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I recieved this as an e-mail. I've highlighted the parts that I personally found ironic or questioned. Although I do appreciate how the verses mentioned relate to us as christians.

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Subject: Talk by Brother Daniel Sydlik


JEHOVAH'S LOVING KINDNESS!



Daniel Sydlik - A Member of the Governing Body



I tell you now we are going to talk about something ....

You know very little about if you will ever........ understand it.. We are going to talk about Jehovah's loving kindness!

He said:

There is a new king in Israel and it's king David.. Now usually whenever there is a new king, it's a joyful time for the new king and a horrible time for the old king because all the boys in the family of the old king would be wiped out for fear they would come back for revenge or reprisal. But it's a new king in Israel. And David did something that was shocking. No other king had done this before. It's unprecedented.

Turn to second Samuel chapter 9. Look at verse 1. This is what David said and he is picturing Jehovah God. "and David proceeded to say is there anyone left over from the house of Saul that I may exercise loving kindness to him for the sake of Jonathan?"

He is looking for someone of that household to show loving kindness to.

Next verse: "Now the house of Saul had a servant whose name was Ziba. So they called him to David, and the king then said to him: 'Are you Ziba?' to which he said: 'I am your servant.'

Now what Ziba is telling him is: I am your man. I have served in a house of royalty. I know what goes on in the house of a king. I know how to run the house of a king. I know who belongs here.

Vs. 3 'Is there nobody of the house of Saul anymore, that I may exercise toward him the loving-kindness of God?' (You see it's Jehovah's loving kindness)

At this Ziba said to the king: 'There is yet a son of Jonathan, lame in the feet.'

Vs 4 Then the king said to him: 'Where is he?' So Ziba said to the king: 'Look! He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel at Lo-debar.' ...

Brother Sidlik said: Lodebar! that was the ghetto... No one but cripples and undesirables live there. No one else wanted to live there. Zi'ba is saying: Now hold on king! Don't go too far! I know what belongs in the house of royalty. The only one who's left of the house of Jonathan is his son. He's a cripple, he doesn't belong here. In fact he lives in Lodebar.

David said: That's the man that I am looking for. You go and get him and you bring him to this house. That's who I'm looking for to show loving kindness to. It's the loving kindness of God. Me·phibo·sheth was crippled because his nurse dropped him accidentally and from then on he was lame in both of his feet. The king is telling Zi'ba 'that's the man, go and get him because that's the man I am looking for.'

Next brother Sydlik picks up a bell and says 'dinner time in David's house.'

At dinner time at David's house who would you expect to see? Who dines at the table of a king? It would be David and all of his children..

Now beauty ran in David's family. His son Absalom was so good looking that they cut his hair only once a year and his hair alone weighed 5lbs. The Bible says that no man was as beautiful as Absalom. And he was sitting at David's table and it's dinner time at the king's table.

He had a sister named Tamar. The Bible says she was so good looking that her own brother raped her and beautiful Tamar was also at David's table.

Who else was at David's table? There was wise Solomon probably reading a book. There were David's 2 nephews Abishi and Joab, mighty warriors, courageous men. The Bible says Joab was cute! And they both take their seat at the table.

Then the next person comes in. It's a cripple! IN WALKS A CRIPPLE! With all of this beauty at the table, in walks a cripple!!!

That's when brother Sydlik lowered the boom on us... no one will ever forget that talk because it demonstrated Jehovah loving kindness.

He told us we are all crippled brothers. Adam and Eve dropped every one of us... we are all crippled......... We are all messed up.

We have frailties and infirmities we don't want anyone to know. We make it hard on each other to stay at the table because we look at each other and say 'he doesn't belong at this table.' We are hard on each other. We make it hard to sit at the table. We say things like 'I know he's not coming to the table". "She needs to quit ". We look at a brother and say 'he's not gonna make it'. You see we are hard on each other at that table. And we live in Lodebar. No mater how much you pay for your mortgage, we are living in a filthy world. It's beneath Jehovah. It's the ghetto.

Now Mephibosheth, he couldn't understand how the king wanted him to sit at his table.

Isn't that the way we are? We can't appreciate Jehovah's loving kindness. We can't understand it. There are things about us we don't want anyone to know. We compromised. We capitulated. We went back at times and we don't want anybody to know that. We don't understand Jehovah's loving kindness.

We tell people 'there are things about me you just don't know'. And when we receive commendation we tell people 'if you really knew how I was you wouldn't say that, so now I feel worse.'

Did you know that there are some people who serve God yet pray that they can just die?

We feel we are not worthy to be at Jehovah's table... We can't understand Jehovah's loving kindness. Mephibosheth, he couldn't understand it and many times he would look around the table and say to David 'let me leave, I can't measure up'.

And David would say 'stay at the table'. Mephibosheth looked at Tamar's beauty and asked to leave the table and David said 'stay at the table'. He looked at wise Solomon and said 'let me leave the table' and David said 'stay at the table'.

He looked at mighty Joab and felt unworthy and asked to leave but David said 'stay at the table'.

Now in Israel, one of the "worst" things was to be a dog. Mephibosheth said at second Samuel chap 9 vs.. 8 'And he said what is your servant that you have turned your face to the dead dog! Such as I am. I am not even a dog. I am a dead dog... why are you showing loving kindness to me?'

Do you ever feel that way? You see, if you only knew the love that Jehovah has for us, if you could only understand the work and effort and appreciation the faithful slave has for you, If you could only appreciate that it's not just a group of men printing literature in a building, they recognize the loving kindness of God.

Sure, you have done wrong and you have been disciplined. You have had hard times. Regardless of what you have done, regardless of how you feel... just stay at Jehovah table.. Jehovah is not limited. He's not like humans...

As humans we remember things and we will never let you live it down. We say things like, 'I know what he did in 1983 and I knew him back in the day'. Girl.... .. Jehovah's not that way. Manasseh did what was bad on a grand scale. He sinned against Jehovah. Jehovah not only restored him, he forgave him and made him king again. That's the God we serve! Jehovah says: 'don't be mindful of what these humans keep against you.' Jehovah says: 'I am not that way.....' A struggling person is not a bad person ... We are just struggling. That's all. You are not bad.. Just remain faithful and stay at Jehovah's table.

40,000 a year become inactive. They leave Jehovah's table. Are we making it hard for them to stay at Jehovah's table? Many try to come back. At the Memorial, are we making it hard for them to stay at God's table? Are we making them feel like a dead dog? You see we are all crippled brothers ... Adam and Eve dropped everyone of us. Let's make it comforting and encouraging to stay at Jehovah's table. Regardless of what you've done, regardless of how you feel never think Jehovah won't forgive you, because Jehovah is actively looking for people like us to show loving kindness to.

Now the thing about this table is they would usually have these long skirts like table cloths and the skirt would cover everything below the table. It would cover everybody's legs. When Mephibosheth as a cripple sat at the table it would cover his legs and he would be just like everyone else. All his frailties and infirmities were covered as long as he stayed at Jehovah's table!!

That skirt pictures the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ .... Jehovah's telling us that I have you covered at this table. Don't leave, just stay at the table. You have all the covering... You have all you need .... I don't even see your frailties. I have been looking for people like you to show loving kindness to.

2nd Samuel chap 9 vs.. 11: very encouraging, 'So Ziba said to the king: 'In accord with all that my lord the king commands for his servant is the way that your servant will do; but Mephibosheth is eating at my table like one of the sons of the king.' It was Jehovah loving kindess.

VS 13 'And Mephibosheth himself was dwelling in Jerusalem, for it was constantly at the table of the king that he was eating; and he was lame in both of his feet.'

Mephibosheth stayed at that table. He stayed at God's table. Mephibosheth said 'sure: I have had hard times and I am a cripple and I don't even understand this loving kindness, but he said I'll never leave this table.'

And the Bible says he never left the table although he was lame in both of his feet. You see the skirt covered his legs. It covered his problems, covered all of his sins.

Lovers of God, don't leave. We are almost home. Jehovah says 'you are covered at this table. I love you. Don't ever doubt it.....' Jehovah says 'why have you ended a sentence with a question mark when I have ended it with a period?' He's telling us that his son died for us and he's been looking for people like us to show loving kindness to.

Always stay at Jehovah's table.

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Jayme

This was particularly disgusting:

"You see, if you only knew the love that Jehovah has for us, if you could only understand the work and effort and appreciation the faithful slave has for you, If you could only appreciate that it's not just a group of men printing literature in a building, they recognize the loving kindness of God."

What a horrible distraction to praising and glorifying our Heavenly Father by honouring and praising our Fathers Anointed one ..our Shepherd, Teacher and One Leader, Jesus.

Re: "...never left the table" The speaker seems to be repeating himself.

Proverbs 26:11...

"Just like a dog returning to its vomit, the stupid one is repeating his foolishness."


Now for some refreshment from 1 John 2:12...

"I am writing YOU, little children, because YOUR sins have been forgiven YOU for the sake of his name.  I am writing YOU, fathers, because YOU have come to know him who is from [the] beginning. I am writing YOU, young men, because YOU have conquered the wicked one. I write YOU, young children, because YOU have come to know the Father.  I write YOU, fathers, because YOU have come to know him who is from [the] beginning. I write YOU, young men, because YOU are strong and the word of God remains in YOU and YOU have conquered the wicked one."

(stolen from the Societies very own NWT.)

:whistle:

Now a few questions I have. :

Can we undestand Jehovahs loving kindness? He has gone to great lenghths to reveal it to us. Surly if we could not undestand or appreciate it He would not have gone to such effort.

Does king David represent Jesus Christ or Jehovah? I was thinking Jesus.

I think the tablecloth is correctly identified as Jesus Ransom. But notice how in most WT material Jesus the person is replaced with only the Ransom. In this talk we have David picturing Jehovah and the tablecloth picturing the Ransom, but were is the person of Jesus? He is our KING is'nt He?

He identifies the table as the WT organization. I dont agree, but what does the table represent?

Who is responsible for so many having such negative feelings, so much guilt, feeling like "dead dogs" ?

Who is makeing it hard for people to continue serving Jehovah?

Who is makeing it hard for people to stay at Jehovahs table during the memorial?

Who is telling people that they are not part of the New Covenant, they are just second class crippled dogs who must just look on in admiration at the beautiful FDS class and its mighty governing body seated with them at "the table"?

While they rightly show from the scriptures how much Jehovah does love each of us, it sure is'nt what many of us feel from those others seated with us down here at "the table"!

jayme :huh::confused::angry::dontknow::crybaby:

jayme, i hate to disappoint you but the whole yarn is nothing more than an "artfully contrived false story." [the story itself is true enough, but the self-serving and fraudulent application is what is "false."] the apostle peter said men would come with those in the last days. and, as for "jehovah's table," it is nowhere near watchtower-land!

i knew dan sydlik well a few decades ago. we used to dine together at "bethel's table." he was known as somewhat of a rebel in those days. not always going along with "the program." so, they made him part of the governing body :shocked: and presto-zappo, he is as good of a "company man" as you will find. [sort of the antithesis of ray franz's story.] he and his cronies are having their reward in full.

oh, by the way, "pay no attention to that man behind the curtain." :whistle:

Hey Isomam, :hibye:

No worries, your not disappointing me. I clearly see whats going on now! I just feel for all the brothers who are suffering. I remmember feeling so low and just wanting to die. Its so sad!:cry:

This talk seems to be putting the blame for this on the brothers but the truth is that the atmosphere has been created by the men at the top!

Now from a purly scriptural perspective I enjoyed the verses discussed and would enjoy going over them further to appreciate more fully their real significance.

Jayme

wow.:thinking: With more Bible references and no F&DS references, it could've been quite an upbuilding talk. :yes:
Jayme, dear brother - I hear ya! The most important thing we can wring from this is by doing our own study and finding true treasures in the real context of God's word. I doubt I'll ever cease finding new(to me) and exciting things in that great book!

A few thoughts... It's very sad to not see Christ Jesus spoken of in a more personal way... because when we get to know him like that he draws us closer to the Father - we can only know about God's 'loving kindness' through Yeshua. That's been God's plan from the beginning and it's a done deal!

Well, maybe David is picturing David! And the message is that through a willing individual, in this instance a truly Godly man, God can show how His mercy works. He did it through Abraham's seed and David's throne - and in the ultimate way through Yeshua's life, sacrifice and resurrection. And He does it still, today, through every person who follows his righteous laws to love God and fellowman, not only through a few.

We actually have them both - it was the Father's plan, but the Son's loyal commitment in following through to the goal - redemption from sin for us ALL - now that's really encouraging! The speaker could've used all of Romans 4 to picture just how much God loves us - but I imagine these scriptures are avoided -
5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 "BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. 8 "BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT."[....] 20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he(Abraham) did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. 22 Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. 23 Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, 24 but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. Romans 4 [NASB]

Is this a new talk? Who was the audience he was talking to? They must've really felt like 'dead dogs' after that! According to him they didn't know God's love or have understanding, appreciation or recognition...

It sounds pretty condescending, considering his opening line -

I echo your sentiments, Jayme, about how wonderously God has revealed His love for us all. But that truth is only revealed through His Son... and he is so veiled by the wtbts that they can't see him and receive the assurance of God's love which only comes through him...

The wtbts sure likes to stay in the Old Testament don't they? And can read so much into so little!

Sheesh - it wasn't Tamar's beauty that got her raped, it was Amnon's evil heart that tried to control love with sex! Where does the Bible say Joab, David's army commander, was "cute" - I couldn't find that? Didn't he murder David's beloved son, Absolom? I'll bet dinner conversation was lively... Ziba didn't say any of those things - he said "I'm your servant". period. Wow, what liberties are taken with God's word! Ziba was, imho, a very humble man and didn't assume the posture Sydlik implied. He'd been Saul's servant and was now put willingly into servitude to Saul's grandson and heir, and the only living relative of Jonathon. In my reading of 2 Samuel 9 I don't see this at all: Mephibosheth, he couldn't understand it and many times he would look around the table and say to David 'let me leave, I can't measure up'. And David would say 'stay at the table'. Mephibosheth looked at Tamar's beauty and asked to leave the table and David said 'stay at the table'. He looked at wise Solomon and said 'let me leave the table' and David said 'stay at the table'. He looked at mighty Joab and felt unworthy and asked to leave but David said 'stay at the table'. Read it for yourselves - great liberties were taken indeed.

This sounds so unreal -

I can't help but picture the old guy with one hand on his hip and the other hand waving "no-no" while his head weaves side to side - "um-m-m, oh you giiiiiirl!" :giggle: Lol!

This guy's a real downer! Who's the "we" he keeps talking about? It's not me and I hope it's not you either! Where's the admonition to take things to God in prayer? Or how precious to God is our own love for Him and His Son?
I would walk away from this talk... relegated to just being able to barely hold onto life - without joy that is - feeling that depression is the new norm. Also - that staying at "Jehovah's table" means being an 'active' JW - so if you're 'inactive' and not 'turning in time' you are not staying at His table... This is the spiritual stick you're measured with by all other JW's, and yet this talk seems to encourage love and support of those 'Mephibosheth-like' ones who, by the Wt's stringent regulations(marking, shunning, labeling as 'apostates'), they've always discouraged association with in the first place! :insane:

Yes, there's a lot of potential symbolism there, but Mr. Sydlik didn't even scratch the surface -

Then Ziba said to the king, "According to all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do." So Mephibosheth ate at David's table as one of the king's sons. 2 Samuel 9:11

Nathanael answered Him, " Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel." John 1:49

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Romans 8:14

"Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them." Luke 12:37

"And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God." Luke 13:29

When one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, " Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!" Luke 14:15

Love to you and ALL:grouphug:
:peace:

Nailed it, Willa!:thumbsup: Is there a stronger word for condescending? Maybe arrogant.:huh:

patronising

Ah, jayme:( perhaps instead of "they rightly show from the scriptures" we should say "the scriptures rightly show", 'cause the FDS really muddies the scriptures by its application. It is just as prophesied in Ezekiel 34:7-10:

“Therefore, YOU shepherds, hear the word of Jehovah, ‘“As I am alive,” is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, “surely for the reason that my sheep became something for plunder and my sheep continued to be food for every wild beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, and my shepherds did not search for my sheep, but the shepherds kept feeding themselves, and my own sheep they did not feed,”’ therefore, YOU shepherds, hear the word of Jehovah. This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘Here I am against the shepherds, and I shall certainly ask back my sheep from their hand and make them cease from feeding [my] sheep, and the shepherds will no longer feed themselves; and I will deliver my sheep out of their mouth, and they will not become food for them.’”


"Is it such a little thing for YOU men that on the very best pasturage YOU feed but the rest of YOUR pasturages YOU should trample down with YOUR feet, and that the clear waters YOU drink but the ones left over YOU should foul by stamping with YOUR very feet?  And as for my sheep, on the pasture ground trampled by YOUR feet should they feed and the water befouled by the stamping of YOUR feet should they drink?” -- Ezekiel 34:18-19

That, my dear brother, is what Jehovah says about their 'table'. Is it any wonder that we felt sickened? :barf:

Love,
Rez:hug:

"I tell you now we are going to talk about something ....

You know very little about if you will ever........ understand it.. We are going to talk about Jehovah's loving kindness!"
---omg.....


"He had a sister named Tamar. The Bible says she was so good looking that her own brother raped her and beautiful Tamar was also at David's table."

--- so it was her own fault she got raped?? reminds me of the time i was being counseled (because there was a rumor that i had fornicated and was pregnant. :angry::angry: but i was a virgin till i got married) and i tried to tell the elders about all the terribly mean things being said to my face because of the rumor, and they basically said it was justified because i married a worldly guy, and what else were they to think? and that it was good that i was being corrected by others. so it was MY problem and fault that there was a rumor, not the liars.... yikers...

"Did you know that there are some people who serve God yet pray that they can just die?"
--- i used to do that every DAY.... y?? because we are coached into thinking we aren't good enough!!!!

"We feel we are not worthy to be at Jehovah's table... We can't understand Jehovah's loving kindness. Mephibosheth, he couldn't understand it and many times he would look around the table and say to David 'let me leave, I can't measure up'."
---i've been TOLD by other JW's that i don't measure up!!

this whole talk makes my belly hurt!!

This just makes me sick! When my daughter was about to get married we got a call from an elder saying that someone reported that she had fornicated with a worldly guy, got pregnant and had an abortion that we, her parents had arranged. They were demanding that our daughter have a medical exam to determine the veracity of this....before the evidence was gone.:shocked:

Can you believe this?!!!:cry: What should have been a happy occasion of a marriage between two pioneers was changed into a week of horrors. I never really got over this. My belly hurts too, dear sister.:crybaby:

[edited to include: Of course my husband and I did NOT assent to their very evil request. Not on your life! And I guess things went south from then on.]

We were told in the WT years ago that, even someone's counsel was wrongly based we shouldn't correct the one giving the counsel because it was a loving act on their part.

Gee....I thought folks were supposed to find out the truth before opening their mouths, no?

Uncontrollable barfing starting up,
Rez :barf: :barf: :barf:

"I tell you now we are going to talk about something ....

You know very little about if you will ever........ understand it.. We are going to talk about Jehovah's loving kindness!"


As a witness I knew very little of Jehovah's loving kindness & I certainly didn't understand it.
A shame he didn't use the occasion to speak and clearly teach the brother & sisters about God's Grace.

Blithe

I've heard dan sydlik speak numerous times. I've known personally of the mercy he extended to reflect the love of the Christ our savior. A modest man who chose to serve instead of choosing to be inthw limelight, as it were. If you look the beautiful message of forgiveness to the broken and crushed, of which we all are as humans, you can see the message of a loving Father rushing to show tender mercies on his beautiful yet imperfect children, you and I. Its the message, not the messenger that should be noted in dan sydlik's talk. A message of a merciful heavenly Father who'sname is Jehovah and our savior and eternal father Jesus Christ.
May the peace of such a merciful Father dwell within us all.
A brother in Christ Jesus
Lover of Truth

Greetings and welcome Lover of truth.

Thank you for your comment.

Re: "...Its the message, not the messenger..."

Would you not agree, though, that care must be taken when examining messages from messengers? As the Governing Body demand complete trust, is this not a warning to test inspired expressions to see/determine if they originate with YHVH?

Christian love and greetings.

May our Heavenly Father be praised by means of our Lord Jesus, Son of the Most High....our Master and Shepherd.

gogh