Sheep and Goats

The Judge of the Earth Always Does What is Right

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Though some carry on about it more than you think they should, nobody can ever say that in a lifetime of service to God, you won’t experience some injustice. It is not business-as-usual routine, but when it does happen, it can be serious. All the more so because you expect trouble from the general world, but not from the brotherhood. When it comes, it throws you for a loop. It is like the verse quoted in the Watchtower study this week, Psalm 55: 12-14:

“For it is not an enemy who taunts me; Otherwise I could put up with it. It is not a foe who has risen up against me; otherwise I could conceal myself from him. But it is you, a man like me, my own companion, whom I know well. We used to enjoy a warm friendship together; into the house of God we used to walk along with the multitude.”

The study article was illustrated with one real-life injustice, and one from the scriptures. A Brother Diehl from 1949 is mentioned. He caught all kinds of heat when he decided to marry. Brothers were all serious back then about single persons in the circuit or Bethel work remaining single, a situation that was not resolved, legend has it, until Brother Knorr himself married. Now THAT’S human! Let nobody say that these guys aren’t. Diehl could certainly be understood if he bellyached about it, but it wouldn’t do him any good. All he could do was get others stirred up. So he waited it out. He was right, but he didn’t make a big deal over it. Eventually, everyone came around. He took it on the chin for a while.

The example from scripture is more serious. Joseph was sold out by his brothers and ended up in slavery. A silver lining eventually materialized and he became a big cheese in Potipher’s house, then he was slammed again and sent to prison for 13 years. Believe me, I would whine plenty about it, but if Joseph did, there is no record of it. What the record shows is that overall he allowed it to mold him:

"But now do not be upset and do not reproach one another because you sold me here; because God has sent me ahead of you for the preservation of life … So, then, it was not you who sent me here, but it was the true God, in order to appoint me as chief adviser to Pharoah and lord for all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt." (Genesis 45:5-8)

He didn’t know he would be appointed chief adviser to Pharoah until he was, and had he moaned forever about his kidnapping and later imprisonment, he wouldn’t have been. Everyone could have understood him bitching, but it wouldn’t have done him any good. People screw things up. Usually, their motive is not bad, but sometimes it is, as in Joseph’s case. Often, you don’t have the power to fix things. You do have the power, however, to make them worse.

(‘The Judge of the Earth Always Does What is Right;’ the Watchtower, April 2017 – study edition)

Comments

4 responses to “The Judge of the Earth Always Does What is Right”

  1. No one Avatar
    No one

    I know what it is like to have injustice be done to you in the congregation.
    I’ve been reading your blog now for years, but finally decided to post something.
    I read that article when it came out, I didn’t go to the meeting today though. But I knew what it was saying.
    There was a drama about Joseph a few years ago as well, if you remember, that showed how slander and lies come up. In that drama it showed Joseph lasting 13 years in prison, but in the real-life situation the person that was slandered about was in that situation a few days.
    I was slandered against by my own brothers, they said I violated my child. And the government was going to take away my family, and deport my wife.
    The only option I had was to leave with my wife to her country with her family.
    When we got there and I told them what happened, Bethel sent them the lies from the government, and all of the elders beleieved it. And they shunned me, and did not allow me to attend anything beyond meetings with anyone.
    I left my home, I left my life, I left my job, I left all that I owned to protect my family because I love them. And I came to another country a foreign language. And I talked to the elders because I knew Jehovah trusted in them.
    And the elders shunned me and hated me. And told me to repent of my sins. And I said I cannot repent of something I did not do.
    And I was shunned and hated so much in the congreagtion, and it is obvious that the elders talked about me to their family. I would go to the meeting, and the elders’ families would refuse to shake my hand. They showed me such hatred. They ignored me. I was thrown in the dirt.
    And when we did have sheperding calls, it was to tell me to treat my children good. I was, I was having family study. I was doing everything right. I needed Jehovah to send someone to me to tell me to hang on, that he loved me, that he saw what was going on. And the elders hated me with such a hatred. And I loved them.
    And then one day I started to drink, and I forgot the pain. I was already sick. I had lost my health.
    I was sick, I had lost everything I have. And I drunk too much and I felt good. And then the next day I did the same thing, and I did it the next day, and I kept doing it.
    And now I am an drink too much.
    And I hate everything this world has to offer.
    And I know this article was written for people like me.
    Jehovah knows, even though I sinned, he knows why I did. I am wrong for drinking too much.
    But there are a lot of brothers and elders responsible for treating us badly. I am not the only one.
    There are many more things. But I will tell you this. I am no one. I am of the anointed.
    You may recall I talked about 7,000 being the number left in this period, a number of years ago. Perhaps not. Perhaps there is more.

    Reply
  2. No one Avatar
    No one

    I should all. All of my family is in the truth and baptized, my wife, and my child. My other child is a publisher.
    And I know I need to endure.
    I will tell you something. After I came to this country. I met another brother in Virgina. And he sends us money to take care of our needs, every month.
    And he went so far as to take another couple and come down to Mexico to meet us.
    When everyone where I lived was treating me like poison. Jehovah never forgot me. Until this day.
    We have our RC next week, and with no money he sent us $500 to go.
    And when we arrived here, everything was given us, without anyone knowing what he had gone through.
    I could tell you in detail, but it is too long a story. And recently, two months ago, a CO did come to my house to listen to me and what I had gone through.
    The day before I had prayed to Jehovah and said, Jehovah if you love me, send someone to give me encouragement. And the next day the CO came to my house and said he had come because Jehovah loves me.
    I am not an apostate. And I am not a person who says God does not listen to his prayers.
    I am a person going through severe persecution that needs to talk about it to someone.
    Don’t post this please, if you do not want to.
    I just needed to talk about this to someone.

    Reply
  3. Tom Harley Avatar
    Tom Harley

    If my post helps you in any way, I will be happy. I hope things straghten out at last to the degree possible.

    Reply
  4. Regina Avatar
    Regina

    Wonderful testimony. Man enemies are the members of his family.

    Reply

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