Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-04-20
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON ", 3ecoN0 QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SeRl1j, APRIL 81.

3S. And Pharaoh said unto his servants,
Can we find such one IA this, man in
whom the Spirit of God isS" Very varied
and full of trial had been the 10 years or
more Of Joseph's life since his brethren
sold him to the Midianites, and several of
them had been passed in prison through the
lying of n wicked woman. As we see him
now he has just been brought from the
prison to interpret, if he can, to Pharaoh
his double dream. Discaiming all power
to do so of himself Verse l6), 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 unto Joseph, For
asmuch AS God hath showed thee all this
there is none 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 he who had just been brought
from prison might be of any service, but
Gods set time to favor Joseph had come
The dreams of long ago are on the way to
fulfllment wherefore 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
Pile 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 putteth down one
and setteth up another Dps. lxxv, 6, y. He
bringeth low and lifteth up Il Sam ii, y
There is a good story of from prison to a
throne in II Kings XIV, 81 30, but that was
simply deiverance not rulership.
Al. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph. See
have set thee over all the land of Egypt. 3"
Joseph put it Il little differently and more
correctly when he said. God hath made
me lord of all Egypt (chapter xiv, o. Hap
ply are those who recognize His band i'm all
the events of life. We may seq the visible
fundamentally, or look back of it all and
see only God. Moses endured AS seeing
Him who is invisible (IIeb. 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 gold chain about his neck" So
did the king to Mordecai (Est viii, l5) and
Belshazzar to Daniel dan. V, 20). The soul
that is redeemed by the blood of Jesus can
truly say, He brought me up also out of
an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and
set my feet upon IA rock and established my
goings;" ale hath clothed me with the
garments of salvation He hath covered me
with the robe of Righteousness" "lic hath
made me king aud priest unto God, and
Shall reign on the earth" Ops. ri, 2: lisa
Xxi, 10; Rev. V, l0).
43. And he made him to ride in the sec
ond chariot which he had, and they cried
before him, Bow the knee and he made
him ruler over all the land of Egypt" 10
seph's humiliation, although wholly unde
served could not be said to be voluntary:
but Jesus BUNDLED Himself and became
obedient unto the death of the Gro IS, where
fore God hath highly exalted Him and
given Him name which is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow phil. ii, S-l0). If we have the
mind of Christ we will cheerfully humble
ourselves unto the death of self for His
sake.
A. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, am
Pharaoh and without thee shall no man
lift up his hand or foot in all the land of
Egypt" OF Jesus it is written that all
things were created by Him and for Him.
and that in Him we live and move and
have our being (Col. i, Is; Acts xvii. 2S). 1t
is TO he feared that Of some of us it might
be said, THE God in whose hand thy breath
is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou
not glorfiedY" Dan. " 23) IT, as His re
deemed, we would only allow the fact to
grasp us that we are to sit with Him on
His throne (Rev. iii, 2l), we would walk
more worthy of our high calling.
40. And Pharaoh called Joseph's name
Zaphnath- paaneah, ami he gave him TO wife
Asenath, the daughterof Potipherah, priest
of On. And Joseph went out over all the
land of Egypt" The margin says that this
new name of Joseph means "Revealer of
( Secrets" but in Young's concordance it is
said to mean Savior of the World" Both
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 amos iii, y. That he should receive
an Egyptian wife during the period of his
/ brethrens hatred and rejection is suggest
i've of the fact that when Israel shall again
see Jesus they will find that during the
time of His re ecton 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 the presence
of Pharaoh and went Throughout all the
land of Egypt" Jesus was about 30 years
old when He began His public work duke
III, 23). Daniel and his friends at prob
ably much younger age are said TO have
stood before the king DAN i, 49, But nei
Their Jesus nor Daniel nor Joseph stood be.
fore man as much as they stood before God
They were like Elijah, who said, THE Lord
God of Israel liveth, before whom stand"
Il Kings xvii, u. When we learn to stand
more in the presence of God, we will be bet
ter qualified to stand before men.
A. And in the seven plenteous years the
earth brought forth by handfuls." "What
God is about to do He sheweth unto Pha
raoh," were the words of Joseph as he in
terpreted the dreams Verse 2S) So we see
in these years of prosperity the hama of the
Lord for good. 1t was His blessing upon
lsrael's land which in the sixth year made
II bring forth fruit for three years Q.ev.
XIV, 81. The blessing of the Lord it
maketh rich, and toll addeth nothing there.
to prov. X, %, r. W.