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“You Must Not Forget”The Watchtower—1969 | January 1
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or “pagan” have gods that they worship. Some people worship money, movie stars, politicians, rulers, even themselves. It may be an image or something illusive, nirvana, for instance. But let us take a second look at Christendom, while we are on the subject, and seriously ask: What has Christendom’s religion done for mankind? Has it made the nations and its people better morally, spiritually? Has it made them peaceful? Do they love one another more now than fifty years ago or five hundred years ago? Has Christendom brought “glory . . . to God, and upon earth peace among men of good will”? (Luke 2:14) Why not? Because mankind and its religious priests and clergy have forgotten God, discarded his Word and rejected Jehovah’s kingdom by his Son Christ Jesus. Jesus said it plainly: “This people honors me with their lips, yet their heart is far removed from me. It is in vain that they keep worshiping me, because they teach commands of men as doctrines.” (Matt. 15:8, 9) The false religions are not teaching you God’s Word but they are teaching you their own doctrine. Listen to God, for he is saying to you now: “Get out of her, my people, if you do not want to share with her in her sins.” (Rev. 18:4) Christendom and the whole world empire of false religion are doomed!
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“Do Not Forget All His Doings”The Watchtower—1969 | January 1
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“Do Not Forget All His Doings”
1. Psalm 103:3-5 tells us what about Jehovah God’s mercy?
TURN to the Word of God and be like faithful King David, a true worshiper of Jehovah God. He said: “Bless Jehovah, O my soul, and do not forget all his doings.” (Ps. 103:2) David, a man after God’s own heart, did not want to forget anything that Jehovah had done for him. What were some of the things Jehovah did for him? He said Jehovah was the one “who is forgiving all your error, who is healing all your maladies, who is reclaiming your life from the very pit, who is crowning you with loving-kindness and mercies, who is satisfying your lifetime with what is good.” (Ps. 103:3-5) David fully appreciated that “with error I was brought forth with birth pains, and in sin my mother conceived me.” (Ps. 51:5) He knew he made mistakes, but he went to God in prayer and asked for forgiveness. He had full confidence that Jehovah would forgive him, because he turned from the wrong course and took the right one. David would not forget the one who was forgiving all his error.
2, 3. (a) While we may get advice on how to care for our health, how is it that our illnesses are healed? (b) What blessings with regard to health do we look forward to, and how was this confirmed by Jesus?
2 David could not forget the God who is healing all of man’s maladies. Man is truly marvelously and wonderfully made. David recognized this. He appreciated that he could see, hear, speak, feel and smell. He wanted to use these faculties wisely. He was concerned with the healthy condition of his heart and kidneys. (Ps. 26:2; 7:9) When he got ill David would know that this condition was inherited along with the sin of Adam. But how is recovery effected? We say: “Take care of yourself.” David would do likewise in sickness, very likely go to bed, keep warm, drink some helpful fruit juices. Maybe he received some good advice from doctors of his time. Now what advice do most doctors give to those who have maladies today? “Go to bed.” “Rest more.” “Take a vacation.” “Get more exercise.” “Breathe more deeply.” But what does the healing? Why this wonderful body of ours. Jehovah God made it so that it restores itself. The body does the healing. (Ps. 30:2; 103:5) If David did not forget, then we should not forget the one “who is healing all your maladies.” What a grand day it will be when even death will have no hold on mankind. For when the new heavens and new earth are fully established, God’s Word says, “he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be any more. The former things have passed away.”—Rev. 21:4.
3 Neither could David forget the one “who is reclaiming your life from the very pit.” David knew that the life-span of man was seventy years and, because of special mightiness, maybe eighty. (Ps. 90:10) Then death would come and one’s soul would go down into the pit. However, David, like Job, had faith in the resurrection of the dead, for Job believed God would set a time limit and remember him. (Job 14:13) Jesus Christ confirmed this hope and said: “Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out.” (John 5:28, 29) David with such faith could not forget God, who would reclaim him from the pit. Could you?
4. In what ways was David an example of a person not forgetting Jehovah’s doings?
4 Nor could David forget the God “who is crowning you with loving-kindness and mercies.” David had an interesting life. He was a good shepherd boy who took care of his father’s sheep. When a lad he was anointed to be king of Israel by the prophet Samuel. He stayed humble and never tried to usurp the throne of King Saul. David knew that God had anointed Saul, and even though David was persecuted by Saul he waited upon Jehovah to make a change. The kingdom of Israel grew under King David’s reign and Jehovah allowed him to plan and gather material together for the building of the great temple of his son Solomon. David had his moments of sorrow and regret. He made mistakes, but he trusted in the loving-kindness and mercy of Jehovah his God. Is your life crowned with God’s loving-kindness and mercies too? Do you, like David, “not forget all his doings”?
5. How has Jehovah provided help for mankind so that those who love him will not forget
5 We can be sure of it—Jehovah God will not forget! Even though we might forget, he will not do so. To help ourselves not to forget we must review, keep reading, keep listening to God’s Holy Word. This is so essential to right living! All Christians who have come to an accurate knowledge of the truth and have dedicated their lives to the doing of God’s will and who have been baptized in water must continue to study the Bible. In time, having studied his written judicial decisions, they will be able to discern between right and wrong. The Bible clearly states the right principles and the right way for man to go. But even Christians who have served him well for many years can forget God if they stop studying God’s Word. Some persons deliberately want to forget God, and this is marked in their conscience as with a branding iron.—1 Tim. 4:2.
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