The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-05-03
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTEE LESSON TOI
MAY q.
Lesson reJt: "Joseph's Last Days.
Genfsis l., tt-26 -- Golden
Text: Prov. w.. rs
Commentary.

him To bury his father. after he had buried
his father" For seventeen years did lnrob
enjoy Joseph's pres-nr. and care IN Egypt
(rhspier xivii.. 2sl and died nt the agr oi
lt,. having nrst hlpsspi nil his sons RnI
charged then to bury him beside T. 'ah in the
cave OF 'Machpelan. whore Abraham aud
Sarah. nc aud Eebeksb. had ALREADY been
i1d. When Jsrob vas dying hp. with con.
td"nce In the promises OF God. hles-rd IN"
sons OF Joseph. and assured Joseph thnt 60
! would bring thcm all out ot Egypt tHeb
~. ~ Geu. xlviii.. 2D
Is. And when jOssph's brethren saw that
their fatber was dead they said, Jo-aph will
peradventure hate us and will certainly rs-
uuiie us all tho evil which we did unto him"
That looks like v'ry mean estimate of their
hro'her, who had so freely and luliv forgiven
them and bad so abundantly cared Tor them
! ior so MANY yeara. One cannot read chap
ter XIV. Ills, without seeing that " was pure
unhelief and actually made Joseph u liar.
But II Is just the way that many Chr,stians
treat ths Lord Tney cnunot believe that
| He has nothing against tb-m aud that He
VIII never mention their sins and 50 they
make Him liar II John =, 10Y
l6 Ant they sent n messenger unto
| Joseph. saying. Thy father LID commnui be
lore he died. saying messengers only
| responsibility ~ to rcceiVs aud deliver his
message correctly and promptly. H,vgai
| was the Tord's messenger with the Lords
message (Hnr. t.. l3\, and the mes~nge ne
/ ronplished the work. II is "a plrasur" TO he
| tho Lords messenger and ~ the highest
honor u mortal can hers enjoy. But this
messenger was in poor employ and on very
poor errHnd.
| II. $50 shall w. say unio Jo4erh. Forgive,
| pray thee now. the trsspas. ot thy brrth-
| rem and their sIr. This was no new sin
| they were asking forgiveness for. hGt the old
! wrong of thirty. years before which hal
been fully forgiven for over seventeen
yrars. We hays no record that Jacob ever
! told his sons thus To- appeal to Joseph. II he
did. he was ~ bad ~ they Yet there ARE
! Chr stians who, being assured Of forgive
ness (Eph. T., :; | John H.. l2), arr all IN"
tune asking forgiveness for the sam" odd
sins. No wonder cseph wrpt. II IL enough
to make Jesus weep to be- so uubelieyingly
regarded.
ls. And his brethren also went aud feil
down before his iace. and they said. Brtold.
| We bs thy servants" IL was in lear they
came. begging for that which hal long ago
been given then. rhs Is not the kind q;
| servant Jesus expects TO iind IN those who
| hays been made nigh by HiS precious blood
! tEph. t.. 13l. Not serving to obtain forgive
ness but serving because forgiven. ~ the
right way. Serve the Lord with gIudness
10. And Joseph said unit them. Fear not J..
for am In the place OF God II was against
| God they had -nned, AMI from Him first
| they should have sought forgiveness. David
| Thee only, have sinned Hnd done ths rNll
| in Thy sight CPs H.. A.. We must seek for
g,veness from God. Tor all ain il against Him
Il Cor. viii.. Ia. and then from tho,, against
whom Wa have offended.
20 "But as for you. yethought eyilaganst
me-, but God meant IL unto goo | to bring 1t
to- pass ~ il is this day, to save much peo-
Pile alive" In almost the very same words
| had h. spoken TO thsm OF this matter ssyen-
teen years before. II. reminds us OF Jesus
who IL the same Yesterday. to-day and Tor
ayer (Heb. xiii. -. OF Jenovsb. who says,
"i am the Lord, I change not Nal. Ill, o..
~ NOW therefore fear ye not. | will
| nourish you anl your little ones. And NJ"
comiorted them ani spONs kindly unto
them This is ut least IN. fourth fear no.
IN this story xiii, - Slyi. . !. 49,. The
first in tn. Btple is in Gen. Nv. /, aud tn"
last is Rev. j.. II, or IT,. 10. but how many
heart mtorting ones there are throughout
tho book find constant comfort and
atrcngth In such as Sam. xxi, - lsh. En.,
10, 10 joel H., 81 Mars v, %. W" are To-
comfort others with the comfort wherewtth
We ourselves are romiotted of Got II Cor.
t., - thersioes pass them uu
%. "And Joseph dw.lt IN Egypt. h" and
his father house. aud Joseph lIyei an hun
drsd aud ten years He was thirty wnru he
first stood b.iore Pharoah tXi.. 40 - that
he had eighty years OF prosperity AMI honor
in Egypt. He would b" about nitN--iN when
good his word TO his brethren for az least
hhyyeurs.
%. "Amd Joseph saw Ephrhim's chlir"n
ot the third generation. tn" children also
OF Machir. the son OF Mann,>rn. were brought
M apon Jo--ph's knees Ar"rJoo's ah'ir-
tlon ne saw hts sons son,, 80 ~ iodr g"nrrd
tions dob slii., l6l. II j. one ~ IN" bleS--
inss OF the righteous to- 80" "h,'dr"n's "htl-
dr-n aud peace Herewith tP>. rNNyiit,, o..
"a. And Joseph said unto his brethren,
die, aud God will surely vi-t you hni br'nc
YOU out OF this land unto the iaui whIrh He
~ware To Abranam. ia lsatc ami To- Jacob.
Inis was confidence IN God, IN latn
Joseph when he died. made mention ~ the
departing Of the children o. Israel and gave
commandment concerning his bones Heb.
Nj. 22l.
%. 'Anl Joseph TOOK an oatu o. IN" "nll'
drpu OF Israel. saying, cot Wit e1~'N visit
. | YOU, aud We snal carry up my bones lrnl
n.nre." so when Moses lei Israel out p'
Z Egypt he took the houses q, JoS"pH, an'
when their wandering, all had "ra~"d thrN
: were buried in Shs'nem tx. XIII, ~
; Joshua XIV. 32l. Joseph ml;ht hoT" It"
sired such a mnrra! ~ he gav" hi. lAtn"I
and mad his DO Is ~ once buried IN the lan'
: OF promise. but he wts 50 sure ot their gotn-
up in due time that n wds content 10 wii
and let M, ho ~ rrnaiu among th"m n, O
token ptth"ir coming dehTerancr.
90. $50 Joseph died, being an hundred an
ten year9 old. ani they embllmnd him, an,
, he was put in n roflin IN Egypt" Gatn"rnD
unto his people xix. 33l, his body sill
awaits the resurrection OF the LSt AT thu
coming OF Christ II Cor. KY, % In""S
w., l6). These all died IN iaiih, no
having received the promises. lhes
all having obtained good report throu;i
faith received not the promisr God hayln.
{ provided some better thing Tor ~. that the!
' without MS should not be made perfe"t Hen
xi 10. 80, 40). That unbured body was