Oldal:W01.1936 Samson 5.djvu/4 forrásának megtekintése

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WATCHTOWER.
Bbooklyx, N. Y.
Jehovah; and also pictured particularly the remnant
on earth after the coining of Christ Jesus to the tem¬
ple. Like almost all the servants of Jehovah God,
Samson has been the object of much criticism by
men. It is even true that men who desire to appear
in the eyes of others as models of goodness, chastity
and piety, and which models will be followed as ex¬
amples, level severe criticism against their fellow men
in order to draw attention to themselves. Such is one
form of selfishness and hypocrisy. Such creatures fear
men and, having men’s persons in admiration, call
attention to the mistakes and derelictions of their fel¬
low men who as Christians are trying to do right,
hoping to hear the people say of themselves, in sub¬
stance, 'Behold, what a good man he is! what a high
standard he sets!’ The motive prompting men to thus
assume such a high standard themselves and to point
with criticism to others, is entirely a selfish motive.
Other men are thus deceived, but God knows who are
the just and true ones. For that reason Jesus said,
“That which is highly esteemed among men is abomi¬
nation in the sight of God.” (Luke 1G: 15) Judah,
llahab, Huth, John the Baptist, Samson and others
have been the objects of severe criticism at the mouths
of others, which criticisms were entirely out of place.
Whomsoever Jehovah uses and approves cannot be
properly criticized by men. The servant of Jehovah
is responsible to him, and not to man. “Who art thou
that judgest another man’s servant? to his own mas¬
ter he standeth or fallcth. Yea, he shall be holden up;
for God is able to make him stand.” (Rom. 14:4)
The wiseacres and would-be pious ones who criticize
the servants of God as they appear in the Bible show
their lack of understanding and a large degree of self¬
ishness on their part.
• Those servants of the Lord in times of old played
their respective parts in prophetic dramas, which parts
were assigned to them by Jehovah; and we must not
look at the imperfections of the human creature there
displayed. Our business is to look at what part they
played or performed, and which was written and re¬
corded in the Word of God for the benefit of the rem¬
nant now on earth. God never asked or required a
man to so develop his own character that he would
bo fit to reign with Christ Jesus, and that for the
manifest reason that no man could accomplish such
thing. This docs not at all mean that men are justi¬
fied in leading a loose and intemperate course, nor
does it furnish an excuse or justification for their im¬
perfections. What is here said is to emphasize the fact
that not .by his outward appearance docs man pre¬
pare himself for God’s service, but his faith and un¬
swerving devotion are what bring the approval of God
and prepare for that man a place in God’s everlast¬
ing organization. The Scriptures show what God re¬
quires of those whom he approves, and everywhere
therein absolute and complete faithfulness is magni¬
fied. Those who are approved by Jehovah must first
prove their integrity toward him, and this they must
do by a singleness of purpose and course of action,
always putting forth their very best to do the will
of God regardless of what any other man does or what
any other creature might think or say about them.
The servant, because of human weakness, may make
a wrong step, a grievous mistake, and that which is
very displeasing to God; but if he confesses to God
through the Lord Jesus Christ, acknowledging his
wrongdoing, and then quickly attempts to face about
and do that which is right, he may receive the mercy
of Jehovah God and be fully reinstated in the favor
of the Lord. (1 John 1:9) Whatever mistakes Sam¬
son may have made, as they appeared on the recoid,
those mistakes are not to apply to Samson, but are
to be applied to the class whom Samson foretold; and
the rule here announced with reference to God’s crea¬
tures whom he approves applies specifically to tho.^e
whom Samson foreshadowed.
BAMSON ENTRAPPED
’The class pictured by Delilah, otherwise meaning
the ‘foolish virgin’ class (Matt. 25:1-12), had because
of their fear of men a desire for selfish gain, lost their
love for God and his children, and were doing nothing
to the honor of Jehovah and his cause from and after
1917. ‘Their lamps were going out,’ because the li<dit
they previously had now had become darkness by rea¬
son of their anxiety to gratify a selfish ambitious de¬
sire, and because of their fear of men. They tried to
induce those of the Samson class to likewise declare
as Scriptural that it is the duty of all men tp recog¬
nize as “the higher powers” those that rule the world.
Samson now here plays the part foreshadowing ex¬
actly what did come to pass upon the consecrated in
the year 1918. “Ami she made him sleep upon her
knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him
to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she be¬
gan to afflict him, and his strength went from him.”
—Judg. 16:19.
’Bemuse of the threats of danger to the Lord’s
people by reason of the crisis resulting from the gn at
war there was a more considerate and conciliatory
course taken by the Samson class toward the Delilah
class, and this may well be pictured by Samson’s sleep¬
ing upon Delilah’s knees. It showed a position of trust
and confidence even though that trust and confidence
was misplaced. The Samson class were not willingly
or voluntarily defiling their consecration vow to Jeho¬
vah God, but were permitting themselves to bo thrown
into a position where others could defile them. The
sleeping of Samson on the lap of Delilah was surely
a lack of true watchfulness, but Samson was playing
this part in the drama foretelling the negligence of
those consecrated to God and who were on earth at
the time approximately at the coming of the Lord
to the temple. The facts show that the Samson class
did become negligent about that time.
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