References for “Life and Ministry Meeting Workbook”

References for Life and Ministry Meeting Workbook

JANUARY 5-11

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | ISAIAH 17-20

“The Share of Those Pillaging Us”

ip-1 198 ¶20

Jehovah’s Counsel Against the Nations

²⁰ The result? Isaiah says: “At evening time, why, look! there is sudden terror. Before morning—it is no more. This is the share of those pillaging us, and the lot belonging to those plundering us.” (Isaiah 17:14) Many are plundering Jehovah’s people, treating them harshly and disrespectfully. Because they are not—and do not wish to be—a part of the world’s mainstream religions, true Christians are viewed as easy prey by biased critics and fanatic opponents. But God’s people are confident that the “morning” when their tribulations will end is fast approaching.—2 Thessalonians 1:6-9; 1 Peter 5:6-11.

Spiritual Gems

w06 12/1 11 ¶1

Highlights From the Book of Isaiah—I

20:2-5—Did Isaiah really walk about completely naked for three years? Isaiah possibly took off his outer garment only and walked about “lightly clad.”—1 Samuel 19:24, footnote.

JANUARY 12-18

Spiritual Gems

w06 12/1 11 ¶2

Highlights From the Book of Isaiah—I

21:1—What region is called “the wilderness of the sea”? Even though Babylon was nowhere near the actual sea, it is referred to this way. This is because the overflowing waters of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers flooded the region annually, creating a marshy “sea.”

JANUARY 19-25

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | ISAIAH 24-27

“This Is Our God!”

cl 15 ¶21

“Look! This Is Our God!”

²¹ Have you ever seen a small child point out his father to his friends and then say with innocent joy and pride, “That’s my daddy”? God’s worshippers have every reason to feel similarly about Jehovah. The Bible foretells a time when faithful people will exclaim: “Look! This is our God!” (Isaiah 25:8, 9) The more insight you gain into Jehovah’s qualities, the more you will feel that you have the best Father imaginable.

JANUARY 26–FEBRUARY 1

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | ISAIAH 28-29

Honor Jehovah With Your Lips and Your Heart

ip-1 299 ¶23

Isaiah Foretells Jehovah’s ‘Strange Deed’

²³ Judah’s religious leaders profess to be spiritually discreet, but they have left Jehovah. They teach instead their own twisted ideas of right and wrong, justifying their faithless and immoral activities and their leading the people into God’s disfavor. By means of “something wonderful”—his ‘strange deed’—Jehovah will call them to account for their hypocrisy. He says: “For the reason that this people have come near with their mouth, and they have glorified me merely with their lips, and they have removed their heart itself far away from me, and their fear toward me becomes men’s commandment that is being taught, therefore here I am, the One that will act wonderfully again with this people, in a wonderful manner and with something wonderful; and the wisdom of their wise men must perish, and the very understanding of their discreet men will conceal itself.” (Isaiah 29:13, 14) Judah’s self-styled wisdom and understanding will perish when Jehovah maneuvers things for her entire apostate religious system to be wiped out by the Babylonian World Power. The same thing happened in the first century after the self-styled wise leaders of the Jews led the nation astray. Something similar will happen in our own day to Christendom.—Matthew 15:8, 9; Romans 11:8.

Spiritual Gems

it “Ariel” ¶1; it “Ariel” No. 3

Ariel

(Arʹi·el) [Altar Hearth of God; or, Lion of God].

3. A cryptic name applied to Jerusalem in Isaiah 29:1, 2, 7. Jerusalem was the location of God’s temple that had within its precincts the sacrificial altar. Because of this the city was, in effect, God’s altar hearth. It was also supposed to be the center of Jehovah’s pure worship. However, the message in Isaiah 29:1-4 is ominous in content and predicts the destruction due to come to Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians in 607 B.C.E., when she would become an “altar hearth” in a different sense: as a city running with shed blood and consumed by fire and filled with the bodies of victims of the fiery destruction. The underlying causes for this calamity are stated in verses 9 to 16. Isaiah 29:7, 8, however, shows that the nations wreaking such destruction on Jerusalem would fail in their ultimate purpose or goal.

FEBRUARY 2-8

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | ISAIAH 30-32

Find Refuge Under Jehovah’s Wings

w01 11/15 16 ¶7

Jehovah Is Our Refuge

⁷ Having Jehovah as our refuge, we draw comfort from the words: “With his pinions he will block approach to you, and under his wings you will take refuge. His trueness will be a large shield and bulwark.” (Psalm 91:4) God protects us, even as a parent bird hovers protectively over its young. (Isaiah 31:5) ‘With his pinions he blocks approach to us.’ Broadly, a bird’s “pinions” are its wings. With them a bird covers its young, protecting them from predators. Like mere fledglings, we are secure under Jehovah’s figurative pinions because we have taken refuge in his true Christian organization.—Ruth 2:12; Psalm 5:1, 11.

Spiritual Gems

it “Bread” ¶6

Bread

Figurative Use. The term “bread,” as used in the Bible, has a number of figurative applications. For instance, Joshua and Caleb told the assembled Israelites that the inhabitants of Canaan “are bread to us,” apparently meaning that they could easily be conquered and that the experience would sustain or strengthen Israel. (Nu 14:9) Great sorrow that might be associated with divine disfavor seems to be reflected in Psalm 80:5, where it is said of Israel’s Shepherd Jehovah: “You have made them eat the bread of tears.” Jehovah is also spoken of as giving his people “bread in the form of distress and water in the form of oppression,” evidently referring to conditions they would experience under siege and that would be as common to them as bread and water.—Isa 30:20.

FEBRUARY 16-22

TREASURES FROM GOD’S WORD | ISAIAH 36-37

“Do Not Be Afraid Because of the Words That You Heard”

ip-1 387 ¶10

A King’s Faith Is Rewarded

¹⁰ Next Rabshakeh reminds the Jews that militarily they are hopelessly outclassed. He issues this arrogant challenge: “Let me give you two thousand horses to see whether you are able, on your part, to put riders upon them.” (Isaiah 36:8) In reality, though, does it matter whether Judah’s trained cavalry are many or few? No, for Judah’s salvation does not depend upon superior military strength. Proverbs 21:31 explains matters this way: “The horse is something prepared for the day of battle, but salvation belongs to Jehovah.” Then Rabshakeh claims that Jehovah’s blessing is with the Assyrians, not the Jews. Otherwise, he argues, the Assyrians could never have penetrated so far into Judah’s territory.—Isaiah 36:9, 10.

ip-1 388 ¶13

A King’s Faith Is Rewarded

¹³ From his arsenal of arguments, Rabshakeh draws another verbal weapon. He warns the Jews against believing Hezekiah should he say: “Jehovah himself will deliver us.” Rabshakeh reminds the Jews that the gods of Samaria were unable to prevent the ten tribes from being overcome by the Assyrians. And what of the gods of the other nations Assyria has conquered? “Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad?” he demands. “Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? And have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?”—Isaiah 36:18-20.

Spiritual Gems

it “Bridle” ¶4

Bridle

Jehovah told King Sennacherib of Assyria: “I shall certainly put my hook in your nose and my bridle between your lips, and I shall indeed lead you back by the way by which you have come.” (2Ki 19:28; Isa 37:29) Not willingly, but by Jehovah’s hand, Sennacherib was forced to forgo any siege of Jerusalem and to return to Nineveh, where he was later assassinated by his own sons. (2Ki 19:32-37; Isa 37:33-38) Jehovah’s putting a bridle in the jaws of enemy peoples indicates their coming under the type of complete control gained over animals by means of a bridle.—Isa 30:28.