How happy can be the lot of all such persons who now take a positive step toward acquiring real security! That security will be of the most dependable type, with Jehovah God as its Source. He assures us that the security of his new order will not be marred by wars or want. (Ps. 72:7, 16) Men will then experience security at Jehovah’s hand, for he promises: “I will make them lie down in security.”​—Hos. 2:18.

Questions From Readers

● How could there be a reference to “the whole field of the Amalekites” in Abraham’s day, as related in the Bible at Genesis 14:7, before Amalek was even born (Gen. 36:15-19)?​—J. E., U.S.A.

As Genesis 36:12, 15-19 shows, Amalek, a grandson of Esau, was among the fourteen sheiks of Edom. The name “Amalek” also designated his tribal descendants. (Deut. 25:17; Judg. 7:12) The belief of some that the Amalekites were of a much earlier origin and not descendants of Esau’s grandson Amalek is not founded on solid factual ground. For example, some have identified the Amalekites with those living in Melukhkha, a land the name of which appears in cuneiform inscriptions of about 2000 B.C.E. However, archaeological discoveries revealed that the land of Melukhkha was not the Sinai Peninsula and West Arabia as had been supposed, but that it was located in India.

Balaam’s proverbial utterance at Numbers 24:20 is sometimes used to support the belief that the Amalekites predated Amalek: “Amalek was the first one of the nations, but his end afterward will be even his perishing.” This, however, does not support such belief, for Balaam was not speaking of history in general and the origin of nations seven and a half centuries earlier. He was speaking of history only in connection with the Israelites whom he was hired to curse and who were about to enter the Promised Land. Hence, after listing Moab, Edom and Seir as Israel’s opponents, Balaam declared that the Amalekites were actually “the first one of the nations” to rise up in opposition to the Israelites on their march out of Egypt toward the Promised Land, and for this reason, the end of Amalek “will be even his perishing.” As a consequence, Jehovah decreed ultimate extinction for the Amalekites.​—Ex. 17:8-16; Deut. 25:17-19.

But now, what about the words at Genesis 14:7 in connection with Chedorlaomer king of Elam and his allied kings who “turned about and came to En-mishpat, that is, Kadesh, and defeated the whole field of the Amalekites”? Here Moses was relating events of Abraham’s day before Amalek was born, but he was describing the region in terms that were understood by people of Moses’ time, rather than implying that Amalekites predated Amalek. So Genesis 14:7 refers to the land afterward possessed by its well-known inhabitants, the Amalekites.

● Would having some fellow Christians over to one’s own home on New Year’s Eve be wrong?​—G. M., Canada.

It is not wrong to have fellow Christians to one’s home for upbuilding association and relaxation. However, if the occasion coincides exactly with a worldly celebration, there are some matters that the Christian would do well to consider before making a decision to arrange for or attend such a gathering.

Though customs vary from country to country, in many places it is traditional to stay up until midnight on December 31 to “watch the old year out.” This evening is often associated with unrestrained drinking, loose conduct between the sexes, gift giving and the making of promises to reform in the new year. The modern practices in many lands are directly linked with pagan celebrations. The 1966 World Book Encyclopedia, Volume 14, page 237, reports: “In ancient Rome, the first day of the year was given over to honoring Janus, the god of gates and doors and of beginnings and endings. . . . New Year’s Day became a holy day in the Christian Church in A.D. 487, when it was declared the Feast of the Circumcision. At first, parties were not allowed on this day because the pagans had followed that custom. This was gradually changed and celebrations could again be held.” (For more details, see Awake! of January 8, 1957, pages 21 through 23.)

Before bringing their lives into harmony with