The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-04-14

International Lesson for April 10. isos--
jobs Appeal I" cod--J"b sS'S-i"'

Jobs Appeal to sod--Job :o'I-i"'
GOLDEN TExr.--What ! do thou knowest NOV
now but thou shalt know hereafter
REVIEW. should By review gct clearly
before US the progress OF the poem up
10 tho close Of our last lesson The goou man
is suddenly assailcd by terrible disasters snu
aflctlon Neither he nor his iricnos unuet
stand the meaning The problem 10 too hara
for them Hob knows he Is innocent but his
friends declare that 10 say 80 Is 10 piaspne'no
God as an unjust Being. for just Goa must TO-
ward the righteous and punish the wicked. IL.
therefore he 'punishes anyone that TACT proves
him TO be- wicked They do not see That theFo
may be other reasons for suffering
LESSON NOTES.
The Progress Of the Discussion. Each OF
Jobs three friends argues the case, ana
10 each OF them job replies In turn.
This is repeated three times, except that
in the last round of discussions Zophar
has nothing to say. The discussion
wakes warm as II proceeds. The friends
become excited and indignant at jobs
refusal 10 confess his crimes They ac-
cuse him again and again. They urge
him 10 confess and repent, promising
| that God will restore His favor il job
| will only turn from his secret sins.
| From their standpoint there il no posi-.
BILE way Of reconcilinx the sunering OF
an innocent man Win SAso J"'S~>
goodness OF God.
Value of Arguing. Arguing Tor tho
sake of victory is Of little value. IL
generally confirms each party In its
own opinions. builds impenetrabie
walls around narrow and imper1ect
views. The only hope Is that some
lipht may fash through the crevices.
But arguing for the sake OF knowing
the whole truth, Of seeing from every
noint of view, of broadening knowl-
edge is Of great value, and will bc con-
Quoted without passion or bitter words.
Proorsss NJ JOB 7orard the Lighf.-At
first Job is absolutely overwhelmed
with his caiamities, so unexpected, SO
undescrycd in comparison with those OF
other people. and 80 terrible. This is
often the first effect Of great sorrow,
Of the setting Of n great hope like the
sun in clouds and storm. before the
stars appear one by one with light from
Heaven. silent sympathy and patient
waiting are all that can come at nrst
10 one who longs to die because lifc
has nothing more for him CHAPS 3, 81.
Then follows state Of bcwilderment
because he cannot understand the JUS
tice and goodness of God. His friends
argue that everything in the world
comes bv Justice and desert; that pun
ishment has its sufficient cause in sin.
open or secret; and that. thus in Gods
wrath we may read and measure mans
. | wicl<cdncss.
This means that job is guilty beyond
most other men. But job knows that
charge To be false lie is indignant,
but cannot understand.
So. in chapter II. hedcclares more fully
:. that observation shows that those who
"Said unto God. Depart from Us,
: For we desire not the knowledge OF thy ways
. were vet prospered and preserved
from the common troubles OF men.
The state of the world as to sin
u and punishment is still a vexcd problem
TO many. How can God suffer such IN
q iurticc to remain in Ills world? why
does lie not XIII the devil?' Why does
n lie not seud His lightning to blast those
&c who are corrupting and destroying
= men? Why are SO many good men un
70 fortunate. and poor. and sick. anc
I" lonely? Still. facing the problem II
one step towards its solution, ever
though we seem. in Carlyles words. Il
bc shouting question after question
q into the Sibyl-cave Of destiny. and re
cciving no answer but AN echo" Onl,
D. those are hopeless who will not see ant
feel.
a. Jobs next step was one of self a.
id scrtion and Of refusal To believe in sucl
br a Cod rs his friends pictured. 1t is tn
godlilxe in job. rising up in remon
ig STRANGE against an apparently misgov
OF crned world. lie rebclled against
in fictitious Coda true NIcdusa's head
OF the very look of which turned him :
Is stono-but carried his appeal to ar
at other God whom he was unable to ds
fire. but without whom he felt he coul
RS not live.
n CLEANS qf Light from tae True Cod
lc- In Jobs earlier experience, when u
an around him was Egyptian '.darkncs
n that could be felt" when he thought
\. "fIw wash myself with snow water.
And make my hands never 80 clean
m. Yet wilt thou pluacsmc in the ditch.
- And my clothes shall abhor mo-"
-. then he lamcnted that
u, There Is no Ia ysman bciwixt US.
g" That might lay his hand upon US both"
To- -?:3o-0
as nut later on (chap. IG) he seems a
lie sured that there is n Daysman for hin
-"- Even now, UfDplu, - iiflN'lils iiiJ NithSe
en- And mine Advocate IL on high
nv friends arc my scorners
"a But unto God mine eye pourcth tears,
That He would plead for man with God,
o' AS the soa Of man for his ncighbor"
-. A number Of the writer's on Jc
~. speak rs If Job lost his patience in tn
~ discussion; that is ut the time when h
ne. patience was most severely tried. ~
-. it Is these very expressions OF dee
vas feeling which prove his patience. II
ant had been marble statue or bcin
~. carved in icc." he would have show
no strong feeling about his wongs, 4
;or he would have had none But II do
Mr not require patience In such being
~. keep from complaining. Job was figh
49, ing a terrible battle, but he held on Z
"a he gained the victory. His complain
~ prove the intensity Of his feelings; nj
-. vet he never lost his faith, never yiel
-. cd to the tcmptcr. That IL patienc