The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-05-02
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
LESSON VI, SECOND QUARTER, IN
TERNATIoNAL SERIES, MAY q.
Text of the Lesson, Gen. 4, 1926
Memory Verses, 24-26-GOIden Text,
Prov. iv. 1S-COmmentary by the
Rev. ID. VI. Stearns.

II. And Joseph returned into Egypt.
he and his brethren and all that went
UP with him TO bury his father. after he
had buried his father" For seventeen
years did Jacob enjoy Joseph's presence
and care in Egypt Chapter Xvii, PSI
and died at the age of 147, having first
blessed all his sons and charged them
to bury him beside Leah in the cave Of
Machpelah, where Abraham and Sarah,
Isaac and Rebekah had already been
laid. When Jacob was dying, he, with
confidence in the promises of God,
blessed the sons of Joseph and assured
Joseph that God would bring them all
out of Egypt Heb xi, q; Gen. Xvii, 2D.
Is. "And when Joseph's brethren saw
that their father was dead they said.
Joseph will peradventure hate us and
will certainly requite US all the evil
which we did unto him. That looks
like very mean estimate of their
brother. who had so abundantly cared
for them for so many years. One cannot
read chapter xiv, Ills, without seeing
that it was pure unbelief and actually
made Joseph a liar. But it is just the
way that many Christians treat the
Lord. They cannot believe that He has
nothing against them and that He will
never mention their sins. and so they
make Him liar Il John Y. 1O.
16. And they sent a messenger unto
Joseph, saying Thy father did command
before he died. saying" y messenger s
only responsibility is to receive and de-
liver his message correctly and prompt
ly. Haggai was the Lords messenger
with the Lords message alag. i, 49,.
and the message accomplished the work.
1t is pleasure to be the Lords mes
senger and is the highest honor mortal
can here enjoy. But this messenger was
in poor employ and on a very poor er-
rand.
II. $50 shall We say unto Joseph. For
give, / pray thee now the trespass of
thy brethren and their sin This was
no new sin they were asking forgiveness
for, but the old wrong of thirty-seven
years before which had been fully for
given for over seventeen years. We
have no record that Jacob ever told his
sons thus TO appeal to Joseph. If he did,
he was as bad as they. Yet there are
Christians who, being assured of for
giveness (Eph. i, Z; l John ii, 10 are all
the time asking forgiveness for the same
old sins. No wonder Joseph wept. 1t is
enough to make Jesus weep TO be so un-
believingly regarded
Is. And his brethren also went and
fell down before his face, and they said,
Behold, we be thy servants" 1t was in
fear they came begging for that which
had long been given them. This is not
the kind Of servant Jesus expects to
find in those who have been made nigh
by His precious blood CEph. l. 49, Not
serving 10 obtain forgiveness, but serv-
ing because forgiven is the right way.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
10. And Joseph said unto them, Fear
not, for am / IN the place of God?" 1t
was against God they had sinned, and
from Him first they should have sought
forgiveness. David recognized this when
he said Against thee thee only, have
sinned and done this evil in thy sight
Ops. Ii, a.. We must seek forgiveness
from God, for all sin is against Him q
Cor. viii, 12), and then from those
against whom we have offended.
20. But as for you, We thought evil
against me, but God meant it unto good
to bring il to pass, as it is this day. TO
save much people alive" In almost
the very same words had he spoken TO
them Of this matter seventeen years be-
fore. He reminds us of Jesus, who is
the same yesterday today and forever
(Heh. xiii 81, Of Jehovah, who says, Il
am the Lord, l change not (Mal. iii, g..
p. Now therefore fear ye not. 1 will
nour1sh you and your little ones. And
he cOmforted them and spoke kindly I'M
to them" This is at least the fourth
fear not in this story (xliii, %; XVI.
3; l, 49,. The first in the bible is in
Gen. XIV, 1, and the last is Rev. /, II, or
ii, 10, but how many heart comforting
ones there are throughout the bOOki /
find constant comfort and strength in
such as 1 Sam. xxi, %; lisa. XII, 10. 10;
Joel ii, 81; Mark V, SO. We are to COM
fort others with the comfort wherewith
we ourselves are comforted of God QI
Cor. /, -; therefore 1 pass them on.
%. And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he
and his fathers house, ard Joseph lived
an hundred and ten years" He was
thirty when he first stood before Pharoah
(xli 49, so that he had eighty years oe
prosperity and honor in Egypt. He
would be about fifty-six when his father
died; therefore he lived to make good
his word to his brethren for at least
fifty years
%. ''And Joseph saw Ephraim's chill
dren Of the third genration. The chill
dren also of Machir, the son of Man
asseh, We're brought up upon Joseph's
knees" After Jobs affiiction he saw
his sons sons, even four generations
Dob xiii, 49,. 1t is one Of the blessings
of the righteous to see children's chill
dren and peace Herewith Cps. cXxviii,
81.
"a. "And Joseph said unto his breth-
rem, 1 die, and God will surely visit you
ana DTlnR you out OF lIlS lana unto the
land which He sware to Abraham, TO
Isaac and TO Jacob" This was conf
dence in God. BY faith Joseph, when
he died, made mention Of the departing
of the children of Israel ana gave COM
mandment concerning his bones CHeb.
XII, 22).
%. And Joseph took an oath of the
| children Of Isra Il, saying. God will sure
ly visit you, and ye shall carry up my
bones from hence" So when Moses led
| Israel out of Egypt he took the bones
Of Joseph, and when their wanderings
all had ceased they were buried in
Shechem CEx. viii. 10: Joshua xiv, 32j.
| Joseph might have desired such a funeral
as he gave his father and had his body
| at once buried in the land Of promise,
but he was so sure of their going up in
| due time that he was content to wait
| and let his body remain among them as
| a token of their coming deliverance.
26. so Joseph died, being an hundred
and ten years old, and they embalmed
him, and he was put in a coffin In
Egypt" Gathered unto his people
| (xlix, 3S), his body still awaits the re-
surrection of the just at the coming of
Christ q Cor. XIV. %; l Thess, iv, 49,.
These all died in faith. not having re-
ceived the promises. These all having
obtained a good report through faith re-
ceived not the promise, God having pro-
vided some better thing for us, that they
without us should not be made perfect
| (Iieb. XII, Is, 80, 40). That unburied body
was a constant sermon to the believing