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Sarah, Comely Woman of FaithThe Watchtower—1953 | November 15
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“laughter.” At the time of his weaning, Abraham prepared a great feast at which Sarah noticed Ishmael, her maid’s son, mocking her son Isaac. Becoming concerned for the welfare of her son she asked Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away. It took no little courage on the part of Sarah to make this suggestion to her “lord,” especially as she could not help knowing how reluctant Abraham would be to carry out such a suggestion.
But here again Sarah received support from Jehovah, for in spite of the fact that Abraham was very loath to follow Sarah’s suggestion in this, he was told to listen to Sarah and send Hagar and Ishmael out of his household. While some worldly-wise critics condemn Sarah in this, even as they do in her previous course toward her maid, yet in view of Jehovah’s confirmation of Sarah’s suggestion and the prophetic application made of it in the Christian Greek Scriptures, we cannot properly censure her. It was her son Isaac, not Hagar’s Ishmael, that was the seed of promise; his interests were paramount and had to be safeguarded.—Gen. 21:8-12.
Sarah died at the age of 127 years, having seen her son grow to almost forty years. She being mentioned by the apostle Paul at Hebrews chapter 11, we may confidently expect her to be favored with an early resurrection.—Heb. 11:11, 39, 40; Rev. 11:15-18, NW.
Sarah was a comely woman of faith who appreciated the proper relationship of a wife to her husband, and who bore a son to her husband in her old age. In all this she was a very fitting picture of Jehovah God’s “woman,” his universal organization, and whom he considers very beautiful. That “woman” also was barren for a long time before giving birth to the promised Seed, Christ Jesus, and to the Kingdom. And all those who will ever comprise God’s organization, as well as those who now come under it, and receive its blessings, must, like Sarah, exercise real faith in Jehovah’s promises and be submissive to the Greater Abraham, Jehovah God.—Isa. 54:1; 66:7, 8; Gal. 4:22-31.
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A Christian Holiday?The Watchtower—1953 | November 15
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A Christian Holiday?
“Pope Backs May Day as Christian Holiday” was the title of an article in the New York Times of May 3, 1953. The article said: “In a May Day speech he delivered to 4,000 workers gathered in the Vatican from many parts of Italy, the Pope endorsed the celebration of the day as a Christian holiday for labor.” The Times then quotes the pope as asking concerning May Day: “Who better than the true Christian can give to it a profound significance?” Do true Christians celebrate May Day as a Christian holiday? You are invited to be the judge.
May Day’s origin? The New Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia says on page 8294: “May Day festivals probably stem from the rites practiced in honor of a Roman goddess, Maia, who was worshiped as the source of human and natural fertility.” A conspicuous feature of this celebration has been (and still is, especially among school children) the dancing around the Maypole. The same encyclopedia states: “This Maypole is believed by most scholars to be a survival of a phallic symbol formerly used in the spring rites for the goddess Maia.”
Did early Christians celebrate pagan festivals as Christian holidays? No! “To keep themselves free from idolatry they refused to associate with others in social and public festivities.” (A History of Rome, by George Willis Botsford, page 263) Another authority speaks of “the absolute refusal of the Christians to join in any religious festival.”—Christianity and the Roman Government, by E. G. Hardy, page 36.
In view of the above-mentioned facts, Do true Christians give May Day “a profound significance” by celebrating it as a Christian holiday? You be the judge.
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