The Mississippi enterprise., 1962-07-14
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
July 15. 1862

BY Rev. George A. Harper,
511 Avenue G.,
Greenwood, Miss.
HABAKKUK QUESTIONS
THE WAYS OF GOD
Scripture Lesson - Habak-
kuk Print - Habakkuk lie;
2:2-4
MEMORY SELECTION:
His soul which is lifted up is
not upright in him: but the
just shall live by his faith. -
(Habakkuk 2:4). in this text
the righteous man and the
unrighteous are contrasted.
The unrighteous man, whether
a Jew or Gentle, as a general
rule, his soul is lifted up in
him and he is not upright in
his heart. The sinful nature
in man prompts him to be
given to pride, which is sim
full. The person who is un-
righteous does not possess one
element in him to give him
a legal right to be proud.
Being uplifted in heart with
pride has been the occasion
for the downfall of many per-
sons. The righteous in humbl-
ed in his soul, for he is aware
that it is the grace of God
that made him what he is
and that he lives by faith, is
justified by faith, therefore,
has no ground for being lifted
up with pride, but is prompt
ed to live in humility. The
proud will fall, while the hum
BILE will be exalted.
THE REASON FOR THE
QUESTION:
The earthly life of Jesus
and the lives of the two thiev-
es ended at the same time on
the same skull shaped hill
outside Jerusalem. 1t is high
ly probable that the thieves
were older than Jesus; that
with their unsavory lives,
they had lived longer. The
difference in their conduct ap-
parently had made no differ
ence in the judgment of the
world on their relative merit
even apart from length of
life. The religious authorities
were much more eager for
the execution of Jesus than
for the execution of the thi-
ewes. When they were given
the choice of sparing Jesus
or a robber the experience of
the cross, they readily chose
to spare the robber. This is
not merely an ancient or an
isolated instance. One was in
nocent and he was hanged.
These instances could be
multiplied indefinitely. How
many times innocent people
have been wronged, even
murdered by the most object
ly guilty, could not be re-
counted. The question to why
God lets it happen is inevi-
table.
LIFE IS TOO COMPLEX
FOR SIMPLE ANSWERS:
The nine Justices on the
Supreme Court bench fire.
quently divide on what is
right and wrong where great
issues are at stake, even the
issue of life and death. We
may very properly conclude
that this world cannot pro-
vide the final answer to the
total problem of good and
evil. 'Let them grow together
until the harvest, lest in pull
ing up the tares We root up
the good wheat alSo." The
imperfecti0n of knowledge
does not relieve us of the
responsibility of being as far
as we can "good Judges"
THE EMERGENCE OF
PARTIAL ANSWERS:
The prophets always under
took to "justify the ways of
good to men,. This life pro-
vides at least partial an
swers. Jobs answer to his
wife in the midst of suffering
has great merit" The wife
OF Job allowed a few days of
Trouble to completely mono
police consciousness so that
she forgot all the days of top
priority which her husband
had enjoyed in Gods favor!
Suppose We subtract from the
underserved suffering which
has befallen us, the conscious
defections of character with
xuh.ol xryo have rox - -