Chapter- 8 -WHY DOES GOD PERMIT SUFFERING?

HOW TO SETTLE THE ISSUES

For the sake of illustration, let us say that you are a loving parent with several children in a happy family.  Suppose one of your neighbors spreads lies, accusing you of being a bad parent.  What if the neighbor says that your children do not love you, that they stay with you only because they do not know any better, and that they would leave if someone showed them the way.  'Preposterous!' You might say.  Yes, but how would you prove it?  Some parents might react in a rage.  Besides creating more problems, such a violent response would lend support to the lies.  A satisfying way to deal with such a problem would be to allow opportunity for your accuser to prove his claim and for your children to testify that they sincerely love you.

Jehovah is like the loving parent. Adam and Eve may be compared to the children, and Satan fits the role of the lying neighbor.  God wisely did not destroy Satan, Adam and Eve immediately but permitted these wrongdoers to continue living for awhile.  This allowed our first parents time to start the human family, and it has given the Devil a chance to prove whether his claim was true so that the issues could be settled.   From the start, however, God knew that some humans would be loyal to him and would thus prove Satan a liar.  How thankful we are that Jehovah has continued to bless and help those who love him! - 2 Chronicles 16:9; Proverbs 15:3.

Next time: WHAT HAS BEEN PROVED?

The Book - KNOWLEDGE That Leads To Everlasting Life, 1995