The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1907-04-25
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
MENTS FOR APRIL %, BY
THE REV.I.W. HENDERSON.

Subject: Joseph Faithful in Prison.
Gen. 80: 2O-4O:15--Golden Text:
Rev. 2:1O - Memory Verses,
Fl, %.
The Midianites take Joseph with
them into Egypt He is sold to new
master, Potiphar, the captain of the
guard of Pharaoh. God wonderfully
Dlesses all the work to which he lays
his hands. He gains the confidence
and the esteem of Potiphar. He IL
made the head servant in the cap
tafn's household. Fidelity to hts
trust In the face of opportunities for
evil against which few men in a like
capacity would have been proof lands
him In prison. There is no justice I'm
his condemnation. But into the dun
geon they send him upon the unsup-
ported testimony of an unworthy
woman
In the prison the greatness of
Gods providence and of Joseph's
character receive further demonstra-
ton. Joseph is supremely blessed.
God prospers whatever he under
takes to accomplish. AS for Joseph
he wastes no time in idle condemna-
ton of the hardness of his lot. He
wastes no time cursing God for allow
ing him to become enmeshed in such
terrible net. The dream in which
he had as a boy found an egotistic
delight sustains him and comforts
him as man. He Is confident of the
blessing and the providence of God in
the face of this severest trial God
had delivered him out of the hands
of intending murderers and had
spared his life. He had raised him to
position of power in the household
of captain of an Egyptian guard.
The God who had delivered him be-
fore and had endowed him with sue
cess still lived. Why should he mourn
or berate?
Joseph played the man. He was
faithful to God. He retained a lively
consciousness of Gods fidelity to him,
He never relinquished his belief in
the divine leading and the divine
providence. And his rectitude was
recognized. He became as powerful
In the prison as he had been in the
home. His integrity was taken for
granted. In all likelihood his inno-
cence was assumed though he was
not released.
Faithfulness to God made all this
possible. God blessed him because
he was worthy of the blessing.
Joseph was able to resist the wiles OF
Potiphar's wife because he had a re-
alization of the duty he owed to God
and to Potiphar. He was able to be
cheerful and obedient and tactful in
prison because he had faith in God
and was faithful to Him.
1t takes a man to be faithful to
God in the face of the difficulties that
confronted Joseph. But it is the man
who is faithful in the midst of the
shadows of life who is worthiest of
the blessings that come when sun
shine floods the soul. Joseph had
ample excuse, if he had been anxious
| for any, to find fault. He was not to
blame for the unwise love that his
| father, showed him. He had done
nothing particularly criminal. though
he may have been bit foolish, to
warrant the slavery into which he
had been sold. He might have re-
viled the character of that justice
! that would Jail man for desiring to
be pure in life. He might have torn
! his hair and beaten his head against
| plated his predicament. But he did
nothing of the sort. He did none of
| those things that naturally we should
have expected man in his condition
! to do. He was simply faithful.
And his faithfulness is the lesson
| we had best learn. The Golden Text
says: BE thou faithful unto death
and I will give thee a crown of life"
That is an invitation and promise.
1t is an invitation to the exercise of
those qualities of manhood that are
noblest and truest and best. Without
fa1thfulness we should be sorry peo-
| pie. Without faithfulness,. fidelity.
constancy to purpose and responsible
ity the world would cease to pro-
gress. Faithfulness is at the bottom
OF all human progress, just as truly
as 1t is an element in the divine char
acter. Eliminate faithfulness from
the human character and commercs
will cease, knowledge wifi vanish
away. morality will be destroyed, re-,
ligion will be no more. With faith
fulness as a motive in the lives OF
men and of nations, humanity will
prosper, and it will go from glory
unto glory in every sphere Of its ac-
tivity.
Further, we are invited to the ex.
ercise OF our capacity for faithfulness
In our relations with God. Faithful
ness not only for the moments and
the days, but faithfulness for tho
span of the life that God in His provi-
dence permits to us upon the earth.
God wants us to be continuously, not
internationally. faithful He desires
constancy.
The Golden Text also offers us u
promise, the most precious promise
that loving God can make to men.
Il will give thee a crown of life."
That is the reward for continuous
faithfulness in our relationships in
this life. 1t should be the endeayor
OF every soul to attain it. The God
who inspired Joseph is the same God
who makes this gracious promise to
us. The God who rewarded the faith,
fulness OF Joseph in this life is the
God who promises that the result OF
our faithfulness here shall not fail us
hereafter. Shall we not trust Him9
Shall wQ not ha foifbfr1 ~ IT.