Joseph Shows Great Self-Controlda-ip.getmyip.com/PDF/Study Prep/2020/21 Study Prep 05-25... · 2020. 5. 10. · MAY 25-31 GENESIS42-43 ˙ Song 120 and Prayer ˙ Opening Comments (1

6

MAY 25 - 3 1 � GENESIS 42 - 43

˙ Song 120 and Prayer˙ Opening Comments (1 min.)

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD

APPLY YOURSELF TO THE FIELD MINISTRY

LIVING AS CHRISTIANS

˙ “Joseph Shows Great Self-Control”: (10 min.)Ge 42:5-7—Joseph kept his composure when hesaw his brothers (w15 5/1 13 ˚5; 14 ˚1)Ge 42:14-17—Joseph tested his brothers (w15 5/114 ˚2)Ge 42:21, 22—Joseph’s brothers expressedrepentance (it-2 108 ˚4)

˙ Digging for Spiritual Gems: (10 min.)Ge 42:22, 37—What good qualities did Reubendisplay? (it-2 795)

Ge 43:32—Why was eating a meal with theHebrews detestable to the Egyptians? (w04 1/1529 ˚1)

What spiritual gems from this week’s Bible readingwould you like to share regarding Jehovah God,the field ministry, or something else?

˙ Bible Reading: (4 min. or less) Ge 42:1-20 (2)

˙ Second Return Visit Video: (5 min.) Discussion.Play the video, and then ask the audience: Howdid the brother properly introduce the scripture?Why and how did the brother introduce theTeach Us book?

˙ Second Return Visit: (3 min. or less) Use thesample conversation. (15)

˙ Bible Study: (5 min. or less) lvs 38-39 ˚18 (8)

˙ Song 94˙ “Try to Get the Whole Picture”: (15 min.)

Discussion. Play the video Enhance Your BibleReading—Excerpt. Encourage the audience to viewthe entire video (video category JW BROADCASTING).

˙ Congregation Bible Study: (30 min.) jy chap. 116

˙ Concluding Comments (3 min. or less)˙ Song 79 and Prayer

GENESIS 42-43 � Joseph Shows Great Self-Control

42:5-7, 14-17, 21, 22

Can you imagine the strong emotionsthat Joseph may have felt when he un-expectedly came face-to-face with hisbrothers? He could have immediatelyidentified himself and then either em-braced them or taken revenge. But hedid not act on impulse. What will you doif you are the victim of injustice fromfamily members or others? Joseph’sexample teaches the value of exercisingself-control and remaining calm ratherthan following our treacherous heartand acting on imperfect impulses.

How can you imitate Joseph in situations that you encounter?

°

¢

°

¢

°

¢

°

¢

34

34

&C G/B G G/B C F/A G C

?

&F C/E C Fma7/A Dm/F G7

?

&F/A G7/B C C/E F G/F G7/F

?

&C/E C F/C C F/A Dm/F G7 F/G G7 C

?

œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ ˙ œœ

œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œœ œ œœ œœ œœ ˙ œœœ œ

œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ ˙ œœ

œœœœ œœ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ œœ ˙ œœœ œ

œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ ˙ œœn

œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ ˙ œœn

œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ ˙œ œ

œœ œœ œœ œ œœ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ ˙œ œ

120 Imitate Christ’s Mildness(Matthew 11:28-30)

(See also Prov. 3:34; Matt. 5:5; 23:8; Rom. 12:16.)

The great - est of men was our Lord Je - sus Christ; ByTo all who are toil - ing with trou - ble - some cares, He‘We all are just broth - ers,’ our Lord Je - sus said. In

pride or am - bi - tion, he was not en - ticed. God’sof - fers to car - ry the bur - dens they bear. Re -

hum - ble sub - mis - sion, we look to our Head. The

pur - pose gave Je - sus the prom - i - nent role; Yet,fresh - ment they find as the King - dom they seek. Withmild and the meek ones to God have great worth; He

low - ly in heart, he was al - ways whole - souled.kind - ness and mild - ness, he fa - vors the meek.prom - is - es they will in - her - it the earth.

my house, and all my peoplewill obey you implicitly.a Only inmy role as king� will I be great-er than you.” 41 And Phar�aohadded to Joseph: “See, I am put-ting you over all the land ofEgypt.”b 42 Then Phar�aoh re-moved his signet ring from hisown hand and put it on Jo-seph’s hand and clothed himwith garments of fine linen andplaced a necklace of gold aroundhis neck. 43 Moreover, he hadhim ride in the second chariotof honor that he had, and theywould call out ahead of him,“A·vrekh!”� Thus he put him overall the land of Egypt.

44 Phar�aoh further said toJoseph: “I am Phar�aoh, butwithout your authorization, noman may do a single thing� inall the land of Egypt.”c 45 Afterthat Phar�aoh gave Joseph thename Zaph�e·nath-pa·ne�ah andgave him As�e·nathd the daugh-ter of Pot·i�phe·ra the priest ofOn� as a wife. And Joseph beganto oversee� the land of Egypt.e46 Joseph was 30 years oldf

when he stood before� Phar�aohking of Egypt.

Then Joseph went out frombefore Phar�aoh and traveledthroughout all the land of Egypt.47 And during the seven yearsof abundance, the land went onproducing plentifully.� 48 Andhe kept collecting all the foodof the seven years from the landof Egypt, and he would stock-pile the food in the cities. Ineach city he would store thefood from the fields around it.49 Joseph continued stockpilinggrain in very great quantity, like

41:40 �Or “Only with regard to thethrone.” 41:43 �Apparently a termcalling for honor and dignity to beshown. 41:44 �Lit., “lift up his handor his foot.” 41:45 �That is, Heliopolis.�Or “travel through.” 41:46 �Or “whenhe entered the service of.” 41:47 �Lit.,“by handfuls.”

the sand of the sea, until final-ly they gave up measuring it be-cause it could not be measured.

50 Before the year of thefamine arrived, two sons wereborn to Joseph,a whom As�e-nath the daughter of Pot·i�phe-ra the priest of On� bore to him.51 Joseph named the firstbornMa·nas�seh,�b for he said, “Godhas made me forget all my trou-ble and all the house of my fa-ther.” 52 And he named thesecond one E�phra·im,�c for hesaid, “God has made me fruitfulin the land of my affliction.”d

53 Then the seven years ofabundance in the land of Egyptended,e 54 and the seven yearsof famine began, just as Josephhad said.f The famine developedin all the lands, but in all theland of Egypt there was bread.�g55 Eventually, all the land ofEgypt suffered from the famine,and the people began to cry toPhar�aoh for bread.h Then Phar�-aoh said to all the Egyptians:“Go to Joseph, and do whateverhe tells you.” i 56 The faminecontinued over all the surface ofthe earth.j Then Joseph beganto open up all the granaries thatwere among them and to sellto the Egyptians,k as the faminehad a strong grip on the landof Egypt. 57 Moreover, peopleof all the earth came to Egyptto buy from Joseph, because thefamine had a strong grip on allthe earth. l

42 When Jacob learned thatthere was grain in Egypt,m

he said to his sons: “Why do youjust keep looking at one anoth-er?” 2 He added: “I have heardthat there is grain in Egypt. Godown there and buy some for us,so that we may stay alive and

41:50 �That is, Heliopolis. 41:51�Meaning “One Making Forgetful; OneWho Makes Forget.” 41:52 �Meaning“Doubly Fruitful.” 41:54 �Or “food.”

CHAP. 41a Ge 39:6

Ps 105:21Ac 7:9, 10

b Da 5:7

c Ge 44:18Ge 45:8Ac 7:9, 10

d Ge 46:20

e Ps 105:21

f Nu 4:32Sa 5:4Lu 3:23

��

Second Col.a Ge 48:5

b Ge 50:23Nu 1:34, 35

c Ge 48:17Nu 1:32, 33De 33:17Jos 14:4

d Ps 105:17, 18Ac 7:9, 10

e Ge 41:26

f Ge 41:30Ac 7:11

g Ge 45:9, 11Ge 47:17

h Ge 47:13

i Ps 105:21

j Ge 43:1

k Ge 41:48, 49Ge 47:16

l Ge 47:4��

CHAP. 42m Ge 41:48, 49

GENESIS 41:41–42:2 98

not die.”a 3 So ten of Joseph’sbrothersb went down to buygrain from Egypt. 4 But Jacobdid not send Benjamin, c Joseph’sbrother, with his other brothers,for he said: “Perhaps a fatal ac-cident may befall him.”d

5 So Israel’s sons came alongwith the others who were com-ing to buy, because the faminehad extended to the land of Ca�-naan.e 6 Joseph was the man inauthority over the land, f and hewas the one who sold grain to allthe people of the earth. g So Jo-seph’s brothers came and bowedlow to him with their facesto the ground.h 7 When Josephsaw his brothers, he immediate-ly recognized them, but he con-cealed his identity from them. iSo he spoke harshly with themand said: “Where have you comefrom?” to which they said: “Fromthe land of Ca�naan to buy food.” j

8 Thus Joseph recognized hisbrothers, but they did not recog-nize him. 9 Joseph immediate-ly remembered the dreams thathe had dreamed about them,kand he said to them: “You arespies! You have come to see thevulnerable areas� of the land!”10 Then they said to him: “No,my lord, but your servants havecome to buy food. 11 We areall sons of but one man. Weare upright men. Your servantsdo not act as spies.” 12 But hesaid to them: “Not so! Youhave come to see the vulnerableareas of the land!” 13 At thisthey said: “Your servants are 12brothers.l We are the sons of butone manm in the land of Ca�naan,and the youngest is now with ourfather,n whereas the other one isno more.”o

14 However, Joseph said tothem: “It is just as I said toyou—‘You are spies!’ 15 By thisyou will be tested: As surely as

42:9 �Or “weakened condition.”

Phar�aoh lives, you will not leavethis place until your youngestbrother comes here.a 16 Sendone of you to bring your broth-er while you remain in bondage.In this way, your words may betested out to see if you are tell-ing the truth. And if not, then,as surely as Phar�aoh lives, youare spies.” 17 With that he putthem together in custody forthree days.

18 Joseph said to them on thethird day: “Do this and live, for Ifear God. 19 If you are upright,let one of your brothers remainin bondage in your house of cus-tody, but the rest of you maygo and take grain to alleviatethe famine in your households.b20 Then bring your youngestbrother to me, so that yourwords will be found trustworthyand you will not die.” And theydid so.

21 And they said to one an-other: “We are surely being pun-ished on account of our broth-er,c because we saw his distress�when he begged us to showcompassion, but we did not lis-ten. That is why this distresshas come upon us.” 22 ThenReu�ben answered them: “DidI not say to you, ‘Do notsin against the child,’ but youwould not listen?d Now hisblood is certainly being askedback.”e 23 But they did notknow that Joseph understood,for there was an interpreter be-tween them. 24 So he turnedaway from them and began toweep.f When he returned andspoke to them again, he tookSim�e·ong from them and boundhim before their eyes.h 25 Jo-seph then gave the command tofill up their bags� with grain andto return each man’s money tohis own sack and to give them

42:21 �Or “the distress of his soul.”42:25 �Or “receptacles.”

CHAP. 42a Ac 7:12

b 1Ch 2:1, 2

c Ge 35:18, 19Ge 42:38Ge 44:20

d Ge 43:14

e Ge 41:57Ac 7:11

f Ge 41:44Ge 45:8Ps 105:21Ac 7:9, 10

g Ge 47:14

h Ge 37:7, 9

i Ge 42:23

j Ge 37:1Ac 7:11, 12

k Ge 37:7-9

l 1Ch 2:1, 2

m Ex 1:1-4

n Ge 35:18, 19Ge 42:38Ge 43:7

o Ge 37:27, 35Ge 44:20

��


Ge 43:29

b Ge 45:21, 23

c Ge 37:18, 28Ge 50:17Ac 7:9

d Ge 37:21

e Ge 9:5

f Ge 43:30

g Ge 42:19

h Ge 43:23

99 GENESIS 42:3-25

provisions for the journey. Thiswas done for them.

26 So they loaded their grainon their donkeys and left fromthere. 27 When one of themopened his sack to give fodder tohis donkey at the lodging place,he saw his money there in themouth of his bag. 28 At that hesaid to his brothers: “My mon-ey has been returned, and nowhere it is in my bag!” Then theirhearts sank, and trembling, theyturned to one another and said:“What is this that God has doneto us?”

29 When they came to Jacobtheir father in the land of Ca�-naan, they told him all the thingsthat had befallen them, saying:30 “The man who is the lord ofthe country spoke harshly withusa and accused us of spying onthe country. 31 But we said tohim, ‘We are upright men.We arenot spies.b 32 We are 12 broth-ers,c the sons of our father. Oneis no more,d and the youngest isnow with our father in the landof Ca�naan.’e 33 But the manwho is the lord of the countrysaid to us, ‘By this I will knowthat you are upright: Leave oneof your brothers with me.f Thentake something to alleviate thefamine in your households andgo.g 34 And bring your youn-gest brother to me, so that Imay know that you are not spiesbut upright men. I will then giveyour brother back to you, andyou may carry on trade in theland.’”

35 As they were emptyingtheir sacks, here was each one’sbag of money in his sack.When they and their fathersaw their bags of money, they be-came afraid. 36 Jacob their fa-ther exclaimed to them: “It is Iyou have bereaved!h Joseph isno more, i and Sim�e·on is nomore, j and you are going totake Benjamin! It is upon me

that all these things have come!”37 But Reu�ben said to his fa-ther: “You may put to death myown two sons if I do not bringhim back to you.a Give him overto my care, and I will return himto you.”b 38 However, he said:“My son will not go down withyou, because his brother is deadand he alone is left. c If a fatal ac-cident should befall him on thejourney you would make, thenyou would certainly bring downmy gray hairs to the Grave�d ingrief.”e

43 Now the famine was se-vere in the land.f 2 So

when they had finished eat-ing the grain they had broughtfrom Egypt,g their father saidto them: “Return and buy a lit-tle food for us.” 3 Then Judahsaid to him: “The man clearlywarned us, ‘You must not see myface again unless your brotheris with you.’h 4 If you send ourbrother with us, we will go downand buy food for you. 5 But ifyou do not send him, we willnot go down, for the man saidto us, ‘You must not see myface again unless your brother iswith you.’” i 6 And Israel j asked:“Why did you have to bring thistrouble on me by telling the manthat you had another brother?”7 They replied: “The man direct-ly inquired concerning us andour relatives, saying, ‘Is your fa-ther still alive? Do you have an-other brother?’ and we told himthese facts. k How could we pos-sibly know that he would say,‘Bring your brother down’?” l

8 Judah then urged Israel hisfather: “Send the boy with me,mand let us go on our way so thatwe may live and not dien—we andyou and our children.o 9 I willbe a guarantee for his safety.�p

42:38 �Or “Sheol,” that is, the commongrave of mankind. See Glossary. 43:9�Or “be surety for him.”

CHAP. 42a Ge 42:7, 9

b Ge 42:11

c Ge 42:13

d Ge 37:28, 35

e Ge 35:18, 19Ge 42:4

f Ge 42:19

g Ge 42:2

h Ge 43:14

i Ge 37:28, 35

j Ge 42:24��


Ge 46:9

b Ge 43:8, 9Ge 44:32

c Ge 37:31-34Ge 44:20

d Ps 89:48Ec 9:10Ho 13:14Ac 2:27Re 20:13

e Ge 37:34, 35Ge 44:29

��

CHAP. 43f Ge 41:30

Ac 7:11

g Ge 42:1, 2

h Ge 42:15

i Ge 42:15

j Ge 32:28

k Ge 42:13

l Ge 42:16

m Ge 37:26Ge 42:38

n Ge 42:1, 2

o Ac 7:14

p Ge 44:32

GENESIS 42:26–43:9 100

You may hold me responsible. IfI fail to return him to you andpresent him to you, I will havesinned against you for all time.10 But if we had not delayed, wecould have been there and backtwice by now.”

11 So Israel their father saidto them: “If it must be so, thendo this: Take the finest productsof the land in your bags� and car-ry them down to the man as agift:a a little balsam,b a little hon-ey, labdanum, resinous bark,cpistachio nuts, and almonds.12 Take double the money withyou; and also take back themoney that was returned inthe mouth of your bags.d May-be it was a mistake. 13 Takeyour brother and go, return tothe man. 14 May God Almightygrant you pity from the man, sothat he may release to you yourother brother and Benjamin. Butas for me, if I must be bereaved,I will be bereaved!”e

15 So the men took this gift,and they took double the mon-ey in their hand and Benjamin.Then they rose and went on theirway down to Egypt and againstood before Joseph.f 16 WhenJoseph saw Benjamin with them,he at once said to the man whowas over his house: “Take themen to the house and slaughteranimals and prepare the meal,for the men are to eat with me atnoon.” 17 Immediately the mandid just as Joseph had said,gand he took them to Joseph’shouse. 18 But the men becameafraid when they were taken toJoseph’s house, and they beganto say: “It is because of the mon-ey that was returned in our bagsthe last time that we are beingbrought here. Now they will at-tack us and make us slaves andtake our donkeys!”h

43:11 �Or “receptacles.”

19 So they approached theman who was over Joseph’shouse and spoke to him at theentrance of the house. 20 Theysaid: “Pardon us, my lord! We didcome down the first time to buyfood.a 21 But when we arrivedat our lodging place and beganopening our bags, why, here wasthe money of each one in themouth of his bag, our money infull weight.b So we would liketo return it personally. 22 Andwe have brought more money tobuy food. We do not know whoplaced our money in our bags.”c

23 Then he said: “It is all right.Do not be afraid. Your God andthe God of your father put trea-sure in your bags. Your moneycame first to me.” After that hebrought out Sim�e·on to them.d

24 Then the man broughtthem into Joseph’s house andgave them water for washingtheir feet, and he gave fodderfor their donkeys. 25 And theyprepared the gifte for Joseph’scoming at noon, for they hadheard that they were going toeat a meal there.f 26 When Jo-seph went into the house, theybrought their gift to him intothe house and prostrated them-selves to him to the ground.g27 After this he inquired abouttheir welfare and said: “How isyour aged father of whom youhave spoken? Is he still alive?”h

28 To this they said: “Your ser-vant our father is well. He is stillalive.” Then they bowed downand prostrated themselves. i

29 When he looked up andsaw Benjamin his brother, theson of his mother, j he said: “Isthis your brother, the youngestone of whom you have spoken tome?”k He added: “May God showyou his favor, my son.” 30 Jo-seph then hurried out, becausehe was overcome with emotionfor his brother, and he lookedfor a place to weep. So he went

CHAP. 43a Ge 32:20

b Jer 8:22Eze 27:17

c Ge 37:25

d Ge 42:25, 35

e Ge 42:36

f Ge 37:7, 9

g Ge 41:39, 40

h Ge 42:25, 35��


b Ge 42:27

c Ge 43:12

d Ge 42:23, 24

e Ge 43:11

f Ge 43:16

g Ge 37:7, 9Ge 42:6

h Ge 43:7

i Ge 37:7, 9

j Ge 35:24

k Ge 42:13

101 GENESIS 43:10-30

into a private room and gave wayto tears there.a 31 After thathe washed his face and went out,now in control of himself, and hesaid: “Serve the meal.” 32 Theyserved him by himself and themby themselves, and the Egyp-tians with him ate by themselves,for the Egyptians could not eat ameal with the Hebrews, becausethat is a detestable thing to theEgyptians.b

33 The brothers� were seat-ed before him, the firstborn ac-cording to his right as firstbornc

and the youngest according tohis youth, and they kept look-ing at one another in amaze-ment. 34 He kept sending por-tions of food from his table totheirs, but he increased Benja-min’s portion five times the sizeof the portions of all the oth-ers. d So they continued banquet-ing and drinking with him to thefull.

44 Later he commanded theman who was over his

house: “Fill the bags of the menwith as much food as they cancarry, and place the money ofeach one in the mouth of hisbag.e 2 But you must place mycup, the silver cup, in the mouthof the bag of the youngest, alongwith the money for his grain.” Sohe did as Joseph had instructed.

3 In the morning when ithad become light, the men weresent away with their donkeys.4 They had not gone far fromthe city when Joseph said to theman who was over his house:“Get up! Chase after the men!When you overtake them, sayto them, ‘Why have you repaidbad for good? 5 Is not this whatmy master drinks from and usesto read omens expertly? It is awicked thing you have done.’”

6 So he overtook them andspoke these words to them.

43:33 �Lit., “They.”

7 But they said to him: “Whydoes my lord say such a thing?It is unthinkable that your ser-vants would do anything likethis. 8 Why, the money that wefound in the mouth of our bagswe brought back to you fromthe land of Ca�naan.a How, then,could we steal silver or goldfrom the house of your master?9 If it is found with one of yourslaves, let him die, and the restof us will also become slaves tomy master.” 10 So he said: “Letit be as you say: The one withwhom it is found will becomemy slave, but the rest of youwill be innocent.” 11 With thateach one quickly lowered his bagto the ground and opened it.12 He searched carefully, start-ing with the oldest and finishingwith the youngest. Finally thecup was found in Benjamin’sbag.b

13 Then they ripped theirgarments apart, and each ofthem lifted his load back ontohis donkey and returned tothe city. 14 When Judahc andhis brothers went into Joseph’shouse, he was still there; andthey fell to the ground beforehim.d 15 Joseph said to them:“What is this deed that youhave done? Did you not knowthat a man like me can expert-ly read omens?”e 16 At this Ju-dah replied: “What can we say tomy master? What can we speak?And how can we prove our-selves righteous? The true Godhas found out the error of yourslaves.f We are now slaves to mymaster, both we and the one inwhose hand the cup was found!”17 However, he said: “It is un-thinkable for me to do this! Theman in whose hand the cup wasfound is the one who will be-come a slave to me.g As for therest of you, go up in peace toyour father.”

CHAP. 43a Ge 42:23, 24

b Ge 46:33, 34Ex 8:26

c Ge 49:3De 21:17

d Ge 45:22��

CHAP. 44e Ge 42:25��


b Ge 44:2

c Ge 43:8Ge 44:32

d Ge 37:7, 9

e Ge 44:5

f Ge 37:18, 28Ge 42:21, 22

g Ge 44:9

GENESIS 43:31–44:17 102

6

MAY 25 - 3 1 � GENESIS 42 - 43


















42:5-7, 14-17, 21, 22



May 25-31 / Genesis 42-43

Treasures From God’s Word

“Joseph Shows Great Self-Control”: (10 minutes)

Genesis 42:5-7, 14-17, 21, 22

Genesis 42:5-7—Joseph kept his composure when he saw his brothers

Genesis 42:5-7: So Israel’s sons came along with the others who were coming to buy, because the

famine had extended to the land of Canaan. Joseph was the man in authority over the land, and he

was the one who sold grain to all the people of the earth. So Joseph’s brothers came and bowed low

to him with their faces to the ground. When Joseph saw his brothers, he immediately recognized

them, but he concealed his identity from them. So he spoke harshly with them and said: “Where have

you come from?” to which they said: “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”

w15 5/1 13 paragraph 5

What about Joseph? He recognized his brothers right away! What is more, when he saw them there

bowing before him, his thoughts flew back to his boyhood. The account tells us that “Joseph

immediately remembered the dreams” that Jehovah had given him when he was but a boy, dreams

foretelling a time when his brothers would be bowing low before him—exactly as they now were!

(Genesis 37:2, 5-9; 42:7, 9) What would Joseph do? Embrace them? Take revenge?


You are not likely ever to find yourself in that unusual position. However, strife and division within the

family are common in today’s world. When we face such challenges, we may tend simply to follow our

heart and act on our imperfect impulses. It is much wiser to imitate Joseph and try to discern how

God wants us to handle matters. (Proverbs 14:12) Remember, as important as it is to make peace with

family members, peace with Jehovah and his Son is even more vital.—Matthew 10:37.

Genesis 42:14-17—Joseph tested his brothers

Genesis 42:14-17: However, Joseph said to them: “It is just as I said to you—‘You are spies!’ By this

you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place until your youngest brother

comes here. Send one of you to bring your brother while you remain in bondage. In this way, your

words may be tested out to see if you are telling the truth. And if not, then, as surely as Pharaoh lives,

you are spies.” With that he put them together in custody for three days.


Joseph launched into a series of tests designed to reveal who his brothers were at heart. He started by

speaking to them harshly, through an interpreter, accusing them of being foreign spies. To defend

themselves, they told him about their family—including the key fact that they had a younger brother

still at home. Joseph tried to hide his excitement. Was his little brother really alive? Now Joseph knew

how to proceed. He said: “By this you will be tested,” and then he told them that he must see this

youngest brother. In time, he agreed to let them return home to fetch the youngest if one of them

would agree to remain behind as a hostage.—Genesis 42:9-20.

Genesis 42:21, 22—Joseph’s brothers expressed repentance

Genesis 42:21, 22: And they said to one another: “We are surely being punished on account of our

brother, because we saw his distress when he begged us to show compassion, but we did not listen.

That is why this distress has come upon us.” Then Reuben answered them: “Did I not say to you, ‘Do

not sin against the child,’ but you would not listen? Now his blood is certainly being asked back.”

it-2 108 paragraph 4

In view of these developments, Joseph’s half brothers began to sense divine retribution on them for

having sold him into slavery years earlier. In front of their brother, whom they still did not recognize,

they discussed their guilt. On overhearing their words reflecting repentance, Joseph was so

emotionally overcome that he had to leave their presence and weep. On returning, he had Simeon

bound until such time as they would come back with their youngest brother.—Genesis 42:21-24.

Digging for Spiritual Gems

Genesis 42:22, 37—What good qualities did Reuben display?

Genesis 42:22: Then Reuben answered them: “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not sin against the child,’ but

you would not listen? Now his blood is certainly being asked back.”

Genesis 42:37: But Reuben said to his father: “You may put to death my own two sons if I do not bring

him back to you. Give him over to my care, and I will return him to you.”

it-2 795

Some of Reuben’s good qualities displayed themselves when he persuaded his nine brothers to throw

Joseph into a dry well instead of killing him, Reuben intending to return secretly and deliver Joseph

out of the well. (Genesis 37:18-30) More than 20 years later when these same brothers reasoned that

the spy charges against them down in Egypt were due to their mistreatment of Joseph, Reuben

reminded the others that he had not shared in their plot on Joseph’s life. (Genesis 42:9-14, 21, 22)

Again, when Jacob refused to let Benjamin accompany his brothers on their second trip to Egypt, it

was Reuben who offered his own two sons as surety, saying: “You may put [them] to death if I do not

bring [Benjamin] back to you.”—Genesis 42:37.

Genesis 43:32—Why was eating a meal with the Hebrews detestable to the Egyptians?

Genesis 43:32: They served him by himself and them by themselves, and the Egyptians with him ate

by themselves, for the Egyptians could not eat a meal with the Hebrews, because that is a detestable

thing to the Egyptians.


Why was eating a meal with the Hebrews detestable to the Egyptians? This may largely have been

because of religious prejudice or racial pride. The Egyptians also detested shepherds. (Genesis 46:34)

Why? Sheepherders may simply have been near the bottom in the Egyptian caste system. Or it could

be that since the land available for cultivation was limited, the Egyptians despised those seeking

pasture for flocks.

What spiritual gems from this week’s Bible reading would you like to share regarding Jehovah God,

the field ministry, or something else?

Bible Reading: (4 minutes or less) Genesis 42:1-20 (th study 2)

6

MAY 25 - 3 1 � GENESIS 42 - 43


















42:5-7, 14-17, 21, 22



https://www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#en/mediaitems/VODSampleConversations/pub-mwbv_202005_3_VIDEO

May 2020 Page 1

Sample Conversation-May 2020

SECOND RETURN VISIT Question: What will life be like when God resurrects our dead loved ones? Scripture: Isa 32:18 18 “My people will dwell in a peaceful abiding place, In secure dwellings and in tranquil resting-places.” Link: How will God bring peace to the earth? 1st Publisher (Ron - Husband): On our last visit, we raised the question ‘what will things be like when God brings our dear loved ones back to life.’ Householder: I’m very interested in you’re going show me on that. 1st Publisher (Ron - Husband): There so many good things the Bible promises about that time. But let’s just take one example. Notice what we read here at Isaiah 32 verse 18. Lisa could you please read that? 2nd Publisher (Lisa - Wife): Sure. (Reads Isaiah 32:18 – 18 “My people will dwell in a peaceful abiding place, In secure dwellings and in tranquil resting-places).” 1st Publisher (Ron - Husband): So what will it be like for those whom God brings back to life Householder: They’ll have peace. 2nd Publisher ( Lisa - Wife ): Yes, peace, security and tranquility. Doesn’t that sound appealing? Householder: It sure does! 1st Publisher (Ron - Husband): Of course, with so many problems in the world today, we may wonder how God will bring peace to the earth. We can discuss that the next time we’re here. By the way, I wanted to show you this publication that discusses the Bible verses that we read and many more. It’s called “What Can the Bible Teach Us?”

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/dx/r1/lp-e/1001061127/18393

What Can the

BibleTeach Us?

What Can the

BibleTeach Us?

What Can the

BibleTeach Us?

MAY 2020

Our Christian Life and MinistryMEETING WORKBOOK

Sample Conversations

INITIAL CALL

Question: What happens when we die?Scripture: Ec 9:5aLink: Is death the end of it all?

( FIND THIS SCRIPTURE IN THETEACHING TOOLBOX:

˙ bhs 63 ˚6

FIRST RETURN VISIT

Question: Is death the end of it all?Scripture: Job 14:14, 15Link: What will life be like when God resurrects our deadloved ones?


˙ bhs 76 ˚14

SECOND RETURN VISITQuestion: What will life be like when God resurrectsour dead loved ones?Scripture: Isa 32:18Link: How will God bring peace to the earth?


˙ bhs 35 ˚18

+Josephrelies

onJehovah

whileim

prisonedin

Egypt

and Ruth was much younger than Naomi. We wantto follow the Bible’s advice: “Open your heartswide.” (2 Corinthians 6:13; read 1 Peter 2:17.) Andthe more you imitate Jehovah, the more others willwant to be your friend.

WHEN THERE ARE PROBLEMS16 In every family, there are different personal-

ities, opinions, and ways of doing things. This isalso true in a congregation. This variety makes lifeinteresting, and we can learn a lot from one an-other. But sometimes our differences cause us tomisunderstand our brothers or sisters and becomeirritated with them. At times, we may get offend-ed or our feelings may get hurt. (Proverbs 12:18)Should we let such problems discourage us or keepus away from the congregation?

17 No. Even if someone disappoints us in someway, we would not stay away from the congrega-tion. Jehovah is not the one who offended us. Hegave us life and all other things. He deserves ourlove and loyalty. (Revelation 4:11) The congrega-tion is a gift from Jehovah that helps us to keep ourfaith strong. (Hebrews 13:17) We would never re-ject his gift just because someone disappointed us.—Read Psalm 119:165.

18 We love our brothers and sisters and want to

16, 17. If someone in the congregation upsets us, what should weavoid doing?18. (a) What can help us to get along with our brothers and sis-ters? (b) Why should we forgive others?

38 HOW TO REMAIN IN GOD’S LOVE

get along with them. Jehovah does not expect anyhuman to be perfect, and neither should we. (Prov-erbs 17:9; 1 Peter 4:8) We all make mistakes, but lovewill help us to keep “forgiving one another free-ly.” (Colossians 3:13) Love will stop us from turn-ing a small misunderstanding into a huge problem.True, when someone has upset us, it can be difficultto stop thinking about it. It is easy to become an-gry and hold a grudge against that person. But thiswill only make us unhappy and bitter. On the otherhand, when we forgive someone who offended us,we can have peace of mind, unity in the congrega-tion and, most important, a good relationship withJehovah.—Matthew 6:14, 15; Luke 17:3, 4; Romans14:19.

WHEN SOMEONEIS DISFELLOWSHIPPED

19 In a loving family, each member does his partto make the others happy. But imagine that oneperson rebels. Everybody in the family tries againand again to help him, but he rejects the help.He may decide to leave home, or the head of thefamily may have to ask him to leave. Somethingsimilar can happen in the congregation. A personmay choose to keep doing things that displease Je-hovah and harm the congregation. He rejects helpand shows by his actions that he no longer wants

19. When do we need to stop associating with someone in the con-gregation?

CHOOSE FRIENDS WHO LOVE GOD 39

°

¢

°

¢

°

¢

°

¢

34

34

&b F F/A Bb C7 Bb/C C7 F

?b

&bC7/E Gm/D A7/C# Dm C#7¨5 F/C Gm9 Gm Bbma7 C7

?b

&bF/A C F C/Bb Bb D/C Gm/Bb D/A Gm/Bb G7/B C

?b

&bF/A C/G F Bb D7/A Gm Gm/B¨ F/C C7sus4 C7 F

?b

œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ ™™ œJœj œœ œœ œœ ˙

œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ ™™ œœJœœ œœ œœ ˙

œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ ˙

œœ œœ œœ œœ# œœ œœn# œœnnœœ œœ œœbb ˙

œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ ™™ œJœj œœ œœ œœ œœ ˙

œœ œ œœ œœ œ œ œœ œœ ™™ œœ#Jœœ œœ# œœ œœn ˙œ œ

œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œœ ™™ œœj

œœ œœ œœ ˙œ œ

œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ# œœ ™™ œœJœœ œœ œœ ˙œ œ

94 Grateful for God’s Word(Philippians 2:16)

(See also Ps. 19:9; 119:16, 162; 2 Tim. 3:16; Jas. 5:17; 2 Pet. 1:21.)

Je - ho - vah, our Fa - ther, we want to ex - pressYour Word has the pow - er to reach deep in - side.Your Word, O Je - ho - vah, has hu - man ap - peal.

How grate - ful we are that your Word we pos - sess!Our thoughts and in - ten - tions, it helps to di - vide.Your proph - ets were like us; they felt what we feel.

All Scrip - ture is in - spir - ed; its truth has set us free.Your laws are clear and per - fect, your judg - ments ev - er true.Please help us build a strong faith that fol - lows what is heard.

Its light gives us knowl - edge; the truth we can see.Your prin - ci - ples guide us in all that we do.We thank you, Je - ho - vah, for your pre - cious Word!

6

MAY 25 - 3 1 � GENESIS 42 - 43


















42:5-7, 14-17, 21, 22



7

MAY 25 - 3 1

Try to Get the Whole PictureWhen reading Bible accounts, try to getthe whole picture. Learn about the context,the people involved, and the factors thatmay have contributed to their actions. Useyour imagination to see the sights, hearthe sounds, smell the aromas, and feel thecharacters’ emotions.

WATCH THE VIDEO ENHANCE YOUR BIBLE READING—EXCERPT, AND THEN ANSWERTHE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

˙ What factors may have contributed to the tension between Joseph andhis brothers?

��

˙ What may explain some of the hotheaded reactions of Joseph’sbrothers?

��

˙ What can we discern from the Scriptures about Jacob, Joseph’s father?

��

˙ What beautiful lesson did Jacob give his sons on how to settledifferences?

��

˙ How did you benefit from watching this video?

��

��

At Jesus’ direction, Peter and John have alreadyarrived in Jerusalem to prepare for the Pass-over. Later Jesus and the ten other apostleshead there. It is afternoon, and the sun is sink-ing in the western sky as Jesus and his partydescend the Mount of Olives. This is Jesus’ lastdaytime view from here until after his resurrec-tion.

Soon Jesus and his party reach the city andmake their way to the home where they will havethe Passover meal. They climb the stairs to thelarge upper room. There they find that all prep-arations have been made for their private meal.Jesus has looked forward to this occasion, forhe says: “I have greatly desired to eat this Pass-over with you before I suffer.”—Luke 22:15.

Many years earlier, the custom of passing anumber of cups of wine among the Passoverparticipants was introduced. Now, after accept-ing one of the cups, Jesus gives thanks andsays: “Take this and pass it from one to the oth-er among yourselves, for I tell you, from now on,I will not drink again from the product of thevine until the Kingdom of God comes.” (Luke 22:17, 18) It should be clear that his death is close.

At some point during the Passover meal,something unusual occurs. Jesus gets up, setsaside his outer garments, and picks up a towel.Then he puts water in a basin that is at hand.Ordinarily, a host would see to it that his guests’feet were washed, perhaps by a servant. (Luke7:44) On this occasion no host is present, so Je-sus performs this personal service. Any of theapostles could have taken the opportunity to doit, but not one of them does. Is it because somerivalry still exists among them? Whatever thecase, they are embarrassed to have Jesus washtheir feet.

When Jesus comes to Peter, he protests: “Youwill certainly never wash my feet.” Jesus re-plies: “Unless I wash you, you have no sharewith me.” Peter responds with feeling: “Lord,wash not only my feet but also my hands andmy head.” How surprised he must be, then, atJesus’ answer: “Whoever has bathed does notneed to have more than his feet washed, but iscompletely clean. And you men are clean, butnot all of you.”—John 13:8-10.

Jesus washes the feet of all 12, including thefeet of Judas Iscariot. After putting his outergarments on and reclining at the table again,

TEACHING HUMILITY AT THE LAST PASSOVERMATTHEW 26:20 MARK 14:17 LUKE 22:14-18 JOHN 13:1-17

268

At Jesus’ direction, Peter and John have alreadyarrived in Jerusalem to prepare for the Pass-over. Later Jesus and the ten other apostleshead there. It is afternoon, and the sun is sink-ing in the western sky as Jesus and his partydescend the Mount of Olives. This is Jesus’ lastdaytime view from here until after his resurrec-tion.

Soon Jesus and his party reach the city andmake their way to the home where they will havethe Passover meal. They climb the stairs to thelarge upper room. There they find that all prep-arations have been made for their private meal.Jesus has looked forward to this occasion, forhe says: “I have greatly desired to eat this Pass-over with you before I suffer.”—Luke 22:15.

Many years earlier, the custom of passing anumber of cups of wine among the Passoverparticipants was introduced. Now, after accept-ing one of the cups, Jesus gives thanks andsays: “Take this and pass it from one to the oth-er among yourselves, for I tell you, from now on,I will not drink again from the product of thevine until the Kingdom of God comes.” (Luke 22:17, 18) It should be clear that his death is close.

At some point during the Passover meal,something unusual occurs. Jesus gets up, setsaside his outer garments, and picks up a towel.Then he puts water in a basin that is at hand.Ordinarily, a host would see to it that his guests’feet were washed, perhaps by a servant. (Luke7:44) On this occasion no host is present, so Je-sus performs this personal service. Any of theapostles could have taken the opportunity to doit, but not one of them does. Is it because somerivalry still exists among them? Whatever thecase, they are embarrassed to have Jesus washtheir feet.

When Jesus comes to Peter, he protests: “Youwill certainly never wash my feet.” Jesus re-plies: “Unless I wash you, you have no sharewith me.” Peter responds with feeling: “Lord,wash not only my feet but also my hands andmy head.” How surprised he must be, then, atJesus’ answer: “Whoever has bathed does notneed to have more than his feet washed, but iscompletely clean. And you men are clean, butnot all of you.”—John 13:8-10.

Jesus washes the feet of all 12, including thefeet of Judas Iscariot. After putting his outergarments on and reclining at the table again,

TEACHING HUMILITY AT THE LAST PASSOVERMATTHEW 26:20 MARK 14:17 LUKE 22:14-18 JOHN 13:1-17

268

Jesus asks: “Do you understand what I havedone to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and‘Lord,’ and you are correct, for I am such. There-fore, if I, the Lord and Teacher, washed yourfeet, you also should wash the feet of one an-other. For I set the pattern for you, that just asI did to you, you should also do. Most truly I sayto you, a slave is not greater than his master,nor is one who is sent greater than the one whosent him. If you know these things, happy youare if you do them.”—John 13:12-17.

What a beautiful lesson in humble service!Jesus’ followers should not seek the first place,

thinking that they are important and should beserved. Rather, they should follow Jesus’ exam-ple, not by any ritual of foot washing, but by be-ing willing to serve with humility and withoutpartiality.

˙ JESUS EATS HIS LAST PASSOVER WITH THE APOSTLES˙ HE TEACHES A LESSON BY WASHING THE APOSTLES’ FEET

� During the Passover meal, what does Jesus tellthe apostles that indicates his death is close?

� Why is it unusual that Jesus washes the apostles’feet?

� By performing the menial service of washing hisapostles’ feet, what lesson is Jesus providing?

116

269

Jesus asks: “Do you understand what I havedone to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and‘Lord,’ and you are correct, for I am such. There-fore, if I, the Lord and Teacher, washed yourfeet, you also should wash the feet of one an-other. For I set the pattern for you, that just asI did to you, you should also do. Most truly I sayto you, a slave is not greater than his master,nor is one who is sent greater than the one whosent him. If you know these things, happy youare if you do them.”—John 13:12-17.

What a beautiful lesson in humble service!Jesus’ followers should not seek the first place,

thinking that they are important and should beserved. Rather, they should follow Jesus’ exam-ple, not by any ritual of foot washing, but by be-ing willing to serve with humility and withoutpartiality.

˙ JESUS EATS HIS LAST PASSOVER WITH THE APOSTLES˙ HE TEACHES A LESSON BY WASHING THE APOSTLES’ FEET

� During the Passover meal, what does Jesus tellthe apostles that indicates his death is close?

� Why is it unusual that Jesus washes the apostles’feet?

� By performing the menial service of washing hisapostles’ feet, what lesson is Jesus providing?

116

269

°

¢

°

¢

°

¢

°

¢

44

44

&bbE¨/F B¨ F/E¨ B¨/D E¨/G

?bb

&bb B¨/F G‹ B¨/F C‹/E¨ C‹/F E¨/F

?bb

&bbB¨ F/E¨ B¨/D E¨

?bb

&bb B¨/F F7“4 B¨ F6/A

?bb

œœ œ œœœ œœ œ œœ œœœœ œ œ œ œœ Œœ œ ˙ œ œœ œ

œœ ˙ ™™ œœ ˙ ™œ

™ œj œ œœ

œœ œ œ œœ œœ œ œ œ ˙ ™œ œ œ œœ œ

œœ ™™ œj œœ œœ œ ™œœJ œ œœ

œœœ œœ œ œœ œœœœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œœœ œ

˙ ™™ œœ œœ ™

™œj ˙

œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœœ œ œ œ

˙ ™œ ™ œJ œ œœ œ ™˙™

œJ œ œœ

79 Teach Them to Stand Firm(Matthew 28:19, 20)

Chorus

What a joy to teach Je - ho - vah’s sheep And toEv - ’ry day we said a prayer for them, As theirMay they all main - tain their con - fi - dence, Trust in

see how they have grown. We havefaith was un - der test. We madeGod and in his Son. Through en -

seen how he has guid - ed them As they’vetime to teach and care for them; They’ve growndur - ance and o - be - di - ence, May their

made the truth their own.strong, and they’ve been blessed.race for life be won.

Je - ho - vah,

°

¢

°

¢

°

¢

&bbG‹9 B¨Œ„7/F E¨„ˆˆ9 D‹7 E¨6

?bb

&bbB¨ F6/A G‹9 B¨„ˆˆ9/F E¨„ˆˆ9 E¨

?bb

&bbB¨/F E¨„ˆˆ9 B¨/D E¨ F7“4 B¨ F7“4 B¨

?bbR.H.

œ ™œœ œœ œj œ ™œœ œœ œj œœ œœ œœ œœœ œ œ œ œ ™œœ œj œ ™œœ œ œœœ œœœ œj

œœ ™™ œj ˙ wœ ™ œJ ˙ œœ ™

™œj ˙

œœœ œœ œ œœœ œœœ œ œ œ œ ™œœ œœ œj œ ™œœœ œœœœj œœœ œœœ œœœ œ œ œœœ œ

œ ™˙™

œJ œ œœ œœ ™™ œj ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

œœœ œœ œ œœœ œœœ œ œ œ œœœ œ ˙ œœœ w ˙ ™

˙ ™œ ™ œJ œ œœ œœ œ œ œœœ œœ

˙ ™™œ œ œœ œœœ ˙ ™™˙

™™

Teach Them to Stand Firm

(See also Luke 6:48; Acts 5:42; Phil. 4:1.)

may you hear our prayer And keep them in your watch - ful

care. In Je - sus’ name, for them we plead: May they suc -

ceed; May ev - ’ry one of them stand firm.

34567MARCH 2020

STUDY ARTICLES FOR:MAY 4-31, 2020

w2

0.0

3-E

19

11

05

The Watchtower (ISSN 0043-1087) March 2020 is published by Watch-

tower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.; Harold L. Corkern, Pres-

ident; Mark L. Questell, Secretary-Treasurer; 1000 Red Mills Road, Wallkill,

NY 12589-3299, and by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada,

PO Box 4100, Georgetown, ON L7G 4Y4. ˘ 2019 WatchTower Bible and Tract

Society of Pennsylvania. Printed in Canada.

FEATURED CONTENTIN JW LIBRARY AND ON JW.ORG

IMITATE THEIR FAITH“I Will Not Renounce My Integrity!”How can the Bible story of Job help us to facehardship, misfortune, or other testsof our faith?

In JW Library, go to PUBLICATIONS˛ARTICLE SERIES˛ IMITATE THEIR FAITH.

On jw.org, go to BIBLE TEACHINGS˛ FAITHIN GOD˛ IMITATE THEIR FAITH.

WAS IT DESIGNED?The Dog’s Sense of SmellWhat is it about a dog’s sense of smell thathas inspired scientists to try to copy itscapabilities?

In JW Library, go to PUBLICATIONS˛ARTICLE SERIES˛WAS IT DESIGNED?

On jw.org, go to BIBLE TEACHINGS˛SCIENCE & THE BIBLE˛WAS IT DESIGNED?

Visit the jw.org˙ website, or scan code

s

34567˙

March 2020 � Vol. 141, No. 4 ENGLISH

This publication is not for sale. It is provided as part of a worldwideBible educational work supported by voluntary donations. To makea donation, please visit donate.jw.org.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from themodern-language New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.

COVER PICTURE:On his last night with his apostles,Jesus emphasized love (See study article 13,paragraphs 1-2)

IN THIS ISSUE��

Study Article 10: May 4-10 2Love and Appreciation for JehovahLead to Baptism��

Study Article 11: May 11-17 8Are You Ready to Get Baptized?��

LIFE STORY 14“Here We Are! Send Us!”

��

Study Article 12: May 18-24 18When Is the Right Time to Speak?��

Study Article 13: May 25-31 24Love One Another Intensely��

DID YOU KNOW? 30What evidence exists outside the Bible thatthe Israelites were slaves in Egypt?��

QUESTIONS FROM READERS 31

http://www.jw.org/?nder?wtlocale=E&srcid=pdf

http://www.jw.org/finder?wtlocale=E&srcid=pdf

http://www.jw.org/finder?wtlocale=E&srcid=pdf

°

¢

°

¢

°

¢

°

¢

°

¢

44

44

&C G/B Gm/B¨

nbA7¨5

##A7 Gm/A

nbA7

? b

&Fma7/A

nFm6/A¨ G7¨5

#G7 F/G

nG7 Dm7

nG9/F Em7 E¨6 Dm11 G7

?

&C G/B Gm/B¨

nbA7¨5

##A7 Gm/A

nbA7

? b

&Fma7/A

nFm6/A¨ G7¨5

#G7 F/G

nG7 Dm/F Fm/G

nbG7¨9

?

&C Dm7/G C

bbbbDbma7 D¨ma7¨5 D¨ma7 D¨m

bD¨º

? bbbbb

œœ œ œ œ œw œ œ# ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ ™˙ œj œœ œœ#

œ œ œ œ w™ œ œw œ œ œ wŒ ˙ ™

œ ™ œ œ œn œn œ ™ œj œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ wœ œ œ œ

Œ ˙ ˙b œ wŒ ˙ ™ ˙ ˙ œ œb œ œ

œœ œ œ œ œw œ œ# ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ ™˙ œj œœ œœ#

œ œn œ œ w™ œ œw œ œ œ wŒ ˙ ™

œ ™ œ œ œn œn œ ™ œj œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ

Œ ˙ ˙b œ wŒ ˙ ™ ˙ ˙

w œœb œœ œœ œœb œ ™˙ œj ˙

œœœ œœœ ˙ œœ œœb œœb œœ œ œ œ œ

109 Love Intensely From the Heart(1 Peter 1:22)

When our love is pure and in - tense, We make Je - ho - vah’s heart re - joice.

Love is his great - est qual - i - ty, Some - thing that we hold dear.

Warm af - fec - tion glows in our hearts, Mak - ing a loy - al friend - ship grow.

Love al - ways acts un - self - ish - ly, Prov - ing our love sin -

cere. When we see a friend in need,

°

¢

°

¢

°

¢

°

¢

°

¢

&bbbbA¨/C Bº

nBbm11

bEb7sus4 Eb7 Dbma7 D¨ma7¨5 D¨ma7

?bbbb n b

&bbbbB¨m9/G C7¨5/E

bC7/E Fm9 Fm Fm/D G7sus4 G7

nnnn

?bbbb nnnn

&C G/B Gm/B¨

nb

? b

&A7¨5

##A7 Gm/A

nbA7 Fma7/A

nFm6/A¨ C/G Cma7/G Am C/G

? n

&G/F F Dm/B B¨7b5 G/A Cm/A A7 Dm9 Dm F/G Fm/G

nbG7¨5 C Dm7/G C

? R.H.

œ œ œ œn œ œ œ ™ œj ˙b œœ œœ œœ œœ

œ œ œ œ œn œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ

œ ™˙ œj œ œn œœn œœ œ œ œ œ wœ œn œ œnœ œ ˙n ˙ ˙n ww

œœn œ œ œn œw œ œ# ˙ œ œ œ œ œ

œ œn œ œ w™ œ œw œ œ œ

œ ™˙ œj œœ œœ œ ™ œ œ œn œn œ ™ œJ ˙

wŒ ˙ ™ w ˙b œ œ œ œ

œœ œœ œœ œ œ œ wœ œ œœb œœn# œœn œœ œœ œ œœ œ w˙ œœ œœbb wwn ˙

˙ œœœ œœœ ˙˙

Love Intensely From the Heart

(See also 1 Pet. 2:17; 3:8; 4:8; 1 John 3:11.)

We’ll be there to lend a help - ing hand. Tru - ly we can

be a friend, Some - one who can un - der - stand.

Je - sus showed what love real - ly means, Help - ing us see Je -

ho - vah’s love, Touch - ing our hearts and mov - ing us.

Ten - der feel - ings are a start. Love in - tense - ly from the heart.

ON THE night before he died, Jesus gave his disciples aspecific command. He told them: “Just as I have lovedyou, you also love one another.” Then he added: “By thisall will know that you are my disciples—if you have loveamong yourselves.”—John 13:34, 35.

2 Jesus said that his true disciples would be clearlyidentifiable if they showed the same sort of love that hedisplayed. That statement was true in the first century,and it is true today. How important it is that we over-come any challenges and show love for one another!

3 Human imperfection makes it difficult for us to showintense love for one another. Even so, we must try to imi-tate Christ. In this article, we will consider how love helpsus to be peacemakers, to be impartial, and to be hospita-ble. As you study the material, ask yourself: ‘What can Ilearn from brothers and sisters who have continued toshow love for one another despite challenges?’

BE A PEACEMAKER4 Jesus taught us the importance of making peace with

1. What specific command did Jesus give his disciples? (See cover pic-ture.)2. Why is it important to show love for one another?3. What will we consider in this article?4. According to Matthew 5:23, 24, why should we make peace with abrother who has something against us?

STUDYARTICLE 13

Love One AnotherIntensely“Love one another intensely from the heart.”—1 PET. 1:22.

SONG 109Love Intensely Fromthe Heart

PREVIEW

Jesus said that love isthe identifying mark oftrue Christians. Love forour brothers and sistersmoves us to be peace-makers, to be impartial,and to be hospitable. Thismay not always be easy.This article provides prac-tical suggestions on howto continue loving oneanother intensely fromthe heart.

24

a brother who has something against us.(Read Matthew 5:23, 24.) He empha-sized that we need tomaintain good rela-tionswith others if we are to please God.Jehovah is happy whenwe do our best tomake peace with our brothers. He willnot accept our worship if we hang on toresentment and refuse even to try tomake peace.—1 John 4:20.

5 We may find it difficult to makepeace.Why? Consider what happened toMark.� He felt hurt when a brother crit-icized him and said bad things abouthim to others in the congregation. Howdid Mark react? “I lost control and gotangry,” he recalls. Afterward, though,Mark regretted his behavior and triedto apologize to the brother and restorepeace with him. But the brother rejected

� Some names in this article have been changed.

5. What made it difficult for one brother to makepeace?

Mark’s efforts. Initially, Mark thought,‘Why should I keep trying if he does notwant to make peace?’ However, the cir-cuit overseer encouraged him not to giveup. What did Mark do?

6 When Mark analyzed his thinking,he realized that he lacked humility andtended to be self-righteous. He rec-ognized that he needed to change hisattitude. (Col. 3:8, 9, 12) He humblyapproached the brother again and apol-ogized for his behavior. Mark also wroteletters to the brother, saying how sorryhewas and howmuch hewanted to makea fresh start. Mark even gave the broth-er small gifts that he thought the brotherwould like. Sadly, the brother continuedto hold a grudge. Nevertheless, Markcontinued to obey Jesus’ command tolove his brother and to be forgiving.

6. (a) How did Mark pursue peace? (b) How didMark apply Colossians 3:13, 14?

More than one kind ofapproach may be neededto bury bad feelings(See paragraphs 7-8)

(Read Colossians 3:13, 14.) Even whenothers do not respond to our efforts tomake peace, true Christian love will helpus to keep forgiving them and prayingfor a positive outcome.—Matt. 18:21, 22;Gal. 6:9.

7 Jesus urged us to keep treating oth-ers the way we want to be treated. Headded that we should not limit our loveonly to those who show love in return.(Luke 6:31-33) Though it would be un-usual, what if someone in the congrega-tion avoids you and refuses to greetyou? That is what Lara experienced.She explains: “A sister ignored me, andI did not know why. I felt tense anddid not enjoy going to the meetings.”At first, Lara reasoned: ‘I am not atfault. After all, others in the congrega-tion also feel that this sister behavesstrangely.’

7. (a) What did Jesus urge us to do? (b) What dif-ficult situation did one sister face?

8 Lara took steps to make peace. Sheprayed to Jehovah and decided to talkto the sister. They spoke about theproblem, hugged each other, and madepeace. Everything seemed fine. Lararelates: “But later, the sister showed thesame attitude toward me as she did earli-er. I was so discouraged.” Initially, Larafelt that she could be happy only if theother sister changed her attitude. Even-tually, though, Lara realized that thebest thing she could do was to continuetreating the sister with love and “freelyforgiving” her. (Eph. 4:32–5:2) Lara re-membered that true Christian love “doesnot keep account of the injury. It bearsall things, believes all things, hopes allthings, endures all things.” (1 Cor. 13:5, 7) Lara regained her peace of mind. Intime, the sister was friendlier with her.Whenyou pursue peace with your broth-

8. What did Lara do to make peace, and what canwe learn from her experience?

If we have intense“love for the wholeassociation ofbrothers,” we willavoid being partial(See paragraphs 12-13)

26 THE WATCHTOWER

ers and sisters and continue loving them,you can be sure that “the God of loveand of peace will be with you.”—2 Cor.13:11.

BE IMPARTIAL9 Jehovah is not partial. (Read Acts

10:34, 35.) When we are impartial, weprove that we are his children. We obeythe command to love our neighbor asourselves, and we maintain the peace ofour spiritual family.—Rom. 12:9, 10; Jas.2:8, 9.

10 Remaining impartial may not beeasy for some. Consider, for example,what happened to a sister named Ruth.When she was a teenager, she had a badexperience with someone who was froma different country. How did it affecther? Ruth admits: “I hated everythingabout that country. I thought that allpeople from that place were the same,even the brothers and sisters.” How didRuth overcome her negative feelings?

11 Ruth recognized that she had tofight her negative thinking. She read ex-periences and reports from the Year-book about that country. She says: “Imade an effort to think positively aboutthe people of that land. I started to no-tice that the brothers and sisters hadzeal for Jehovah. It became clear to methat they too are part of our worldwidebrotherhood.” Gradually, Ruth realizedthat she needed to do more. She ex-plains: “Whenever I met brothers andsisters from that country, I made a spe-

9. According to Acts 10:34, 35, why do we need tobe impartial?10-11. How did one sister overcome her negativefeelings?

cial effort to be friendly with them. Italked to them and got to know thembetter.” What was the result? Ruthsays: “In time, my negative feelings dis-appeared.”

12 Some may be partial without evenrealizing it. Sarah, for example, thoughtthat she was impartial because she didnot judge people based on their race,their financial standing, or their posi-tion of responsibility in the organiza-tion. But she admits: “I began to real-ize that I really was partial.” In whatway? Sarah came from a well-educatedfamily and preferred to associate withpeople who had the same background.Once she even told a friend: “I asso-ciate with fellow believers who are well-educated. I avoid those who are not.”Clearly, Sarah needed to change her atti-tude. How?

13 A circuit overseer helped Sarah toanalyze her attitude. She relates: “Hecommended me for my faithful service,good comments, and knowledge of theScriptures. Then he explained that asour knowledge grows, we also need tocultivate such Christian qualities as hu-mility, modesty, and mercy.” Sarah tookthe circuit overseer’s words to heart.She says: “I realized that what reallymatters is that we are kind and lov-ing.” As a result, she began to view herbrothers and sisters differently. She ex-plains: “I tried to understand what qual-ities make them precious to Jehovah.”What about us? Never would we want to

12. What problem did a sister named Sarah have?13. What can we learn from how Sarah changedher attitude?

MARCH 2020 27

28 THE WATCHTOWER

feel superior to others because of oureducation! If we have intense “love forthe whole association of brothers,” wewill avoid being partial.—1 Pet. 2:17.

BE HOSPITABLE14 Jehovah highly values hospitality.

(Read Hebrews 13:16.) He considersit part of our worship, especially whenwe help the needy. (Jas. 1:27; 2:14-17)Therefore, the Scriptures encourage usto “follow the course of hospitality.”(Rom. 12:13) We express genuine fond-ness, affection, and friendship whenwe are hospitable. Jehovah is pleasedwhether we share with others a snack,something to drink, a meal, or ourtime and loving attention. (1 Pet. 4:8-10) However, there may be obstaclesthat can make it difficult for us to behospitable.

14. According to Hebrews 13:16, how does Jeho-vah feel when we show hospitality to others?

15 We may hesitate to show hospitalitybecause of our circumstances. Considerthe example of a widow named Edit. Be-fore she became aWitness, she preferredto have little contact with others. Editfelt that others were in a better positionto be hospitable.

16 After she became a Witness, Editchanged her way of thinking. She tooksteps to be hospitable. She relates:“When our new Kingdom Hall was be-ing built, an elder told me about a mar-ried couple who were coming to helpwith the project, and he asked me if Icould offer them accommodations fortwo weeks. I remembered how Jehovahblessed the widow of Zarephath.” (1 Ki.17:12-16) Edit agreed to host the cou-ple.Was she blessed? She explains: “Twoweeks turned into two months. During

15-16. (a) Why might some hesitate to show hos-pitality? (b) How did Edit overcome her hesitationto show hospitality?

“In the past, I wasnot inclined to showhospitality, but Ichanged and havereceived much joy”(See paragraph 16)

that time, we developed a close friend-ship.” Edit has also been blessed withclose friends in the congregation. She isnow a pioneer and enjoys having thosewith whom she works in the ministrycome to her home for refreshments. Shesays: “Giving makes me feel good! Andthe truth is that I receive so many bless-ings in return.”—Heb. 13:1, 2.

17 We may already be showing hospital-ity, but can we improve? For example,Luke and his wife are a hospitable cou-ple. They were in the habit of inviting totheir home their parents, relatives, closefriends, and the circuit overseer and hiswife. However, Luke says, “We realizedthat we were inviting only those whowere close to us.” How did Luke and hiswife improve in showing hospitality?

18 Luke and his wife changed their viewafter reflecting on Jesus’ words: “If youlove those loving you, what reward doyou have?” (Matt. 5:45-47) They real-

17. What realization did Luke and his wifecome to?18. How did Luke and his wife improve in showinghospitality?

ized that they needed to imitate Jeho-vah, who is generous toward all. So theymade it a point to invite brothers and sis-ters whom they had not invited before.Luke says: “All of us now enjoy these oc-casions so much. Everyone feels encour-aged and upbuilt.”

19 We have examined how having in-tense love for one another can help us tobe peacemakers, to be impartial, and tobe hospitable. We must overcome anynegative feelings and love our broth-ers and sisters intensely from the heart.If we do, we will be happy and we willprove that we really are Jesus’ disciples.—John 13:17, 35.

19. How do we prove that we are Jesus’ disciples,and what are you determined to do?

��

PICTURE DESCRIPTIONS Page 25: A sister’sfirst attempt to resolve a matter is not successful,but she does not give up. Her continued effortsto show love eventually succeed. Page 26: An old-er brother is feeling excluded by others in the con-gregation. Page 28: A sister who initially hesitat-ed to show hospitality changes her thinking, andthe change brings her added happiness.

HOW CAN WE SHOW INTENSE LOVE BY . . .

˛ being peacemakers? ˛ being impartial? ˛ being hospitable?

SONG 88Make Me Know Your Ways

°

¢

°

¢

°

¢

°

¢

44

44

&### A F#m C#m G/A A7

?###

&### D F#7+5 Bm Bm/A

?###

&### Bm/G# C#7 Fº F#m

?###

&### A/B B13

#Bm7 E13sus4 E7

?###

œj œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œœœ œœ œ œ ™œœ œœ œj

‰ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ

œ œ œ œ œ œn

œœœ œ œ œœœ œœ# œ œ™

˙ ‰ œj

œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ

œœœ œ œ œœœ# ™™™ œj œ œ œ œ ™œœ

jœœ œj

œ œ œœ œ œ œn œ œn œ# œ œ

œ œ œ œ œ œ œœn ˙ ™œ œœ œœ

˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ˙

88 Make Me Know Your Ways(Psalm 25:4)

We’re gath - ered to - geth - er, Je - ho - vah our God, Ac -Un - reach - a - bly high is your wis - dom, O God; Your

cept - ing your warm in - vi - ta - tion. Yourjudg - ments we find re - as - sur - ing. Your

Word is a lamp that lights up our path - way, TheWord is a source of un - end - ing won - der; Your

source of di - vine ed - u - ca - tion.say - ings of truth are en - dur - ing.

°

¢

°

¢

°

¢

°

¢

&### A C#+5 D Bm7

?###

&### E7sus4 E/D A/C# Bm11 E7

?###

&###G/A A13 Dma7 G13sus4

nDm6/F

?### nn

&### A/E D/E E7 A

?###

œœ œ œ œœœ# ™™™ œJ œœœ œ œœœ œ œœ

œ™™™ œj

œ œ œ œœ

œ# œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ

˙œ œ œ œ ˙œ œ Óœ œ w ˙

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

œœœn œœœ œœœ œœœ ™™™ œœœj

œœœ œ œœ œ œ ™œœ œœ œj

œ œ œ œ œ œn œ œ œ œ œ œ œn

œœ# œœ# œœ œ œ œ œœ œ ˙ œœœ ™™™

œœ œ œ œ# œœ# œœ œ œ œ œ œ ™

Make Me Know Your Ways

Chorus

(See also Ex. 33:13; Ps. 1:2; 119:27, 35, 73, 105.)

Teach me your ways, and make me un - der - stand; In -

cline my ear to hear your wise com - mand.

Cause me to walk in ways of truth and right, And

make your law my prin - ci - pal de - light.

Documents

Joseph Shows Great Self-Controlda-ip.getmyip.com/PDF/Study Prep/2020/21 Study Prep 05-25... · 2020. 5. 10. · MAY 25-31 GENESIS42-43 ˙ Song 120 and Prayer ˙ Opening Comments (1