The Tupelo journal., 1905-12-01

& watched thet vast
g~ranaries n 6
filed during the seven years OF plenty
was beginning to give place to graft
| tude and praise for what the governor
| Zaphnath-the name given to joseph
when he was raised to be ruler over
| the land of Pharaoh-had done.
But with the task Of gathering the
| grain completed and the ~storehouses
| placed under the control of competent
| officials, Joseph found the leisure when
he was more than once tempted to
| send or 60 back to Canaan in search
of his family. But two things made
him hesitate. One was the sense of
| the duty and obligation which rested
| upon him before Pharaoh and his Q
| of carrying Egypt through the period
of famine and again establishing the
country in ~fruitfulness and prosperity,
| and the other was the sense of the
obligation which he owed his brothers.
| He had long since forgiven them, and
now saw clearly how they had only
been working out Gods plans, but he
was wise enough to know that he and
his brothers who had so ~grievously
sinned against him and against God,
| could not be restored TO each other
until they had been brought to realize
the exceeding wickedness OF their sin
and to have repented of it. He knew
the best service he could render them
would not be to seek them out and be-
stow upon them the favors which his
position now rendered possible. And
so he had obeyed the desire to serve
| his brothers and win them back to God
rather than the impulses of his heart.
He would await Gods good time.
But if he could not go back to Ca
naan he would get as near the home
land as possible, and so he established
| one of his store cities on the border
land of the country to the east, and
| there as the first year of famine had
| drawn to it's close he had more and
more resorted, for said he: Surely,
the dearth of the land will drive my
brethren into Egypt to buy corn, and
Z will remain here lest | miss them
One day he called his chief steward
to him and said:
Egypt hath enough corn for her
own needs and those Of the countries
to the east where the famine is sore,
but lest there come strangers with
| other purpose than that of buying
grain, send all such to me that / may
know of a certainty of their business
and may protect the king and the
| country in this thing"
Now it was about this time that the
famine in the land of Canaan was be-
ing sorely felt, and in the household
| of the aged Jacob the scanty stores
were rapidly disappearing, so that the
question which was daily being asked
was: What shall we do? Where shall
we turn for food? And when word
| came from some traders returning
from Egypt that there was plenty in
that land, the aged Jacob called his
| sons to him and babe them go and buy
the needed supplies.
why do We look upon another?'
he asked, as he noted their uneasy
glances, for the mention of Egypt
brought the guilty memory of their
brother whom they had sold to their
minds. But Reuben, who had never
known what had befallen his brother.
spoke up quickly and said:
Surely, we will go as our father has
said"
YEA, get you down thither, my
sons" urged the old man, land ruy
for us from thence, that we may live
and not die"
And without further delay the ten
brothers took their departure. 1t was
4 long journey, and the fifth day had
begun ere they and their asses drew
near their journeys end. Reuben was
in the advance, leading the way, and
impatiently urged his brothers to
hasten.
"He would not be so eager to get
into Egypt" whispered Judah to the
others, did he know that it was
thither that our brother was carried
YES" responded Simeon, my heart
is filled with strange forebodings. ]
fear evil will befall us here, for yester
night in my dreams | could again hear
our brother pleading with us that we
send him not into Egypt, and as
watched him disappear there seemed
to come a hand out of Heaven pointing
at us, and l heard a voice saying: His
blood be upon thee had thought not
to tell thee, but my lips can no longer
keep back the cry of fear which arises
in my heart"
at is the accusing voice of Cod
they all exclaimed, while apprehension
and fear shone in their c~ountenances
yea dejectedly spoke up Judah
after they had ridden on in silence fol
some time, how can we expect that
God will deal well with us when we
have done SO wickedly? Surely our
brother was righteous before us. Oh
that we had not dealt with him &C
cruelly!"
TT is nc use" broke in Levi. bitter
ly, "our sin does follow us. When
think / have quoted my fears. and put
the thing way from my mind forever
it rises specter-like before me and ellis