Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-10
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR HOUR
Conducted by
Mrs. GRACE LIVINGSTON HILL.

and they brought him hastily out of tho
dungeon: and he shaved himself, and
changed his raiment, and came in unto
Pharaoh.
10. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, have
dreamed dream. and there is none that
can interpret it: and l nave heard say of
thee, that thou canst understand a dream
to interpret it.
16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh. say-
ing, it is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh
an answe" of peace.
A.. And Pharaoh took off his ring from
his hand. and put it upon Joseph's hand.
and arrayed him in vesture of fine linen,
and put a gold CHI, ain about his neck:
AZ. And he made him to ride in the sec
ond chariot which he had: and they cried
be fore him. bow the knee: and he made
him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
A. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, / ana
Pharaoh. and without thee shall no man
lift up his hand or foot in all the land OF
Egypt.
45 And Pharaoh called Josephs name
Zaphnath- Paaneah: and he gave him to
wife Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah.
priest of On. And Joseph went out over all
the land of Egypt.
46. And Joseph was thirty 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.
The character of Joseph stands out in
clear relief against the blackness of those
about him. From the time when ne was a
little boy surrounded by his BLACKBOARD
brothers, even through the years of alter
nate Egyptian petting and imprisonment,
he had been in long training of humility.
God knew the nature he had chosen to do
His great work in Egypt. and just the
schooling that it needed He gave to Jo-
God could not be shut out from his soul,
and that his own strength was nothing.
Even behind the bars he was permitted to
interpret to others the revelations from
heaven. His long continued confinement in
the cell even after he had cause to hope
that the chief butler would speak a word
in his behalf, had not soured him nor
caused him to grow sullen and angry with
his God, as some might have done when
their punishment seemed all unjust. He
seems to have had just sunny a trust in
the fulfllment, sometime. of his own reve-
la tion that God would establish him above
others as if he had been free all these
years. His trust. in its way. was
marked the faith of Abraham.
But above al other characteristics which
the study of this Scripture brings out is
the humble way in which Joseph received
all opportunities to be great, and the whole
sculed eXaltation of God. Quietly, as If hs
had been doing it every day. he seems to
have gone from the prison cell when he was
called not TO have omitted any of the little
Pharaoh's presence He knows not what
this day may bring forth for himself.
whether freedom more prison walls, or
even death perhaps. Yet he does not spend
his thoughts. apparently, In how he may
best show forth his skill in divination and
prove to Pharaoh that he is wiser and more
Indispensable to him than all the soothsay
and divinSrS whose bushes 1t is to in
terpret dreams for the king. He has pre-
pared no pretty speeches, nor cunningly de-
vsed arts to win his way to freedom. All
hope that he might stand at the head of
Interpretation in the kingdom he calmly
laid aside with his first words: 1t is not
in me; God shall give Pharaoh an answer
OF peace
The question is. how many modern Chris
tians, given d chance like that, would have
refrained from clarifying themselves just a
little and magnlfying their own Importance!
Is there not Self-importance which comes
to many of Gods messengers as soon as
their nelp is asked which overtops and in
some cases completely dominates the mes
sage? 1t may be that this explains why so
many Christian workers fail either OF re-
suits or of attaining high places. God
knows in whose hands He may safely place
His work. He has prepared His workers.
some through sorrow, some through i'm
prisonment, some through bondage in a far
land, but to none who seek to help them
selves at the expense of the glory OF God
does He give the greatest honors in His
kingdom, either in this world in that
which is to come No verse in the Bible
we more commonly see made true in life
than He that loseth his life shall find it,
1t is marvellous to read of the rise of Jo-
seph Yet one almost knows that Joseph
did not care for the gold chain and the fine
linen some men would have cared, and
not for all the rides the second chariot in
the kingdom could give him-or even the
first chariot-would he have done one un-
worthy act, have taken to himself ray
of the glory that belonged to his God.
There is one noticeab BILE thing about JO-
seph's elevation and that is that there seems
to have been no jealousy or trouble result
ing from it. He goes about Egypt doing the
work the king has set for him. regulating
the food supply, Strengthening out the af-
fairs of the Kingdom, and does not seem to
stir up strife nor envy as would be natural
to suppose when alien-a prisoner-haS
been elevated to such post of honor and
all are commanded to bow the knee to him.
Il is not because of Joseph's very humility
and his constant giving of the glory to his
God that the people held him in such awe
and reverence, and he was able to admins
ter the kings affairs so wisely. Have We
not all seen Christian workers, though they
are rare, who apparently forget themselves
entirely in the work they doing for
God, and so completely reflect the character
and will of their Master in their faces that
all who come in contact with them think,
not of them, but of the God whom they rep
resent Such ever successful in their
work and loved by all who come near them.
Applied Truth
In Caius College Cambridge. there are
three SateWayS IN succession. ne nlSt IS
called Humlitatis; the next, Virtutis; the
third, which opens toward the Senate
House, Honoris. Not in vain did fore
fathers make these cmblems of under
graduates progress; and happy would it
be if every youth entered by the gate of
humility, to pass through the gate of Chris
ton virture, that he might come forth in
the highest sense to that of honor. r. +.
Walker.
1t is told of the famous DR.. Milne that
when ii desired TO send a missionary
to China he declined by the committee
as being too rustic for missionary. Some
one suggested that he might go as a SER
want. When he was told Of the objection
to him and asked if he would go as
servant he replied with bright smile.
Yes sir. most certainly: am willing to do
anything. that l am in the work. To
be a newer of wood and drawer of water,
is too great an honor for me, when the
Lords house is building
How to Help the Leader.-Speak of the
way in which Joseph was prepared for the
high place the king gave him. and how it
may be that the narrow. confined lives of
some Christians are just a preparation for
a greater place God has for them.
Parallel ssagesAGenesis -40:S; Psalms
1873 Il; Psalms 25:14; Psalms SSH; Psalms
- Matthew