The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1894-04-07
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON u, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, APRIL 8.

his father was a stranger, in the land OF
Canaan" The margin says, I'm the land
of his fathers sojournings." God spoke OF
Abraham rs a stranger in the land, and
Abraham spoke of himself as stranger
and a sojourner Gen. xvii, s; xiii, A. So
also David in Chron. xxx, 10. Compare
1 Pet. ii. IL. If we are Christ's, we are citi-
zens of heaven (Phil. iii, 90, 21), but shall
reign on the earth when the kingdom comes
(Rev. V, 9, 1o). The principal events in the
intervening chapters since last lesson are
the reconciliation with Esau, another ap-
pearance of God to Jacob and the death
and burial of Isaac, Rachel and Deborah.
9. "These are the generations of Jacob.
Joseph, being II yea S Gaa2, was feeding the
flock with his brethren. and Joseph brought
INTO his father their evil report" This is
the tenth time that we have met in this
book the phrase, "These are the genera
tons" and it is the last time. Joseph and
Benjamin were the younger sons OF Jacob,
and both were the children of his beloved
Rachel, who died when Benjamin was
born Chapter xxxv, Is, 1877. 1t would seem
that the conduct of Josephs brethren was
not commendable, and that he brought his
father word to that effect 4
8. NOW Israel loved Joseph more than
all his children, because he was the son OF
his old age. and he made him coat of
many colors" Ofall the sons of Jacob the
I'D most nonored by Jehovah were Judah
and Joseph, for from Judah came the Mes
siah, and the birthright was Joseph's q
Chron V, y. See in verses 81, IS, of our les
son chapter how great was Jacobs love to
this son, and how he refused to be comfort
cd when he thought him dead.
4. ''And when his brethren saw that their
father loved him more than all his breth-
rem, they hated him and could not speak
peaceably unto him." Joseph was in many
respects wondrous type of Gods well be-
loved Son, Jesus, our Saviour Observe him
hated and separated from his brethren
(Gen. xix, %, 20; Deut. xxxiii, 16), and
think of Jesus hated without a cause Fps
XIV, 10; Xix, 4; John XIV, 25). These breth-
rem make us think of the elder brother in
Luke XIV, but the practical part is for us, if
ever hated without cause, to think of Je
sus and rejoice in the privilege of fellow
ship with Him q Pet ii, 1920.
s. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he
told it his brethren, and they hated him yet
the more" Joseph does not seem as yet to
have known his brothers hatred, and in
the simplicity of his heart he told them his
dream We have already read of God com
ing to Abimelech, to Jacob and to Laban
in dream Xxx, 3; XXI, II, 24), and in Job
xxxiii, IA, Is, we read that God speaks to
men in dreams and visions, if by any means
He may turn them from their pride and
the ruin to which it leads. There is not the
same need for him to speak in dreams now
that we have the whole word of God, yet
we would not like to say that he never tells
anything in dreams any more.
6. "And he said unto them, Hear, pray
you, this dream which have dreamed 1t
must have deeply impressed Joseph and
made him anxious to tell it. When we have
the sure word of God concerning all COM
ing events, how is it that we are so little
impressed by it, and therefore so slow to
speak of it? 1t must be simply unbelief on
our part, or else willful ignorance, for as
surely as Josephs dreams were in due time
fulfilled so shall every word of God be full
filled. See lisa. xiv, "a; XVI, 9, 10; Ps. xxxiii
10, IL
T. For behold, we were binding sheaves
in the field. and, 10, my sheaf arose, and
also stood upright, and behold, your sheayes
stood round about and made obeisance to
my sheaf' The significance of the dream
seems simple enough and the brethren evil
IDENTITY 1 Understood it, but it seemed very
unlikely to be fulfilled The sons of Jacob
were doubtless familiar with the fact that
God had spoken to their father and to La
ban in a dream, and Joseph probably be-
lieved that God had now spoken to him.
When any word of God takes hold of US as
the very voice of God to our souls, we are
not apt either to forget or keep still about it.
s. .'And his brethren said to him, Shalt
thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou
indeed have dominion over US? And they
hated him yet the more for his dreams and
for his words" Their hatred did not affect
the dream nor its fulfillment, but only
themselves; neither has the hatred of the
Jews to their brother Jesus affected the
fulfllment of the sure word of God that He
shall sit on David's throne and reign over
the house of Jacob forever lisa. tx, {; Luke
i, SO, 33), but it has seriously affected them
selves and will until they bow before Him
in true penitence Czech. tx, 10; xiii, y.
g. ''And he dreamed yet another dream,
and told it bis brethren, and said, Behold,
| have dreamed dream more, and, behold,
the sun, and the moon, and the IL stars
made obeisance to me-" Here is the same
revelation with an enlargement including
father and mother. The dream being dou-
bled would prove that twas established by
God. and that He would bring it to pass
xii, 32). And we know that it came to pass.
When | read in rev. xii the record of the
woman clothed with the sun, the moon
under her feet, and on her head a crown of
10 stars, | associate that vision with this
dream and think that the man child of that
chapter will prove to be a first fruits from
Israel in the time of the great tribulation,
which with the church as first fruits from
all nations and both identified with Christ
will form the complete man child to rule
all nations. In due time we shall see.
TO- And he told it to his father and to
his brethren, and his father rebuked him
and said unto him: What is this dream that
thou hast dreamed? Shall and thy mother
and thy brethren indeed come to bow down
ourselves to thee to the earth?" His father
saw the Interpretation, and it went some
what against the grain, but he lived to see
it all fulfilled, and when he and his sons be-
came thoroughly humbled before this same
Joseph then it was well with them and they
prospered So shall it be with the Jews and
m i il haEa t. Ue e4mP de 10 Pc e6n a oo wRo
dan. ", 81; v, 20 margin). See also lisa. ii.
II, II; Jas. iv, 10; | Pet. V, 6.
II. And his brethren eRvied him, but
his father observed the saying" Stephen
said that, moved with envy, they sold him
into Egypt ACTS vii, 81. Paul SAYS II Iove