The Watchtower, April 15, 1951
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WATCHTOWER
APRIL 15,1951 Semimonthly IN DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE
"LET MARRIAGE BE HONORABLE AMONG ALL"
FURTHER PREACHING IN THE ISLANDS
MUST CHRISTIANS PAY TITHES?
EUROPEAN ASSEMBLIES
Announcing JEHOVAH'S KINGDOM
"YOU ARE MY WITNESSES," SAYS JEHOVAH.—Isa. 43:12 THE PURPOSE OF "THE WATCHTOWER"
Literal towers in Bible times were elevated vantage points from which watchmen could observe happenings, warn of danger, or announce good news. Our magazine figuratively occupies such a vantage point, for it is founded on the very pinnacle of wisdom, God's Word. That elevates it above racial, national and political propagandas and prejudices, frees it from selfish bias. It is not bound by any traditional creed, but its message advances as the light on God's purposes and works increases.—Habakkuk 2:1-3.
It sees things Scripturally. When it observes this generation afflicted with greed, delinquency, hypocrisy, atheism, war, famine, pestilence, perplexity and fear, and persecution of unpopular minorities, it does not parrot the old fable about history repeating itself. Informed by Bible prophecy, it sees in these things the sign of the world's time of the end. But with bright hope it also sees opening up for us just beyond these woes the portals of a new world.
Thus viewed, "The Watchtower" stands as a watchman atop a tower, alert to what is going on, awake to note signs of danger, faithful to point out the way of escape. It announces Jehovah's kingdom established by Christ's enthronement in heaven, feeds his kingdom joint-heirs with spiritual food, cheers men of good will with glorious prospects of eternal life in a paradise earth, comforts us with the resurrection promise for the dead.
It is not dogmatic, but has a confident ring in its voice, because it is based on God's Word. It does not privately interpret prophecy, but calls attention to physical facts, sets them alongside prophecy, and you see for yourself how well the two match, how accurately Jehovah interprets his own prophecy. In the interests of our salvation, it keeps sharp and faithful focus on Bible truth, and views religious news generally.
'Be watchful in these perilous times,' God admonishes. So keep on the watch by regularly reading "The Watchtower".
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PUBLISHED BY THE WATCH TOWER BIBLE & TRACT SOCIETY
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Brooklyn 1, N. Y., U. S. A.
N. H. KNORR, President
GRANT SUITER, Secretary
"They will all be taught by Jehovah."—John 6:45, NW; Isaiah 54:13
CONTENTS
In Defense of Marriage 227
"Let Marriage Be Honorable Among All" 233
Further Preaching in the Islands 241
"With Stammering Lips and
Another Tongue" 246
Italian District Assembly Aids
Free Worship 247
Must Christians Pay Tithes? 248
Gilead Graduates Its Sixteenth Class 251
European Assemblies 252
A Modern "Job" Maintaining Integrity 254
Surprise from a Clergyman 254
Questions from Readers 255
Announcements 256
Abbreviations used in "The Watchtower" for the following Bible versions
AS - American Standard Version LXX- The Septuagint Version
AT - An American Translation Mo - James Moffatt's version
Da - J. N. Darby's version NW - New World Translation
Dy - Catholic Douay version Ro - J. B. Rotherham's version
ED - The Emphatic Diaglott RS - Revised Standard Version
Le - Isaac Leeser's version Yg - Robert Young's version
Unless otherwise indicated, the Bible used is the King James Version
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IN DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE
"Let marriage be honorable among all, and the marriage bed be without defilement, for God will judge fornicators and adulterers."—Heb. 13:4, NW.
EHOVAH established an honorable thing in marriage between man and woman. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, dignified marriage. He did not himself marry as a man—the divine purpose did not include his marriage on earth—but he accepted an invitation to a wedding in Cana of Galilee and contributed to the joy there by performing his first miracle, turning water into wine for the wedding guests. He also used marriage celebrations to illustrate truths concerning the kingdom of the heavens. He was used by Jehovah God to restore marriage to its original Edenic level.
2 The Creator made woman for man that by marrying the two he might people this earth with a perfect human race, all issuing from one parenthood, all one flesh and blood, bound together by ties of family relationship. God's means to an end are always honorable and bring credit to him as Creator. His will is that marriage must always be held in honor by his worshipers: "Let marriage be honorable among all, and the marriage bed be without defilement." (Heb. 13:4, NW) This command was given to Christians. On earth Christians are privileged to take part in this divine institution. But to use it aright they
must hold marriage in honor and bring no contempt upon it by abuse. Religious leaders who have fallen away from the Christian faith or who never knew it, these are the ones who forbid Christians to marry with honor. "The inspired utterance says definitely that in later periods of time some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons, by the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, marked in their conscience as with a branding iron, forbidding to marry." (1 Tim. 4:1-3, NW) Those who have fallen away from the Christian faith and forbidden certain men and women to marry have claimed to forbid their marriage in the interests of Christianity. But in this they have deceived themselves, for it is contrary to God's will. So it has worked, not for the interests, but for the hurt of those professing Christianity. It has led to immoralities.
There is not an institution that the Creator has set up which his adversary the Devil has not tampered with and doggedly tried to debase and pervert. For one thing the Christian congregation was established to restore the pure and honorable relationship between male and female, and hence the adversary has made the Christian con-
What shows marriage is an honorable institution?
(a) To whom was Hebrews 13:4 directed, and what does this show? (b) Who forbid marriage? Wrongly or rightly?
How has the Devil attacked the marriage relationship within the Christian congregation?
gregation the special object of his attack in this particular regard. For this attack he has raised up false prophets, teachers of false doctrines, and exponents of false codes of conduct. Note this modern instance, reported in the New York Times of December 29,1949,as follows: "Our Society will be 'within a very few generations as tolerant of premarital but postpubertal sexual relations as are the majority of the other peoples of the world,' it was predicted yesterday by Dr. George Peter Murdock, Professor of Anthropology at Yale University. . . . 'As a scientist, I am forced to predict the disappearance of old standards and also to acknowledge that new standards, even if personally unwelcome, probably will work out to the satisfaction of everyone.' Dr. Murdock said he was not personally apprehensive' over the rising divorce rate. . . . 'Moreover, I suspect that increasing premarital freedom may ultimately lead to more rational selection of
mates and thereby to a decline in divorce.' "
corrupt, breaking their integrity toward God. So the adversary craftily raises up false prophets in the very midst of God's organized people. Note Peter's warning of this.
4 In his second letter to Christians the apostle Peter warned them of prophets of false moral standards. He
With a reference to the Israelites to whom Jehovah God sent his true prophets for their instruction and salvation, Peter says: "However, there also came to be false prophets among the people, as there will also be false teachers among you. These very ones will quietly bring in destructive sects and will disown even the owner that bought them, bringing speedy destruction upon themselves. Furthermore, many will turn out of the way and follow their acts of loose conduct, and on account of these the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively. Also with covetousness they will exploit you with counterfeit words. But as for them, the judgment of ancient times is not moving slowly, and the destruction of them is not slumbering."
reminds them that they have escaped from the "corruption that is in the world through lust". It would therefore be out of order for Christians to indulge again in the corruption that is in this lustful world. To deter us from such a relapse into worldly corruption we have been given the true prophecies. (2 Pet. 1:1-4,19-21,NW) But the adversary has challenged Almighty God to put on earth men and women whom he cannot
2 Pet. 2:1-3, NW.
From this we see that what happened to the natural Israelites prior to Christ was an advance illustration of what would endanger the
Christian congregation of spiritual Israelites. False teachers are certain to be raised up by the operation of the adversary. These will create sects, groups that would branch off from the true organization and follow men as leaders. They will "disown even the owner that bought them" namely, Jesus Christ. To him it is said: "You were slaughtered and with your blood you bought persons for God out of every
5. How did the apostle Peter warn Christians of this? 6.7 How do they disown the Owner who bought them?
tribe and tongue and people and nation." (Rev. 5:9, NW) These false teachers and introducers of false practices will acknowledge him and will agree with 1 Corinthians 6:19,20 (NW), which says: "You do not belong to yourselves, for you were bought with a price." So with counterfeit words they will call Christ Jesus Lord, Master and Owner, but they will deny him by the way they live in private. It was when warning Christians against committing fornication with a harlot and becoming one body, one flesh, with her that the apostle Paul reminded the Christian congregation that they did not belong to themselves but had been bought with a price and must therefore glorify God as a body of Christians. It is by an unclean course of life, loose conduct, such as their Owner never did practice or approve of among his bought slaves, that these false teachers deny their Owner who bought them with his precious blood.
We can disown God and his Christ by the way we live. The apostle Paul showed this also in these words concerning men who have defiled minds and consciences: "They publicly declare they know God, but they disown him by their works, because they are detestable and disobedient and disapproved for every good work." (Titus 1:16, NW) That loose, unclean conduct would be one of the ways by which the false leaders would make denial of Christ the apostle Peter indicates when he adds: "Many will turn out of the way and follow their acts of loose conduct, and on account of these the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively."—2 Pet. 2:2, NW.
EFFECT ON THE ORGANIZATION
8 No one lives just to himself. So when a professed Christian turns out of the way of purity and righteousness and follows an
enticer into loose conduct, he not only injures himself but also brings reproach on the pure organization of Jehovah God. People on the outside who observe their unclean course take them as an example of what all others inside the organization are. Naturally they begin to speak abusively about the organization and the "way of the truth". This is just what the adversary wants. He wants to bring reproach on God's true organization and have it take on a shameful appearance in the world's eyes. Not that the religious organizations of the world are themselves pure morally and doctrinally, but that God's organization represents the way of the truth.
So when any organization members walk contrary to the principles of the truth, then outside observers are led to look upon them as hypocrites. Who wants to join a hypocritical organization? Consequently honest men take offense against the organization as a whole because of the careless, loose and unfaithful conduct of an individual member. This hinders them from seeking association with God's organization, and this suits the purpose of the Devil well. The loose, immoral one does not serve God but serves his challenger and adversary and plays right into the Devil's hand. We can thus see how responsible we are to pursue right conduct so as to show correctly and faithfully before all the world what the theocratic organization stands for in morals as well as in doctrine. Christians who turn to immorality and thereby bring undeserved reproach upon the organization come therefore under a special condemnation from Jehovah God. Let them not think their sin will not find them out and that they can escape. God's judgment against such a class is not moving slowly, and his destruction of them will not slumber on as if unconscious of their impure conduct.
8,9. (a) Whom does a Christian's course affect? (b) So what is it our responsibility to do?
"THE PATH OF BALAAM"
10 Impure relations between the sexes is one of the seductive ways by which the Devil tries to break down the soundness of the Christian congregation. To strengthen the proof of that the further words of Peter in the same discussion may be quoted. Speaking of animalistic persons who slyly work to corrupt others, working like a piece of sinful yeast that ferments the whole mass, Peter says: "They have eyes full of adultery and unable to desist from sin, and they entice unsteady souls. They have a heart trained in covetousness. They are accursed children. Abandoning the straight path, they have been misled. They have turned aside and followed the path of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the reward of wrongdoing, but got a reproof for his own violation of what was right. A voiceless beast of burden, making utterance with the voice of a man, hindered the prophet's mad course."—2 Pet. 2:14-16, NW.
11 Take note that those individuals have eyes full of adultery, looking for unsteady souls to entice. They have followed the path of Balaam with a love of the reward for wrongdoing. Balaam's beast of burden, the ass, miraculously spoke with a man's voice and warned Balaam when he was riding to curse God's chosen people. He had let himself be hired by the king of Moab, Balak, to use his prophetic powers to say a curse upon the Israelites. But by another miracle God turned Balaam's intended curse into a blessing upon his chosen people. When Balaam failed in using his prophetic office for a curse to the Israelites, he thought of another way by which to cause their fall and bring the divine curse upon them. What was this way? Immorality! Peter indicates this by introducing
Balaam when he is discussing unclean, adulterous conduct among Christians.
12 The Lord Jesus Christ, too, points directly at this class like Balaam who attempt to induce Christians to loose sex relations. In chapters two and three of The Revelation Jesus sends messages to the "seven congregations that are in the province of Asia". As seven is a number symbolizing spiritual perfection, all those congregations together represented the professed Christian congregation down here in this "time of the end" of this world. So the conditions existing in those seven congregations of the first century pictured the conditions that would mark the Christian congregation in our day when the prophecies of The Revelation are being fulfilled. After beginning with some words of praise for the congregation in Pergamum the Lord Jesus says: "Nevertheless, I have a few things against you, that you have there those holding fast the teaching of Balaam, who went to teaching Balak to put a stumblingblock before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication." (Rev. 2:14, NW) Fornication means the willing sexual intercourse on the part of an unmarried person with a person of the opposite sex.
13 King Balak was disappointed because the prophet Balaam was inspired to utter a blessing instead of a curse upon Jehovah's organized people. He felt the reward he offered Balaam was wasted. But then Balaam showed King Balak a more subtle way by which to bring Israel's downfall. This would counteract the divine blessing he had just pronounced and would induce the Israelites to work for God's curse on themselves instead of his blessing. What was that? Why, entice them to give loose rein to passion and to fornicate with attract-
10, 11. (a) By what seductive means does the Devil try to break down the organization's soundness? (b) How do Peter's further words show this?
How did Jesus point to the same class now like Balaam?
Failing to curse Israel, what did Balaam suggest to Balak? Why?
tive heathen women. By this breakdown of their integrity you can lead them on to eating idol sacrifices.
14 What made it so disastrous was this. The Israelites were encamped on the plains of Moab near Mount Peor, just across the Jordan river from the Promised Land of milk and honey. Practically all the older persons who had made the exodus from Egypt at the age of twenty and upward had died off during the forty-year wilderness journey. The younger generation had survived. Here they were, about to enter the land promised to Abraham their forefather and his offspring about 470 years before. They were now so close to realizing this divine promise, but would they all enter the land? No, at least not some 24,000 of them. What was the reason for the failure of these? Immorality, and that right on the brink of the Promised Land! The sorry account tells us: "And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak [king of Moab] also went his way. And Israel abode in Shittim; and the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab: for they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods; and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor [or, the Baal of Peor]: and the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up unto Jehovah before the sun, that the fierce anger of Jehovah may turn away from Israel. . . . And those that died by the plague were twenty and four thousand."—Num. 24: 25; 25:1-9, AS.
15 The prophet Balaam was responsible for this. Not only Jesus, but also Moses made his responsibility plain. When God
sent the Israelites to execute divine vengeance upon the Midianites for their part in thus corrupting Israel, the Israelite warriors did not slaughter the Midianite women and children but spared them as captives. Moses indignantly exclaimed: "Have ye saved all the women alive? Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against Jehovah in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of Jehovah." In executing divine vengeance the Israelites had killed the prophet Balaam, but here they had spared and brought into their own midst those whom Balaam had schemed to use for defiling them. They were bringing into their midst the temptation to idolatry, spiritual harlotry against God, for the satisfaction of their passion. For morality reasons Moses had all the women who had prostituted their virginity to the lewd worship of Baal-peor killed off as a temptation source. He allowed only the still virgin women-children to live and serve the Israelites.—Num. 31:8, 15, 16, AS.
16 That is just the way with the great adversary. If he cannot seduce Jehovah's people into verbally renouncing God and his pure worship he tries to work their ruin by enticing them into immorality. The above was recorded in God's Word as a warning to us. We are virtually on the verge of entering into the righteous new world. Though so near to our glorious goal, there is still danger of falling short of reaching it as modern counterparts of those thousands of Israelites. Do not forget: We are flesh and blood like those men were. Temptations that were common to them can likewise appeal to us and cause us to fall. Just because we belong to the organization which Jehovah has saved is no guarantee that we cannot personally
What made yielding to this temptation so disastrous for Israel?
Whom did the Israelites kill as responsible for this, but how did they expose themselves to further temptation?
Why is belonging to the organization now not a guarantee of our future entry into the new world?
fall into sin and miss out as individuals and so not enter into the new world with the theocratic organization. While we may belong to the organization, still we have an individual responsibility, and Jehovah God holds individuals to account.
17 To make us as Christians in the congregation keenly aware of this danger to our individual standing, Paul mentioned a number of incidents in Israel's wilderness journey and wrote: "Neither let us practice fornication, as some of them committed fornication, only to fall, twenty-three thousand of them in one day. Now these things went on befalling them as examples and they were written for a warning to us upon whom the accomplished ends of the systems of things have arrived. Consequently, let him that thinks he has a firm position beware that he does not fall. No temptation has taken you except what is common to men." But is it beyond your power to resist such temptation? No; not if you discern the temptation and call upon the omnipotent God for rescue: "God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but along with the temptation he will also make the way out in order for you to be able to endure it."—1 Cor. 10:8, 11-13, NW.
FEMALE AS WELL AS MALE INFLUENCE
18 The adversary may use male influence in the congregation, as a modern Balaam force. He may also use female influence, to bring about the corruption of those belonging to God's people. Jesus referred to this female influence in his messages to the seven congregations in Asia. Female influence is something which he can hold against a congregation today, as he did back there against the congregation of Thyatira, saying: "Nevertheless, I do hold
this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and misleads my slaves to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent, but she is not willing to repent of her fornication. Look! I am about to throw her into a sickbed, and those committing adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And her children I will kill with deadly plague, so that all the congregations will know that I am he who searches the inmost thoughts and hearts, and I will give to you individually according to your deeds."—Rev. 2:20-23, NW.
19 Jezebel was a Baal worshiper who became the queen of King Ahab of Israel. She bossed him and exercised her influence to force the ten-tribe kingdom into immoral Baal worship. The effect of her influence was the same as that of Balaam's suggestion to King Balak against the Israelites. So the adversary can use either sex to induce the temptation. His aim is, not just to cause ruin to some individuals, but rather to corrupt the entire organization and to bring reproach upon it and its God and so to prejudice honest persons against it.
20 There is every need now for us to pray and watch against temptation to immorality, especially now when we are so close to the new world. If we have escaped from the sink of corruption of this world, why should we let ourselves be dragged back into it under false, glamorous inducements of "free love" and of easy forgiveness from a merciful God for our sins of immorality? Do not be roped in by promises of freedom of conduct. It means slavery to corruption with destruction as the outcome. In this same discussion Peter stresses this and
What did Paul write to warn us of this danger?
How did Jesus warn of a female influence now toward corruption?
Whom does Satan try to use such influence to corrupt?
Why should we watch against being dragged back into corruption?
says: "While they are promising them freedom, they themselves are existing as slaves of corruption. For whoever is overcome by another is enslaved by this one. Certainly if, after having escaped from the defilements of the world by an accurate knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they get involved again with these very things and are overcome, the final conditions have become worse for them
than the first. For it would have been better for them not to have accurately known the path of righteousness than after knowing it accurately to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them. The saying of the true proverb has happened to them: 'The dog has turned back to its own vomit, and the sow that was bathed to rolling in the mire.'"—2 Peter 2:19-22, NW.
"LET MARRIAGE BE HONORABLE AMONG ALL"
THE entire tenor of the apostle Paul's letter to the Hebrews is to fortify God's people against falling back into the sinful ways of the world which we have abandoned. Therefore with good reason he injected toward the close of his letter this admonition, "Let marriage be honorable among all, and the marriage bed be without defilement, for God will judge fornicators and adulterers." (Heb. 13:4, NW) That letter was written directly to Hebrew Christians. They had been advantaged by having had the benefit of the Mosaic law with its commandments against immorality, such as, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife." But during the centuries of the Christian era the good news has been preached to all nations and peoples, including those not
under Mosaic law and its moral code. It is meant to save sinners, including fornicators and adulterers. Fornicators are unmarried persons who commit immorality. Adulterers are married persons who willingly have sex relations with someone of the opposite sex not their legal marriage mate.
2 Even in his day Paul said he had preached and brought into the truth fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, sodomites or men kept for unnatural purposes and men who lie with men, etc. All were gross offenders against moral law. Jesus himself told the outwardly moral priests and religious elders that the tax collectors and harlots were going into God's kingdom ahead of them. (1 Cor. 6:9-11, NW; Matt. 21:31, 32) But now they had been cleaned up by the truth. So no longer must they fashion themselves after the customs and standards of this world but must conform their thoughts, affections and behavior to God's truth and commandments. So when these come into the truth and God receives them into his theocratic organization, they have to make radical changes in their lives,
Why was Hebrews 13:4 fittingly written toward the end of Paul's letter?
When formerly immoral persons come into the truth, what is then necessary on their part?
including their home arrangements. This was true nineteen centuries ago in apostolic times. It is just as true today.
3 In apostolic times polygamy, the marriage of a man to several living wives, was legal in many lands. It is so today. Here is a polygamist who becomes a Christian. Can he continue to live with several wives and have God's approval through Christ, just because polygamy is the local law and practice? No. In this case he must not live according to what "Caesar" allows in this world. He must render to God what he now owes to God, namely, pure worship. He may not take advantage of Caesar's law in order to satisfy his selfish passion. To do so means to side-step the law of God which is higher and altogether righteous. "We must obey God as ruler rather than men."—Acts 5:29, NW.
4 Jesus was perfectly clear on what God's law is concerning Christian marriage, namely, that the Christian standard of marriage is the one established by God at the beginning in Eden where he gave the perfect man only one living wife. Jesus' enemies then tried to make him compromise on the marriage position, just as some today try to make God's organization compromise on this same position. On this we read: "And Pharisees came up to him, intent on tempting him and saying: 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife on every kind of grounds?' In reply he said: Did you not read that he who created them at the beginning made them male and female and said: "For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will stick to his wife, and the two will be one flesh"? So that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has yoked together let no man put apart.' They
said to him: 'Why, then, did Moses prescribe giving a certificate of dismissal and divorcing her?' He said to them: 'Moses, out of regard for your hardheartedness, made the concession to you of divorcing your wives, but such has not been the case from the beginning. I say to you that whoever divorces his wife except on the grounds of fornication and marries another commits adultery.'"—Matt. 19:3-9, NW.
Thus God made only two "one flesh", the man and his one wife, not three or four or more one flesh. So when a polygamist, in perfectly good standing with his community according to the customs and laws of his land, wants to be a real Christian he must dispose of his excess wives. It may be he has children by these, in which case the local laws and proprieties may require him to make proper provision for such dismissed wives and their children until such women may marry another man. If the laws do not allow for him to divorce these excess wives, then what? He dismisses them from the marriage estate with him and retains only one of the wives and acknowledges to her alone the marriage dues. He allows none of the other women such exchange of marriage dues with him, although under the necessities of the case he may still keep them and their children in his establishment. They act merely as servants or hired help for their support, but he openly acknowledges just the one woman as his wife according to Christian standards.
6 Polygamy doubtless presents a difficult situation to rectify and adjust. But just on this account God's organization cannot compromise, allowing one standard of marriage to obtain say in Africa because of the native laws, and forbidding it else-
On becoming a Christian may a polygamist continue as such on the basis of Caesar's laws? Why, or why not?
So what must a polygamist do under the varying circumstances?
How did Jesus show what the Christian standard of marriage is?
Why may polygamy not be allowed anywhere among Christians? Has it been possible for them to rectify it?
where and insisting on another standard there because Christendom's laws make it easy. There is just the one Christian standard, which Jesus insisted on. Even in polygamous countries it has been possible by God's help and spirit to apply it. For example, one of the difficulties hindering our work in Tanganyika, Eastern Africa, has been polygamy. There the custom of the people has been as elsewhere on that continent. Marriage is not very strict, and men like chiefs have as many as 25 wives or more, while the common people have three or four. Jehovah's witnesses as true Christians cannot wink at such practices on the part of men who take up Christianity, get baptized and act as witnesses of the Most High God. So the worldly practice of polygamy has been cleansed from their midst.—See the 1951 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 226; also The Watchtower of August 1, 1949, page 240, "On Polygamy."
MORAL EXAMPLES
A polygamist, if he keeps on as such, denies his Owner who bought him, for his Owner Jesus Christ set up the standard of having one living wife for his followers. A polygamist cannot be appointed to a responsible position of service in a Christian congregation by the visible governing body of Jehovah's theocratic organization. The apostle Paul belonged to the governing body in the first century. Writing to his assistant Timothy regarding the qualifications of men to be appointed to official service in the congregations, he said: "If any man is reaching out for an office of overseer, he is desirous of a right kind of work. The overseer should therefore be irreprehensible, a husband of one wife, . . . a man presiding over his own household in a right manner, having children in subjection with all seriousness." Was that the
requirement for only the most prominent servants in the congregation? No. Concerning the subordinate servants it is also prescribed: "Let ministerial servants be husbands of one wife, presiding in a right manner over children and their own households." Titus was in another land, but he was not allowed to set up another standard on that account. He was instructed similarly: "Make appointments of older men in city after city, as I gave you orders, if there is any man free from accusation, a husband of one wife, having believing children that were not under a charge of debauchery nor unruly. For an overseer must be free from accusation as God's steward."—1 Tim. 3:1, 2, 4, 12 and Titus 1:5-7, NW.
It was required of such servants to be husbands to but one living wife. This is not to be understood as saying that monogamy was required of only servants but polygamy was allowed for the rest of the congregation. Certainly polygamy was not practiced by the women back there in having many living husbands. So polygamy of the women was not why this registration requirement was made of aged widows to receive material support of a congregation: "Let a widow be put on the list who has become not less than sixty years old, a wife of one husband." (1 Tim. 5:9,10, NW) But by having confined herself to one husband such widow showed she had self-control over animal passion. She was following Paul's advice concerning widows at 1 Corinthians 7:8,9,39,40: "I say to the single persons and the widows, it is well for them that they remain even as I am. But if they do not have self-control, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to be inflamed with passion. A wife is bound during all the time her husband is alive. But if her husband should fall asleep in death, she is free to be married to whom she wants, only in the Lord.
But she is happier if she remains as she is [namely, a widow], according to my opinion. I certainly think I also have God's spirit."—NW.
So monogamy applies to Christian women as well as men. Since the appointed servants of the congregation, the overseers and the ministerial assistants, were to be examples to the Christian flock, they were to be examples of the believers in this matter of being married to one living wife also. This in itself shows that the standard for the entire Christian congregation, for all of Christ's followers, is that of a man's having but one living wife, just as God originally arranged it with Adam in Eden.
CHRISTIAN GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE
10 Jesus' words at Matthew 19:9 on divorce plainly rule out all polygamy among Christians: "I say to you that whoever divorces his wife except on the grounds of fornication and marries another commits adultery." (NW) If to marry another woman while his former guiltless wife is still living meant adultery, then how could a Christian practice polygamy without being an adulterer? Some religious clergymen take Jesus' words here to mean that all divorce is barred from Christians, even on the grounds of adultery. Under date of December 13, 1948, the New York Times reported: "Divorce is not justified by any circumstance of marriage, however 'painful or brutal,' the Rev. Anselm Leahy declared yesterday in his second Advent sermon at St. Patrick's Cathedral. He termed modern divorce 'successive polygamy' and denounced as 'adulterers and adulteresses' divorced persons who contracted new marital unions within the lifetime of one another. . . His unqualified condemnation
of divorce [was] followed by a statement issued by Monsignor Robert E. McCormick calling upon the [New York] State Legislature to 'outlaw' divorce and assailing the 'present movement to liberalize divorce in our state' as 'a menace to society.'"
11 By taking such a position those clergymen condemn Jehovah God for allowing the Jews to practice divorce according to the divine law given through Moses. (Deut. 24:1-4) But Jesus at Matthew 19:1-9 did not condemn this divorce provision or say it was "not justified by any circumstance of marriage, however 'painful or brutal'". Neither do his corresponding words in the sermon on the mount condemn it but simply say: "It was said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' However, I say to you that every one divorcing his wife except on account of fornication makes her a subject for adultery, seeing that whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." (Matt. 5:31, 32, NW) He also showed that a woman might start the divorce proceedings, saying: "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if ever a woman, after divorcing her husband, marries another, she commits adultery."—Mark 10:11, 12, NW.
12 This does not bar Christians altogether from divorce, but it allows them only immorality as the justifiable Scriptural grounds for getting a divorce. Whoever married a person that was divorced on grounds other than immorality would be committing adultery, for the marriage bond was not really canceled in God's sight by the legal divorce. But this is not saying that the Christian who gets the divorce because of the sexual unfaithfulness of his mate may only get rid of such mate and deprive such mate of bed and board and not be free, however, to marry another Christian woman.
Under God's law to Israel the man getting a divorce from his morally unclean wife was not barred from marrying another Israelite woman. So Jesus was not interpreting divorce by a Christian in such a way as to forbid his remarriage. Jesus' words mean strictly this: If the Christian procures the divorce on grounds other than the immorality of his marriage mate such Christian is committing adultery if he remarries.
UNDEFILED BED
13 The establishing of a law forbidding divorce under any circumstances has not served to maintain marriage in honor or to prevent adultery and fornication. In lands where antidivorce law obtains many married people ignore it and follow the course of their own passions. For one cause or another a man will abandon his wife or a woman will leave her husband. They can obtain no legal divorce. So the man or the woman will enter into a common-law marriage with another person while the legal marriage partner is alive. By such a procedure the man or the woman is both committing adultery and also practicing bigamy or polygamy. The local government, though adhering to the religious canon law of no divorce, is conniving at polygamy or is in effect approving of it when it does not enforce the law and penalize those who violate it. This creates the difficulty of how to adjust their marital affairs properly when such a man or woman comes in contact with the Kingdom truth and wants to become a witness of Jehovah.
14 In some lands where there are religious prohibitions and economic oppressions common-law marriage is a general
practice. The people in the community do not look down on it or discriminate against those who practice it. But there are those who abuse even this custom. They will have one common-law marriage wife in one locality, another such in another, and even others in still other localities and will go the rounds and regularly visit with each one for a period. The women in the case are aware that their man is keeping another woman or other women and having regular relations with them. But because of the home support which they get from the man they do not object but are content to have him come live with them in their turn. Such a practice by a man is polygamy, and the women are guilty of fornication. If any such man or woman comes to the knowledge of the truth and wants to associate with God's organization, it is absolutely necessary for that person to break off all part in such an adulterous, polygamous arrangement. The man must confine himself to one wife, the woman confine herself to one husband, and each be faithful and true to that one from then on.
15 In numerous cases persons who are living in common-law marriage come into the truth. In the interests of the truth and for their own immunity against any reproach whatsoever they should legalize their marriage. This honors their marriage estate. It is true from the Scriptures that the marriage rite is not a so-called sacrament which the religious clergy have the exclusive right to perform. No clergymen are necessary to perform a marriage. But this is no argument against legalizing marriage and in favor of common-law wedlock. In the theocratic nation of Israel there was no common-law marriage even though a religious clergyman was not called to solemnize the marriage. Yet the marriage was legally arranged for. An in-
How do some lands with antidivorce laws in effect approve of bigamy or polygamy? What difficulty does this create for truth seekers?
How do some even violate common-law marriage, and what must such violators do on taking the truth?
What should Christians in common-law marriage do, even though clergymen are not needed to solemnize marriage? Why?
termediary or go-between dealt with the parents or caretakers of the young man and woman for whom the marriage was sought, and then a contract was entered into. From then on the man and woman were considered engaged or betrothed. Any immoral act by the woman before her bridegroom took her to his home was a violation of the marriage contract and was a case of adultery for which she could be stoned to death. It was this way with Joseph and Mary when she became pregnant by God's holy spirit. After a period of betrothal the bridegroom took his bride from her parents' home. He publicly conducted her to his domicile amid the joy and good wishes of the neighborhood, followed by a wedding feast. Thus the marriage was made public knowledge and there were many witnesses.
16 Further, at the village or city recording office where genealogies of families were kept the children by such marriage were registered and thus each child could trace its ancestry. Also the husband was registered as the legal son of his father-in-law. All this arrangement made for the legal protection of the rights of both the husband and the wife and also of the children. It held each one responsible for personal conduct toward the other in the family and marriage relationship. The Jews were the first ones to become Christians and they carried this arrangement over into the Christian congregation. This makes it right and proper for common-law marriage couples today who become consecrated Christians to legalize their marriage and thus bind themselves before the law as well as before God to be true and loyal to each other. This opens up the way for them to enter fully into the privileges of the theocratic organization and to act as appointed servants in it.
17 This is the day when the ratio of marriages to divorces is 4 to 1 in the United States of America and 8 to 1 in England and Wales, and when loose marriage relations and immorality prevail in all lands. So it is most urgent upon consecrated Christians to obey the apostolic order, "Let marriage be honorable among all, and the marriage bed be without defilement." True marriage is honorable in itself at all times, for it is an arrangement from God. It does not matter whether we are in the "time of the end" or that it is yet ahead of the battle of Armageddon, marriage can be honorably indulged in by those who want or feel the need to get married. Nobody should criticize them because of the apparent lateness of the time for this world. But let Christians enter into marriage in an honorable way. Let no single girl entice a single man into sex relations with her with the aim of obligating him to marry her. That is fornication by both of them even if afterward he does feel obligated and marries her. Likely, however, her easy virtue will create a contempt in him for her, so that he will want as his wife, not her, but a woman with honor who resists all inclinations or suggestions to immorality. Let no young widow with animal passions entice or yield to a man for sexual satisfaction. Paul says: "I desire the younger widows to marry, to bear children, to manage a household, to give no inducement to the opposer to revile."—1 Tim. 5:11-14, NW.
18 On the other hand, let no single man think he has premarital freedom and can have sex relations with one girl after another, until he comes up against one with the moral standards that he wants in a wife. By such sex tolerance he is a fornicator and a selfish corrupter of womenfolk. The Christian congregation must guard
How did Israelite practice show registration of marriage proper? For what good purposes?
17, 18. Why is Hebrews 13:4 timely now? To enter marriage honorably, what must single persons and widowed ones not do?
against men who try to sneak in for such immoral reasons.
19 Marriage should be dignified and made a responsible matter by legalizing it before witnesses and registering it with the proper authorities of the land. Once married, the man and wife should hold their wedlock in honor by being faithful to their vows to each other. They should treat their marriage relationship seriously as something that cannot be easily broken on any grounds except marital infidelity, even though the laws of the land on divorce are very liberal and broad. Marriage is something that restricts them in their relations with others of the opposite sex. For man and wife to have sex relations is not a defilement of the marriage bed but is the rendering of a marriage due, according to 1 Corinthians 7:1-7. But for either the husband or the wife to commit adultery with an outsider is a defilement of the marriage bed.
20 Are couples who do not get along together allowed to part company either by a mutual agreement or by a legal separation? Yes; for at 1 Corinthians 7:10, 11, 15 (NW) the apostle says: "To the married people I give instructions, yet not I but the Lord, that a wife should not depart from her husband; but if she should actually depart, let her remain single or else make up again with her husband; and a husband should not leave his wife. But if the unbelieving one proceeds to depart, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not in servitude under such circumstances." As it is only a separation and there has been no legal divorce on the grounds of marital unfaithfulness on either one's part, neither of the separated ones may remarry or have sexual relations with an outside person. To do this would be to commit adultery, and
it would be a defilement of the marriage bed.
21 Every Christian outside should respect the marriage bed of a husband and wife and not yield to any part in causing a defilement of it. For a Christian to procure a divorcement where the marriage mate has not proved immoral and then remarry is a violation of the marriage bed. Scripturally it is bigamy. Likewise a professed Christian who practices polygamy is dishonoring marriage and defiling the Christian marriage bed. A Christian will honor his own marriage or that of another because it is what God instituted. A Christian will not covet another's marriage partner and will not commit adultery or fornication. These things are sin and displeasing to God. The apostle Paul warns against such sins, "for God will judge fornicators and adulterers." This fact should act as a deterrent against one's dishonoring marriage and defiling the marriage bed. Jehovah is now at his temple, and he warns: "I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, . . saith Jehovah of hosts."—Mal. 3:5, AS.
IN BEHALF OF IDEAL MARRIAGE
22 The Most High God will now have a clean visible theocratic organization. He will see to it therefore that now since his coming to the temple it is kept clean from immorality and other reproachful things. A person guilty of immorality may claim he has a right to mix in with the organization and may protest against being disfellowshiped. He protests and argues that by having access freely to the organization he will be helped to overcome his immoral relations with one of the opposite sex and thus be saved from the evil consequences of his course. But God's Word orders the
How should man and wife regard and treat their marriage?
What shows whether separation is allowable? With what limitations?
What, therefore, should a Christian avoid defiling, and how?
Why must the immoral be disfellowshiped?
disfellowshiping of such immoral person as an expression of His judgment against him. Unless the guilty one repents and straightens out his life, he may not be forgiven and taken back into the society of the theocratic organization. But another immoral person may be defiant and say: 'Go ahead and disfellowship me if you want to. I have an individual relationship with God. So I should worry.' But such a person deceives himself, for God judges adulterers and fornicators with condemnation and has no relations with them. That is why he forbids his organization to have relations with them.
23 God's organization is more important to him than the salvation of an immoral or disobedient creature. The vindication of Jehovah's sovereignty and the keeping his name above reproach is of higher importance than the preservation of willful sinners. Hence these paramount things must come first. Accordingly God shows due respect for the organization which bears his name. He executes his judgments against the defilers and keeps it clean. He acts on the principle: "If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you people are."—1 Cor. 3:17, NW.
24 Since God so respects his organization, then we must exercise fear and must respect it too. It is our solemn obligation to watch our conduct and avoid bringing reproach upon it or corrupting it. For one thing, therefore, keep marriage honorable and the marriage bed undefiled. We may not defile or bring reproach upon the organization by impure conduct and stay in the organization, for this would act like a yeast and tend to ferment the entire organization with uncleanness, hypocrisy and sin. It would make the organization odious in the eyes of sincere people and would
prevent these offended ones from coming to the organization and being saved. We cannot consistently gain our own salvation and at the same time hinder others from doing so because of our immoral, reproachful behavior which involves God's organization. So the judgment which God is executing today is: "Remove the wicked man [who is like a yeast of sin] from among yourselves." (1 Cor. 5:1-13,NW) If we disown God by our conduct, he will disown us by disfellowshiping us. His judgment today is not moving slowly, and the destruction of the unclean is not slumbering.
25 We are now at the threshold of the righteous new world. Concerning those who enter into the divine government of that new world it is written: "Anything not sacred and anyone that carries on a disgusting thing and a lie will in no way enter into it." (Rev. 21:27, NW) Jehovah God is now building a new world society, and it must measure up to the clean, righteous standards that will prevail in his new world. Only those who strive to measure up to them will he carry through the "war of the great day of God the Almighty" which he fights against this unclean world, and they will live into the clean post-Armageddon world. There will be no polygamy sanctioned then in order to carry out the divine mandate to "fill the earth" with a righteous race. No immorality of any kind will be permitted, and there will be no divorce between those who share in fulfilling the divine mandate. As the flood of Noah's day wiped out the immoral standards and practices of the antediluvian world, so the great tide of Armageddon will wash away the moral corruption of this world.
26 So may we see our duty now to "put up a hard fight for the faith that was once for all time delivered to the holy ones"
How does God show respect for his organization?
How should we show respect for his organization, and why?
Why so near the new world should we practice morality?
So what do we see now to be our duty?
and do so by resisting all infiltration of immorality, unchastity and worldliness into the theocratic organization by persons today like Balaam and Jezebel. In this behalf the rule for us is, "Let marriage be honorable among all, and the marriage bed
be without defilement." Husbands and wives will harmonize with this divine rule. They will endeavor to honor their marriage by dignifying it according to the ideal standards which God's Word sets for it.—Eph. 5:21-33, NW.
Further Preaching in the Islands
IN OUR previous issue we reported on the travels of the Watchtower Society's president, N. H. Knorr, and his secretary, M. G. Henschel, as they served Jehovah's witnesses in the islands of Bermuda, the Bahamas and Cuba. Now it is our pleasure to follow the report of their continued journey to keep appointments in Jamaica, Haiti, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Brother Knorr had been to Jamaica before, but it was Brother Henschel's first visit to this rugged mountainous island. The plane we were to travel in from Camagüey, Cuba, to Jamaica left Camagüey a little late. The convention had already started in Kingston, Friday, December 15. A number of brothers were at the airport to meet the travelers and it was not long until we were in the full swing of another convention; this time, however, it was all in English.
The branch office had arranged for the assembly to be held in Kingston, Jamaica, in the Jamaica Union of Teachers Hall. The cafeteria facilities were just 100 yards away and fine meals were served. Also a very good refreshment stand had been fixed up. This place was connected by direct wire so that all of the convention program could be heard by the volunteer workers in the cafeteria.
The Jamaican brothers put on a very good service meeting. One of the features
was a vivid poetic drama depicting the preservation of the servant of the
Lord through persistent preaching. It was an allegory; all of the characters spoke their parts in poetic rhyme. There were such characters as Legion, Enticement, Discouragement, Mr. Mockery; and others took their parts well and tried valiantly to overcome Jehovah's servant. But with the "sword of the spirit" and the service of the Lord keeping him busy in preaching the good news, the young publisher was able to overcome all of these hindrances. The point was effectively made and it was really something done differently. The audience enjoyed the presentation.
Brothers Knorr and Henschel spoke every day at the assembly and there was one discussion that the brothers enjoyed immensely. That was the story of the rich man and Lazarus and its present-day meaning. The details of this have since been published in The Watchtower. Brother Henschel dealt with many service problems and particularly showed how the publishers of the Kingdom today must use their time to prove themselves to be real Christians.
Good publicity was carried on in connection with the public meeting arranged for 7 o'clock Sunday evening. On Sunday morning the baptismal talk was delivered and 145 brothers were immersed in the bay. The public talk attracted an unprecedented crowd of 4,500. The auditorium was packed, the yards on both sides were full, the cafeteria space was filled out and the sidewalks were blocked with people standing there listening to the talks through loud-speakers. Everyone was overjoyed with the excellent assembly. Kingston was talking about Jehovah's witnesses. Of course, for the brothers the assembly ended much too soon, but all were determined to go back to their home companies and do better preaching of the gospel.
The last visit to the island of Jamaica made by Brother Knorr, in 1946, showed that there were only 899 publishers regularly engaging in the field service. Now there are 2,120, according to last year's report, with a peak of 2,380. There is very little increase in the number of companies organized because there were many companies in 1946, but they have grown and the people of this lovely island, about 1,388,000, certainly know that Jehovah's witnesses have a message of comfort for them and many are listening and allowing the publishers to study with them in their homes. The witnesses are sure of Theocracy's increase in Jamaica. The Monday after the convention was devoted to checking over the branch work and taking care of matters about which the brothers wanted to see the president of the Society.
On Tuesday a trip was made in the Society's sound-car, a 1936 Ford, without murmur or groan, all the way to the other end of the island to the famed resort center, Montego Bay. This gave us an opportunity to see some of the other cities. It was necessary to go over Mt. Diablo, one of the highest mountain peaks in the island,
and then down through a fern gulley, one of the most beautiful gardens of tropical splendor in the world. At Montego Bay the Strand Theatre was rented for the one-day assembly so as to accommodate the brothers in the western end of the island. Thirteen were immersed on Wednesday morning. Advertising of the public meeting was done right after the immersion. We worked in the sound-car, making announcements and distributing handbills from the car. It was certainly interesting going through the winding roads of this city and talking to the inhabitants. In the afternoon session, 310 persons attended, and, in spite of the fact that this was the Christmas season when everybody was shopping, 554 persons attended the public talk.
The next day we were off on another long jaunt to visit the northeastern end of the island where the Capitol Theatre was obtained and a one-day session held for Jehovah's witnesses in that part of the island. The island is only 144 miles long and 49 miles wide, and as we traveled through village and town we would hail different individuals whom we had met in Kingston and who recognized the soundcar, and one person would turn out to be a publisher and another one a company servant and the other a Bible study servant or some good-will interest. In fact, everywhere we went, even when we were eating at a restaurant, the people knew us. This shows how well Jehovah's witnesses are known throughout Jamaica.
The trip from Montego Bay to Port Antonio was all along the north shore. The sea was a deep-blue color and the stiff north breeze created the contrasting white foam of big breakers. We could see the water most of the time, but occasionally we passed through large coconut palm estates and sugar estates. It was just past the rainy season and so Jamaica looked extremely verdant wherever the winding, hilly roads took us.
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