So, “be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou vowest. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands? . . . but fear thou God.” (Eccl. 5:2, 4-7, AS) So let dedication be your personal step, of your own decision. Parents or guardians cannot do it for you and obligate you to abide by it if you are not willing. Be sure that you have calculated the cost of taking this step, so that you are determined to keep on in this way to ultimate success, cost what it may now and in the future. (Luke 14:26-33, NW) Impress your dedication to God upon your own heart by publicly symbolizing it with water baptism in obedience to Jesus Christ our Exemplar, to help you never to forget it.—Matt. 28:18-20, NW.

12. What Scripture warning proves God holds one to his dedication, and to what does living up to it lead?

¹² Be certain that God, who cannot lie and who loves no lie, holds you irrepealably to your vow. Do not be “without understanding, false to agreements”. Remember the “righteous decree of God, that those practicing such things are deserving of death”. (Rom. 1:31, 32, NW) Living the dedicated life faithfully according to God’s will assures you of everlasting life in the new world.

Questions From Readers

● Paragraph 3, page 269 of the May 1, 1951, Watchtower says: “They are to pray over him, so that he can hear what they pray and can show he agrees, with his ‘Amen!’” Does this mean that after one has prayed at a meeting or meal table all those listening should say “Amen” to show their agreement?—A. B., Gold Coast.

No, that would be an unwarranted lifting of the statement from its setting. The Watchtower was discussing a spiritually sick one over whom the older men of the congregation were to pray. Their prayer would be for the purpose of building up and strengthening the ailing one, presenting his problems and offering Scriptural counsels and procedures for coping with them, and petitioning the help of Jehovah on behalf of the spiritually sick one. But would the afflicted one permit himself to be helped? Would he acknowledge his failures, the causes for his spiritual distress, the wisdom of the counsels given, the necessity of following the suggested procedures for recovery? Or had he strayed so far from the right path and become so weakened spiritually that he would not respond to the prayerful assistance? In such a case there would be some question as to the individual’s reaction to the prayer and its contents. So a definite expression from him would be in order, and an “Amen” audible or in the heart would be the way to show agreement with the prayer.

The situation is different in the case of prayers at meetings or mealtimes. There is no reason to question the agreement of all listeners. Proper prayer on such occasions will not stir disagreement, and no expression of agreement is required. However, there is no objection to listeners’ adding an audible “Amen” to the conclusion if they desire to do so. The people voiced their “Amen” at the close of one of David’s psalms of thanksgiving, and on other occasions the Israelites showed agreement by use of the expression. (Deut. 27:14-26; 1 Chron. 16:7-36; Rev. 5:14) When discussing prayer in an unknown tongue Paul said: “How will the man occupying the seat of the ordinary person say Amen to your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?” (1 Cor. 14:16, NW) We do not speak in unknown tongues today, but some who pray do not always show consideration for their human listeners by speaking out clearly and with sufficient volume to be easily heard. Such praying does not edify or build up the listeners, and they cannot join in the prayerful spirit of the utterances or indicate agreement by either silent or audible “Amens”.

The expression “Amen” also indicates to listeners that a conclusion has been reached. (Ps. 41:13; 72:19, 20; 89:52; Rom. 16:27; Gal. 6:18; Jude 25) For this reason it is proper for the one praying aloud to always conclude with a clearly audible “Amen”. In that way he will indicate that he has finished, and the listeners with bowed heads can resume their normal postures. So then the one praying aloud should say “Amen” at the end; and the listeners may or may not do so, as they wish.

● Is it proper to propose or to drink toasts to God or Christ or the Kingdom?—J. S., Pennsylvania.

Sometimes toasts are proposed, and members of the group feel obliged to join in. This practice is rooted far back in paganism. The Babylonians drank toasts to their gods, and ended up drunk. The Bible gives an account of one such instance. In 539 B.C. Belshazzar ordered the holy vessels of the Hebrews’ temple service brought out, and from them he and his party of revelers “drank wine, and praised the gods”. (Dan. 5:1-4) Such toast-drinking is in no way comparable with the drink offerings Jehovah God prescribed for his temple service. When the Greeks gave entertainments and got tipsy thereat, it was for pious reasons: they were drinking deeply in honor of their pagan gods. After the Greeks, the Romans followed similar pagan religious customs of drinking toasts to the gods. Of course, they had so many gods that everyone was drunk before the ritual ended. Also, human heroes were toasted as well.

The Scandinavians before conversion to Christ gathered for drinking bouts, and toasted Odin, Njord and Frey. Christian missionaries were unable to abolish these customs, but the toasts were shifted to “honor” God and Christ and various patron saints, and to gain salvation for their souls. The future state of bliss was associated with constant drinking and much intoxication. Jehovah God and Christ Jesus are not honored by having pagan customs of toasting switched to them, or to humans. God’s Word the Bible instructs us in the way to honor him, and we do not add to his Word on this point, and especially not when the addition comes from pagan customs. In shunning this custom of toasting, along with many other objectionable customs, we may appear narrow-minded to worldlings. So we are. But never forget for a moment that our Christian narrowness is our salvation, just as the world’s broadness is its destruction.—Matt. 7:13, 14.

● Does the Society approve of well-meant showers held preceding weddings or childbirths? Should the gifts be displayed along with an identification of the givers?—M. F., New York.

The Society does not disapprove of properly conducted showers. But it is not good to get shower-minded, and involve the Lord’s people in a spree of them. It is easy for one or two to touch off a series that can become an endless circle of showers. It can burden the brothers, take their time, and their money for gifts they cannot always afford. You may say no gifts are necessary, but the custom calls for gifts and the majority will bring them, and it would be embarrassing to come empty-handed. Now there is certainly nothing wrong with giving gifts. Done spontaneously, it is commendable brotherly kindness and sometimes shows real Christian concern. There is some Scriptural obligation to note those of our brothers who are in need and to help them. We may use a shower as an occasion to help, but we do not have to wait for such occasions, we do not have to fit our giving into such customary times and seasons. Help is sometimes needed at other times. We should give when the need arises, and to those for whom the need is acute, and do so spontaneously, unsolicited by shower invitations that obligate us to give, whether the recipient is in need or not.

Should the givers be identified with their gifts? Why should they? Surely those giving the more expensive gifts do not seek public acclamation. It might embarrass the poorer brothers who must give more modest gifts, and perhaps cause them to spend more than they can really afford. So why magnify the rich and humble the poor, even if it is unintentionally done? (Jas. 2:1-4) It is not Scriptural, this publicity to gift and giver. “When you start making gifts of mercy, do not blow a trumpet ahead of you, just as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may