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00:00:01 Some secular authorities 00:00:03 have drawn wrong conclusions 00:00:05 about the involvement 00:00:07 of the congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses 00:00:10 when an individual commits a serious wrong 00:00:14 that violates both civil law 00:00:17 and Scriptural law. 00:00:19 Part of the misunderstanding 00:00:21 involves our use of the term “judicial committee.” 00:00:26 Now, some erroneously conclude 00:00:29 that the congregation is trying to take over 00:00:32 the work of the police or the judicial courts, 00:00:35 and that’s simply not the case, 00:00:37 as explained in the May 2019 Watchtower, page 7, 00:00:42 which our comments are taken from here today. 00:00:45 So let’s briefly review the history 00:00:48 of handling judicial matters among God’s people. 00:00:52 Now, I’d like to do so under this theme: 00:00:55 “The Older Men and the Superior Authorities 00:00:59 Standing in Their Proper Place.” 00:01:03 Now, it is important to remember 00:01:05 that Jehovah has always and will always be 00:01:10 “the Judge [over] all the earth.” 00:01:12 That’s according to Genesis 18:25. 00:01:15 But how Jehovah has his judgment determined 00:01:20 and the punishment administered 00:01:22 has changed over a period of time 00:01:24 —whom he allows to do that. 00:01:26 At first, of course, he was the Judge. 00:01:28 You take Adam and Eve —He made the decision. 00:01:32 It was a swift action. 00:01:34 He pronounced the sentence 00:01:36 and moved them right out of the garden of Eden immediately. 00:01:39 But Jehovah God has never abdicated 00:01:42 his authority as the universal Judge. 00:01:45 But as time has gone on and the human family has grown, 00:01:49 then he’s delegated judicial authority to others. 00:01:53 The first were the patriarchs, 00:01:56 and they would handle matters within their own family units. 00:02:01 And then later, Israel started to grow. 00:02:04 There were hundreds of thousands, 00:02:05 and so older men were appointed 00:02:08 to handle matters within the nation. 00:02:11 But remember at one time they were also in Egypt 00:02:15 and they were in captivity as slaves, 00:02:18 so this group of older men would have limits 00:02:21 on their judicial authority. 00:02:24 But that limit was about to change 00:02:27 because the Israelites left the Egyptian bondage 00:02:31 in Nisan 14, 1513 B.C.E. 00:02:35 And about a year later, 00:02:37 they went into a covenant with Jehovah God called the Law covenant. 00:02:41 So Jehovah gave laws 00:02:43 that would include all the aspects of their life. 00:02:47 Now, sometime later, notice what Jehovah said to Moses. 00:02:51 I’m going to Numbers 11:16 00:02:56 —Numbers 11:16. 00:02:59 “Jehovah replied to Moses: 00:03:00 “‘Gather for me 70 men from the elders of Israel, 00:03:05 “‘men whom you recognize as elders 00:03:08 and officials of the people.’” 00:03:10 So these 70 men, chosen from all of the elders, 00:03:15 were special officers. 00:03:18 So think about it now, 00:03:20 Israel had a national law, 00:03:24 and now they had an arrangement of older men 00:03:26 who could enforce the Law. 00:03:29 This was a sovereign nation under Jehovah God. 00:03:33 So all aspects 00:03:34 —spiritual, civil, criminal wrongdoing— 00:03:39 were all handled by the older men. 00:03:42 They would hear the matter, 00:03:44 they would render judgment, 00:03:46 they would assist the victim, 00:03:48 and they would administer appropriate discipline. 00:03:52 But in time, the nomadic Israelites 00:03:54 then took over the Promised Land, 00:03:57 and they went back to dwelling in fixed homes, 00:04:01 and they then had communities. 00:04:03 But these were special boundaries 00:04:05 where Jehovah’s Law was the law of the land. 00:04:10 The older men became responsible for handling it on a community level. 00:04:15 They acted as judges, 00:04:17 they would administer justice, 00:04:19 they made sure there was good order, they maintained peace, 00:04:22 and they also handled the spiritual needs of the community. 00:04:27 Now, this was Israel’s judicial system 00:04:30 for 900 years, 00:04:33 from 1513 B.C.E. 00:04:36 to 607 B.C.E. when Jerusalem was destroyed. 00:04:40 This was a unique period 00:04:42 in the time of God’s people. 00:04:45 It was the only time when God’s people as a nation 00:04:49 were in complete control 00:04:52 of their entire judicial process. 00:04:56 During this time, only Jehovah’s Law was applied 00:05:00 within Israel’s fixed boundaries. 00:05:04 But notice the change that happened 00:05:06 when the Babylonians took over and conquered Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E. 00:05:11 We’ll go to Deuteronomy chapter 28 00:05:16 and verse 64. 00:05:20 It says: “Jehovah will scatter you among all the nations, 00:05:24 from the one end of the earth to the other end of the earth.” 00:05:27 And that’s exactly what happened. 00:05:30 They no longer were going to be in Israel. 00:05:33 They would be in communities far away from Israel. 00:05:36 Under the Persian rule, 00:05:38 they were scattered in 127 districts. 00:05:40 Under the Greek rule, 00:05:42 Alexander the Great brought many of the Jews 00:05:46 to his new city, Alexandria. 00:05:48 Under the Roman rule, 00:05:50 they allowed Jewish communities 00:05:53 within their cities throughout their empire. 00:05:57 So though these older men lived in these communities, see, 00:06:00 the local laws would be enforced 00:06:03 by the local secular authorities. 00:06:06 And that’s according to what the apostle Paul said at Romans 13:1. 00:06:11 Those were the “superior authorities” 00:06:14 that he made reference to. 00:06:16 So here’s the question, 00:06:18 When the Christian congregation was established, 00:06:22 would the entire judicial process, 00:06:25 both civil and Scriptural, 00:06:28 once again be handled by the older men in the congregation? 00:06:33 Well, the answer is no 00:06:35 —and for a good reason. 00:06:37 Now, it’s true, the global brotherhood 00:06:41 would all be unified under one Scriptural law, 00:06:45 and that Scriptural law would be applied in every congregation 00:06:49 no matter what land or what country they were in. 00:06:54 But what about the secular laws 00:06:56 governing civil and criminal matters? 00:07:00 Well, unlike the Scriptural law, 00:07:02 secular laws are specific 00:07:05 to the land that they govern. 00:07:08 For instance, the secular authorities’ definitions of crimes 00:07:13 and their enforcement of penalties are not consistent from land to land. 00:07:17 Take this example, substance abuse. 00:07:20 Well, what constitutes illegal abuse? 00:07:23 What’s the quantity consumed that would make it illegal? 00:07:27 If you’re driving some vehicle and you’re under the influence, 00:07:32 what’s the punishment —if there is any punishment? 00:07:35 You see, the answers to those questions 00:07:37 really vary widely from country to country, 00:07:40 in fact, even from state to state at times. 00:07:43 So it’s up to the secular governments 00:07:46 to determine the penalties and to enforce them. 00:07:50 So, in conclusion, Jehovah allows the superior authorities 00:07:54 —the governments, as it were— 00:07:56 to prosecute and administer 00:07:59 civil and criminal law. 00:08:02 Now, the authorities are vested 00:08:04 with the power to punish those who violate those laws. 00:08:08 That too is in accord with Romans chapter 13. 00:08:12 The Christian congregation is not —and never has been— 00:08:17 a substitute for the secular authorities, 00:08:20 and that’s why the congregation does not shield individuals 00:08:25 from this secular arrangement. 00:08:28 Now, it’s true, if a member of the congregation 00:08:31 commits a sin that is also a crime 00:08:35 in the eyes of the secular law, 00:08:38 then of course the secular law will handle that 00:08:41 but Jehovah allows the congregation elders 00:08:44 to handle the spiritual, or Scriptural, 00:08:49 aspect of the sin. 00:08:51 And this would then assure 00:08:53 that His name and His reputation are upheld 00:08:57 and that the parties themselves are able to be helped spiritually. 00:09:02 So in this way, prior to the new world of righteousness, 00:09:07 the Judge of all the earth 00:09:09 uses the older men and the superior authorities, 00:09:13 both standing in their proper place, 00:09:17 to accomplish His will.