RICKE TENNY
JEHOVAH
JEHOVAH IS APPROACHABLE
Let us first take up the quality of approachableness. How would you describe an individual who is approachable? You might say, ‘Someone who is kind, readily available, and easy to talk to.’ You can often discern whether a person is approachable or not by listening to what he says and by observing his body language—gestures, facial expressions, and other nonverbal signs.
How does Jehovah demonstrate that he is approachable? Although he is the almighty Creator of our vast universe, Jehovah assures us that he is willing and eager to listen to our prayers and to respond to them. (Read Psalm 145:18; Isaiah 30:18, 19.) We can speak to God at length at any time or place. We can approach him freely, knowing that he will never reproach us for doing so. (Ps. 65:2; Jas. 1:5) God’s Word describes Jehovah in human terms to indicate that he wants to be approached. For instance, the psalmist David wrote that “the eyes of Jehovah are toward” us and that his “right hand keeps fast hold” on us. (Ps. 34:15; 63:8) The prophet Isaiah likened Jehovah to a shepherd, saying: “With his arm he will collect together the lambs; and in his bosom he will carry them.” (Isa. 40:11) Just imagine! Jehovah wants us to be as close to him as a little lamb nestled in the bosom of a caring shepherd. What an approachable Father we have! How can we imitate Jehovah in this regard?
APPROACHABLE AND AVAILABLE
Obviously, we cannot be approached if we are not available. Jehovah sets a fine example in that regard. “He is not far off from each one of us.” (Acts 17:27) One way in which elders make themselves available to others is by setting aside time before and after Christian meetings to converse with their brothers and sisters—young and old. A pioneer brother noted: “When an elder asks how I’m doing and then stops to listen to my answer, I feel appreciated.” A sister who has been serving Jehovah for nearly 50 years commented: “Elders who take some time to talk to me after the meeting make me feel valued.”
JEHOVAH IS IMPARTIAL
Impartiality is another of Jehovah’s endearing qualities. What does it mean to be impartial? It involves being fair, free from having or showing bias or favoritism. Genuine impartiality has two elements: attitude and actions. Why are both needed? Because only if someone is impartial in his outlook will he be moved to treat all with impartiality. In the Christian Greek Scriptures, the expression “not partial” literally means not a “taker of faces,” that is, not favoring one face over another. (Acts 10:34; Kingdom Interlinear) Hence, one who is impartial will pay due regard, not to an individual’s outward appearance or circumstances, but to his or her character as a person.
Jehovah is the greatest example of impartiality. His Word states that he “is not partial” and that he “treats none with partiality.” (Read Acts 10:34, 35; Deuteronomy 10:17) A situation that arose in Moses’ day demonstrates that.
Just before the Israelites were to enter the Promised Land, five unmarried fleshly sisters faced a dilemma. What was it? They knew that their family, like other Israelite families, would receive a piece of land that had been allotted to their father. (Num. 26:52-55) However, their father, Zelophehad of the tribe of Manasseh, had died. According to custom, the right to take possession of the land would be passed to Zelophehad’s sons, but he had only daughters. (Num. 26:33) With no son in the family to receive the land, would the family’s land be handed to relatives and the daughters be left without a family inheritance?
The five sisters approached Moses and asked him: “Why should the name of our father be taken away from the midst of his family because he had no son?” They pleaded: “O give us a possession in the midst of our father’s brothers.” Did Moses react by saying, ‘There are no exceptions to the rule’? No, he “presented their case before Jehovah.” (Num. 27:2-5) What was the response? Jehovah told Moses: “The daughters of Zelophehad are speaking right. By all means you should give them the possession of an inheritance in the midst of their father’s brothers, and you must cause their father’s inheritance to pass to them.” Jehovah went further. He turned the exception into a rule, instructing Moses: “In case any man should die without his having a son, you must then cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter.” (Num. 27:6-8; Josh. 17:1-6) From then on, all Israelite women who faced the same plight would be protected.
God Is Love
“He that does not love has not come to know God, because God is love.”--1 JOHN 4:8.
ALL of Jehovah’s attributes are sterling, perfect, and appealing. But the most endearing of all of Jehovah’s qualities is love. Nothing else draws us so powerfully to Jehovah as his love. Happily, love is also his dominant quality. How do we know that?
The Bible says something about love that it never says about Jehovah’s other cardinal attributes. The Scriptures do not say that God is power or that God is justice or even that God is wisdom. He possesses those qualities and is the ultimate source of all three. About love, though, something more profound is said at 1 John 4:8: “God is love.” Yes, love runs very deep in Jehovah. It is his very essence, or nature. Generally speaking, we might think of it this way: Jehovah’s power enables him to act. His justice and his wisdom guide the way he acts. However, Jehovah’s love motivates him to act. And his love is always reflected in the way he uses his other attributes.
It is often said that Jehovah is the very personification of love. Hence, if we want to learn about love, we must learn about Jehovah. Let us, then, examine some of the facets of Jehovah’s matchless love.
Let us first take up the quality of approachableness. How would you describe an individual who is approachable? You might say, ‘Someone who is kind, readily available, and easy to talk to.’ You can often discern whether a person is approachable or not by listening to what he says and by observing his body language—gestures, facial expressions, and other nonverbal signs.
How does Jehovah demonstrate that he is approachable? Although he is the almighty Creator of our vast universe, Jehovah assures us that he is willing and eager to listen to our prayers and to respond to them. (Read Psalm 145:18; Isaiah 30:18, 19.) We can speak to God at length at any time or place. We can approach him freely, knowing that he will never reproach us for doing so. (Ps. 65:2; Jas. 1:5) God’s Word describes Jehovah in human terms to indicate that he wants to be approached. For instance, the psalmist David wrote that “the eyes of Jehovah are toward” us and that his “right hand keeps fast hold” on us. (Ps. 34:15; 63:8) The prophet Isaiah likened Jehovah to a shepherd, saying: “With his arm he will collect together the lambs; and in his bosom he will carry them.” (Isa. 40:11) Just imagine! Jehovah wants us to be as close to him as a little lamb nestled in the bosom of a caring shepherd. What an approachable Father we have! How can we imitate Jehovah in this regard?
APPROACHABLE AND AVAILABLE
Obviously, we cannot be approached if we are not available. Jehovah sets a fine example in that regard. “He is not far off from each one of us.” (Acts 17:27) One way in which elders make themselves available to others is by setting aside time before and after Christian meetings to converse with their brothers and sisters—young and old. A pioneer brother noted: “When an elder asks how I’m doing and then stops to listen to my answer, I feel appreciated.” A sister who has been serving Jehovah for nearly 50 years commented: “Elders who take some time to talk to me after the meeting make me feel valued.”
JEHOVAH IS IMPARTIAL
Impartiality is another of Jehovah’s endearing qualities. What does it mean to be impartial? It involves being fair, free from having or showing bias or favoritism. Genuine impartiality has two elements: attitude and actions. Why are both needed? Because only if someone is impartial in his outlook will he be moved to treat all with impartiality. In the Christian Greek Scriptures, the expression “not partial” literally means not a “taker of faces,” that is, not favoring one face over another. (Acts 10:34; Kingdom Interlinear) Hence, one who is impartial will pay due regard, not to an individual’s outward appearance or circumstances, but to his or her character as a person.
Jehovah is the greatest example of impartiality. His Word states that he “is not partial” and that he “treats none with partiality.” (Read Acts 10:34, 35; Deuteronomy 10:17) A situation that arose in Moses’ day demonstrates that.
Just before the Israelites were to enter the Promised Land, five unmarried fleshly sisters faced a dilemma. What was it? They knew that their family, like other Israelite families, would receive a piece of land that had been allotted to their father. (Num. 26:52-55) However, their father, Zelophehad of the tribe of Manasseh, had died. According to custom, the right to take possession of the land would be passed to Zelophehad’s sons, but he had only daughters. (Num. 26:33) With no son in the family to receive the land, would the family’s land be handed to relatives and the daughters be left without a family inheritance?
The five sisters approached Moses and asked him: “Why should the name of our father be taken away from the midst of his family because he had no son?” They pleaded: “O give us a possession in the midst of our father’s brothers.” Did Moses react by saying, ‘There are no exceptions to the rule’? No, he “presented their case before Jehovah.” (Num. 27:2-5) What was the response? Jehovah told Moses: “The daughters of Zelophehad are speaking right. By all means you should give them the possession of an inheritance in the midst of their father’s brothers, and you must cause their father’s inheritance to pass to them.” Jehovah went further. He turned the exception into a rule, instructing Moses: “In case any man should die without his having a son, you must then cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter.” (Num. 27:6-8; Josh. 17:1-6) From then on, all Israelite women who faced the same plight would be protected.
God Is Love
“He that does not love has not come to know God, because God is love.”--1 JOHN 4:8.
ALL of Jehovah’s attributes are sterling, perfect, and appealing. But the most endearing of all of Jehovah’s qualities is love. Nothing else draws us so powerfully to Jehovah as his love. Happily, love is also his dominant quality. How do we know that?
The Bible says something about love that it never says about Jehovah’s other cardinal attributes. The Scriptures do not say that God is power or that God is justice or even that God is wisdom. He possesses those qualities and is the ultimate source of all three. About love, though, something more profound is said at 1 John 4:8: “God is love.” Yes, love runs very deep in Jehovah. It is his very essence, or nature. Generally speaking, we might think of it this way: Jehovah’s power enables him to act. His justice and his wisdom guide the way he acts. However, Jehovah’s love motivates him to act. And his love is always reflected in the way he uses his other attributes.
It is often said that Jehovah is the very personification of love. Hence, if we want to learn about love, we must learn about Jehovah. Let us, then, examine some of the facets of Jehovah’s matchless love.
JESUS
Who is Jesus Christ?
Unlike any other human, Jesus lived in heaven as a spirit person before he was born on earth. (John 8:23) He was God’s first creation, and he helped in the creation of all other things. He is the only one created directly by Jehovah and is therefore appropriately called God’s “only-begotten” Son. (John 1:14) Jesus served as God’s Spokesman, so he is also called “the Word.”--Read Proverbs 8:22, 23, 30; Colossians 1:15, 16
Why did Jesus come to the earth?
God sent his Son to earth by transferring his life from heaven to the womb of a virgin Jewess named Mary. So Jesus did not have a human father. (Luke 1:30-35) Jesus came to the earth (1) to teach the truth about God, (2) to set us an example in how to do God’s will even when we are in difficulties, and (3) to give his perfect life as “a ransom.”--Read Matthew 20:28
Why did Jesus die?
Unlike us, Jesus was perfect. So he did not need to die for his sins—he never committed any. Instead, Jesus died for the sins of others. God expressed extraordinary love for mankind by sending his Son to die for us. Jesus also showed love for us by obeying his Father and giving his life for our sins.--Read John 3:16; Romans 5:18, 19.
What is Jesus doing now?
When on earth, Jesus cured the sick, raised the dead, and rescued people in peril. He thereby demonstrated what he will do in the future for all obedient mankind. (Matthew 15:30, 31; John 5:28) After Jesus died, God restored him to life as a spirit person. (1 Peter 3:18) Jesus then waited at God’s right hand until Jehovah gave him power to rule as King over all the earth. (Hebrews 10:12, 13) Now Jesus is ruling as King in heaven, and his followers are announcing that good news worldwide.--Read Daniel 7:13, 14; Matthew 24:14.
Soon, Jesus will use his power as King to bring an end to all suffering and to those who cause it. All who exercise faith in Jesus by obeying him will enjoy life in a paradise on earth.--Read Psalm 37:9-11.