Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-04-28
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON V, SECOND QUARTER. INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, APRIL %.

Ae1t u the LessuHr Gen- XIV l-t3-Mem-
DRY Verses. s-5-Golden Text, Luxe xvii.
5-commentary by the Rev. d. III.
stearns.
1. There stood no man with him, while
Joseph mads himself known to his breth-
rem The seven years of famine had be-
gun, and not only all Egypt, but all u
tries, came to Joseph to buy corn xii, Sc.
SD Ten of Joseph's brethren, ait 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 O 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 IL had dinei with
Joseph. being seated ut table according to
their ages, much to their surprise, for as
yet they knesv him not.
2. 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 ~wecpings Of Joseph in chapters xiii,
"a; xiii. so: xiv, 9, II; XVI. %; ], l, IL.
3. And Joseph said unto his brethren,
/ am Joseph. Doth my father yet lives''
Is it any wonder that they were troubled
and could not answers How wildly would
rome 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 nowh he has already been return
ing them good for evil while at the same
time leading them to repentance. II must
be all true, for who but Joseph could know
their ages SO as to arrange them at tables
t-1 T~.-t-..1 - r 80
Come near to me, ! pray you. And they
came near. And he said, l 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 a~llusion to their guilt. l.
is all true. and after so long u time tfeir
sin has found them out Mum. xxi. 2al.
s. Snow therefore be not grieved nor
angry with yourselves that We sold M
hither, for God did send me before you to
preserve life. lie maketh the wrath of
man to praise Him FPS. lxxvi, t0), and 10
seph had grace To see. not the hatred OF hi~
brethren, bnt the guiding hand Of God. Ii
is possible for US to see God in everything
and believe and rejoice Ia Rom. viii, ~,
20.
vs. 4ti tiNoGtNO 1fItr Ifttu tue ttln ne
been In the land. aud vet there are 1--WE
years, in the which there shall neither lie
curing nor harvest As truly as there
had been seven years of plenty, so surely
would there be seven years Of famine. .To-
seph simply believed God-he had no other
mems Of knowing. abraham believed
God" Let our souls say, al believe God'i
(Jas. ii, 23; Acts xvii. 25l.
NApd (aD1 cont mo hnforo NO,. o., pra
serve you II posterity in the earth and to
save your lives by a great deliyerauce.''
How suggestive it all is of Jesus hated,
sold, rejected. slain, yet still alive, a great
deliverer, the only delivcrer, and ere long
now He will say to the uatlon of Israel,
II am Jesus, your brother, whom We cru
Gifted. They shall see Him and mourn
bitterly and welcome Him tZech. xii, 10;
xiii, y Many individual Jews are now
seeing and receiving Him by faith, but
soon II will be all Israel.
5, 5 now it was not you that sent me
hiticr, but God Joseph gives God all the
glory for making him "A 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 (John xix. IN We may
all believe that nothing can come 10 MS
without God.
y. Haste We and go up to my father and
say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph,
God hath made me lord of all Egypt. Come
down unto me; tarry not He thinks OF
his poor cid father, wondering day by day
II Bepilnlin 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 fiocks, and thy
herds, md ell that thou hast. Mark the
repeated ''near unto me- Of verse 4 and this
verse and think Of Israel a people near unto
Jehovah FPS. cx1viii, 40, and of all who
were once afar off made nigh by the blood
of Jesus (Flph. ii, 18). See even the nocks
and herds included and think of all crea-
tion enjoying the great deliverance (Rom.
viii, Ply.
II. 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, "a Assurance of continued
and abundant supply for all. He who
spared not Ills own Son, but delivered Him
up for MS all. how shall lie not with Him
also freely give us all things from. viii,
32)s Consider the daily rations and the
day by day without fail of II Kings XIV,
30, and Ezra vi, Q, and let your heart re
ioice,
i2. "And behold your eyes see, and the
eyes of my brother B~enjsmin. 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-
%rcction, He said, Handle Me and see that II
is Myself duke xiv. $780, Thomas
was encouraged to feel the very wounds Of
Jesus (John *, 27). 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, G).
ID. And ye shall tell my father Of all
my glory in Egypt and Of all that We have
seen, and yc 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 Clio
ry" Il Kings X, u And when they did tell
him Jacob couldn't believe it till he saw
the wagons which Joseph bad sent to fetch
him. That which we have seen and heard
peciirt VIC unto you Is tne testimony OF
the apostles Il John /, 8; Acts iv. 20).
IA, Is. "And lie fell upon his brother
Benjamin's neck and wept. And Bonia,
min wept upon his neck. Moreover, be
kissed all his brethren and wept upon
them. and after that his brethren talked
With him." What assurance of forgive
Aess! What tears Of JOY on the part Of 10
seph and of Benjamin. But did the 9th
aa- .~..rg H. --.--l H. n
pent mp sometimes come afterward. Jo-
seph's heart is full as be gives Of his bonn
ty to his father and his brethren. What
wondrous grace to these brethren, and yet
how small when compared with the grace
of our Lord jesus Christine grace nv
which We are saved, in which we stand
and the full revelation Of which we still
wait for (Eph. ii, s; Rom. v, 9; | Pet. i, 13).