God’s Word states that after six “days” of creating, God paused from his works as regards the earth. (Gen. 2:2) Yet, Jehovah loves to work, and in other respects he “has kept working.” (John 5:17) The provision for the weekly Sabbath follows a pattern similar to that of Jehovah’s day of rest described in Genesis. God said that the Sabbath was a sign between him and Israel. (Ex. 31:12-14) The prohibition against work applied to everyone, including children, slaves, and even domestic animals. (Ex. 20:10) It allowed the people to give more attention to spiritual matters. Many religious leaders in Jesus’ time took an extreme, rigid view of the Sabbath day. They claimed that it was unlawful on the Sabbath even to pluck some heads of grain or to heal a person who was ill. (Mark 2:23-27; 3:2-5) Such views did not reflect God’s thinking, and Jesus made that clear to those who would listen. w19.12 3-4 ¶8-9

The more we learn about the qualities that make up Jehovah’s personality, the better we will be able to imitate him. David came to know his heavenly Father well, so he was able to imitate Him when dealing with others. Because David had such a good relationship with Jehovah, he became one of Israel’s most beloved kings and the standard by which Jehovah measured other kings of Israel. (1 Ki. 15:11; 2 Ki. 14:1-3) What is the lesson for us? We need to be “imitators of God.” When we model our personality after his, we prove that we are his children. (Eph. 4:24) We will never stop learning about Jehovah. (Eccl. 3:11) The important thing is, not how much we know about him, but what we do with what we know. If we apply what we learn and try to imitate our loving Father, he will continue to draw close to us. (Jas. 4:8) Through his Word, he assures us that he will never abandon those seeking him. w19.12 20 ¶20; 21 ¶21, 23

Jacob loved all his sons, but he had special affection for 17-year-old Joseph. How did Joseph’s brothers react? They became envious of him, and that envy made them bitter. So they sold Joseph into slavery and lied to their father, saying that a wild animal had killed his favorite son. Envy caused them to disrupt the peace of the family and to break their father’s heart. (Gen. 37:3, 4, 27-34) Envy is listed among the death-dealing “works of the flesh” that can disqualify a person from inheriting God’s Kingdom. (Gal. 5:19-21) Envy is often the root cause of such poisonous fruits as hostility, strife, and fits of anger. The example of Joseph’s brothers shows how envy can damage relationships and disturb the peace that once existed in a family. Although we would never do what Joseph’s brothers did, we all have an imperfect and treacherous heart. Little wonder, then, that we may at times struggle with feelings of envy. w20.02 14 ¶1-3