1. What did Nehemiah see when he returned to Jerusalem? (See opening picture.)

THE people of Jerusalem are shocked. Why? A known opposer of Jehovah is allowed to stay in a room at the temple. The Levites are no longer doing their assigned work. Instead of putting Jehovah first, the elders are doing business on the Sabbath day. And many Israelites have married women from other nations. These are just some of the problems Nehemiah sees when he returns to Jerusalem.​—Nehemiah 13:6.

2. Why was Israel a holy nation?

² About a thousand years earlier, the Israelites were willing to obey Jehovah. They said: “All the words that Jehovah has spoken we are willing to do.” (Exodus 24:3) God chose them to be his people and wanted them to be holy and separate from other nations. This was a great honor! Forty years later, Moses reminded them: “You are a holy people to Jehovah your God. It is you Jehovah your God has chosen to become his people, a special property, out of all the peoples that are on the surface of the ground.”​—Deuteronomy 7:6.

3. What had happened to true worship when Nehemiah made his second trip to Jerusalem?

³ Sadly, the nation of Israel did not do what it promised to do. There were always some individuals who served God, but most of the Jews were not willing to obey Jehovah and only pretended to be holy. Nehemiah made a second trip to Jerusalem about a hundred years after a remnant had returned to rebuild the city. They wanted to rebuild it so that they could worship Jehovah again. But by the time Nehemiah made this second trip, true worship was no longer first in the Jews’ lives.

4. How can we remain holy and acceptable to Jehovah?

⁴ Like the Israelites, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been sanctified by God. Both anointed Christians and those of the “great crowd” are holy and serve only Jehovah. (Revelation 7:9, 14, 15; 1 Corinthians 6:11) The Israelites lost their relationship with Jehovah because they did not remain holy. We do not want the same thing to happen to us. So how can we remain holy and acceptable to Jehovah? Nehemiah chapter 13 teaches us four ways that will help us to do this. They are (1) avoid bad association; (2) support Jehovah’s work; (3) put Jehovah’s service first; and (4) protect our Christian identity. Let us now discuss each of these ways.

AVOID BAD ASSOCIATION

5, 6. Who were Eliashib and Tobiah? Why may Eliashib have given Tobiah a place in the temple?

⁵ Read Nehemiah 13:4-9. We are surrounded by bad influences that can make us unholy, or unclean. The Bible tells us about High Priest Eliashib and a man named Tobiah, who was an Ammonite probably working for the Persian king. Tobiah and his friends had tried to make Nehemiah stop rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls. (Nehemiah 2:10) It was against God’s Law to allow Ammonites to come onto the temple grounds. (Deuteronomy 23:3) So why would the high priest give such a man as Tobiah space in a temple dining hall?

⁶ There are three reasons: First, Eliashib was a friend of Tobiah. Second, Tobiah and his son Jehohanan had married Jewish women, and many Jews said good things about Tobiah. (Nehemiah 6:17-19) Third, Tobiah was a very close friend of Sanballat, governor of Samaria, who was a member of High Priest Eliashib’s family. Sanballat’s daughter was married to one of Eliashib’s grandsons. (Nehemiah 13:28) All these relationships may explain why Eliashib allowed Tobiah to tell him what to do, even though Tobiah was not an Israelite and was opposed to the work of God’s people. But Nehemiah showed loyalty to Jehovah by throwing all of Tobiah’s furniture outside the dining hall.

7. How do all of God’s people, including elders, make sure that they remain holy?

⁷ We are God’s dedicated people, so our loyalty to Jehovah must come first in our life. Sometimes, though, we might be tempted to ignore Bible principles because we want to be loyal to our family. But if we do not live by Bible principles, Jehovah will begin to view us as unholy. Christian elders make decisions based on Jehovah’s thinking, not based on their own opinions or feelings for others. (1 Timothy 5:21) The elders are careful never to do anything that would make them harm their friendship with God.​—1 Timothy 2:8.

8. What should we remember about our association?

⁸ Never forget that “bad associations spoil useful habits.” (1 Corinthians 15:33) Even some of our relatives could be bad association, that is, they might influence us to do bad things. At one time, High Priest Eliashib was a good example and worked with Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. (Nehemiah 3:1) But Tobiah and others were bad association for Eliashib. They influenced him to do things that were wrong, and this made him unholy. We need to associate with people who encourage us to do good things, such as reading the Bible, attending the meetings, and going in field service. We can be especially grateful when our family members encourage us to do what is right.

SUPPORT JEHOVAH’S WORK

9. What was the situation at the temple? What did Nehemiah do to correct the situation?

⁹ Read Nehemiah 13:10-13. The Levites were not doing their assigned work at the temple. Why? People were contributing very little money to the temple, so the Levites had to work in their own fields to care for their families. And the rulers who were assigned to collect the tithes were either not collecting them or not sending them to the temple. (Nehemiah 12:44) Nehemiah made sure that these contributions were collected, and he appointed faithful men to give the tithes to the Levites.

10, 11. How can we support true worship?

¹⁰ What can we learn from this account? It is an honor to use our valuable things to support Jehovah’s work. (Proverbs 3:9) When we make such contributions, we are giving back to Jehovah what already belongs to him. (1 Chronicles 29:14-16) We may think that since we have little to give, our contributions are too small to honor Jehovah. But if we are willing to give, he is happy to accept our gift.​—2 Corinthians 8:12.

¹¹ For many years, one family with eight children invited an elderly special pioneer couple to join them for a meal once each week. The mother used to say that since she was already cooking for ten people, it would not be difficult to cook for two more. This may seem like a small thing, but those pioneers were very thankful! The pioneers also helped the family by telling good experiences and encouraging the children to make progress in the truth. Later, the children all began full-time service.

12. What good example do elders and ministerial servants set?

¹² The account about Nehemiah also teaches us that elders and ministerial servants should be an example in Jehovah’s worship. This helps others in the congregation. The apostle Paul was a good example for the congregation. He supported true worship and suggested ways in which each Christian could plan ahead to make contributions.​—1 Corinthians 16:1-3; 2 Corinthians 9:5-7.

PUT JEHOVAH FIRST

13. What were some Jews doing on the Sabbath?

¹³ Read Nehemiah 13:15-21. If we use too much time thinking about material things and working to obtain them, we can lose our relationship with Jehovah. Exodus 31:13 explains that the Israelites were supposed to use the weekly Sabbath as a time to remember their relationship with Jehovah as his separate and holy people. The Jews were told to use the Sabbath day to worship with their families, to pray, and to meditate on God’s Law. But some of the Israelites in Nehemiah’s time used the Sabbath day to do business, just as they used the other days of the week. So Nehemiah chased the foreign merchants out of the city and closed the gates before the Sabbath began.

14, 15. (a) What can happen if we spend too much time trying to make money? (b) How can we enter into God’s rest?

¹⁴ What can we learn from this? One lesson is that we should not become distracted and spend a lot of time trying to make money. We can be distracted by our work, especially if we enjoy it. But remember that Jesus said that we cannot slave for two masters. (Read Matthew 6:24.) Nehemiah could have made a lot of money, and he could have used his time doing business with the Tyrians and other merchants. But what did he do instead? (Nehemiah 5:14-18) He worked hard to help his brothers and to bring honor to Jehovah’s name. In the same way, Christian elders and ministerial servants spend their time and energy on helping the congregation. Members of the congregation love them for this. As a result, God’s people love one another, have peace with one another, and feel secure.​—Ezekiel 34:25, 28.

¹⁵ Christians are not required to keep a Sabbath day each week. But Paul said that “there remains a sabbath resting for the people of God.” He added: “The man that has entered into God’s rest has also himself rested from his own works.” (Hebrews 4:9, 10) As Christians, we can do “sabbath resting,” that is, enter “into God’s rest,” by obeying Jehovah and working to support his purpose. Are you and your family putting Jehovah first in your lives by having family worship, attending the meetings, and going in field service? Our employer or the people we work with may not think that these things are important. So we may have to be firm and make it clear to them that Jehovah’s work is the most important work to us. This is similar to what Nehemiah did when he chased the Tyrians away and closed the gates of the city. He was putting Jehovah first. Because we are God’s separate and holy people, we need to ask ourselves, ‘Do I show by the way I live that I put Jehovah first?’​—Matthew 6:33.

PROTECT YOUR CHRISTIAN IDENTITY

16. How were the Israelites in Nehemiah’s day in danger of losing their identity as God’s separate and holy people?

¹⁶ Read Nehemiah 13:23-27. In Nehemiah’s day, Israelite men were marrying foreign women. The first time Nehemiah was in Jerusalem, all the older men signed a written agreement and promised that they would not marry foreign women. (Nehemiah 9:38; 10:30) But during his second visit to Jerusalem, Nehemiah found out that Jewish men were marrying foreign women and were about to lose their identity as God’s separate and holy people. The children of these foreign women could not read or speak Hebrew. When those children got older, would they think of themselves as Israelites? Or would they think of themselves as foreigners, that is, as Ashdodites, Ammonites, or Moabites? If they could not understand Hebrew, it would be unlikely that they could understand God’s Law. It would be difficult for them to get to know Jehovah so that they would choose to serve him instead of the false gods their mothers worshipped. Nehemiah acted quickly to protect the Israelites’ identity.​—Nehemiah 13:28.

17. How can parents help their children to have their own relationship with Jehovah?

¹⁷ We need to take action to help our children to have a Christian identity. Parents, ask yourselves, ‘How well do my children speak the “pure language,” that is, how well do they understand Bible truth and how much do they talk about it? (Zephaniah 3:9) Does what my children talk about show that they are influenced by God’s spirit? Or are they influenced by the world’s spirit?’ Do not quickly become discouraged if you see that your children need to improve. It takes time to learn a language, especially when there are many distractions. The world tries to pressure your children to disobey God. So be patient, and use your family worship and other opportunities to help your children to have a close relationship with Jehovah. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9) Remind them of why it is good for us to be different from Satan’s world. (John 17:15-17) And do all you can to reach their heart.

18. How can Christian parents help their children to make progress so that they choose to dedicate themselves to Jehovah?

¹⁸ Your children have to decide for themselves whether they will serve God or not. But as parents you can help them in many ways. You need to be a good example, explain clearly what conduct is unacceptable, and help them to understand what the consequences of bad decisions can be. Parents, your children need you to help them develop their Christian identity. You are the best ones to help them to make progress so that they choose to dedicate themselves to Jehovah. All of us need to protect our Christian identity, that is, to live by God’s standards and to be the kind of person he wants us to be.​—Revelation 3:4, 5; 16:15.

JEHOVAH WILL REMEMBER US “FOR GOOD”

19, 20. What can we do so that Jehovah will remember us “for good”?

¹⁹ The prophet Malachi explained that Jehovah remembers ‘those in fear of Him and those thinking upon His name’ and that He puts their name in “a book of remembrance.” (Malachi 3:16, 17) God will never forget those who fear him and who love his name.​—Hebrews 6:10.

²⁰ Nehemiah prayed: “Do remember me, O my God, for good.” (Nehemiah 13:31) He wanted Jehovah to remember how he had served Him. God will remember us too in his book of remembrance if we avoid bad association, support Jehovah’s work, put him first in our life, and protect our Christian identity. We must ‘keep testing whether we are in the faith.’ (2 Corinthians 13:5) If we do our best to remain part of Jehovah’s separate and holy people, he will remember us “for good.”

1, 2. Why should we not blame Jehovah for the problems here on earth? What illustration can you use to explain that?

IMAGINE that a happily married man comes home one day and finds that everything in his house has been destroyed. The furniture and dishes have been smashed to pieces, and the carpet is ruined. His beautiful home looks like a disaster area. Whom do you think he would blame for this? Would he say, “Why did my wife do this?” No, most likely he would say, “Who did this?” He knows that his loving wife would never destroy their home.

² Today, the earth has been ruined. Its soil, water, and air are polluted. People are violent and immoral. But we have learned from the Bible that this is not Jehovah’s fault. He created the earth to be a beautiful paradise home for us. (Genesis 2:8, 15) Jehovah is a God of love. (1 John 4:8) The Scriptures tell us that Satan the Devil is “the ruler of the world,” and he is the one who causes many of these problems.​—John 14:30; 2 Corinthians 4:4.

3. How might we begin to have the wrong view of our problems?

³ However, we cannot blame Satan for all our problems. Why not? Because some of our problems are the result of our own mistakes. (Read Deuteronomy 32:4-6.) We might say that we believe this. But because we are imperfect, we could begin to have the wrong view of our problems, and that can be dangerous. (Proverbs 14:12) Instead of blaming ourselves or Satan for our problems, we could start to blame Jehovah. We might even become “enraged against Jehovah himself,” that is, we might become very angry with him.​—Proverbs 19:3.

4, 5. How could a Christian become “enraged against Jehovah”?

⁴ Is it possible to become “enraged against Jehovah”? Really, it would do us no good to become angry with him. (Isaiah 41:11) We have no chance of winning a fight against God. It is true that we may never say that we are angry with Jehovah. But Proverbs 19:3 says that a man’s foolish thinking “distorts his way” and that “his heart becomes enraged against Jehovah.” This means that a person can become enraged against God in his heart and feel bitter toward Him. This can start to affect what the man does. For example, he might slow down in his service to Jehovah or stop worshipping with the congregation.

⁵ What might make us become “enraged against Jehovah”? How can we avoid this trap? We need to know the answers to these questions so that we can protect our relationship with Jehovah God!

HOW MIGHT WE BECOME “ENRAGED AGAINST JEHOVAH”?

6, 7. Why did the Israelites in Moses’ time start to complain about Jehovah?

⁶ Why might a faithful servant of Jehovah start to complain about God in his heart? This article will discuss five things that could make us become bitter, and we will review Bible examples of those who became “enraged against Jehovah.”​—1 Corinthians 10:11, 12.

⁷ The negative talk of others can influence us. (Read Deuteronomy 1:26-28.) Think about what Jehovah did for the Israelites. He brought ten plagues on Egypt and destroyed Pharaoh and his armies at the Red Sea. The Israelites were free! (Exodus 12:29-32, 51; 14:29-31; Psalm 136:15) God’s people were ready to enter the Promised Land. But they started to complain about Jehovah. Why did they lose faith just as they were going to receive their reward? Ten spies gave a bad report to the Israelites, and this discouraged and scared them. (Numbers 14:1-4) As a result, Jehovah did not let them enter into that “good land” at that time. (Deuteronomy 1:34, 35) What can we learn? The negative talk of others could weaken our faith and cause us to complain about the way Jehovah guides his people.

8. Why did the people of Judah who lived in Isaiah’s day blame Jehovah for their problems?

⁸ Tragedies and difficulties could discourage us. (Read Isaiah 8:21, 22.) In Isaiah’s day, the people of Judah were suffering. They were surrounded by enemies. Many were hungry because there was not enough food. But there was an even bigger problem. They had stopped listening to Jehovah and were letting their relationship with him get weak. (Amos 8:11) Instead of asking Jehovah for help, they blamed him and the king for their problems. In a similar way, if we become discouraged because of a tragedy or other problems in our life, we might begin to blame Jehovah and feel that he did not help us when we needed him.

9. Why did the Israelites in Ezekiel’s day have a wrong attitude about Jehovah’s way of doing things?

⁹ We do not know all the facts. Because the Israelites in Ezekiel’s time did not know all the facts about each situation, they thought that God’s way of doing things was wrong. (Ezekiel 18:29) They acted as if it were their right to judge God and to decide whether he was doing things in the best way, even though they did not understand all of his reasons. How might we make the same mistake? The Bible contains stories that may be difficult for us to understand. Or maybe we do not understand why something is happening in our own life. We could begin to feel in our heart that Jehovah’s way is unfair and “not adjusted right.”​—Job 35:2.

10. How could someone follow Adam’s bad example?

¹⁰ We do not take responsibility for our sins and mistakes. The first man, Adam, blamed God for his own sin. (Genesis 3:12) Adam knew that he was breaking God’s law and that God would punish him for his sin. But he blamed Jehovah, as if he had made the mistake because Jehovah gave him a bad wife. Others have followed Adam’s bad example by blaming God for their own mistakes. We should ask ourselves, ‘Could I get so disappointed and frustrated about my own mistakes that I begin to think that Jehovah’s standards are too strict?’

11. What lesson can we learn from Jonah?

¹¹ We begin to think only about ourselves. The prophet Jonah was angry when Jehovah showed mercy to the people of Nineveh. (Jonah 4:1-3) Why? He was afraid they would think that he was a false prophet because the city was not destroyed after he said that it would be. It seems that Jonah was more concerned about what people would think of him than he was about the people themselves. Could we feel the same way as Jonah did? If we think only about ourselves, we may forget about the needs of other people. For example, perhaps we have been preaching for many years that Jehovah’s day is close. But when others criticize us because that day has not come yet, could we become impatient with Jehovah?​—2 Peter 3:3, 4, 9.

HOW CAN WE AVOID BECOMING “ENRAGED AGAINST JEHOVAH”?

12, 13. If in our heart we begin to disagree with what Jehovah does or allows to happen, what must we do?

¹² What can we do if we disagree with what Jehovah does or allows to happen? Remember that it is unwise to think that way. Proverbs 19:3 reminds us that because of our own ignorance, we might blame Jehovah for problems that we actually caused for ourselves. So let us think about five things that will help us never to become angry with Jehovah.

¹³ Keep your relationship with Jehovah strong. If we have a close relationship with Jehovah, we will not become angry with him. (Read Proverbs 3:5, 6.) We need to trust in Jehovah. We must never think that we know better than he does or that our needs are the most important. (Proverbs 3:7; Ecclesiastes 7:16) This viewpoint will help us not to blame him when bad things happen.

14, 15. What will help us not to be influenced by the negative things others say?

¹⁴ Do not allow the negative talk of others to influence you. The Israelites in Moses’ day had many reasons to trust that Jehovah would help them enter into the Promised Land. (Psalm 78:43-53) But when ten spies gave a bad report about the land, the Bible says that the Israelites did not “remember his hand,” that is, they forgot what Jehovah had done for them. (Psalm 78:42) If we meditate on all the wonderful things Jehovah has done for us, we will draw closer to him. As a result, we will not allow what other people say to separate us from Jehovah.​—Psalm 77:11, 12.

¹⁵ What could happen if we have a bad attitude about our brothers and sisters? This could separate us from Jehovah. (1 John 4:20) For example, when Aaron was appointed as high priest, the Israelites complained about it. But to Jehovah it was as if they were complaining against Him. (Numbers 17:10) In a similar way, if we complain about those whom Jehovah uses to direct his work here on earth, we could be complaining about Jehovah.​—Hebrews 13:7, 17.

16, 17. Why should we not blame Jehovah for our problems?

¹⁶ Remember that Jehovah does not cause our problems. In the time of Isaiah, the Israelites had stopped serving Jehovah, but He still wanted to help them. (Isaiah 1:16-19) When we have problems today, it comforts us to know that Jehovah still cares for us and wants to help us. (1 Peter 5:7) Jehovah even promises us that he will give us the strength to stay faithful to him.​—1 Corinthians 10:13.

¹⁷ Job suffered injustice even though he was faithful to Jehovah. When we suffer, we need to remember that Jehovah never causes our suffering. The Bible says that he hates injustice and that he loves righteousness. (Psalm 33:5) We should be like Job’s friend Elihu, who understood that Jehovah never acts wickedly or unjustly. (Job 34:10) Jehovah gives us “every good gift and every perfect present.” He never causes our problems.​—James 1:13, 17.

18, 19. Why should we never doubt Jehovah? What illustration helps us to understand that?

¹⁸ Never doubt Jehovah. God is perfect, and his thoughts are higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:8, 9) If we are truly humble and modest, we should be able to admit that we do not understand everything. (Romans 9:20) Most of the time, we do not have all the facts about a certain situation. You have probably seen in your life that this proverb is true: “The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him.”​—Proverbs 18:17, New International Version.

¹⁹ For example, maybe a close friend does something that we do not understand or that we feel is not the way things are usually done. Will we be quick to think that he must have done something wrong? No. Instead, we will probably think that we do not know all the facts about what happened. If we are willing to treat our imperfect friends in such a loving way, we definitely should be willing to trust our heavenly Father. His ways and thoughts are much higher than ours!

20, 21. Why should we never blame Jehovah for our problems?

²⁰ Remember the real reason for our problems. We need to realize that we cause some of our own problems. (Galatians 6:7) We should not blame Jehovah for them. Why not? As an example, what would happen if a person drove too fast around a sharp curve in the road? He could crash his car. Do you think that the driver should blame the factory that made the car? Of course not! Similarly, Jehovah has given us the freedom to make our own decisions. But he has also taught us how to make good decisions. So we should not blame Jehovah if we make mistakes.

²¹ But not all our problems are caused by our own mistakes or wrong actions. Some things happen because of “time and unforeseen occurrence.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11) Also, never forget that Satan the Devil is the main cause of the wickedness in the world around us. (1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9) Satan is the enemy, not Jehovah!​—1 Peter 5:8.

PROTECT YOUR PRECIOUS RELATIONSHIP WITH JEHOVAH

22, 23. What should we remember if we become discouraged because of our problems?

²² When you are having difficult problems, remember the example of Joshua and Caleb. Ten spies gave a bad report about the Promised Land, but Joshua and Caleb brought a good report. (Numbers 14:6-9) They showed faith in Jehovah. But they still had to wander with the rest of the Israelites for 40 years. Did Joshua and Caleb complain or become bitter because they did not deserve to be punished? No. They trusted in Jehovah, and he blessed them for this. Although most of those Israelites died in the wilderness, Jehovah let Joshua and Caleb enter the Promised Land. (Numbers 14:30) In a similar way, Jehovah will bless us if we do not “tire out” in doing his will.​—Galatians 6:9; Hebrews 6:10.

²³ If you are discouraged because you have problems, because others make mistakes, or because you make mistakes, what should you do? Remember that Jehovah is a wonderful God. Imagine the beautiful things Jehovah has promised to give you. Ask yourself what your life would be like if you did not have a close relationship with Jehovah. Stay close to him, and never allow your heart to become enraged against him!

1, 2. What helped 230 of Jehovah’s Witnesses to survive a death march at the end of World War II?

IT WAS near the end of World War II. Hitler’s army was losing the war. The Nazi government gave an order to kill the thousands of prisoners who were still in concentration camps. The prisoners of the Sachsenhausen camp were to be taken to seaports and then put on ships that would be sunk. This was part of what was later known as the death marches.

² Thirty-three thousand of the prisoners from Sachsenhausen concentration camp were forced to march 250 kilometers (155 miles) to Lübeck, a port city in Germany. Among them were 230 of Jehovah’s Witnesses from six countries. The soldiers ordered the Witnesses to march together. All the prisoners were weak because of disease and lack of food. But all our brothers survived the march. How was that possible? One of them said, “We continually encouraged one another to keep going.” Their love for one another along with “the power beyond what is normal” that they received from God helped them to survive.​—2 Corinthians 4:7.

3. Why do we need to encourage one another?

³ Even though we are not on a death march today, we still have to endure many problems. After God’s Kingdom started to rule in 1914, Satan was thrown out of heaven and down to the earth. He is extremely angry because he knows that “he has a short period of time.” (Revelation 12:7-9, 12) As Armageddon gets closer, Satan is using trials to try to weaken our friendship with Jehovah. We also suffer the stresses of everyday life. (Job 14:1; Ecclesiastes 2:23) Sometimes all these difficulties can make us feel so weak that we still feel discouraged no matter what we do. For example, one brother had encouraged many people over the years to stay faithful to Jehovah. But when he got older, he and his wife became ill, and he began to feel very discouraged. Just like that brother, we all need “power beyond what is normal” from Jehovah. We also need encouragement from one another.

4. If we want to encourage others, what counsel of the apostle Paul must we follow?

⁴ If we want to be encouraging to others, we must follow the counsel the apostle Paul gave to the Hebrew Christians. He said: “Let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you behold the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24, 25) How can we follow this important counsel?

“CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER”

5. What does it mean to “consider one another”? How can we do that?

⁵ To “consider one another” means to think about the needs of others. We will not know what the needs of our brothers are if we just greet them quickly at the Kingdom Hall or talk to them only about unimportant things. Of course, we do not want to be more curious about other people’s lives than we should be. (1 Thessalonians 4:11; 1 Timothy 5:13) But we want to try to get to know our brothers. We want to know about their situation in life, their qualities, their strengths, their weaknesses, and their feelings about the truth. They need to know that we are their friends and that we love them. We have to spend time with them, not just when they have problems and get discouraged, but at other times too.​—Romans 12:13.

6. What will help an elder to “consider” those in the congregation?

⁶ The Bible says that elders must be willing and eager to do the work of caring for the needs of those in the congregation. (1 Peter 5:1-3) To do this work well, elders need to know their brothers and sisters. (Read Proverbs 27:23.) If the elders show that they are ready to help and that they enjoy spending time with the brothers and sisters, those in the congregation will feel more comfortable asking for help when they need it. It will also be easier for them to talk to the elders about their feelings and worries. As a result, elders will be able to give each one the help he needs.

7. What do we need to remember about the “wild talk” of those who are discouraged?

⁷ Paul told the congregation in Thessalonica: “Support the weak.” (Read 1 Thessalonians 5:14.) “The weak” include those who are depressed and those who are discouraged. Proverbs 24:10 says: “Have you shown yourself discouraged in the day of distress? Your power will be scanty.” If we want to support those who are deeply discouraged, we need to remember that their words may at times become “wild talk.” (Job 6:2, 3) They may say things they do not really mean. Rachelle, whose mother became seriously depressed, learned this from experience. Rachelle says: “Many times Mom would say something very hateful. Most of these times, I tried to remind myself of the kind of person Mom really is​—loving, kind, and generous. I learned that depressed people say many things they do not mean. The worst thing that one can do is to return evil words or actions.” Proverbs 19:11 says: “The insight of a man certainly slows down his anger, and it is beauty on his part to pass over transgression.”

8. Who especially needs us to “confirm” our love for him, and why?

⁸ How can we “consider” someone who is discouraged because of a past sin? Even though he has already corrected his mistake, he may still be ashamed of what he did. Paul wrote to the Corinthian brothers about someone in their congregation who had repented of a past sin. He said: “You should kindly forgive and comfort him, that somehow such a man may not be swallowed up by his being overly sad. Therefore I exhort you to confirm your love for him.” (2 Corinthians 2:7, 8) “To confirm” here means “to show” or “to prove.” A brother will not know that we love him and care for him unless we show it by our words and actions.

“INCITE TO LOVE AND FINE WORKS”

9. What does it mean to “incite to love and fine works”?

⁹ Paul wrote: “Let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works.” We do this by helping our brothers to show love and to do what is good. To illustrate: If we want to keep a fire burning, we may need to stir the coals and fan the flames. (2 Timothy 1:6) In the same way, there are things we can do to help our brothers feel motivated to keep serving Jehovah zealously. One of the best ways of doing this is by commending our brothers for the good things they do.

10, 11. (a) Who need commendation? (b) Give an example of how commending someone can help him to do what is right.

¹⁰ All of us need commendation, whether we are discouraged or not. One brother wrote, “My father never once said I did anything well.” So as this brother grew up, he did not really feel that he did anything right. Even though he is now 50 years old, he still feels good when others tell him that he is doing a good job as an elder. Because his own experience has taught him how important it is to give encouragement, he always looks for opportunities to commend others. We feel encouraged when someone tells us that we are doing something well. This includes pioneers, elderly ones, and those who may be discouraged.​—Romans 12:10.

¹¹ When elders try to help someone who has done something wrong, commending the person on good things he did in the past may help him to change his thinking and do what is right. (Galatians 6:1) This is what helped a sister named Miriam. She wrote: “I went through a traumatic period in my life when some close friends left the congregation and, at the same time, my father suffered a brain hemorrhage. I became very depressed.” She started a romantic relationship with someone who did not worship Jehovah. She thought that this would make her feel better. Instead, it made her feel that she did not deserve Jehovah’s love, and she thought about leaving the truth. But an elder reminded her of all she had done in Jehovah’s service and reassured her that Jehovah still loved her. As a result, her love for Jehovah was strengthened. She ended the romantic relationship she was in and continued serving Jehovah.

12. What might happen if we compare our brothers with others, criticize them, or make them feel guilty?

¹² We have to be careful how we try to “incite” our brothers to keep serving God zealously. We should not compare them with others, criticize them for not following rules we have made, or make them feel guilty about not doing more. These things might make them do better for a short time, but the results will not last. The best way to “incite” our brothers is to commend them and to help them realize that love for God is the reason we want to do our best in his service.​—Read Philippians 2:1-4.

‘ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER’

13. What does it mean to encourage others? (See opening picture.)

¹³ Finally, Paul said that we should be “encouraging one another.” We can compare encouraging others to putting fuel on a fire so that it keeps burning or burns more brightly. Encouraging our brothers means strengthening and comforting them so that they can keep serving God. When we try to help those who are discouraged, we must speak in a loving and kind way. (Proverbs 12:18) We should also “be swift about hearing” and “slow about speaking.” (James 1:19) If we listen to our brother and try to understand how he feels, we may be able to find out why he is discouraged and say something that will help him.

14. How did an elder help a discouraged brother?

¹⁴ Consider how a kind elder was able to help a brother who had been inactive for several years. As the elder listened to him, it became clear that the brother still had a deep love for Jehovah. He studied every issue of The Watchtower and was making an effort to go to meetings regularly. But some in the congregation had done things that made him feel disappointed and upset. The elder listened carefully and tried to understand the brother’s feelings without judging him and reassured him that he was loved. In time, the brother realized that he was allowing bad experiences of the past to stop him from serving the God he loved. The elder invited the brother to go out in the preaching work with him. With the elder’s help, the brother became active in the ministry and later started serving as an elder again.

15. What can we learn from Jehovah about encouraging others?

¹⁵ A discouraged person may not immediately feel better or accept our help at first. We may need to keep on supporting him for some time. Paul said: “Keep hold of the weak, be patient with everybody.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14, An American Translation) Instead of quickly giving up on the weak, let us “keep hold” of them by continuing to help them. In the past, Jehovah was patient with those of his servants who were discouraged. For example, God was very patient with Elijah and respected his feelings. He gave Elijah what he needed to continue with his service. (1 Kings 19:1-18) Another example is David. He was truly sorry for what he had done. Jehovah saw that and kindly forgave him. (Psalm 51:7, 17) God also helped the writer of Psalm 73, who almost gave up serving Him. (Psalm 73:13, 16, 17) Jehovah treats us kindly and patiently, especially when we are discouraged. (Exodus 34:6) The Bible says that Jehovah’s mercies are “new each morning,” and they “will certainly not come to an end.” (Lamentations 3:22, 23) Jehovah expects us to follow his example and treat discouraged ones kindly.

ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER TO STAY ON THE ROAD TO LIFE

16, 17. As the end of this system gets closer, what must we do? Why?

¹⁶ Thirty-three thousand prisoners left Sachsenhausen concentration camp, and thousands died. But all of the 230 Witnesses of Jehovah who had left the camp survived. They could not have survived without the encouragement and support they received from one another.

¹⁷ Today, we are on “the road leading off into life.” (Matthew 7:14) Soon, all of Jehovah’s worshippers will survive into the new world of righteousness. (2 Peter 3:13) As the end of Satan’s wicked system gets closer, let us help one another to stay on the road to life.

1, 2. What do we need to have God’s approval?

MOST people are interested in what others think of them. As Christians, though, what Jehovah thinks of us is much more important. After all, he is the greatest Person in the universe, and with him is “the source of life.”​—Psalm 36:9.

² The apostle Peter explained that to have Jehovah’s approval, we need to have “holy acts of conduct and deeds of godly devotion.” (Read 2 Peter 3:11.) Our “acts of conduct” are holy only if we live a clean life in every way. This includes the way we think, act, and worship God. Also, we need to have “deeds of godly devotion” motivated by deep love and respect for God. So it is not only our actions but also our feelings about God that matter to him. Jehovah is the “examiner of the heart,” so he knows whether our actions are holy and whether we worship only him.​—1 Chronicles 29:17.

3. What questions should we ask ourselves?

³ Satan the Devil does not want us to have God’s approval. In fact, he does all he can to get us to lose our friendship with Jehovah. Satan constantly uses lies to try to deceive us so that we stop worshipping Jehovah. (John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15) So we should ask ourselves: ‘How does Satan deceive people? What can I do to protect my friendship with Jehovah?’

HOW DOES SATAN DECEIVE PEOPLE?

4. To destroy our friendship with God, what does Satan try to do? Why?

⁴ The disciple James wrote: “Each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn, sin, when it has been accomplished, brings forth death.” (James 1:14, 15) To destroy our friendship with God, Satan tries to get to our heart, where our desires come from.

5, 6. (a) How does Satan try to influence our heart? (b) What three things does Satan use to create wrong desires in our heart? How well does he use these things?

⁵ How does Satan try to influence our heart? The Bible says: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19) Satan’s clever tricks include “the things in the world.” (Read 1 John 2:15, 16.) For thousands of years, the Devil has carefully designed this world to deceive people. Because we live in this world, we need to protect ourselves against his clever tricks.​—John 17:15.

⁶ Satan tries to create wrong desires in our heart. To do this, he uses the three “things in the world” mentioned by the apostle John: (1) “the desire of the flesh,” (2) “the desire of the eyes,” and (3) “the showy display of one’s means of life.” Satan used all three of them to tempt Jesus in the wilderness. Because Satan has used these tricks for so many years, he has become very good at using them, and he knows which of them to use for each person. Before we learn how to protect ourselves, let us see how the Devil was able to deceive Eve but was not able to deceive the Son of God.

“THE DESIRE OF THE FLESH”

7. How did Satan use “the desire of the flesh” to tempt Eve?

⁷ All humans need food to keep living. The Creator designed the earth to produce plenty of food. Satan may try to use our natural desire for food to tempt us to do something that displeases God. Let us see how he did this with Eve. (Read Genesis 3:1-6.) Satan told Eve that she would not die if she ate fruit from “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.” He said that if she ate from it, she would be like God. (Genesis 2:9) The Devil meant that Eve did not need to be obedient to God to continue living. That was a terrible lie! After the Devil put this idea in her mind, Eve had two choices: She could reject the idea, or she could keep thinking about it and allow her desire for the fruit to grow. Even though she could have eaten from any of the other trees, she chose to keep thinking about the tree in the middle of the garden. As a result, she ate its fruit. Satan had created in her a desire for something that was forbidden by her Creator.

8. How did Satan use “the desire of the flesh” to tempt Jesus? Why was Satan not successful?

⁸ Satan tried to use a similar trick with Jesus. When Jesus was in the wilderness and had not eaten for 40 days and 40 nights, Satan tried to tempt him by using the desire for food. Satan said: “If you are a son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” (Luke 4:1-3) Jesus had two choices: He could choose not to use his power to satisfy the need for food, or he could choose to use it. Jesus knew that he should not use his power to do something selfish. Even though he was hungry, his friendship with God was more important to him than food. Jesus replied: “It is written, ‘Man must not live by bread alone but by everything proceeding from Jehovah’s mouth.’”​—Luke 4:4, footnote.

“THE DESIRE OF THE EYES”

9. What is “the desire of the eyes”? How did Satan use this trick with Eve?

⁹ Another one of Satan’s tricks mentioned by John is “the desire of the eyes.” A person can begin to desire something simply by looking at it. Satan used this desire to trick Eve and said: “Your eyes are bound to be opened.” The more Eve looked at the fruit, the more she wanted it. Eve saw that the tree “was something to be longed for to the eyes.”

10. How did Satan use “the desire of the eyes” to tempt Jesus? How did Jesus reply?

¹⁰ How did Satan use “the desire of the eyes” to tempt Jesus? Satan “showed him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth in an instant of time; and the Devil said to him: ‘I will give you all this authority and the glory of them.’” (Luke 4:5, 6) What Jesus saw was not really all the kingdoms of the earth, but a vision of their glory. Satan must have felt that Jesus would be tempted by what he saw. He told Jesus: “If you do an act of worship before me, it will all be yours.” (Luke 4:7) Jesus absolutely did not want to be the kind of person Satan wanted him to be. He immediately replied: “It is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’”​—Luke 4:8.

“THE SHOWY DISPLAY OF ONE’S MEANS OF LIFE”

11. How was Eve deceived by Satan?

¹¹ Finally, John mentions “the showy display of one’s means of life.” When Adam and Eve were the only humans on earth, they could not proudly show off what they had in front of other people. But they did become proud. Satan got Eve to believe that there was something wonderful she deserved to have but that God did not want to give her. The Devil told her that if she ate from “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad,” she would “be like God, knowing good and bad.” (Genesis 2:17; 3:5) Satan wanted Eve to think that she could live her life without Jehovah. Pride may have been one reason why Eve believed that lie. She ate the forbidden fruit and thought that she would not die. She was completely wrong.

12. What was another way that Satan tried to tempt Jesus? How did Jesus respond?

¹² In contrast with Eve, Jesus set a wonderful example of humility! Satan tried to tempt him to do something that would impress others and would put God to the test. But Jesus strongly refused to do that because it would have been an act of pride! His reply was clear and direct: “It is said, ‘You must not put Jehovah your God to the test.’”​—Read Luke 4:9-12.

HOW CAN WE PROTECT OUR FRIENDSHIP WITH JEHOVAH?

13, 14. How does Satan try to deceive us today?

¹³ Today, Satan uses the same tricks that he used with Eve and Jesus. He uses “the desire of the flesh” to tempt people to do something immoral or to eat and drink too much. He uses “the desire of the eyes” to tempt people to watch pornography, especially on the Internet. And he uses the desire to make a “showy display of one’s means of life” to try to get people to become proud and to want power, fame, and more and more material things.

¹⁴ Satan uses “the things in the world” just as a fisherman uses bait. Bait looks good to a fish, but inside the bait is a hook. In a similar way, Satan uses things that may seem normal and necessary to make us want to do something against God’s laws. Satan wants us to believe that taking care of our personal needs and making our life comfortable is more important than doing God’s will. Will you be deceived by Satan?

15. Like Jesus, how can we avoid being deceived by Satan?

¹⁵ Eve was deceived by Satan, but Jesus was not. Each time Satan tried to trick him, Jesus answered from the Scriptures and said: “It is written” or, “It is said.” If we are good students of the Bible, we will know the Scriptures well and be able to remember verses that can help us when we are tempted. (Psalm 1:1, 2) Remembering the examples of faithful servants of God can help us to be loyal, as they were. (Romans 15:4) Having deep respect for Jehovah, that is, loving what he loves and hating what he hates, will protect us.​—Psalm 97:10.

16, 17. How can our “power of reason” affect the kind of person we are?

¹⁶ The apostle Paul encourages us to use our “power of reason” to become the kind of person who thinks the way Jehovah thinks, not the way the world thinks. (Romans 12:1, 2) Paul reminds us that we must carefully control what we think about. He said: “We are overturning reasonings and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God; and we are bringing every thought into captivity to make it obedient to the Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5) Our thinking has a very strong influence on the kind of person we are, so we must always try to think about things that please God.​—Philippians 4:8.

¹⁷ If we want to be holy, we have to reject wrong thoughts and desires. We must love Jehovah with “a clean heart.” (1 Timothy 1:5) But the heart is treacherous, and we may not even realize how much “the things in the world” are affecting us. (Jeremiah 17:9) It is important then that we follow Paul’s advice: “Keep testing whether you are in the faith, keep proving what you yourselves are.” As we study the Bible, we should ask ourselves, ‘Do my thoughts and desires please God?’​—2 Corinthians 13:5.

18, 19. Why should we work hard to be the kind of person Jehovah wants us to be?

¹⁸ Something else that can help us to resist “the things in the world” is to remember John’s words: “The world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.” (1 John 2:17) Satan’s system seems like it will last forever. But one day it will come to an end. Remembering that everything in this world will soon be gone will help us not to be deceived by Satan.

¹⁹ The apostle Peter wrote that we should be the kind of person God approves of as we are “awaiting and keeping close in mind the presence of the day of Jehovah, through which the heavens being on fire will be dissolved and the elements being intensely hot will melt!” (2 Peter 3:12) Very soon now, that day will be here, and Jehovah will destroy every part of Satan’s world. Until then, Satan will continue to use “the things in the world” to tempt us, as he tempted both Eve and Jesus. We must not be like Eve and try to satisfy our own desires. This would be like making Satan our god. We need to be like Jesus and resist these temptations, no matter how good Satan makes them look. Let each of us work hard to be the kind of person Jehovah wants us to be.

“LOOK! Sons are an inheritance from Jehovah; the fruitage of the belly is a reward,” states the Bible. (Psalm 127:3) It is a joyful time for parents when a child is born.

In addition to joy, the new parents also have important responsibilities. They need to give the child good food each day so that he can grow up to be a healthy adult. But to have a strong relationship with Jehovah, he also needs training and guidance from his parents. They have to teach him principles from God’s Word. (Proverbs 1:8) When should they begin teaching their child, and what should they teach him?

PARENTS NEED INSTRUCTION

The Bible tells us of a man named Manoah, who lived in the town of Zorah in Israel. Manoah and his wife had no children, but Jehovah’s angel told his wife that they would soon have a son. (Judges 13:2, 3) Even though Manoah and his wife were very happy to hear the news, they also wondered how they could do their best in raising their child. So Manoah prayed: “Excuse me, Jehovah. The man of the true God that you just sent, let him, please, come again to us and instruct us as to what we ought to do to the child that will be born.” (Judges 13:8) Manoah and his wife taught their son, Samson, about God’s law, and he accepted what he learned. The Bible tells us that Jehovah’s holy spirit helped Samson to do powerful things as one of the judges of Israel.​—Judges 13:25; 14:5, 6; 15:14, 15.

When should parents start to train their children? Timothy was taught about Jehovah “from infancy” by his mother, Eunice, and his grandmother Lois. (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15) So they started to train Timothy early in his childhood.

It is wise for Christian parents to pray for direction and to plan ahead so that they can begin to train their child “from infancy.” “The plans of the diligent one surely make for advantage,” states Proverbs 21:5. Before the arrival of their baby, the parents will no doubt prepare carefully. They may even make a list of all the things they will need for the baby. But it is also important for them to plan how they will teach their baby about Jehovah. Their goal should be to begin teaching the baby very soon after the baby is born.

A book that explains how children develop into adults says that the months right after a baby is born are a time when his brain is making new connections very quickly. So it is very important for parents to use this time to teach their child about Jehovah and his standards!

One mother who is also a regular pioneer said about her young daughter: ‘I have been taking her along with me in the ministry since she was only one month old. Although she could not understand what was going on, I believe that she benefited from being in the ministry with me. By the time she was two years old, she was confidently offering tracts to those we met in the field service.’

Parents can have very good results from training their children from infancy. But parents also know that it is not always easy to do so.

‘BUY OUT THE OPPORTUNE TIME’

Since children get distracted very easily, it can be difficult for parents to teach them. Children are curious and are trying to learn about the world around them. How can parents help their child to pay attention to what they teach him?

Think about what Moses said. Deuteronomy 6:6, 7 states: “These words that I am commanding you today must prove to be on your heart; and you must inculcate them in your son and speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up.” What does it mean for parents to “inculcate” God’s standards into their child? It means that they must frequently repeat what they teach him. A small child is like a young tree that needs a little bit of water frequently. Just as adults learn more easily when they hear an idea repeated several times, so also children learn more easily when ideas are repeated to them.

It takes time for parents to teach their children about God’s truth. But this can be difficult because parents are often very busy. The apostle Paul recommends that Christians ‘buy out the opportune time’ for important things. (Ephesians 5:15, 16) How can parents do this? One brother who is an elder and whose wife is very busy as a regular pioneer has to plan carefully to spend the right amount of time training their child and the right amount of time supporting the congregation and doing secular work. How do they make time to train their daughter? The father says: ‘Every morning before I go to work, my wife and I read to her from My Book of Bible Stories or the booklet Examining the Scriptures Daily. In the evening, we make sure that we read to her before she goes to bed, and when we go in the ministry, we take her with us. We do not want to miss the opportunity to train her at an early age.’

‘SONS ARE LIKE ARROWS’

We want our children to grow up to become responsible adults, but the most important reason for training them is so that they learn to love God in their heart.​—Mark 12:28-30.

Psalm 127:4 says: “Like arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the sons of youth.” The Bible compares our children to arrows that should be carefully aimed at the target. An archer has the arrow for only a short time and cannot take it back once it has left his bow. In a similar way, parents have their children with them for only a short time before they become adults. That is why it is so important that they use that time to teach their children to follow and love God’s laws.

The apostle John wrote about the people he had helped become worshippers of Jehovah. John said: “No greater cause for thankfulness do I have than these things, that I should be hearing that my children go on walking in the truth.” (3 John 4) Christian parents too are thankful when they see their children “go on walking in the truth.”

The king of Syria wanted to find and capture God’s prophet Elisha. He heard that Elisha was in Dothan, a walled city on top of a hill. During the night, the king sent his army to Dothan, along with horses and war chariots. By sunrise, they had surrounded the city.​—2 Kings 6:13, 14.

When Elisha’s servant got up and went outside, he saw the enemy army and became afraid. He cried: “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” Elisha said: “Do not be afraid, for there are more who are with us than those who are with them.” Then the prophet prayed: “O Jehovah, open his eyes, please, that he may see.” The story continues: “Immediately, Jehovah opened the attendant’s eyes, so that he saw; and, look! the mountainous region was full of horses and war chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:15-17) What can we learn from this?

Even though Elisha was surrounded by the Syrian army, he was calm. He trusted in Jehovah and saw that Jehovah was protecting him. We do not expect miracles today, but it is clear to us that Jehovah is protecting his people as a group. We could say that we too can see horses and chariots of fire protecting us. If we have faith that Jehovah is protecting his people and if we always trust in him, we will feel safe and have his blessing. (Psalm 4:8) Let us discuss how we can benefit from other events in Elisha’s life.

ELISHA BEGINS SERVING ELIJAH

One day, when Elisha was plowing a field, the prophet Elijah came to him and put his own official garment on him. By doing this, Elijah was inviting Elisha to be his attendant, that is, his servant. Elisha invited his friends for a big meal, said good-bye to his father and mother, and left home to follow Elijah. (1 Kings 19:16, 19, 21) Because Elisha was willing to do whatever God wanted him to do, Jehovah was able to use him in many ways and later appointed him as prophet in place of Elijah.

Elisha served Elijah for perhaps six years. During that time, the Bible says that Elisha was the one “who poured out water upon the hands of Elijah.” (2 Kings 3:11) What does that mean? Back then, people usually ate with their hands. After a meal, a servant poured water on his master’s hands to clean them. So at least some of Elisha’s jobs may have seemed small or unimportant. But he felt that it was an honor to be Elijah’s servant.

In a similar way, many Christians today are willing to do different types of work in the full-time service. Why? Because they have faith in Jehovah and want to give him their best. Some leave home to work at Bethel or on construction projects, for example. They may do jobs that many view as small and unimportant. But none of us should think that way. Jehovah values very much all the work his servants do.​—Hebrews 6:10.

ELISHA DID NOT GIVE UP HIS ASSIGNMENT

Before God took Elijah “in a windstorm up to the heavens,” he sent the prophet on a journey. Elijah told Elisha that he did not have to go with him, but Elisha replied: “I will not leave you.” During the journey, Elijah told him two more times to stay behind, but Elisha refused. (2 Kings 2:1-6) Elisha loyally stayed with Elijah, just as Ruth had stayed with Naomi. (Ruth 1:8, 16, 17) Elisha felt that it was an honor to serve Elijah because that was the work that God had given Elisha to do.

Elisha set a fine example for us. We will very much value any work that we are given to do in God’s organization if we always remember that we are serving Jehovah. There is no greater honor than that.​—Psalm 65:4; 84:10.

“ASK WHAT I SHOULD DO FOR YOU”

As the two men were traveling, Elijah said to Elisha: “Ask what I should do for you before I am taken from you.” Elisha answered: “Please, that two parts in your spirit may come to me.” As Solomon had done years earlier, Elisha asked for something that would help him serve Jehovah better. (1 Kings 3:5, 9; 2 Kings 2:9) What was Elisha asking for? In Israel, two parts of an inheritance would go to a man’s firstborn son, his main heir. (Deuteronomy 21:15-17) So Elisha was asking to be Elijah’s heir, or to take Elijah’s place as prophet. Also, he asked to have Elijah’s spirit, or attitude, because he wanted to have the same courage and zeal for true worship that Elijah had.​—1 Kings 19:13, 14.

How did Elijah respond to his servant’s request? The prophet said: “You have asked a difficult thing. If you see me when taken from you, it will happen to you that way; but if you do not, it will not happen.” (2 Kings 2:10) Elijah’s answer meant two things. First, only God could decide whether Elisha would receive what he had asked for. Second, if Elisha wanted to receive it, he had to stay with Elijah, no matter what might happen.

WHAT ELISHA SAW

Did God give Elisha what he had asked for? The Bible says: “It came about that as they were walking along, speaking as they walked, why, look! a fiery war chariot and fiery horses, and they proceeded to make a separation between them both; and Elijah went ascending in the windstorm to the heavens. All the while Elisha was seeing it.”a (See footnote.) That was Jehovah’s answer to Elisha’s request. Elisha saw Elijah taken from him, received two parts of Elijah’s spirit, and became God’s prophet in his place.​—2 Kings 2:11-14.

Elisha picked up the official garment that had fallen off Elijah and put it on. When people saw Elisha wearing that garment, they knew that he was now God’s prophet. Later, he also showed that he was God’s prophet by dividing the waters of the Jordan River.

Elisha must have never forgotten what he saw when Elijah was taken up in the windstorm. Anyone would be amazed at seeing a war chariot and horses of fire! These things proved to Elisha that Jehovah had given him what he had asked for. When God answers our prayers, we do not have a vision of horses and a war chariot of fire. But we still have clear proof that God uses his great power to help us and to make sure that his will is done. And when we see that Jehovah is blessing the earthly part of his organization, it is as if we see his celestial chariot moving forward.​—Ezekiel 10:9-13.

Elisha had many experiences that convinced him of Jehovah’s great power. In fact, God’s holy spirit made it possible for the prophet to perform 16 miracles. That was twice as many as Elijah performed.b (See footnote.) The second time that Elisha saw horses and war chariots of fire was at Dothan, when he was surrounded by the Syrian army.

ELISHA TRUSTED IN JEHOVAH

Even though he was surrounded by enemies at Dothan, Elisha stayed calm. Why? Because he had strong faith in Jehovah. We too need strong faith. Let us pray for God’s holy spirit so that we can show faith and other qualities that are part of the spirit’s fruitage.​—Luke 11:13; Galatians 5:22, 23.

What happened at Dothan must have given Elisha even more reason to trust in Jehovah and in his armies of angels. God sent his angels to surround the city and to protect Elisha from the enemy. Then God saved Elisha and his servant by blinding the enemy. (2 Kings 6:17-23) At that time of danger, as well as in other situations, Elisha showed faith and complete trust in Jehovah.

Like Elisha, let us trust in Jehovah God. (Proverbs 3:5, 6) If we do that, “God himself will show us favor and bless us.” (Psalm 67:1) It is true that we are not surrounded by literal chariots and horses of fire, but Jehovah’s people do have his protection today. And in the future, Jehovah will protect his people through the “great tribulation.” (Matthew 24:21; Revelation 7:9, 14) Until then, let us always remember that “God is a refuge for us.”​—Psalm 62:8.