Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-04-27
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON v, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, APRIL 2e.

DRY Verses, 3-5-GoIden Text, Luke xvii,
3-Commentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
! stearns.
|. "There stood no man with him, while
Joseph made himself known to his breth-
rem" The seven years of famine had be
gun, and not only all Egypt, but all coun-
tries, came to Joseph to buy corn (xli, Sc,
b0. Ten of Joseph s brethren, at once rec
ognized by him, but not he by them, had
come for corn, and nine had gone home
with their sacks full and their money in
their sacks, with instructions to bring
their youngest brother when they came
again, Simeon meantime being detained
as hostage. They had now returned, bring
ing Benjamin, and the II had dined with
Joseph, being seated at table according 20
their ages much to their surprise, for as
yet they knew him not.
9. "And he wept aloud, and the Egyp-
tians and the house of Pharaoh heard"
Our lesson begins and ends with weeping,
but it is weeping for joy. Consider the
seven weepings of Joseph in chapters xiii,
"a; xiii, 80; xiv, 2, Ia; Xvi, 30; |, 1, II.
3. "And Joseph said unto his brethren,
] am Joseph. Doth my father yet live?"
Is it any wonder that they were troubled
and could not answer? How wildly would
come to mind the events of 20 years before
as they looked upon the face of him whose
pitiful cries and tears they would not re
gard, and now he has already been return
ing them good for evil while at the same
time leading them to repentance. 1t must
be all true, for who but Joseph could know
their ages AS to arrange them Mt table2
4. And Joseph said unto his brethren,
Come near to me, pray you. And they
came near. And he said, | am Joseph,
your brother, whom We sold into Egypt"
We can imagine them dumb with aston
ishment until he calls them near to him
and repeats the astounding statement with
the additional allusion to their guilt. 1t
is all true, and after so long a time their
sin has found them out (Num. xxi, 23).
5. "Now therefore be not grieved nor
angry with yourselves that ye sold me
hither, for God did send me before you to
preserve life" He maketh the wrath of
man to praise Him Fps. lXXvi, 10Y, and 10
seph had grace to see, not the hatred of his
brethren, but the guiding hand of God. 1t
is possible for us to see God in everything
and believe and rejoice in Rom. viii, IS,
%
6. For these two years hath the fam ne
been in the land. and yet there are i've
years, in the which there shall neither be
caring nor harvest" As truly as there
had been seven years of plenty, so surely
would there be seven years of famine. Jo-
soph simply believed God-he had no other
means of knowing. "Abraham believed
God. Let our souls say, 81 believe Cod
(.jas. ii, %; Acts xvii, 25).
:. And God sent me before you to pre-
serve you posterity in the earth and to
save your lives by a great delverance."
How suggestive it all is of Jesus hated.
sold, rejected, slain, yet still alive. great
deliverer, the only deliverer and ere long
now He will say to the nation of Israel,
90 am Jesus, your brother, whom We cru
Gifted" They shall see Him and mourn
bitterly and welcome Him (Xech xii 10:
xiii, y. Many individual Jews are now
seeing and receiving Him by faith, but
soon it will be all Israel
S. $50 now it vas not you that sent me
hither, but God" Joseph gives God all the
glory for making him father to Pharaoh
and ruler over all Egypt. He has nothing
but forgiveness for his brethren and praises
for God. Jesus told PLATE that he could
have no power against Him except it were
given him by God CJohn xix, y. We may
all believe that nothing can come to us
without God.
9. " Haste ye and 90 up to my father and
say unto him. Thus saith thy son Joseph,
God hath madem me lord of all Egypt. Come
down unto me; tarry not" He thinks of
his poor cid father, wondering day by day
if Benjamin will ever return to him, little
dreaming that Benjamin will come all
right and Joseph too. And he longs to
| have his father see and share his glory.
See the longing of Jesus in John xvii, "a.
10. "And thou shalt dwell in the land
of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto
me, thou, and thy children, and thy chill
dren's children, and thy flocks, and thy
herds, and all that thou hast" Mark the
repeated NEAR unto me- of verse and this
verse and think of Israel people near unto
Jehovah ops cXlviii, l4), and of all who
were once afar off made nigh by the blood
of Jesus (Eph. ii, 13). See even the flocks
and herds included and think of all crea-
ton enjoying the great deliverance from.
viii, 2l).
IL. And there will nourish thee, for
yet there are five years of famine lest thou
and thy household and all that thou hast
come to poverty" Assurance of continued
and abundant supply for all. He who
spared not His own Son, but delivered Him
up for us all, how shall He not with Him
also freely give us all things (Rom. viii,
1922 Consider the daily rations and the
day by day without fail of ii Kings XIV,
80, and Ezra vi, 8, and let your heart re
joice.
~. And behold your eyes see, and the
eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is
my mouth that speaketh unto you" When
the disciples were troubled as Jesus Him
self stood in their midst after the resur-
rection, He said, Handle Me and see that it
is Myself duke XIV $780, Thomas
was encouraged to feel the very wounds of
Jesus John Xxx, 90. And when Jesus
shall be asked by the Jews about the
wounds in His hands He will say that He
received them in the house of His friends
! Czech. xiii, ~.
10. and ye shall tell my father of all
my glory in Egypt and of all that we have
seen, and ye shall haste and bring down
my father hither." They would have to
say when they told all they could, "Fa-
ther, we can't tell you the half of his glo-
ry' Il Kings X, y. And when they did tell
him Jacob couldn't believe it till he saw
the wagons which Joseph had sent to fetch
him THAT which we have seen and heard
declare we unto you" is the testimony of
! the anoCtlaa II .TOhn a. Act ~