Yeartext for 1973

“But we, for our part, shall walk in the name of Jehovah our God to time indefinite, even forever.”​—Mic. 4:5.

The first part of this verse is to the effect, “For all the peoples, for their part, will walk each one in the name of its god.” The peoples of the nations feel that they are turning farther and farther away from any worship of a particular god, but despite this they have made their own gods. The governments of the earth have promoted nationalism so strongly that all the peoples, for their part, idolize their own government, and when one idolizes something he makes it his god. How strange it is​—twenty years ago when the British Empire and the French empire and other great nations of the world had their colonies, the colonies idolized the mother country, but as soon as the people could get rid of the mother country and establish their own little government, as scores of nations have done in the last two decades, they begin to make for themselves a new idol, a new government. The affections of people for idols can change quickly. This we see on the part of many people who have sports as their idol, theater actors and actresses as their idols, musicians as their idols. Within just a few years their idols change and they begin to worship and copy someone else. All these people have their idolizers among those who are lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God.

Jehovah’s witnesses, on the other hand, speak out boldly in regard to the last half of Micah 4:5: “But we, for our part, shall walk in the name of Jehovah our God to time indefinite, even forever.” There is no room for compromise, no room for sharing devotion. Jehovah God requires exclusive devotion, and this Jehovah’s witnesses are delighted to give to their God, Jehovah, for he is the Great Creator and the Giver of life, and he  is the Perpetuator of life. Jehovah, our God, has made provisions so that we may gain everlasting life. This he did by sending his beloved Son, Jesus Christ, into the world, who made arrangements for the purchase of all mankind by the laying down of his own life. How wonderful it is that we have come to know Jehovah, and what a great privilege is ours to be able to declare this news in all the world for a witness unto all nations, so that others too may come to know Jehovah God and say, ‘For our part, we will walk in the name of Jehovah also’! Today we see great crowds of people coming from all nations, tribes and tongues, and together they are saying, “‘Come, you people, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will instruct us about his ways, and we will walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion law will go forth, and the word of Jehovah out of Jerusalem. And he will certainly render judgment among the nations and set matters straight respecting many peoples. And they will have to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.” (Isa. 2:3, 4) And so, we who have dedicated our lives to do the will of God, for our part, will continue to walk in the name of Jehovah to time indefinite, even forever.