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00:00:01 I invite you to turn, please, 00:00:02 to Proverbs chapter 17. 00:00:04 And as you locate this in your Bible, 00:00:08 I invite you also to imagine 00:00:11 two runners. 00:00:13 One is rich; 00:00:16 the other is poor. 00:00:18 The rich runner has a gymnasium, 00:00:22 an olympic-size pool, 00:00:24 all the weight machines, 00:00:26 a nutritionist, a physical therapist, a doctor, and a personal trainer. 00:00:30 And he has access to the finest foods there are. 00:00:35 But somewhere along the way, 00:00:38 he’s grown just a little bored with the whole concept of footraces, 00:00:42 and so he hasn’t put his heart into training. 00:00:46 Also, lined up next to him is the poor runner. 00:00:51 The poor runner also has a few advantages. 00:00:54 He has a good pair of shoes; 00:00:56 he has real food; 00:00:59 he eats—not much—mostly plants. 00:01:02 But he loves the race; he has a heart for it; 00:01:07 he trains in all kinds of weather. 00:01:10 Now, which of the two will win the race? 00:01:15 The man with the most advantages 00:01:19 or the man with the heart? 00:01:22 Now, with that illustration in mind, notice what it says 00:01:25 at Proverbs 17:16: 00:01:30 “What good is it 00:01:33 “that the stupid one has the means 00:01:38 “to acquire wisdom when he has no heart 00:01:42 for acquiring it?” 00:01:46 Like winning a race, acquiring wisdom 00:01:50 does not happen without effort, 00:01:52 without cost, without sacrifice. 00:01:56 Hence, a person has to have the means. 00:01:59 And yet, doesn’t Jehovah really supply 00:02:02 the necessary ingredients 00:02:05 for each of us to acquire wisdom? 00:02:07 All of us have access to thinking ability, 00:02:10 information, opportunities, 00:02:13 evidence in some degree or another 00:02:17 —if we really want it. 00:02:19 But as Proverbs 17:16 asks, 00:02:22 ‘What good is that if a person has no heart, 00:02:26 no drive, no sense?’ 00:02:31 It’s not about the multiplicity of our advantages 00:02:35 or the quality of our advantages; 00:02:39 it’s about the heart —the total inner person. 00:02:43 Now, when it comes to acquiring true wisdom and making sound decisions 00:02:47 despite not having much data at one’s disposal, 00:02:52 our publications have often pointed to the example of Joseph. 00:02:56 Long before Moses recorded Jehovah’s law against adultery, 00:03:00 Joseph understood that this was a sin against God. 00:03:05 Recall his words at Genesis 39:9: 00:03:10 “There is no one greater in this house than I am, 00:03:13 “and he has not withheld from me anything at all except you, 00:03:17 “because you are his wife. 00:03:19 “So how could I commit this great badness 00:03:23 and actually sin against God?” 00:03:26 —conscience fully engaged. 00:03:29 But the question is, How did Joseph know that? 00:03:34 Follow along in Genesis, 00:03:36 and consider what may have influenced his thinking. 00:03:38 Joseph had one Bible principle 00:03:41 and no less than four real-life applications 00:03:46 of that principle to meditate on. 00:03:49 The principle, of course, is stated at Genesis 2:24: 00:03:53 “That is why a man 00:03:57 “will leave his father and his mother and he will stick to his wife, 00:04:02 and they will become one flesh.” 00:04:04 The words of Jehovah God himself 00:04:07 (earth’s first wedding talk), 00:04:09 ‘one man, one wife, one flesh’ 00:04:13 —that’s the standard. 00:04:15 Joseph meditated on that. 00:04:17 Likely, he meditated on what happened to his great-grandfather Abram, 00:04:21 in chapter 12, as Abram and Sarai 00:04:26 traveled to Egypt—Genesis 12:17. 00:04:30 This account tells us that Abram failed 00:04:32 to tell Pharaoh that he was married to Sarai, 00:04:34 so when Pharaoh showed special interest in Sarai, 00:04:38 Genesis 12:17 says 00:04:40 that “Jehovah struck Pharaoh and [all] his household 00:04:43 “with severe plagues because of Sarai, 00:04:47 Abram’s wife.” 00:04:49 Later in chapter 20, Abraham and Sarah 00:04:52 went to the land of Gerar 00:04:54 and employed a similar strategy; 00:04:57 they didn’t reveal that they were married. 00:04:59 And the king of Gerar, Abimelech, 00:05:03 had this experience at Genesis 20:3: 00:05:07 “Afterward, God came by night 00:05:09 “to Abimelech in a dream and said to him: 00:05:12 “‘Here you are as good as dead 00:05:15 “‘because of the woman whom you have taken, 00:05:17 “‘since she is married 00:05:20 and belongs to another man.’” 00:05:23 And Abimelech said to Jehovah, ‘Listen, I didn’t know.’ 00:05:26 And Jehovah said, ‘I know you didn’t know.’ 00:05:28 And so he says in verse 6 at the end: 00:05:32 “I held you back 00:05:34 from sinning against me.” 00:05:40 “Sinning against me” 00:05:44 —Joseph undoubtedly meditated on that. 00:05:47 Then, at Genesis 26:10, 00:05:51 his grandfather Isaac and his grandmother Rebecca 00:05:55 also went to Gerar. 00:05:57 They also met a man named Abimelech, 00:05:59 likely a successor of the Abimelech mentioned in chapter 20, 00:06:02 and they too didn’t tell Abimelech 00:06:04 that they were married, but the king found out. 00:06:06 And so at Genesis 26:10: 00:06:10 “Abimelech continued: ‘What have you done to us? 00:06:12 “‘One of the people could easily have lain down with your wife, 00:06:15 “‘and you would have brought guilt 00:06:18 [guilt] upon us!’” 00:06:22 Undoubtedly, Joseph meditated on that. 00:06:24 Or consider what happened in Genesis chapter 34. 00:06:26 The principle recorded at Genesis 2:24 00:06:29 again came into play —a man, his wife, one flesh. 00:06:35 Shechem was not yet married to Dinah, 00:06:38 but he violated her. 00:06:40 And Genesis 34:7 says: 00:06:43 ‘Something like that ought not to be done.’ 00:06:47 That was how it was viewed. 00:06:49 So while it’s true that Joseph didn’t have the Mosaic Law, 00:06:52 Young People Ask, Learn From the Great Teacher, 00:06:54 JW Library®, or jw.org, 00:06:57 he had a principle. 00:06:59 He had enough. 00:07:01 He had seen no fewer 00:07:04 than four applications of that principle. 00:07:08 If only Reuben and Judah 00:07:10 had also had such appreciation for that principle. 00:07:13 But the point is, Joseph fed his heart with that knowledge. 00:07:16 And there’s also another important factor 00:07:18 that we can’t lose sight of at Genesis 39:21. 00:07:22 It wasn’t just an intellectual exercise for Joseph. 00:07:27 Look at chapter 39 and what it says in verse 21: 00:07:31 “Jehovah continued 00:07:34 with Joseph and kept showing loyal love to him.” 00:07:40 Yes, even before 00:07:43 the situation where he was tested with Potiphar’s wife, 00:07:47 Jehovah had been showing loyal love to him. 00:07:50 That’s born out in Genesis 39:3. 00:07:53 And afterward, he kept showing loyal love. 00:07:56 And to whom does Jehovah show loyal love? 00:07:58 Jehovah shows loyal love to those acting in loyalty toward him. 00:08:01 Doesn’t that bespeak a relationship? 00:08:03 Joseph wasn’t just interested; 00:08:05 he didn’t just love Jehovah’s righteous standards; 00:08:08 he loved Jehovah as a person. 00:08:11 And that was the key. 00:08:14 Turn with me, please, to Psalm 119:9. 00:08:18 Joseph had what Proverbs calls “the means to acquire wisdom.” 00:08:23 He didn’t have the libraries, the websites, and the Broadcast, but he had enough. 00:08:27 Now, notice the similarities between Joseph’s situation 00:08:31 and that described here at Psalm 119:9: 00:08:36 “How can a young man keep his path clean? 00:08:39 “By keeping on guard according to your word. 00:08:41 “With my whole heart I seek you. 00:08:45 “Do not let me stray from your commandments. 00:08:48 “In my heart I treasure up your saying 00:08:51 so that I may not sin against you.” 00:08:56 Joseph had what these verses are talking about. 00:09:00 He searched for Jehovah with his whole heart; 00:09:02 he treasured up Jehovah’s sayings in his heart. 00:09:05 And that’s how he was able to stay true to Jehovah 00:09:08 —the Person that he loved. 00:09:10 Well, we can do the same. 00:09:11 We have so much more data than Joseph had. 00:09:16 We have such excellent tools, 00:09:20 and Jehovah hasn’t changed. 00:09:24 So the essential questions 00:09:26 always boil down to this: 00:09:31 How is my heart? 00:09:33 Am I still seeking Jehovah 00:09:36 with my whole heart? 00:09:39 Or are fear, greed, immoral desires, and other negative emotions 00:09:44 depriving me from the completeness of my heart? 00:09:49 If our heart is complete, then we can indeed 00:09:52 avoid being swept away 00:09:54 by the flood of immoral propaganda 00:09:57 spewed out by Satan’s system of things.
00:00:01 I invite you to turn, please, 00:00:02 to Proverbs chapter 17. 00:00:04 And as you locate this in your Bible, 00:00:08 I invite you also to imagine 00:00:11 two runners. 00:00:13 One is rich; 00:00:16 the other is poor. 00:00:18 The rich runner has a gymnasium, 00:00:22 an olympic-size pool, 00:00:24 all the weight machines, 00:00:26 a nutritionist, a physical therapist, a doctor, and a personal trainer. 00:00:30 And he has access to the finest foods there are. 00:00:35 But somewhere along the way, 00:00:38 he’s grown just a little bored with the whole concept of footraces, 00:00:42 and so he hasn’t put his heart into training. 00:00:46 Also, lined up next to him is the poor runner. 00:00:51 The poor runner also has a few advantages. 00:00:54 He has a good pair of shoes; 00:00:56 he has real food; 00:00:59 he eats—not much—mostly plants. 00:01:02 But he loves the race; he has a heart for it; 00:01:07 he trains in all kinds of weather. 00:01:10 Now, which of the two will win the race? 00:01:15 The man with the most advantages 00:01:19 or the man with the heart? 00:01:22 Now, with that illustration in mind, notice what it says 00:01:25 at Proverbs 17:16: 00:01:30 “What good is it 00:01:33 “that the stupid one has the means 00:01:38 “to acquire wisdom when he has no heart 00:01:42 for acquiring it?” 00:01:46 Like winning a race, acquiring wisdom 00:01:50 does not happen without effort, 00:01:52 without cost, without sacrifice. 00:01:56 Hence, a person has to have the means. 00:01:59 And yet, doesn’t Jehovah really supply 00:02:02 the necessary ingredients 00:02:05 for each of us to acquire wisdom? 00:02:07 All of us have access to thinking ability, 00:02:10 information, opportunities, 00:02:13 evidence in some degree or another 00:02:17 —if we really want it. 00:02:19 But as Proverbs 17:16 asks, 00:02:22 ‘What good is that if a person has no heart, 00:02:26 no drive, no sense?’ 00:02:31 It’s not about the multiplicity of our advantages 00:02:35 or the quality of our advantages; 00:02:39 it’s about the heart —the total inner person. 00:02:43 Now, when it comes to acquiring true wisdom and making sound decisions 00:02:47 despite not having much data at one’s disposal, 00:02:52 our publications have often pointed to the example of Joseph. 00:02:56 Long before Moses recorded Jehovah’s law against adultery, 00:03:00 Joseph understood that this was a sin against God. 00:03:05 Recall his words at Genesis 39:9: 00:03:10 “There is no one greater in this house than I am, 00:03:13 “and he has not withheld from me anything at all except you, 00:03:17 “because you are his wife. 00:03:19 “So how could I commit this great badness 00:03:23 and actually sin against God?” 00:03:26 —conscience fully engaged. 00:03:29 But the question is, How did Joseph know that? 00:03:34 Follow along in Genesis, 00:03:36 and consider what may have influenced his thinking. 00:03:38 Joseph had one Bible principle 00:03:41 and no less than four real-life applications 00:03:46 of that principle to meditate on. 00:03:49 The principle, of course, is stated at Genesis 2:24: 00:03:53 “That is why a man 00:03:57 “will leave his father and his mother and he will stick to his wife, 00:04:02 and they will become one flesh.” 00:04:04 The words of Jehovah God himself 00:04:07 (earth’s first wedding talk), 00:04:09 ‘one man, one wife, one flesh’ 00:04:13 —that’s the standard. 00:04:15 Joseph meditated on that. 00:04:17 Likely, he meditated on what happened to his great-grandfather Abram, 00:04:21 in chapter 12, as Abram and Sarai 00:04:26 traveled to Egypt—Genesis 12:17. 00:04:30 This account tells us that Abram failed 00:04:32 to tell Pharaoh that he was married to Sarai, 00:04:34 so when Pharaoh showed special interest in Sarai, 00:04:38 Genesis 12:17 says 00:04:40 that “Jehovah struck Pharaoh and [all] his household 00:04:43 “with severe plagues because of Sarai, 00:04:47 Abram’s wife.” 00:04:49 Later in chapter 20, Abraham and Sarah 00:04:52 went to the land of Gerar 00:04:54 and employed a similar strategy; 00:04:57 they didn’t reveal that they were married. 00:04:59 And the king of Gerar, Abimelech, 00:05:03 had this experience at Genesis 20:3: 00:05:07 “Afterward, God came by night 00:05:09 “to Abimelech in a dream and said to him: 00:05:12 “‘Here you are as good as dead 00:05:15 “‘because of the woman whom you have taken, 00:05:17 “‘since she is married 00:05:20 and belongs to another man.’” 00:05:23 And Abimelech said to Jehovah, ‘Listen, I didn’t know.’ 00:05:26 And Jehovah said, ‘I know you didn’t know.’ 00:05:28 And so he says in verse 6 at the end: 00:05:32 “I held you back 00:05:34 from sinning against me.” 00:05:40 “Sinning against me” 00:05:44 —Joseph undoubtedly meditated on that. 00:05:47 Then, at Genesis 26:10, 00:05:51 his grandfather Isaac and his grandmother Rebecca 00:05:55 also went to Gerar. 00:05:57 They also met a man named Abimelech, 00:05:59 likely a successor of the Abimelech mentioned in chapter 20, 00:06:02 and they too didn’t tell Abimelech 00:06:04 that they were married, but the king found out. 00:06:06 And so at Genesis 26:10: 00:06:10 “Abimelech continued: ‘What have you done to us? 00:06:12 “‘One of the people could easily have lain down with your wife, 00:06:15 “‘and you would have brought guilt 00:06:18 [guilt] upon us!’” 00:06:22 Undoubtedly, Joseph meditated on that. 00:06:24 Or consider what happened in Genesis chapter 34. 00:06:26 The principle recorded at Genesis 2:24 00:06:29 again came into play —a man, his wife, one flesh. 00:06:35 Shechem was not yet married to Dinah, 00:06:38 but he violated her. 00:06:40 And Genesis 34:7 says: 00:06:43 ‘Something like that ought not to be done.’ 00:06:47 That was how it was viewed. 00:06:49 So while it’s true that Joseph didn’t have the Mosaic Law, 00:06:52 Young People Ask, Learn From the Great Teacher, 00:06:54 JW Library®, or jw.org, 00:06:57 he had a principle. 00:06:59 He had enough. 00:07:01 He had seen no fewer 00:07:04 than four applications of that principle. 00:07:08 If only Reuben and Judah 00:07:10 had also had such appreciation for that principle. 00:07:13 But the point is, Joseph fed his heart with that knowledge. 00:07:16 And there’s also another important factor 00:07:18 that we can’t lose sight of at Genesis 39:21. 00:07:22 It wasn’t just an intellectual exercise for Joseph. 00:07:27 Look at chapter 39 and what it says in verse 21: 00:07:31 “Jehovah continued 00:07:34 with Joseph and kept showing loyal love to him.” 00:07:40 Yes, even before 00:07:43 the situation where he was tested with Potiphar’s wife, 00:07:47 Jehovah had been showing loyal love to him. 00:07:50 That’s born out in Genesis 39:3. 00:07:53 And afterward, he kept showing loyal love. 00:07:56 And to whom does Jehovah show loyal love? 00:07:58 Jehovah shows loyal love to those acting in loyalty toward him. 00:08:01 Doesn’t that bespeak a relationship? 00:08:03 Joseph wasn’t just interested; 00:08:05 he didn’t just love Jehovah’s righteous standards; 00:08:08 he loved Jehovah as a person. 00:08:11 And that was the key. 00:08:14 Turn with me, please, to Psalm 119:9. 00:08:18 Joseph had what Proverbs calls “the means to acquire wisdom.” 00:08:23 He didn’t have the libraries, the websites, and the Broadcast, but he had enough. 00:08:27 Now, notice the similarities between Joseph’s situation 00:08:31 and that described here at Psalm 119:9: 00:08:36 “How can a young man keep his path clean? 00:08:39 “By keeping on guard according to your word. 00:08:41 “With my whole heart I seek you. 00:08:45 “Do not let me stray from your commandments. 00:08:48 “In my heart I treasure up your saying 00:08:51 so that I may not sin against you.” 00:08:56 Joseph had what these verses are talking about. 00:09:00 He searched for Jehovah with his whole heart; 00:09:02 he treasured up Jehovah’s sayings in his heart. 00:09:05 And that’s how he was able to stay true to Jehovah 00:09:08 —the Person that he loved. 00:09:10 Well, we can do the same. 00:09:11 We have so much more data than Joseph had. 00:09:16 We have such excellent tools, 00:09:20 and Jehovah hasn’t changed. 00:09:24 So the essential questions 00:09:26 always boil down to this: 00:09:31 How is my heart? 00:09:33 Am I still seeking Jehovah 00:09:36 with my whole heart? 00:09:39 Or are fear, greed, immoral desires, and other negative emotions 00:09:44 depriving me from the completeness of my heart? 00:09:49 If our heart is complete, then we can indeed 00:09:52 avoid being swept away 00:09:54 by the flood of immoral propaganda 00:09:57 spewed out by Satan’s system of things.
