nuclear war, large-scale natural disasters, or even an “environ-mental Armageddon” jump-started by globalwarming. This word as used in the Bible refersto none of these. What, then, is the Biblical Ar-mageddon?

The term “Armageddon” (“Har–Magedon”)appears in the Bible book of Revelation. It refersto a unique war, “the war of the great day ofGod the Almighty,” in which “the kings of theentire inhabited earth” are mobilized for a finalbattle with God. Reference to such a war alsoappears in numerous other scriptures.—Revela-tion 16:14-16; Ezekiel 38:22, 23; Joel 3:12-14;Luke 21:34, 35; 2 Peter 3:11,12.

What does this war entail? In symbolic terms,the book of Revelation tells us: “The kings of theearth and their armies gathered together towage the war with the one seated on the horseand with his army.” This “one seated on thehorse” is God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who is ap-pointed by God to lead legions of angelic war-riors to victory over God’s enemies. (Revela-tion 19:11-16, 19-21) Jeremiah 25:33 reveals themagnitude of this destruction of the ungodly:“Those slain by Jehovah will certainly come tobe in that day from one end of the earth clear tothe other end of the earth.”

Why is Armageddon necessary? The nationsrefuse to acknowledge God’s sovereignty, butthey proclaim their own. (Psalm 24:1) Their de-fiance is described at Psalm 2:2: “The kings ofearth take their stand and high officials them-selves have massed together as one against Je-hovah and against his anointed one.”

In effect, these rebels are like stubborn squat-ters who not only claim property that is not

theirs but also misuse and ruin it. The nationstoday are ruining the earth and polluting its en-vironment. God’s Word foretold this deplor-able situation, saying: “The nations becamewrathful, and [God’s] own wrath came.” Godwould then “bring to ruin those ruining theearth.” (Revelation 11:18) Armageddon is theway sanctioned by God to resolve the issue ofwho has the right to rule over all humanity.—Psalm 83:18.

When will Armageddon take place? God’sSon plainly stated: “Concerning that day andhour nobody knows, neither the angels of theheavens nor the Son, but only the Father.”(Matthew 24:36) Even so, in speaking about Ar-mageddon, the Warrior-King Jesus Christ add-ed this warning: “Look! I am coming as a thief.

Happy is the one that stays awake.” (Revelation16:15) Thus, this global war is associated withChrist’s presence, which Bible prophecies showis now here.

Armageddon will destroy only the incorrigi-bly wicked, and there will be “a great crowd”of survivors. (Revelation 7:9-14) They will seethese words come true: “Just a little while lon-ger, and the wicked one will be no more; andyou will certainly give attention to his place, andhe will not be. But the meek ones themselveswill possess the earth, and they will indeed findtheir exquisite delight in the abundance ofpeace.”—Psalm 37:10,11.

OUR READERS ASK . . .

What is Armageddon?

“The meek ones themselves willpossess the earth, and they willindeed find their exquisite delightin the abundance of peace”

“Wheat and Barley” Although wheat and barley wereboth sown in the fall, barley ripened a month sooner. Asheaf of the firstfruits from the barley harvest was pre-sented at the temple as an offering to Jehovah during theFestival of Unleavened Bread, in March or April. An offer-ing of wheat loaves, on the other hand, was presentedduring the Festival of Weeks, or Pentecost, in May.—Le-viticus 23:10,11,15-17.

For centuries and up until fairly recently, farmers in Is-rael sowed cereal seeds by hand, broadcasting the grain,which they held in a fold of their garment. Barley grainswere simply scattered on the ground. Wheat seeds, how-ever, needed covering. They were worked into the soil ei-ther by being trodden down by draft animals or by re-plowing the field.

The Bible often refers to sowing, reaping, threshing,winnowing, and grinding grain. Considerable physicaleffort was involved in each step. Every day, harvestedgrain was ground into flour at home and then bakedinto bread for the family. This gives meaning to Jesus’

“THE SEVEN SPECIES”OF THE GOOD LAND

IN THE Bible, the land of Israel is described as a land of hills and valleys,coastal plains and plateaus, rivers and springs. With such variety of soil

types and climate zones, including parched desert in the south and snow-clad mountains in the north, this land yielded a remarkable variety of crops.When Moses heightened the Israelites’ expectations regarding the “goodland” that awaited them, he spoke of it as “a land of wheat and barley andvines and figs and pomegranates, a land of oil olives and honey,” specifical-ly mentioning seven agricultural products.—Deuteronomy 8:7, 8.

To this day, the expression “the seven species” is still used to describe theproducts of the land. At various times, these crops have appeared on localcoins and postage stamps as a symbol of the land’s fertility. How were theycultivated in Bible times? How did they affect the people’s way of life? Letus see.

W H E A T

BA

RL

EY


instruction that we pray for “our daily bread.” (Matthew6:11, King James Version) Bread made from whole-grainwheat or barley flour was the staple of people in Bibletimes.—Isaiah 55:10.

“Vines and Figs and Pomegranates” After leading hispeople in the wilderness for 40 years, Moses set an entic-ing prospect before them—that of eating the fruitage ofthe Promised Land. Forty years earlier, what did the tenspies bring back to the Israelites encamped in the wilder-ness as evidence of the Promised Land’s fruitfulness? “Ashoot with one cluster of grapes” so heavy that they hadto carry it “with a bar on two of the men.” They alsobrought back figs and pomegranates. What a mouth-watering experience for the desert wanderers! That was ataste of good things to come!—Numbers 13:20, 23.

Grapevines needed constant care—pruning, irrigating,and harvesting—to maintain their fruitfulness. A protec-tive wall, carefully fashioned terraces, and a watchman’sbooth marked a well-kept hillside vineyard. The Israelitescame to be well-acquainted with the work that needed tobe done in a vineyard and understood what would hap-pen if it was neglected.—Isaiah 5:1-7.

At the grape harvest, wine making began. Clusters ofgrapes were trampled in a vat or squeezed in a winepress.The juice was either boiled to extract its natural sugar orallowed to ferment to become wine. The land of Israelwas blessed with just the right conditions for grape grow-ing and wine making.�

People who live far from lands where figs grow mayhave seen only the dried and pressed variety. A figstraight from the tree seems to be a totally different fruit—sweet and juicy. To preserve them beyond the shortharvesting period, figs have to be sun-dried and pack-

� Grapes were also dried to make raisins.—2 Samuel 6:19.

V I N E S FI

GS

PO

ME

GR

AN

AT

ES

aged. “Cakes of pressed figs” are mentioned often in theBible.—1 Samuel 25:18.

Breaking open the leathery skin of a ripe pomegranateexposes hundreds of closely packed “minifruits,” readyfor eating or juicing—a refreshing, healthful, and nour-ishing treat. Esteem for the pomegranate is seen in thatrepresentations of it once adorned the hem of one of thegarments of the high priest as well as the pillars of Solo-mon’s temple.—Exodus 39:24; 1 Kings 7:20.

“Olives and Honey” The Bible contains close to 60 ref-erences to the olive, a valuable source of food and oil. Ol-ive groves still dot most parts of Israel. (Deuteronomy 28:40) To this day, the October harvest is a family affair inmany communities. Harvesters beat the tree branches toshake the olives free and then gather the fallen crop. Theolives are preserved and used as food for the family year-round or are taken to a communal oil press. In fact, hun-dreds of ancient presses of various types have beenunearthed at archaeological sites. Today, it is fascinatingto see the pale greenoil flow into containers for the fami-ly’s annual supplyor for marketing as a source of income.Besides being used as a food item, olive oil also served asa cosmetic and as fuel for lamps.

The honey that Moses mentioned could have been ei-ther honey produced by bees or a syrup extracted fromdates and grapes. Honey extracted from these fruits isstill commonly used as a sweetener. But the honey men-tioned in the Bible accounts of Samsonand Jonathanwasclearlywildhoney from the comb. (Judges 14:8, 9; 1 Sam-uel 14:27) A recent discoveryof an apiaryofmore than30beehives at Tel Rehov in northern Israel shows that bee-keeping was practiced in the land as far back as the daysof Solomon.

Today, anyone who takes a stroll through a colorfulmarket in Israel—with its bakeries and well-stocked fruitand vegetable stalls—will find an abundant supply of“the seven species” in one form or another. These seven,of course, are just a few of the seemingly endless vari-ety of foodstuffs produced locally. Modern agriculturalmethods have made it possible to cultivate plants nativeto other lands. All this abundance shows that this littlestrip of land does indeed live up to its reputation as the“good land.”—Numbers 14:7.

H O N E Y

OL

IV

ES


ˇ Following the Israelites’ Exodus fromEgypt, God twice provided them withan abundance of meat in the form ofquail.—Exodus 16:13; Numbers 11:31.

Quail are small birds, about 7 inches(18 cm) in length and weighing about3.5 ounces (100 g). They breed in manyparts of western Asia and Europe. Beingmigratory birds, they winter in NorthAfrica and Arabia. During their season-al passage, vast flocks traverse the east-ern shores of the Mediterranean Seaand fly over the Sinai Peninsula.

According to The New WestminsterDictionary of the Bible, quail “fly rapid-ly and well, and take advantage ofthe wind; but if the wind changes its

course, or the birds become exhaustedfrom long flight, the whole immenseflock is apt to fall to the ground, wherethe birds lie stunned.” Before continu-ing their migration, they have to rest onthe ground for a day or two, thus be-coming easy catch for hunters. In theearly 20th century, Egypt was exportingsome three million quail annually forfood.

Both times that the Israelites fed onquail were in the spring. Although quailregularly flewover the Sinai area duringthat time, it was Jehovah who caused ‘awind to burst forth’ to drive these birdsinto the Israelite encampment.—Num-bers 11:31.

DID YOU KNOW?

Why did God choose quail to feed the Israelitesin the wilderness?

From the book Wood’s BibleAnimals. 1876

ˇ The three seasonal festivals that Godcommanded the Jews to observe—theFestival of Unfermented Cakes, the Fes-tival of Pentecost, and the Festival of In-gathering—were held in early spring,late spring, and fall respectively. Thefestival mentioned at John 10:22, how-ever, was held in “wintertime” andcommemorated the rededication of Je-hovah’s temple in 165 B.C.E. It was heldfor eight days, beginning on the 25thdayof the month of Chislev, close to thewinter solstice. What led to its institu-tion?

In 168 B.C.E., the Syrian Seleucid rul-er Antiochus IV (Epiphanes), in his ef-fort to eradicate Jewish worship andcustoms, had a pagan altar erected

atop the altar in Jehovah’s temple in Je-rusalem. Upon it, he had sacrifices of-fered to the Greek god Zeus.

This incident sparked the Maccabeanuprising. The Jewish leader Judas Mac-cabaeus recovered Jerusalem from theSeleucids and then had the defiled al-tar demolished and a new one built inits place. Exactly three years after the al-tar had first been desecrated, Judasrededicated the cleansed temple toJehovah. This “festival of dedication”(Hebrew, chanuk·kah�) has been cele-brated in December by the Jews eversince. Today, the festival is known asHanukkah.

What was “the festival of dedication” mentionedat John 10:22?

A DEPICTION OFJUDAS MACCABAEUS,

LYON, 1553


“NO GREATER burden can be born[e] by an in-dividual than to know no one cares or un-

derstands.”� Can you relate to those words?Have you ever felt that no one cares about or un-derstands what you are going through, let alonehow you feel? If so, you may find comfort in this:Jehovah cares so deeply about his worshippersthat he takes note of all that happens to them asthey go about their daily life. David’s words atPsalm 139 assure us of this truth.

Confident of God’s interest in him, David says:“O Jehovah, you have searched through me,and you know me.” (Verse 1) David uses a beau-tiful word picture here. The Hebrew verb ren-dered “search through” can refer to digging forore (Job 28:3), exploring a land (Judges 18:2), orexamining the facts of a legal case (Deuterono-my 13:14). Yes, Jehovah knows us sowell that it isas though he has examined every aspect andevery corner of our existence. By using the pro-noun “me,” David teaches us that God has apersonal interest in his servants. He searchesthem through and comes to know them as indi-viduals.

David enlarges on the thoroughness of God’ssearching, saying: “You yourself have cometo know my sitting down and my rising up.You have considered my thought from far off.”(Verse 2) In a sense, Jehovah is “far off,” residingin the heavens. Yet, he knows when we sit down,perhaps at the end of a long day, and when werise up in the morning and go about our dailylife. He also knows our thoughts, desires, and in-tentions. Does David feel threatened by suchclose scrutiny? On the contrary, he invites it.(Verses 23, 24) Why is that?

� Quote is from author Arthur H. Stainback.

David knows that Jehovah has a positive mo-tive in scrutinizing His worshippers. David al-ludes to this motive, writing: “My journeyingand my lying outstretched you have measuredoff, and you have become familiar even with allmy ways.” (Verse 3) Each day, Jehovah sees ‘allour ways’—our mistakes as well as our goodworks. Does he focus on the bad oron the good?The Hebrew term rendered “measure off” canmean to “sift,” or “winnow,” much the way afarmer winnows out theuseless chaff in his questfor the valuable grain. Thephrase “become familiar”translates a Hebrew wordthat can mean “to cher-ish.” When examining thethings his worshippers sayand do each day, Jehovahtreasures the good. Why?He cherishes their effortsto please him.

Psalm 139 teaches usthat Jehovah deeply cares about his worship-pers. He searches through them and watchesover them as they go about their lives each day.He thus knows the problems they face, and heunderstands the pain of mind and heart thatmay result from these hardships. Are you movedtoworship such a caring God? If you are, you canbe sure of this: Jehovah will never “forget yourwork and the love you showed for his name.”—Hebrews 6:10.

DRAW CLOSE TO GOD

“O Jehovah, . . . You Know Me”

��

SUGGESTED BIBLE READING FOR SEPTEMBER:˛ Psalms 119-150

��

1. Does God listen to all prayers?Jehovah invites people of all nations to draw

close to him in prayer. (Psalm 65:2) But hedoes not listen to all prayers. For example,when the Israelites persisted in badness, Godrefused to hear their prayers. (Isaiah 1:15)

Also, the prayers of a man who mistreats hiswife can be hindered. (1 Peter 3:7) Yet, Godwill hear even gross sinners if they repent.—Read 2 Chronicles 33:9-13.

2. How should we pray?Prayer is a privilege and a part of our worship, so

we should pray only to Jehovah. (Matthew 4:10;6:9) Since we are imperfect, we should pray in thename of Jesus because he is the appointed “way.”(John 14:6) Jehovah does not want us to repeatmemorized or written prayers but to pray from theheart.—Read Matthew 6:7; Philippians 4:6, 7.

Our Creator can even hear silent prayers. (1 Samu-el 1:12, 13) He invites us to pray on every occasion,such as at the beginning and the end of the day,at mealtimes, and when we face problems.—ReadPsalm 55:22; Matthew 15:36.

3. Why do Christians meet together?Drawing close to God is not easy because we live

among people who lack faith in God and ridicule hispromise of peace on earth. (2 Timothy 3:1, 4; 2 Peter3:3,13) So we need to have encouraging associationwith fellow believers.—Read Hebrews 10:24, 25.

You can come near to God if you make friendswith people who love God. The meetings of Jeho-vah’s Witnesses provide opportunities to benefitfrom the faith of others.—Read Romans 1:11,12.

LEARN FROM GOD’S WORD

How Can YouDraw Close to God?

This article raises questions youmay have asked and shows where youcan read the answers in your Bible.Jehovah’s Witnesses would be pleasedto discuss these answers with you.

4. How can you draw close to God?You can draw close to Jehovah by meditating on

what you have learned from his Word. Contemplatehis activities, his directions, and his promises. Prayer-ful meditation builds heart appreciation for God’slove and wisdom.—Read Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-3.

You can be close to God only if you trust in him, ifyou have faith in him. But faith is like a living thingthat needs to be sustained. You must constantly feedyour faith by reviewing the basis for your beliefs.—Read 1 Thessalonians 5:21; Hebrews 11:1, 6.

5. How will drawing close to Godbenefit you?

Jehovah cares for those who love him. He protectsthem from anything that could jeopardize their faithand their hope of everlasting life. (Psalm 91:1, 2, 7-10) He warns us against ways of life that threatenour health and happiness. Jehovah teaches us thebest way of life.—Read Psalm 73:27, 28; James 4:4, 8.

For more information, see chapter 17 of this book,published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

WHAT DOESTHE BIBLE

Really TEACH?

17


IN France at that time, as elsewhere in Eu-rope, the Catholic Church was in pursuit

of Reformers in an effort to stamp out their“insidious” doctrines. One of the Reformers,the fiery Guillaume Farel, was determined towin the French-speaking world over to theviews of Martin Luther, a leading figureof the Protestant Reformation. Farel, fromDauphine Province in southeastern France,knew that a key player in the battle of ideaswas the printed page. To accomplish his mis-sion, he needed supplies of pamphlets andtreatises, as well as Bibles. But who wouldfinance such an undertaking? Why not theWaldenses, an independent religious groupdevoted to preaching the Bible?

A Synod at ChanforanBack in mid-September 1532, the Walden-

sian barbes (pastors) held a synod, or confer-ence, at Chanforan, a hamlet near Turin,Italy. For several years, there had been inter-changes between the Waldenses and leadersof the Reformation. Thus, Farel and severalothers were invited to the synod. The Wal-denses wanted to know if their own doc-

trines agreed with those preached by Lutherand his disciples.�

At Chanforan, Farel’s eloquence was con-vincing. When the Waldensian barbesshowed him their old handwritten Bibles intheir own dialect, he convinced them tofinance the printing of a Bible in French. Incontrast with the 1523 version by Lefevred’

´Etaples, based on the Latin, this one was to

be translated from the Hebrew and Greek.But who was capable of handling such atask?

Farel knew just such a man. His name wasPierre Robert, but he was known as Olive-tan,� a young teacher born in the Picardy re-gion of northern France. Olivetan, a cousinof John Calvin, was an early Reformer and atrustworthy man. He also spent several yearsin Strasbourg diligently studying Bible lan-guages.

� For information on how the Waldenses were ab-sorbed by the Reformation, see The Watchtower ofMarch 15, 2002, pages 20-23.� Born Louys Robert, he adopted the first name Pierre.

The nickname Olivetan likely refers to the abundance ofolive oil he used in order to provide light for his longhours of work.

Olivetan“The Humble Little Translator”of the French Bible

It was September 13, 1540. The police were searching the home of Collin Pellenc.In a secret room, they found some suspicious documents, among them a largebook. On the second page were the words: “P. Robert Olivetanus, the humblelittle translator.” It was a Waldensian Bible! Collin Pellenc was arrested, convictedof heresy, and burned alive.

Archivesdela

Villede

Neuchatel,Suisse

/Photo:StefanoIori


Like Farel and many others, Olivetan hadtaken refuge in Switzerland. His friendsbegged him to accept the translationproject.After refusing several times, he finally ac-cepted the commission to translate the Bi-ble “according to the Hebrew and Greeklanguages into French.” At the same time,the Waldenses put up 500 of the 800 goldcrowns—a fortune!—needed to finance aprintery.

The Crow and the NightingaleEarly in 1534, Olivetan isolated himself in

the Alps and began his work, surrounded byhis “silent teachers,” his books. His librarywould be the envy of any modern-day schol-ar. It included Syriac, Greek, and Latin ver-sions of the Bible, rabbinical commentaries,Chaldean grammar books, and many otherbooks. Most important, he had a currentVenetian version of the original Hebrew textof the Bible.

Olivetan based his rendering of what iscommonly called the New Testament on theFrench text of Lefevre d’

´Etaples, although

the Greek text established by the Dutchscholar Erasmus was taken into account onmany occasions. Olivetan’s choice of vocab-ulary was often aimed at loosening the gripof Catholicism. For example, he preferred“overseer” to “bishop,” “secret” to “mys-tery,” and “congregation” to “church.”

For what many term the Old Testament,Olivetanwas determined to render the origi-

nal Hebrew word for word. He jokingly saidthat translating Hebrew into French was like“teaching the sweet nightingale to sing thesong of the hoarse crow”!

In the Hebrew text, Olivetan came acrossthe divine name in the form of the Tetra-grammaton thousands of times. He chose totranslate it “The Eternal,” an expression thatlater became common in French ProtestantBibles. In several places, however, he optedfor “Jehovah,” notably at Exodus 6:3.

Remarkably, on February 12, 1535, afteronly a year or so, the translator declaredhis work complete! Since he admitted thathe had “already long borne this yoke [oftranslation] all alone,” evidently the year1534/1535 was the culmination of an on-going, painstaking process. “I have done thebest I could,” said the translator modestly.All that remained now was to print the firstFrenchBible translated with the original lan-guages in mind.

In Pirot’s WorkshopPierre de Wingle, alias Pirot Picard, a friend

of Farel’s and a Reformist printer, now en-tered the picture. After being hounded out ofLyon by the Catholic Church, he settled inNeuchatel, Switzerland, in 1533. With Wal-densian money, he began printing “subver-sive” material in abundance. It was his work-shop, for example, that produced posterscondemning the Mass, some of which madetheir way toCatholic King Francis I of France.

Left

phot

o:Al

ain

Lepr

ince

-La

Pisc

ine-

mus

ee,R

ouba

ix/C

ourt

esy

ofth

efo

rmer

Bouc

hard

Mus

eum

,Par

isCe

nter

and

right

:Soc

iete

del’H

istoi

redu

Prot

esta

ntism

eFr

anca

is,Pa

ris

Once again, de Wingle set his presses inmotion—this time to produce a Bible! Tospeed up the process, a team of four or fiveworkers operated each of two presses, settingthe type and printing the sheets. Finally, in“the year 1535, the 4thdayof June,” de Win-gle signed the printer’s page of Olivetan’s Bi-ble. In his preface, the translator dedicatedhis work to those poor believers “crushedand weighed down” by “vain traditions.”

The final result met all expectations. Thebeauty and simplicity of the French text wasenhanced by crisp, elegant, gothic script setin two columns and divided into chaptersand paragraphs. Marginal notes attest to thescholarship of the translator. Introductorycomments, appendixes, tables, and poemsalso embellish the work. At the end of thevolume, a short rhyming acrostic revealsthat “the Waldenses, who the Gospel preach,placed this treasure within public reach.”

A Masterpiece . . . and a FailureOnce scorned, the work of Olivetan is to-

day unanimously recognized as a veritablemasterpiece of scholarship. Moreover, histext went on to serve as the basis for Protes-tant Bible versions for three centuries.

Though about a thousand copies of Olive-tan’s Bible were produced, they did not sellwell. That was because therewas no solid dis-tribution network and also because it was atime when the French language itself wasundergoing rapid change. Besides, a large11-pound (5-kg) volume was not the idealformat for traveling preachers or clandestinereaders.

In spite of the fact that a copy hadmade itsway to Collin Pellenc’s home in France, asmentioned at the beginning of this article,Olivetan’s Bible was actually a commercialfailure. In 1670, nearly a century and a halflater, a bookshop in Geneva still had a copyfor sale.

“No Name From No Place”His mission accomplished, Olivetan

slipped back into obscurity. Under assumednames, he revised his New Testament andparts of the Old Testament. He also dedicat-ed himself to his other passion—teaching. Athoughtful schoolteacher, he reedited his In-struction for Children, a book for youngstersprovidingmoral lessons and an introductionto French reading based entirely on theScriptures. Among the pseudonyms that headoptedwas Belisem de Belimakom,meaning“No Name From No Place.”

Olivetan died in 1538 while in his early30’s, possibly in Rome. Few people today areaware of the key role that this young scholarfrom Picardy played in the circulation of theFrench Bible. His name seldom appears indictionaries, if at all. This would probablyhave suited “the humble little translator,”Louys Robert, alias Olivetan!

Soci

ete

del’H

istoi

redu

Prot

esta

ntism

eFr

anca

is,Pa

ris


FEW people enjoy paying taxes. Manyfeel that their tax money is wasted by

inefficiency, misappropriation, or outrightfraud. Some, though, object to taxation onmoral grounds. Explaining their decision towithhold payment of their taxes, residents ofone Middle Eastern town stated: “We will notfinance the bullets that kill our children.”

Such sentiments are neither isolated nornew. The late Hindu leader Mohandas K.Gandhi expressed his conscientious stancethis way: “He or she who supports a State or-ganized in the military way—whether direct-ly or indirectly—participates in the sin. Eachman old or young takes part in the sin bycontributing to the maintenance of the Stateby paying taxes.”

Similarly, 19th-century philosopher HenryDavid Thoreau cited moral grounds to de-fend his refusal to pay taxes used to supportwar. He asked: “Must the citizen ever for amoment, or in the least degree, resign hisconscience to the legislator? Why has everyman a conscience, then?”

This issue concerns Christians, for the Bi-ble clearly teaches that they should maintaina clean conscience in all matters. (2 Timothy1:3) On the other hand, the Bible also ac-knowledges the authority of governments tocollect taxes. It states: “Let every soul be insubjection to the superior authorities [hu-man governments], for there is no authority

except by God; the existing authorities standplaced in their relative positions by God.There is therefore compelling reason for youpeople to be in subjection, not only on ac-count of that wrath but also on account ofyour conscience. For that is why you are alsopaying taxes; for they are God’s public ser-vants constantly serving this very purpose.Render to all their dues, to him who calls forthe tax, the tax.”—Romans 13:1, 5-7.

For this reason, first-century Christianswere well-known for readily paying taxes,even though a substantial amount went tothe support of the military. The same is trueof Jehovah’s Witnesses in modern times.�Howcan this apparent conflict be explained?Must a Christian suppress his consciencewhen the tax man calls?

Taxes and ConscienceSignificantly, a portion of the taxes that

first-century Christians were instructed topay went to the military. This is the very issueof conscience that later moved Gandhi andThoreau towithhold taxes.

Notice that Christians obeyed the com-mand in Romans chapter 13 not merelybecause they wanted to avoid punishmentbut also “on account of [their] conscience.”

� For information on the record of Jehovah’s Witness-es as taxpayers, see The Watchtower, November 1, 2002,page 13, paragraph 15, and May 1, 1996, page 17, para-graph 7.

TAXES MUST YOU PAY THEM?


(Romans 13:5) Yes, a Christian’s conscienceactually requires him to pay taxes, even ifthese are used to support activities that hepersonally rejects. To understand this seem-ing paradox, we must recognize a key factabout our conscience, the inner voice thattells us whether our actions are right orwrong.

Everyone has such an inner voice, as Tho-reau observed, but it is not necessarily trust-worthy. In order for us to please God, ourconscience must conform to his moral stan-dards. We often need to adjust our thinkingor viewpoint to align with God’s because histhoughts are superior to ours. (Psalm 19:7)We should therefore endeavor to understandGod’s view of human governments. What ishis view?

We note that the apostle Paul called hu-man governments “God’s public servants.”

(Romans 13:6) What does that mean? Basi-cally it means that they maintain order andperform valuable duties for society. Eventhe most corrupt governments often providesuch services as mail delivery, public educa-tion, fire protection, and law enforcement.Although God is fully aware of the defectsof these man-made authorities, he toleratestheir existence for a time and mandates thatwe pay taxes out of respect for his arrange-ment, that is, his permitting such govern-ments to rule mankind.

God’s allowance of rule by human govern-ments, however, is only temporary. It is hiswill to replace all of them with his heavenlyKingdom and ultimately undo all the dam-age that human rulership has inflicted upon

mankind through the centuries. (Daniel 2:44; Matthew 6:10) In the meantime, though,God has not authorized Christians to engagein civil disobedience by refusing to pay taxesor by anyother means.

What if, like Gandhi, you still feel that pay-ing taxes that support war is sinful? Just asour viewof an area is improved if we climb tohigher ground, we can more readily adjustour thinking to match God’s by reflecting onhow much higher his viewpoint is than ours.Through the prophet Isaiah, God said: “Asthe heavens are higher than the earth, so myways are higher than your ways, and mythoughts than your thoughts.”—Isaiah 55:8, 9.

Absolute Authority?The Bible’s teaching on the paying of taxes

does not imply that humangovernments canclaim absolute authority over their subjects.Jesus taught that God grants only limited au-thority to these governments. When askedwhether it was proper in God’s sight to paytaxes to the then ruling Roman government,Jesus responded with this profound state-ment: “Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar,but God’s things to God.”—Mark 12:13-17.

Governments—represented by “Cae-sar”—mintor print money and help establishits value. So in God’s view, they have the

We need to adjust our viewpointto align with God’s because

his thoughts are superior to ours

“Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar,but God’s things to God”

Copyright British Museum

right to ask that it be paid back in the form oftaxes. Yet, Jesus showed that “God’s things”—our life and worship—cannot be claimed byany human institution. When human lawsor requirements clash with God’s laws, Chris-tians “must obey God as ruler rather thanmen.”—Acts 5:29.

Christians today may be disturbed by howsome of their taxes are spent, but they do notattempt to interfere with or influence gov-ernment actions by resisting them or refus-ing to pay taxes. That would betray a lack oftrust in God’s solution for mankind’s woes.

Instead, they patiently wait for God’s duetime to intervene in human affairs throughthe rule of his Son, Jesus, who said: “Mykingdom is no part of this world.”—John18:36.

Benefits From Followingthe Bible’s Teaching

You can gain several benefits by followingthe Bible’s teaching regarding the paying oftaxes. You will avoid the punishment re-served for lawbreakers as well as the fear ofbeing caught. (Romans 13:3-5) More impor-tant, you will keep a clean conscience beforeGod and honor him by your law-abidingconduct. Even though you may experiencesome financial loss compared with thosewho withhold payment or even cheat ontheir taxes, you can rely on God’s promise tocare for his loyal servants. The Bible writerDavid put it this way: “A young man I used tobe, I have also grown old, and yet I have notseen anyone righteous left entirely, nor hisoffspring looking for bread.”—Psalm 37:25.

Finally, understanding and following theBible’s command to pay taxes will give youpeace of mind. God does not hold you re-sponsible for all governmental actions sup-ported by your taxes, just as the law does nothold you responsible for what your landlorddoes with the rent you pay. Before learningBible truth, a man named Stelvio sought po-litical change for years in southern Europe.Explaining why he abandoned his efforts, hesaid: “I had to admit that man is unable tobring justice, peace, and brotherhood intothe world. Only God’s Kingdom can trulybring about a different and better society.”

Like Stelvio, if you loyally ‘pay back God’sthings to God,’ you too can enjoy that assur-ance. You will see the time when God bringsrighteous rule to all the earth, undoing thedamage and injustice brought by human rul-ership.

By obediently paying taxes,Christians hold a good consciencebefore God and demonstrate thatthey trust him to meet their needs


AS THE sun rises over the city of Goma,the sky is painted pink and orange. A

breathtaking view of Mount Nyiragongo,one of the most active volcanoes in theworld, greets us each day. A constant plumeof smoke rises from the open crater. At nightthe plume glows red, reflecting the lava inthe crater.

In Swahili, the mountain is referred to asMulima ya Moto—Mountain of Fire. The lastmajor eruption of Nyiragongo took place in2002. Many of our neighbors and friendshere inGoma lost everything. In someof theneighborhoods where my husband and Ipreach, we walk along a rippled lava-rocksurface, and I imagine what walking on themoon might be like. The people are the op-posite of the hardened lava. They are lively,with soft and open hearts receptive to thegood news we proclaim. That makes servingin the shadow of the Mountain of Fire a joy-ful adventure.

Saturday morning, I awake with anticipa-tion.My husband and I, along with our visit-ing friends and fellow missionaries, will bespending the day preaching in the refugeecampatMugunga, just outside the city limits

to the west. Many here have fled violent at-tacks on their hometowns.

We load the truck with Bible literature inFrench, Kiswahili, and Kinyarwanda. Thenwe set off. As we bump along Route Sake,the city comes alive. Young men are al-ready pushing their heavily laden chukudus(handmade wooden scooters for transport-ing loads). Women wearing brightly coloredwrap skirts walk gracefully along the side ofthe road with large bundles on their heads.The mototaxis are busy transporting peopleto work and to the market. The landscape isdotted with wooden houses stained brown-black and painted with blue trim.

We arrive at the Ndosho Kingdom Hall tomeet some of our fellow Jehovah’s Witness-es who will join us in preaching at the camp.I am touched to see young ones, widows, or-phans, and those with physical limitations.Many of them have experienced profoundsuffering but have improved their lives bychoosing to follow Bible principles. The Bi-ble’s hope burns bright in their hearts, andthey are eager to share it with others. After ashort meeting to give us some suggestionson what Bible verses would be encouraging

A LETTER FROMCONGO (KINSHASA)

In the Shadowof the Mountain of Fire


to the people we meet, 130 of us head outin five minibuses and a four-wheel-drivetruck.

About 30 minutes later, we arrive at thecamp. Hundreds of little white tents arepitched over a lava field. In the middle of thecamp are neat rows of public toilets andcommon washing stations for doing laun-dry. There are people everywhere—washing,cooking, shelling beans, and sweeping infront of their tents.

We meet a man called Papa Jacques, whois responsible for a certain section of thecamp.He is concerned about raising his chil-dren during these difficult times. He wasthrilled when we left him the book Ques-tions Young People Ask—Answers That Workand said that he would like to read it andthen gather small groups together to sharewhat he learns.

A little farther along, we meet a ladynamed Mama Beatrice. She asks us why Godallows suffering. She thinks that God mustbe punishing her. Her husband was killed inthe war, her daughter is a single motherstruggling to raise her baby in the camp, andher son was kidnapped several months ago.She has had no news of his whereabouts.

Mama Beatrice’s laments remind me ofhow Job must have felt upon receiving all histerrible news. We show her the reasons forsuffering and assure her that her suffering isnot punishment from God. (Job 34:10-12;

James 1:14, 15) We also highlight the chang-es that God will soon bring to the earth bymeans of his Kingdom. Her face relaxes intosmiles, and she says she is determined tocontinue studying the Bible and praying toGod forhelp.

Everyone in the group has enjoyed theday, and we all feel that Jehovah has reallyhelped us to bring hope and encouragementto the people we met. As we leave the camp,many residents hold up their tracts, maga-zines, and books as they wave good-byeto us.

The ride home provides time for reflec-tion. I am filled with gratitude for such a spe-cial day. I remember the appreciation shownby Papa Jacques, the relief in the eyes ofMama Beatrice, the strong handshake froman old woman who could communicatewithmeonly by smiles. I thinkof the adoles-cents who asked intelligent questions andshowed maturity beyond their years. I ad-mire the strength of character that I ob-served in people who can still smile andlaugh in spite of unimaginable suffering.

In this part of the world, we see the sincereefforts of many others who are trying tobring relief to those who suffer. Today, it hasbeen a real privilege to use the Bible toshowpeople the permanent solution to theirproblems. I feel very happy to be a part ofthe greatest spiritual relief effort that theworld will ever know.


WHAT comes to your mind when youthink of the Bible character David?

His victory over the Philistine giant Goliath?His flight in the wilderness on account ofKing Saul’s hostility toward him? His sinwith Bath-sheba and the difficulties he suf-fered as a result? Or perhaps his inspired po-etry preserved in the Bible bookof Psalms?

David’s life was filled with privileges,triumphs, and tragedies. Yet, what attracts usto him above all else is what the prophetSamuel stated of David—he would prove tobe “a man agreeable to [Jehovah’s] heart.”—1 Samuel 13:14.

Samuel’s prophecy was fulfilled when Da-vidwas but a youth.Would younot like to bedescribed as a person agreeable to Jehovah’sheart? So, what is there in David’s life, espe-cially in his early years, that can help you tobecome such a person? Let us see.

Family and OccupationJesse, the father of David and grandson of

Ruth and Boaz, was likely a devout man.When David, his seven brothers, and his twosisters were still young, Jesse instructed themin the Lawof Moses. In one of his psalms, Da-vid refers to himself as the son of Jehovah’s“slave girl.” (Psalm 86:16) This has led someto conclude that David’s mother, unnamedin the Bible, also had a positive influence onhis spirituality. “It was most likely from her

AManAgreeable toJehovah’sHeart

lips,” says one scholar, “that he first heardthe wondrous story of God’s former dealingswith his people,” including the history ofRuth and Boaz.

When we are introduced to David, he is ayoung shepherd boy with the responsibilityof looking after his father’s sheep. This tasklikely involved his spending long, lonelydays and nights in the open fields. Try toimagine the scene.

David’s family lived in Bethlehem, a littletown on the summit and slopes of a ridge inthe hills of Judah. The stony fields aroundBethlehemproduced good crops of grain. Or-chards, olive groves, and vineyards coveredthe gentler slopes and valley. In David’s day,the uncultivated uplands were likely used forpasture. Beyond lay the wilderness of Judah.

David’s occupation was not without itsdangers. It was among these hills that hefacedboth a lion and abear that tried to carryoff sheep from the drove.� This courageous

� The Syrian brown bear, formerly encountered in Pal-estine, averaged about 310 pounds (140 kg) inweight andcould kill with blows from its huge paws. Lions were onceplentiful in the area. Isaiah 31:4 says that even “a fullnumber of shepherds” would not be able to chase a“maned young lion” from its prey.

youth went after the predators, killed them,and rescued his sheep from their mouths.(1 Samuel 17:34-36) Perhaps it was in this pe-riod of his life that David developed his skillwith a sling. Not far from his hometown laythe territory of Benjamin. The marksmenof that tribe could sling stones “to a hair-breadth and would not miss.” David’s aimwas just as accurate.—Judges 20:14-16; 1 Sam-uel 17:49.

Time Well SpentFor the most part, shepherding was a tran-

quil and solitary occupation. But David didnot allow himself to become bored. On thecontrary, the peaceful stillness afforded himnumerous opportunities for meditation. Itseems likely that some of David’s reflectionsincluded in his psalms are traceable to hisyouth. Was it during moments of solitude

that he pondered man’s place in the univer-sal order and the wonders of the heavens—sun, moon, and stars, “the works of [Jeho-vah’s] fingers”? Was it in the fields aroundBethlehem that he contemplated the pro-ductive land, the cattle and oxen, the birdsand “the beasts of the open field”?—Psalm 8:3-9; 19:1-6.

No doubt David’s own experience as ashepherd made him feel all the more deep-ly Jehovah’s tenderness toward His faithfulones. David thus sang: “Jehovah is my Shep-herd. I shall lack nothing. In grassy pas-tures he makes me lie down; by well-wateredresting-places he conductsme. Even though Iwalk in the valley of deep shadow, I fearnothing bad, for you are with me; your rodand your staff are the things that comfortme.”—Psalm 23:1, 2, 4.

You might be wondering just what all ofthis has to do with you. The answer is thatone of the reasons David enjoyed intimacywith Jehovah and could be called“a man agreeable to his heart” wasthat he had meditated deeply andseriously on Jehovah’s works andon his own relationship with God.Can the same be said of you?

Have you ever felt moved topraise and glorify the Creator af-ter carefully considering some as-pect of his handiwork? Did youever feel your heart fill with lovefor Jehovah upon seeing his quali-ties as reflected in his dealingswith mankind? Naturally, in or-der to feel any such appreciationfor Jehovah, you need to dedi-cate time to quiet, prayerful reflec-tion on God’s Word and on hiscreation. Such contemplation canhelp you to come to know Jehovahintimately—and thus to love him.Young and old alike can have this

privilege. In all likelihood, David was close toJehovah right from his youth. How do weknow?

David Is AnointedWhenKing Saul provedunfit to lead God’s

people, Jehovah said to the prophet Samuel:“For how long will you be mourning forSaul, while I, on the other hand, have reject-ed him from ruling as king over Israel? Fillyourhornwith oil and go. I shall send you toJesse the Bethlehemite, because I have pro-vided among his sons a king for myself.”—1 Samuel 16:1.

When God’s prophet arrived in Bethle-hem, he had Jesse summon his sons. Whichof them was Samuel to anoint as king? Onseeing good-looking Eliab, the eldest, Samu-el thought: ‘This is he.’ But Jehovah toldSamuel: “Do not look at his appearance andat the height of his stature, for I have rejectedhim. For not the way man sees is the way

28


God sees, because mere man sees what ap-pears to the eyes; but as for Jehovah, he seeswhat the heart is.” In the same way, Jehovahrejected Abinadab, Shammah, and four oth-ers of their brothers. “Finally,” continues theaccount, “Samuel said to Jesse: ‘Are these allthe boys?’ To this he said: ‘The youngest onehas till now been left out, and, look! he ispasturing the sheep.’”—1 Samuel 16:7,11.

Jesse’s answer seems to imply: ‘David can’tpossibly be the one you are seeking.’ As theyoungest and most insignificant of the fami-ly, David had been given theworkof lookingafter the sheep. But he was the one God hadchosen. Jehovah sees what the heart is, andevidently he saw something very precious inthis youth. So when Jesse sent for David, Je-hovah told Samuel: “ ‘Get up, anoint him,for this is he!’ Accordingly Samuel took thehorn of oil and anointed him in the midst ofhis brothers. And the spirit of Jehovah beganto be operative upon David from that dayforward.”—1 Samuel 16:12,13.

Just how old David was when this hap-pened is not stated. Some time later, how-ever, the three oldest brothers, Eliab, Abina-dab, and Shammah, were serving in Saul’sarmy. Perhaps the other five were too youngto accompany them. It is possible that noneof them were yet 20 years old, the age atwhich men joined Israel’s army. (Numbers1:3; 1 Samuel 17:13) In any case, David wasvery young when Jehovah chose him. Yet, itwould seem that David was already a veryspiritually-minded person. He evidently hada close relationship with Jehovah, which hedeveloped by pondering over what he knewabout God.

Young people today should be encouragedto do the same. So, parents, are you encour-aging your children to meditate on spiritualmatters, to appreciate God’s creation, and tostudy what the Bible says about the Creator?

(Deuteronomy 6:4-9) And you young peo-ple, are you doing this on your own? Bible-based publications such as the Watchtowerand Awake! magazines� are designed to helpyou.

Skilled With the HarpJust as the text of many of David’s psalms

tells us something about his days as a shep-herd, so in all likelihood, does the music. Ofcourse, none of the music that originally ac-companied these sacred songs has survivedtill our day. We do know, though, that theircomposer was an excellent musician. In fact,the reason David was called away from thepastures to attend to King Saul was that hewas skilled on the harp.—1 Samuel 16:18-23.�

Where and when did David develop thisability? Probably during the days that hespent out in the fields tending the sheep.And surely we need not stretch our imagina-tion to think that even at such a young age,Davidwas already singingheartfelt praises tohis God. After all, Jehovah selected and com-missioned him because of his devotion andspirituality, did He not?

What David turned out to be in later yearsis really another story. But the spirit thatcharacterized him throughout his life is re-flected in words that may well hark back tohis early experiences in the fields aroundBethlehem. Just imagine David singing to Je-hovah: “I have remembered days of longago; I have meditated on all your activity; Iwillingly kept myself concerned with thework of your own hands.” (Psalm 143:5) Thewarmth of this psalm and of many otherpsalms of David is an inspiration to all whodesire to be agreeable to Jehovah’s heart.

� Published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.� The royal adviser who recommended David also said

that he was “an intelligent speaker and a well-formedman, and Jehovah [was] with him.”—1 Samuel 16:18.


– ANALYZE THE SCENE.—READ GENESIS 39:7, 10-23.

What emotions do you sense in the voice of Potiphar’s wife as she falselyaccused Joseph?��

��

Describe the prison house as you imagine it. ��

��

At first, what type of treatment did Joseph have to endure while he was inprison? (Clue: See Psalm 105:17, 18.) ��

��

— DIG DEEPER.

If Joseph’s faith had been weak, what wrong conclusion might he have reachedwhile remaining in prison? (Clue: See Job 30:20, 21.)��

How do we know that Joseph did not blame Jehovah for his suffering?(Clue: See Genesis 40:8; 41:15, 16.)��

��

What qualities do you think helped Joseph to endure his unjust imprisonment?(Clue: Read and reflect on the following scriptures: Micah 7:7; Luke 14:11;James 1:4.)��

��

FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Falsely Accused!JOSEPH—PART 2Instructions: Do this exercise in quiet surroundings. As you read thescriptures, imagine that you are part of the event. Visualize the scene.Hear the voices. Feel the emotions of the characters. Let the accountcome to life.Main characters: Joseph, Potiphar, and his wifeSummary: Joseph is unjustly imprisoned, but Jehovah is with him.

What training did Joseph receive in prison,and how might this training have benefitedhim later in life? (Clue: See Genesis 39:21-23;41:38-43.)��

��

˜ APPLY WHAT YOU LEARNED. WRITE DOWNWHAT YOU LEARNED ABOUT . . .

The benefits that come to those who endure. ��

��

��

The training that you can receive while under-going a hardship.��

��

��

Jehovah’s support during times of trial. ��

��

��

FOR FURTHER APPLICATION.

Have you ever been in a situation in which youfelt troubled and isolated? Even while you wereundergoing the trial, how might Jehovah havebeen helping you? (Clue: Read and reflect on1 Corinthians 10:13.)��

��

™ WHAT ASPECT OF THIS ACCOUNT IS MOSTMEANINGFUL TO YOU, AND WHY?��

��

IF YOUDON’T HAVEA BIBLE,

ASK JEHOVAH’S WITNESSESFOR ONE, OR

READ IT ONLINE ATwww.watchtower.org

°

www.watchtower.org wp11 09/01-E

Is there really someone behind all the evilin the world? SEE PAGES 3-9.

What are “the seven species” that made Israelthe good land? SEE PAGES 11-13.

Learn how one early French translator struggled toproduce a Bible in the people’s tongue. SEE PAGES 18-20.

What role does a Christian’s conscience play inthe matter of paying taxes? SEE PAGES 21-23.

Can you become agreeable to God’s heart,as David did? SEE PAGES 26-29.

Phot

o:Al

ain

Lepr

ince

-La

Pisc

ine-

mus

ee,

Roub

aix

/Cou

rtes

yof

the

form

erBo

ucha

rdM

useu

m,P

aris

Would you welcome a visit?

Documents

Atalaya Septiembre 2011