“Praise the Name of Jehovah”

1-2. What can help us to understand how Jehovah feels about having his name slandered?

IMAGINE this: Someone you care about says something terrible about you. You know that it is a lie; yet, some believe it. Even worse, they begin repeating the lie, and many others believe it too. How would you feel? If you care about people and your good reputation, the slander would make you feel bad, would it not?​—Prov. 22:1.

² This scenario can help us understand how Jehovah felt when his reputation was tarnished. One of his spirit sons lied about him to the first woman, Eve. She believed the lie. That lie led our first parents to rebel against Jehovah. As a result, sin and death entered the human family. (Gen. 3:1-6; Rom. 5:12) All the problems we see in the world​—the deaths, the wars, the misery—​have come about because of the lies that Satan began to spread in the garden of Eden. Does Jehovah feel pain because of such slander and its results? Without a doubt. Yet, Jehovah is not bitter, or resentful. In fact, he remains “the happy God.”​—1 Tim. 1:11.

 3. What privilege do we have?

³ We have the privilege of contributing to the vindication of Jehovah’s name by obeying this simple command: “Praise the name of Jehovah.” (Ps. 113:1) We do so by speaking well of the One represented by that holy name. Will you? Let us consider three powerful motives that will help us to praise the name of our God wholeheartedly.

WE PLEASE JEHOVAH WHEN WE PRAISE HIS NAME

 4. Why does our praise please Jehovah? Illustrate. (See also picture.)

⁴ We please our heavenly Father when we praise his name. (Ps. 119:108) Does this mean, though, that the almighty God is like imperfect humans who crave praise because they are needy or insecure? No. Consider an illustration. A little girl affectionately throws her arms around her father’s neck and says, “You’re the best daddy in the whole world!” The father is pleased, even touched, by her spontaneous act. Why? Should we assume that he is an insecure man who craves, even depends on, praise from his child? No. Rather, we trust that he is a strong father who is delighted to see his daughter showing love and appreciation. He knows that such qualities will contribute to her happiness as she grows up. For similar reasons, Jehovah, the greatest Father, is pleased when we praise him.

 5. What lie can we help to refute by praising God’s name?

⁵ When we praise our heavenly Father, we help to refute a lie that involves us personally. Satan claims that no human will loyally defend God’s name. None of us have integrity, according to him. He says that all of us would turn against God if we thought that we would benefit by doing so. (Job 1:9-11; 2:4) But faithful Job proved Satan a liar. What about you? Each of us has the privilege of loyally standing up for our Father’s name and of pleasing him by serving him with integrity. (Prov. 27:11) It is truly an honor to do so.

 6. How can we imitate King David and the Levites? (Nehemiah 9:5)

⁶ Love for God moves faithful people to praise his name wholeheartedly. King David wrote: “Let me praise Jehovah; let everything within me praise his holy name.” (Ps. 103:1) David understood that to praise Jehovah’s name is to praise Jehovah himself. Jehovah’s name involves his reputation, so it brings to mind all his beautiful qualities and his marvelous deeds. David wanted to treat his Father’s name as holy and to praise it. He wanted to do so with “everything within” him​—that is, wholeheartedly. Similarly, the Levites took the lead in praising Jehovah. They humbly admitted that their words could never fully express the praise that Jehovah’s sacred name deserves. (Read Nehemiah 9:5.) Without a doubt, such humble, heartfelt praise brought joy to Jehovah’s heart.

 7. How can we praise Jehovah in our ministry and in our daily life?

⁷ Today we can please Jehovah by speaking about him with warmth, gratitude, and love. When we are in the ministry, we keep in mind that our main objective is to draw people to Jehovah, to help them to see our beloved Father as we do. (Jas. 4:8) We are delighted to show people how the Bible describes Jehovah, revealing his love, justice, wisdom, power, and other appealing qualities. We also praise Jehovah and please him by striving to imitate him. (Eph. 5:1) When we do so, we stand out in this wicked world. People may notice that we are different and may wonder why. (Matt. 5:14-16) As we interact with them in our day-to-day life, we may be able to explain why we act as we do. As a result, sincere ones feel drawn to our God. When we praise Jehovah in these ways, we bring delight to his heart.​—1 Tim. 2:3, 4.

WE PLEASE JESUS WHEN WE PRAISE JEHOVAH’S NAME

 8. How has Jesus taken the lead in praising Jehovah’s name?

⁸ Of all the intelligent creatures in heaven and on earth, no one knows the Father better than the Son. (Matt. 11:27) Jesus loves his Father, and he has taken the lead in praising Jehovah’s name. (John 14:31) In a prayer to his Father on the night before he died, he summarized his ministry on earth in this way: “I have made your name known.” (John 17:26) What did he mean?

 9. How did Jesus use a parable to explain his Father in the clearest possible way?

⁹ Jesus did more than just inform people that God’s name is Jehovah. The Jews whom Jesus taught already knew God’s name. But Jesus took the lead in being “the one who . . . explained Him.” (John 1:17, 18) For example, the Hebrew Scriptures reveal that Jehovah is merciful and compassionate. (Ex. 34:5-7) Jesus made that truth clearer than ever when he related the parable of the wayward son and his father. When we read about that father catching sight of his repentant son “while he was still a long way off,” running to meet him, embracing him, and forgiving him wholeheartedly, we see a most vivid picture of Jehovah’s mercy and compassion. (Luke 15:11-32) Jesus revealed his Father as He truly is.

10. (a) How do we know that Jesus used his Father’s personal name and wanted others to do the same? (Mark 5:19) (See also picture.) (b) What does Jesus want us to do today?

¹⁰ Did Jesus also want others to use his Father’s personal name? Certainly. Some pious religious leaders of the day may have held that God’s name was too sacred to pronounce, but Jesus never allowed such unscriptural traditions to prevent him from honoring his Father’s name. Consider the time when he cured a demonized man in the region of the Gerasenes. The people became fearful and begged Jesus to leave, so he did not stay in that region. (Mark 5:16, 17) Still, Jesus wanted Jehovah’s name to be known there. So he commissioned the man he had cured to tell people, not what Jesus had done, but what Jehovah had done. (Read Mark 5:19.)a He wants the same today​—that we make his Father’s name known throughout the whole world! (Matt. 24:14; 28:19, 20) When we do our part, we please our King, Jesus.

11. What did Jesus teach his followers to pray for, and why is that important? (Ezekiel 36:23)

¹¹ Jesus knew that Jehovah’s purpose is to sanctify His name, to clear it of all reproach. That is why our Master taught his followers to pray: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified.” (Matt. 6:9) Jesus understood that this is the greatest issue facing all creation. (Read Ezekiel 36:23.) No intelligent creature in the universe has ever done more to sanctify Jehovah’s name than Jesus has. Yet, when Jesus was arrested, what sin did his enemies accuse him of? Blasphemy! Jesus surely felt that to abuse or to slander his Father’s holy name was the most repugnant of sins. He was deeply disturbed that he would be charged and convicted of this crime. That may have been the main reason why Jesus was “in such agony” in the hours leading up to his arrest.​—Luke 22:41-44.

12. How did Jesus sanctify his Father’s name in the greatest possible way?

¹² To sanctify his Father’s name, Jesus endured every torment, insult, and slander heaped on him. He knew that he had obeyed his Father in all things; he had nothing to be ashamed of. (Heb. 12:2) He also knew that Satan was directly attacking him in those dark hours. (Luke 22:2-4; 23:33, 34) Satan surely hoped to break Jesus’ integrity; yet, Satan failed miserably! Jesus proved conclusively that Satan is a vicious liar and that Jehovah does have loyal servants, who keep their integrity even under the most severe tests!

13. How can you please your reigning King?

¹³ Do you want to please your reigning King? Keep praising Jehovah’s name, helping others to know our God as he truly is. When you do, you are following in Jesus’ steps. (1 Pet. 2:21) Like Jesus, you are making Jehovah rejoice and are proving His adversary, Satan, to be a debased liar!

WE HELP TO SAVE LIVES WHEN WE PRAISE JEHOVAH’S NAME

14-15. What wonderful things may happen when we teach people about Jehovah?

¹⁴ When we praise Jehovah’s name, we help to save lives. How so? Well, Satan “has blinded the minds of the unbelievers.” (2 Cor. 4:4) As a result, they have come to believe such satanic lies as these: God does not exist, God is remote and does not care about mankind, God is cruel and tortures wrongdoers forever. Such lies only serve to obscure or to tarnish Jehovah’s name and reputation, so that people have no desire to draw close to him. But our work defeats Satan’s purpose. We teach people the truth about our Father, praising the holy name of our God. With what result?

¹⁵ The truths of God’s Word have enormous power. By teaching people about Jehovah and what he is truly like, we get to see something wonderful. The blindfold of satanic lies gradually comes off, and these individuals begin to see our beloved Father as we do. They are filled with awe at his limitless power. (Isa. 40:26) They are assured by his perfect justice. (Deut. 32:4) They are enlightened by his profound wisdom. (Isa. 55:9; Rom. 11:33) And they are comforted to learn that he is the personification of love. (1 John 4:8) As they draw close to Jehovah, their hope of living forever as his children becomes sure. What a marvelous privilege we have to help people draw close to their Father! When we do so, Jehovah considers us his “fellow workers.”​—1 Cor. 3:5, 9.

16. How are some affected when they learn God’s name? Give examples.

¹⁶ At the outset, we may simply teach people that God’s name is Jehovah. That in itself can have a lasting impact on an honesthearted person. For example, a young woman named Aaliyahb was raised in a non-Christian household. But she felt no real connection to her religion or to God. That changed after she began to study with the Witnesses. She started to see God as her Friend. And she was amazed to learn that God’s name has been removed from many Bibles and replaced with mere titles, such as Lord. Learning Jehovah’s name was a turning point in her life. She exclaimed: “My best Friend has a name!” The result? She says: “I have so much peace in my heart now. I feel very honored.” A man named Steve was a musician who came from a conservative Jewish background. He distanced himself from organized religion because he had seen so much hypocrisy. However, during a time of grief, he agreed to sit in on a Bible study conducted by one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He was deeply touched to learn God’s name. He says: “I had never learned God’s name.” He adds: “For the first time, I understood that God is real! I saw him as a Person. I knew then that I had found a Friend.”

17. Why are you determined to continue praising Jehovah’s name? (See also picture.)

¹⁷ In your preaching and teaching work, do you share the sacred name, Jehovah, with people? Do you help them to see what our God is really like? In doing so, you praise God’s name. May you keep on praising Jehovah’s holy name by helping people to know the Person behind that name. In that way, you will save lives. You will follow the lead of your King, Christ Jesus. And above all, you will please your loving Father, Jehovah. May you “praise [his] name forever and ever”!​—Ps. 145:2.