Is it Blind Obedience? 2 Bible Examples

Blind Obedience?

How are my beautiful readers doing today? Welcome back! Thanks for sticking with me. You are my motivation to keep going! Without your questions and comments, it would seem like a one-way conversation.

So, in response to my blog:

Disagreeing vs Disobedience

I had this comment/question come across my desk:

In the November 2013 Watchtower Study Edition on the subject of Seven Dukes, paragraph 17 under point #3, JW,org tells its members to be ready to obey any instructions even if the instructions don't make sense.

Why would a JW,org member give JW,org such blind obedience when JW,org has been wrong so many times. To see the many times JW,org has been wrong, just go to JW,org's website and find Online Library. Then use search box and type in beliefs clarified. Click on beliefs clarified topic and be amazed at the long list. 

Would "God's mouthpiece" keep getting God's Word wrong this many times? Or, for JW,org to be wrong this many times mean it's not "God's mouthpiece" or does it mean God doesn't know His Word either?
It's one thing to not know God's Word, but to try to teach it too and flip flop, thus misleading millions is just plain wrong.

Shall we begin? Good! Let's learn some more. 
For this discussion, I wanted to focus on Blind Obedience.

• In the November 2013 Watchtower Study Edition on the subject of Seven Dukes, paragraph 17 under point #3, JW,org tells its members to be ready to obey any instructions even if the instructions don't make sense.
• Here is the link to the above mentioned article and paragraph: Seven Shepherds, Eight Dukes—What They Mean for Us Today
• Why would a JW,org member give JW,org such blind obedience when JW,org has been wrong so many times. To see the many times JW,org has been wrong, just go to JW,org's website and find Online Library. Then use search box and type in beliefs clarified. Click on beliefs clarified topic and be amazed at the long list. 
• Blind obedience - That comment speaks volumes. But is it Blind Obedience? Not at all. We as Christians follow as best we can in Christ's footsteps. Follow. That means there is a leader. As laid out in the scriptures, everyone has a head, everyone but Jehovah God:  3  But I want you to know that the head of every man is the Christ;+ in turn, the head of a woman is the man;+ in turn, the head of the Christ is God.+ So according to this scripture, someone has to take the lead, and while Christ was on earth, he lead, but knew that he would not always be here to physically guide us. “When he ascended on high he carried away captives; he gave gifts in men.” (Ephesians 4:8) Gifts in men? 11  And he gave some as apostles,+ some as prophets,+ some as evangelizers,*+ some as shepherds and teachers.+ 
• As many of you probably realize, Jehovah God has always had people on earth to represent
  
  him. There are many examples of men and women who have represented Jehovah. People like Noah, Moses, Abraham, Deborah (had to throw that one in there, hee hee hee) Sarah, Mary, and of course, my favorite, Jonah. And let's not forget those who were commissioned by Jehovah to put his words down in writing for later generations to read, in the form of the Bible. IJS.
• Are they perfect? Not at all. 2  For we all stumble*many times.+ If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able to bridle also his whole body. Not one of us are perfect. (There were only 3 perfect people who walked this earth: Adam, Eve, Jesus Christ, and Satin managed to corrupt 2 of them.) But the first century Christians followed because 1) the apostles reasoned with their listeners from the scriptures:  19  So they arrived at Ephʹe·sus, and he left them there; but he
  entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.+ 2) they examined scriptures    11  Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thes·sa·lo·niʹca, for they accepted the word with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. So it is today, ALL of us within Jehovah's organization make it a matter of prayer
  
  before we reason from the scriptures and when we examine the scripture. I truly believe that all we need to survive this rotten system of things and gain the promises for our future can be found within the pages of the Bible. Do we understand it all? NOPE. But we are not left groping in the dark, we have been given guides, and these guides make everything a matter of prayer, then they examine the scriptures, and guidance is then given.
• Do we understand everything? Not at all. Don't forget, we are created. The Creator is greater than the creation. 9  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So my ways are higher than your ways And my thoughts than your thoughts."+ We, with our limitations and imperfections will never know all there is to know about Jehovah, he is just that great and awesome. 11  He has made everything beautiful* in its time.+ He has even put eternity in their heart; yet mankind will never find out the work that the true God has made from start to finish. We can, however, learn from the Bible, in his own words, what he wants and expects of his creation. Scripture interprets Scripture. That is why daily Bible reading, and meditation, is so important! 
• King Saul vs Ra 'hab the prostitute.  There are many examples of obedience and disobedience in the Bible.  The profit Samuel had given powerful counsel to Israel's first king, Saul. You see, Jehovah had given instructions on what was to be done with the A·malʹek·ites, but Saul chose not to obey. So Samuel, an imperfect man but still chosen and used by Jehovah, goes to counsel King Saul.22  Samuel then said: “Does Jehovah take as much pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices+ as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Look! To obey is better than a sacrifice,+ and to pay attention than the fat+ of rams." Because Saul did not obey the commands from Jehovah, he lost Jehovah's favor. However... let me share with you an example of someone who chose to obey, and that is the example of Raʹhab. (Please read Joshua 2:8-21...I'll wait... OK, let's continue on) Do you remember what the two spies told her to do? 18  unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window by which you let us down. You should gather your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household with you into the house.+ 19  Then if anyone goes out the doors of your house into the open, his blood will be on his own head, and we will be free from guilt. But if harm comes to*anyone who remains with you in the house, his blood will be on our head. Picture it... for six days, Ra 'hab has been watching this massive army marching around the perimeter of the city. She already admitted to the two spies that the talk of the town was that this city would be destroyed.   9  She said to the men: “I do know that Jehovah will give you the land+ and that the fear of you has fallen upon us.+ All the inhabitants of the land are disheartened because of you,"+She knew! And what do they tell her to do? Tie the scarlet rope in the window? Yep... and what is more... she and her family, they need to stay in the house! Now... let me stop right here and add what I might have though if I were looking out my window and seeing an army that was about to invade the city. 'We have to get out of here! It's not safe! They're gunna come in an wipe us out! I'm not staying here!' So, back to Ra 'hab. What did she do? She did exactly what the two spies told her to do! So, was it Blind obedience? Now to some people, that instruction may not have made sense at the time, even to the point of taking matters into their own hands and taking an action other then what was given them. What was the outcome for Ra 'hab? 22  Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land: “Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who belong to her, just as you swore to her.”+  HAPPY ENDING, they get to keep on living, with an added bonus!  Raʹhab;+ is listed in the genealogical report of the Messiah, Christ Jesus!

So I put this question to all of my readers, what might have happened to Ra 'hab had she not obeyed? What might have happened to Re 'hab had she thought 'Well, that doesn't make sense?' Remember, the statement I posted from a reader?

• In the November 2013 Watchtower Study Edition on the subject of Seven Dukes, paragraph 17 under point #3, JW,org tells its members to be ready to obey any instructions even if the instructions don't make sense.

'Even if the instructions don't make sense.' All of us have been given free will. We get to choose. So we have to decided whether we will obey or disobey. I choose to obey, because even if it might not make sense at the time, I know that Jehovah is a just and fair God, and he knows my heart condition. In the end, Jehovah knows. I trust him and his organization. 

Have a little faith in God,

He's been doing this 

for a long time.

In the mean time,  I am going to continue to follow Jehovah's organization, continue to learn from the Bible, and continue: doing what Jesus told us to do, and to:5  You, though, keep your senses in all things, endure hardship,+ do the work of an evangelizer,* fully accomplish your ministry.+After all, that is what I promised Jehovah that I would do.

Faith in a Kentucky Ice Storm

in a Kentucky
Ice storm

Once again, welcome back, my beautiful readers.
As promised, I wanted to talk about and share my experience that I entitled 'Faith in a Kentucky Ice Storm.'

Depending on where you live, Winter is currently either a memory, or a current experience. For me, in my currant location, winter has faded, and Spring is slowly elbowing it's way to the fore. Now, my husband and I are used to bad weather. We lived in Wyoming for many years, and winter is hard there. But like any resident, you adapt to your surroundings, and bad weather and dealing with it just becomes a way of life. You do what you have to do.

So when we moved our family to Kentucky back in 1996, we were unfamiliar with Kentucky winters. My first experience with winter was shocking. One early morning school day, I learned that school had been canceled. "Why?" Because of the snow. What snow? because there was just a skiff of snow on the roads! But, yep, no school. In Wyoming, there could be 2 feet of snow on the ground and the school buses are running, so 'SHOCKED' I was!

Radcliff, Kentucky
Photo by: Anita Conder

The other thing I was not used to about Kentucky winters is rain. (It rains in Kentucky in the winter time? That's just messed up!) Yep. It rains in the winter, and that causes ice. So here we are, watching it rain, knowing that there is going to be ice on EVERYTHING! Which, I have to admit, is awful pretty, even when it tops the snow beneath it. It makes for terrible driving conditions, weighed down and broken trees, busted power lines, and practically a state of emergency with news broadcasters advising no unnecessary travel.

Royal Empress
photo from: fast-growing-trees.com

OK, so take the Ice Storm of 2009, the result of which brought ice, of course, along with all of the above mention conditions. Papa and I are home, enjoying the warmth of our wood stove, watching TV, having just finished dinner, no doubt. It is dark outside, and to us, it is just another winter night. For some reason, though, papa stepped outside. When he comes back into the house he says, "you ought to go outside, you can hear the storm." 'What? Hear the storm!?' What ever on earth is he talking about? So I go to the front door and pop my head out. Dead silence. Then, I hear it, CRACK! Then I hear another CRACK! and another CRACK! and another! Then I realize, that all around us, (we are surrounded by trees on our 80 acres) trees are CRACKING from the weight of the ice on them. That is all you can hear, CRACKING! EVERYWHERE! The closest victim of all that ice was my Royal Empress tree in the front yard, which I planted way to close to the house on account of I had no idea how big she would get! (She does not fair well in the winter.) Always she leaves me broken limps. Our biggest concern was that one of those broken limbs would strike the stove pipe coming up out of the roof that was for our wood stove. That is all we need, but surprisingly, the stove pipe escaped damage.

Clarkson, Kentucky
Photo by: Scotty Gore

The trees were not the only thing struggling due to the excessive weight on them, power lines as well. Yep, you guessed it, we lost our power. Not to worry, we have heat from our wood stove, and we light the candles to help illuminate our way. It's just another winter night that us 'Wyoming pros' can handle, so off to bed we go.

Peculator
Photo from: hubpages.com

In the morning, we realize that the power is still off. No big deal, we have our wood stove for heat, and our gas kitchen stove for cooking. Coffee? Not a problem, we have a peculator, and soon, we are enjoying our morning coffee and cooking up breakfast. We don't sweat the small stuff as we are confident that the power company will have us up in running again in no time. (Turns out, we would wait for 12 days to have our electric back.)

We look outside, and everything is white, bright, and covered with ice, and I do mean everything. I am thinking 'pretty,' and it is the kind of pretty that makes ya wanna get yer camera and just go crazy taking pictures. IJS.

Knowing that our narrow country road is probably littered with downed trees, papa and dude who lived on the property with us, suit up, fire up the tractor, grab the chainsaws, and start heading for the highway. Now, mind you, we live a mile, yes (1) mile off of the highway, so that's a lotta stuff going on in between us and the main road, and sure enough, all the neighbors were gunna have to cut their way out. Everyone, every male, that lived off of the incoming road, was out there with their winter gear and chain saws, clearing a path on the road. They were thrilled to pieces when papa and dude rounded the corner and they caught sight of 'Big John' (that what I called the tractor.) Big John was the workin'est tractor we had ever owned.

Big John
Photo taken in Nov 2004

It takes us a while to clear our way to the main road. Later in the afternoon, papa is thinking, and voices that thought, "I'll bet Mark and Shirley (our spiritual mom and dad) don't have any electric. Poor Mark, he has no way to make coffee." More importantly, "they have no heat as their house is all electric," papa concludes. He's right, they wouldn't have any heat. "We should take them the kerosene heater." We had a kerosene heater in our shed, so we grabbed it, loaded up in our 4X4 Suburban, and headed for town.

Now, unbeknownst to us, there was a conversation and a situation going on at Mark and Shirley's house that went something like this: They woke up and had no heat. "Let's go to Lowe's and get a heater." So they headed into town to buy a heater. ALL SOLD OUT. Then Ms Shirley says to Mark, "Let's get a jug and go get kerosene." To which Mark replied "But we don't have a heater." To which Ms Shirley says, "Jehovah will provide the heater, let's just get the kerosene." To which Mark replies "OK." So off they went in search of kerosene.

Our road leading to the highway

Ms Shirley didn't know that we had a kerosene heater, but she knew that Jehovah would provide. Wow! What a demonstration of faith on her part! That demonstration of faith on her part touched me in a way that has stuck with me, even after all these years. She trusted in Jehovah to provide! Little did we know that when papa and I made the decision to take Mark and Shirley the kerosene heater that we were being used by Jehovah to help strengthen Ms Shirley's faith in Jehovah that he would provide, which in return, strengthen my faith in Jehovah that he would provide, which I hope will in turn, strengthen you, my dear readers, and your faith in Jehovah.

What does this scripture mean to you?  Hebrews 11:6

   Moreover, without faith it is impossible to please God well, for whoever approaches God must believe that he is and that he becomes the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him.

The following is taken in part from:

THE WATCHTOWER NOVEMBER 2013

DRAW CLOSE TO GOD

“The Rewarder of Those Earnestly Seeking Him”

We “must believe that” God is “the rewarder.” Whom does Jehovah reward? “Those earnestly seeking him,” says Paul. A reference work for Bible translators notes that the Greek word rendered “earnestly seeking” does not mean “going out to find” but, rather, implies coming to God “in worship.” Another reference work explains that this Greek verb is in a form that suggests intensity and concentrated effort. Yes, Jehovah rewards those whose faith moves them to worship him with wholehearted love and zeal.—Matthew 22:37.

Like this story? Please share it with others.

Back to my thought. I truly believe that Ms Shirley had the type of faith in Jehovah that was rewarded on that day. You can not convince me other wise. To me, it was a powerful demonstration of faith in Jehovah, the God that she loved with her whole soul, and that powerful demonstration of faith is not something that you can really (at least for me) understand until you see it in action. That faith was rewarded that day, by Jehovah. Again, you can not convince me other wise.

Now it's your turn. We all have stories of faith and being rewarded. What's yours?


The following is supplemental information:

Ice and Snow Storm of January 26-28, 2009

ICE STORM 2009: Beauty and Destruction

Photo from: Google search

p.s. as a congregation, we are studying from this book:
 Imitate Their Faith

our current lesson (and my personal all time favorite story in the Bible):
 CHAPTER THIRTEEN He Learned From His Mistakes - JONAH

From OK to really bad to best day evah!

Hey my beautiful readers, welcome back!

Today was the best day evah!
Let me explain.

So Tuesday, it started out to be a pretty good morning. I was getting my morning routine underway, coffee, banana, daily text, post my blog. Then I was going to study for our Tuesday night meeting that we have at the Kingdom Hall. I want not distractions, so I wanted all the kids outside. It's hard to have 7 study buddies on your lap, so I charged everybody up to head for the back yard, where they could spend the day with the two retired hunting/rescued hounds.

Photo taken in 2014

Wow, what a beautiful day for so early in the morning, I think I'll weed my remaining garden box. (I get distracted easily.) The last time I worked on my garden boxes, it was snot hot, above 80 degrees. So I get at it. I had been doing two boxes a day on account of that is all my back would allow, and I thought it wouldn't take me near as long to get the last one finished. And I was right, whipped it out in no time.

Now, back to the studying for the meeting that night. Around noon though, that old familiar pain in my back started to change it's temperament. Next thing I know, sitting is no longer comfortable. As the day goes on, I feel the pain starting to work its way up into my head. When it gets to my head, I am now dizzy with a slight feeling of nausea. Then, when I was trying to putter in the kitchen, I knew, just new, that my day was done. Great! (It was that at point I decided that enough was enough and finally made that call to my doctor so we can try to get this pain under control.) So I text papa and let him know I am home bound for the evening and will not be making it to the meeting. He goes without me. I listen in on the phone.

Wednesday, I get up, coffee, banana, daily text, shower, dressed, feeling pretty OK, still painful some. My visit with the doctor was not what I had hoped for in helping me get rid of the pain in my back, after all, not his field of expertise. However, I was hoping that he would put my back on my anti-inflammatory pill, as it really helped me to function. But because of my anemia and my hemoglobin dropping down to below 5, doc took me off the anti-inflammatory as it can cause bleeding. The pain had been a constant companion from then on, not ebbed by Tylenol, so on a follow up visit I was prescribed a muscle relaxant and a pain narcotic... WHAT? NO! That is the last thing I want to do is get hooked on pain meds! NO NO NO. So, I wouldn't take them. OH THE PAIN. When the pain got really REALLY bad, I would pop both pills, and then, I was feeling like a druggie. Mostly, I just endured the pain, until Wednesday. So Tuesdays pain finally made me call my doctor.

I got distracted again. Anyway, the doctor visit was finishing up, and my friend came back, slowly at first, in my lower back. WORRIED. Then, while standing in line to make a follow up appointment so the doctor can review my recent blood work and the x-ray he wanted me to get before he would decided whether or not to prescribe the anti inflammatory to me, I couldn't bear the pain of standing there, so I had to go around the corner in the hallway and sit on a chair. Then the pain was like, POW, right up my spine and into my head. OMWord it hurt. I call papa cuz I already know I am not going to be able to finish up my day, of which my biggest concern was picking up my groceries from the Kroger ONLINE shopping feature. Pain more intense. Now I am starting to cry, while I have papa on the phone, (I think he is half the reason I cry, I feel I can let down my big girl panties and let him be strong for me) and doc walks by and sees me crying, holding my head, rocking back and forth. "Let me call you back" I says to papa. Doc takes one look at me and says "You need go hospital. You call ambulance. It will get x-ray done faster." So I call papa back to let him know that Doc wants me to call an ambulance. "What do you want me to do?" Papa asks. And really, what can he do, go to the hospital during the middle of his busy work day and sit while I wait, wait, wait? I told him to keep working because I already know how the 'Hospital' game works; wait, wait, wait.


So I have the receptionist call the ambulance for me, and I sit/stand/pace/sit/stand/pace in the waiting room, well, waiting. I even squeezed in a call to Kroger to let them know I would not be making my pick-up time. "That's OK, ma'am, we are open till 9 pm, and we can hold them for 24 hours." Ambulance comes, they load me up on the gurney, and out the door I go. More pain. They have me buckled down and all I want to do is curl up in a ball to relieve the pain in my back. I did manage to pull my legs up some. I feel every excruciating bump, and we haven't even left the parking lot yet. Corners killed me, hard to stay upright and stable. Every bump felt going into the ER. Thresholds were killers!

At triage, I hit the roof on the pain level! Got to get out of that wheelchair, it hurts to much to sit! They are yelling at me to sit back down, I am telling them it hurts to sit, back and forth went the verbal exchanges until I finally decided that if I could curl my legs up underneath me in the wheelchair that it would help. Well, Ms 'paid to be mean' says that it's inappropriate. DON'T CARE! Less pain supersedes appropriate! More verbal sparing until they finally decide they are done torturing me and wheel me to admitting, where I immediately stand up and lean up against the wall. Humph, admitting didn't tell me I had to stay in the chair!

So after a short stay in the ER waiting room with me rubbing the left side of my neck, the base of my skull, trying to support my head because holding it up is just to much effort, they come and get me for my x-ray, weird hu? The soon part? I am wheeled into the minor-treatment area, room 3, and I just sit in the chair, making no effort to get on the gurney. While rubbing my neck, I can actually feel the muscle, (it is hard and distinct enough I could have had a composite sketch drawing from the description) and compared it to the right side of my neck, I realize that the left side is the only side effected, AND THAT HAD NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE!

And then, all of the sudden, and I do mean sudden, the pain was gone. All of it. YES. Really? You better check. Yep, the tight muscle on the left was loose, no more pain in the neck, sore, but no pain. Back is feeling fine, sore, but no pain. Thank goodness. And WEIRD. Papa made it to me, about 5 minutes later, and stayed with me while I got the routine questions. I was happy to see him! It really meant a lot to me that he took time away from his extremely busy day to come and sit and wait, wait, wait, with me. Then they wanna shoot me up before the x-ray. Two shots for pain in the buttock and a Valium later, I am wheeled down the hall to get my picture taken. BTW, does anyone know how hard those x-ray tables are? Oh, that hurts. Lie on my left side!? OUCH! Endure! Endure! OOOPPPSSS!!! Gotta take that one again. REALLY?!?! Endure! Endure! Done, whew!

In the end, x-ray shows nothing bad. I need a more telling photograph, an MRI. That has to be recommended by a doctor for the insurance to pay for that lovely $1800.00 test. So back over to my doctors office I go, besides, that's where Scooter2 is. When I explain about needing a referral to a neurosurgeon for the MRI, doc looks at my x-ray, says that there isn't anything way out of the normal, spine straight, no arthritis, he recommends I go see my doctor at the Norton Letherman Spine center as he really can't help me. Not his area of expertise.

Wendy's is close, and my coffee and banana wore off a looong time ago. Papa orders me a double with no bun, and I make an appointment at the Letherman Spine center. They can see me tomorrow, 10:15 am. I'll take it! Wendy's is the bomb!

Then I send overly busy papa on his way and head home, why? I left my Kroger coupons and home. GREAT! Can I make it? Don't know. Gunna try.  I make it home, grab the coupons, head back into town. Gotta go to the car wash, Scooter2 is covered in county road dust. No free vac today, don't want to aggravate my considerably less painful back. Oh, and my Tarantulas need crickets. Can I make it? Don't know. Gunna try. Walk slow. I'm pretty sure a few people in the parking lot might have been concerned I was drinking or something. They must not have been to concerned, no police showed up to give me a field test or anything. Now, onto Kroger. Called papa, my day is done, in more ways then one, I am heading home.

Slowly, I unloaded the groceries. Left the heavy stuff for papa. Now, pop your muscle relaxant and narcotic, make a coffee, and let's watch Crimewatch Daily, I had it recorded. Papa says he'll be home in few minutes. I wait to watch the show, because they are doing a special addition of the Columbine High school shooting of 17 years ago. Tragic. 13 dead.

The morning of my appointment, today, I feel a hand rubbing me on my hip. Papa is there.
"What?" I ask.
"I'm getting you up, I don't know how much time you need to get ready?"
"For what?"
"Your doctors appointment."
"Oh, right."

I had forgotten all about it. Best nights sleep I had in a while! Coffee, banana, daily text. Dressed. Out the door we go. Papa took the day off of work to take me up there, because the last thing either of us needs is for me to get far away from home, get into pain and can't drive, and now he has to figure out how to retrieve Scooter2 and myself.

We stop for breakfast on the go, gas, bank, and hit the open road, clipping along at the speed limit on the Interstate to get there. Circle the block a few times on account of one missed turn and all the one way streets. Finally come to rest in a parking spot in the garage almost at the top, and take the elevator up to the 9th floor. Sign in, get halfway through the paperwork when called back. Finish up the paperwork and the questions in the exam room, wait not even 10 minutes for the doc, who, after looking at me, decides that with the NO PAIN I'm in, am not a candidate for surgery, however, he would like to take a look at yesterdays x-rays. Then he will determine a course of treatment from there. Out the door we go, heading back home. I find out from the Hospital that I can come by and pick up my x-rays to mail them up to my Spine doctor.

In the mean time, we stop in Shepherdsville for some Chinese food, buffet. NO PAIN. Like when I use to feel normal. It is hard to explain how free I felt, just walking like a normal person, normal pace, holding my own plate, not needing a shoulder to lean on, not needing a hand to pull on to get up out of my seat.

Then we head on down to E-town so I can get my x-rays. Walk inside the building next to the gift shop, and head to where I need to be. Wait a couple of minutes. Someone shows up. I tell them what I am there for. "Can we see your photo ID?... Sign here... Have a seat." I wait. NO PAIN. Five minutes later, out the door I go with x-ray disk in hand. Head home.

On the way home, papa concluded that I was feeling way to good, cuz I was way to ornery. Hey, better to be ornery cuz it's just me, than to be mean with pain. IJS. I even told him that if felt nice to be mean because that is my personality than to be mean because of the pain.

So here I sit, typing this up, feeling NO PAIN!     BEST DAY EVAH!

So how about cha all... what is your best day evah?