Pagină:Organization-part-I-1938.djvu/7

with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.”—1 Tim. 4:14.

        ¹⁸ In giving instruction to Timothy as to what course he should take, the apostle Paul said: ‘‘Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins; keep thyself pure.’’ (1 Tim. 5:22) Mark that this instruction was not given to the congregation, but to Timothy alone, whom Paul had appointed to represent him and perform certain duties in the church. The apostle specifically instructed Timothy as to the required qualifications of the servants to be selected, and warned Timothy that he must act with caution after due and prayerful investigation and consideration. Again, Paul said to Timothy: ‘‘Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands’’ (2 Tim. 1:6); thus showing that it was the apostle who confirmed Timothy as his representative. At 1 Timothy 4:14 it is written: ‘‘With the laying on of the hands of the presbytery’’; which does not mean the congregation, but those who had been selected to represent the Higher Powers, that is to say, Paul and the other mature ones which had been selected by him to act in the government of the congregation.

        ¹⁹ The ‘laying on of hands’’ was not an annual ceremony or affair, such as the yearly selection of servants, according to the practice in vogue during the Elijah period; and this is clearly shown by the text: ‘‘Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.’’ (Heb. 6:1,2) When a person was once selected to perform certain duties, there was no need to renew that selection so long as the person appointed acted in faith and faithfully.

        ²⁰ With God’s typical people Israel the laying on of hands was not a practice of the congregation, but the same was restricted to the duly constituted representatives of the people. Such laying on of hands did not indicate voting by some voting in the affirmative and some in the negative. This is shown by the direction which the Lord gave to the Israelites, ‘‘When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation. And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the Lord; and the bullock shall be killed before the Lord.’’ (Lev. 4:14,15) Jehovah selected the Levites for his service without taking a vote of the people. (Num. 3:40,45) The Levites, the servants selected by Jehovah, laid their hands on the bullock, as representing them in the sacrifice to God.— Num. 8:9-12.

        ²¹ When the time came to select a successor to Moses Jehovah did the choosing. Moses did not pick a successor, neither was Joshua offered or put forward for the job and voted on by others. ‘‘And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him, after the judgment of Urim before the Lord; at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation. And Moses did as the Lord commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation. And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.’’—Num. 27:18-23.

22 In the selection of one to take the place of Judas Iseariot such was not done by a vote of the congrega- tion or disciples. The apostles put forward two men, and the judgment was put up to the Lord by the cast- ing of lots. On that oceasion Peter said to the others: There ‘‘must one be ordained’’, or, ‘‘Of these must one become a witness with us [and] of his [Jesus’] resurrection.’’ (Acts 1:22, A.R.V.) On that occasion Peter quoted from Psalms coneerning Judas: ‘‘Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein, and his bishopric let another take.’’ (Vs. 20) Then Justus and Matthias were put forward: ‘‘And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two. thou hast chosen, that he may take part of this ministry anc apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.’’— Acts 1: 24-25. 23 All the foregoing Scriptural proof is to the effect that the Jews’ stretching forth the hand, or the laying on of hands (as stated in 2 Corinthians 8:18, 19), was not done by the congregation, but by the repre- sentatives which had been chosen by the apostle Paul. (See also Acts 15: 37-41.) It was the apostles who commended the elders to the Lord, just as Paul did concerning the elders at Ephesus. (Acts 20: 17-32) It appears that the congregation might agree upon or nominate men for service and place these before the apostles, but the approval or final selection rested upon Paul (1 Cor. 16:3) or upon one to whom the apostle had delegated authority to act as the repre- sentative of the Lord.—2 Cor. 8:19, 22. 24TIn his epistles the apostle Paul uses the Greek word episkopos to designate the overseers of the con- ercgations. ‘‘And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. ... Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over