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The Exclusive GodThe Watchtower—1953 | April 15
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to the good of all and to the praise of Jehovah’s name. The members, the individuals of the nation of Israel, were children of the organization of Israel.—Amos 3:1, AS.
24. What points have been touched upon, and on which one shall we see that which follows?
24 To some extent the foregoing shows Jehovah’s supremacy, his kindly provisions as the Creator, and introduces the matter of his relationship to his creatures as they exist in organizations he has formed. Shall we consider some additional information in his Word concerning this latter point? See that which follows.
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Jehovah: Husband, Father and TeacherThe Watchtower—1953 | April 15
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Jehovah: Husband, Father and Teacher
“All thy children shall be taught of Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of thy children.”—Isa. 54:13, AS.
1. Who can best show Jehovah’s relationship to his servants, and how can we grow in appreciation of it?
NONE appreciate the relationship of the true God to his creatures as does Jehovah himself. He can describe it best, and he does so in varied terms that we can understand. By applying ourselves to God’s Word we can grow in appreciation of Jehovah’s relationship to those who serve him.—John 17:15-21, NW.
2. Show the propriety of Jehovah’s terming himself a “husband” to his organization.
2 If a man should form an organization, be devoted to its purposes, seek its interests, be faithful to it, look to the welfare of all its members, give it time and attention, rejoice in its productivity, and so be united with it intimately, can it not be properly said that such a person is “married” to that organization? Yes, because, figuratively, “marriage” means just such a close union. It is consistent and in all good taste for Jehovah God to designate himself as a husband to his organization. This may seem strange at first thought; but how would we describe this relationship of close union in a better way? We have in mind the good husbandly arrangement of marriage among Jehovah’s worshipers, as we see God’s own references to himself as a husband, to the nation of natural Israel as an example.
3, 4. In the illustrative case of the nation of Israel, how was Jehovah a husband?
3 How was Jehovah a husband to the nation of Israel? In that he conformed to the illustrative case of the man mentioned in the preceding paragraph. For one thing, toward Israel he was not a husband with many earthly wives. No; to the contrary, he stated to Israel: “You only have I known of all the families of the earth.” (Amos 3:2, AS) Jehovah was faithful to Israel, but that nation transgressed God’s law and turned away from him, and so we read at Jeremiah 3:14: “Return, O backsliding children, saith Jehovah; for I am a husband unto you.” (AS) Looking ahead prophetically through the years after having cast off the unfaithful “wife”, Israel: “Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant
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