Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-04-21
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON ". SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, APRIL %.


NATIONAL SERIES, APRIL %.
fext of the Lesson. Gen. XII, 3s-as-sfem-
DRY Verses. ss-4o-Goiden Text. l sam. II.
so-commentary by the Rev. d. NJ.
stearns.
IS. And Pharaoh said unto his servants.
Can we find such a one as this, a man in
whom the Spirit of God iss" Very varied
and full of trial had been the 10 years or
more of Joscph's life since his brethren
sold him to the Midianites, and several OF
lying CT n wicked woman. As we see him
BOW he has just been brought from the
prison to Interpret. if he can, to Pharaoh
his double dream. Disciaiming all power
to do 50 OF himself Verse 49,. but giving the
glory to God. he, by the Spirit, interprets
and applies the dreams; hence from Pharaoh
the words of this verse.
80. And Pharaoh said ante Joseph. For
asmueh as God hath showed thee all this.
there is acme so discreet and wise as thou
art Joseph had suggested that officers
be appointed who during the years OF
plenty should make provision for the years
of famine to follow. perhaps without a
thought that be who had just been brought
from prison might be CT any service, but
Gods set time to favor Joseph had come.
The dreams of long ago are ON the way TO
fulflIment, Therefore will the Lord wait
that He may be gracious. Blessed are all
they that wait for Him.
40. Thou shalt be over my house, and
according unto thy word shall all my PEG
pie be ruled: only in the throne will / be
greater than thou Truth is surely stran-
ger than fiction. From a prison to a throne
in an hour; from ignominy and disgrace TO
all but the supreme position in the land.
Promotion cometh neither from the east
nor from the west, nor from the south, but
God is the judge. He putteta down one
and setteth up another Dps. lxxv, G., q. He
bringeth low and lifteth up Il Sam. ii, -.
There is a good story Of from a prison To a
throne in II Kings XIV, 1850, but that was
simply deliverance, not rulership.
Il. "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See,
I have set thee overs all the land OF Egypt'
Joseph put it Il little differently and mort
correctly when be said, "God hath made
me lord of all Egypt" (chapter xiv. %. Hap
by ARE those who recognize His hand IN all
the events of life. We may see tue visible
fundamentally, or look back Of it all and
see only God. Moses endured as seeing
Him WHO is invisible tHeb. XII
~. "And Pharaoh took OFF his ring from
his hand. and put it upon Joseph's hand.
and arrayed him in vestures OF fine linen,
and put a gold chain about his neck" So
did the king to Mordeeai {E.st. viii. 80 and
Belshazzar to Daniel dan. V, 29). The soul
that is redeemed by the blood OF Jesus can
truly say, "Ile brought me up also out u
an horrible pit, out Of the miry clay, and
set my feet upon a rock and established my
goings:'' Ale hath clothed me with the
garments OF salvation; He bach covered me
with the robe of righteousness "Iic bath
made me a king and a priest unto God, and
| shall reign Oh the earth" FPS. ii, ., lisa.
Xxi, 10; Rev. ", 100.
43. Ard he made him TO ride In the sec
ond chariot which he had, and they cried
before him, Bow the knee, aud be made
him ruler over all the land Of Egypt Jo-
seph's humiliation, although wholly unde
served, could not he said TO be voluntary;
but Jesus hunlbled Himself and became
obedient unto the death of the eros, whcro-
fore God hath highly exalted Him and
given Him II name which is above every
name, that at the name Of Jesus every knee
should bow (Phil. ii, $40. IL we have the
mind of Christ we will cheei fully humble
ourselves unto the death Of self for His
sake.
A. "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, am
Pharaoh, and without thee shall 10 man
lift up his hand or foot in all the land q
Egypt" OF Jesus it is written that all
things were created by Him and FOR Him.
aud that in Him we live and move and
havc our being tCol, i, 10; Acts xvii, 2sl. Ig
is to be feared hat OF some Of Us 1t might
be said, THE God in whose hand tbs breath
is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou
not glorified;" (Dan. V, 2S). II, rs His r..
deemed, We would only allow the fact to
grasp us that We are to sit with Him on
His throne (I{ev. iii, 2i), we would walk
more worthy of our high calling.
45. And Pharaoh called Joseph's namG
Zaphnath-paaneah, and he gave him TO wife
Asenath, the daughterof P%otipherah, priest
of On. And Joseph went ous over all the
lane of Egypt" The margin says that TIL
new name of Joseph means ''Revealer Of
Secrets" but in Young's concordance il i
said to mean Savior Of the Worla.' Boil
are suggestive of Him who is the only Sa
viour, and who does nothing without reveal
ing His secret unto His servants the pro
phets tAmos Iii, u. That he should receive
an Egyptian wife during the period Of hii
brethren's hatred n rejection is suggest
i've of the fact that when Israel shall again
see Jesus they will find that during the
time of His rejection he has taken to Him
self a bride which will be largely Gentle.
46. And Joseph was 80 years old when
he stood before Pharaoh, king Of Egypt
And Joseph went out from tho presence
of Pharaoh and went throughout all the
land of Egypt" Jesus was about 30 years
old when He began His public work NAlke
iii, 23l. Daniel and his friends at a prob
ably much younger age are said to have
stood before the king dan j, i9t But mel
ther Jesus nor Daniel nor Joseph stood be.
fore man as much as they stood before God
They were Hk Elijah, who said, THE Lord
God of Israel liyeth, before whom | stand
q Kings xvii, II. When we learn to stintl
more 10 the presence Of God, we will be bet
ter qualified TO stand before men.
a. And in the seven plcnteous years the
earth brought forth ~byhandfuls.n what
God is about to do He sheweth unto pha
raoh. were the words OF Joseph as he In.
terpreted the dreams Verse 2Sl. So we see
In these years of prosperity the hand OF the
Lord for good. IL was His blessing npon
lsraefs land which in the sixth year made
it bring forth fruit for three years NLey
XIV. 21). The blessing OF the Lord il
maketh rich, aud toll addeth Ectaing there.
to prov. X, %. II. w
IS. And he gathered up 81 the food Of
the seven years, which were in the land Of
Egypt, and laid up the food in Tie cities;
the food Of the field which was round abont
every city laid he up in the same" In pros
perity he prepared for adversely. While
we sing. The Lord IS my shepherd, | shall
not want" we are not authorized to be
either careless or improvident. Oar Lord
did not commend the unjust steward, but
tie drew a practical lesson from his fore
thought luke xvi, S, 81. Consider in verses
81. 80. the very suggestive names J0sepl
gave to bis children. Compare the &c
unto Joseph. What he saith to you do
with Mary's words TO the servants fyerse g.
and John ii. 81