Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1907-04-28
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,

IHE SUNDAY SCHUUL,
Lesson IV.-Second Quarter, For
April 20, 1907.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text of the Lesson, Gen. xxx, 20,
to XII, 15-Memory Verses, Fl, q.
Golden Text, Rev. ii, 10-Commentary
Prepared by Rev. D. M. Stearns.
copyright, 1907, by American Press Association. ]
1t will help us to ever keep in mind
that from Gen. i'll to Rev. XXX the con-
flict is on between God and the devil
for man and his Inheritance, the earth.
1.-The righteous Lord lOveth righteous
ness Ops. Xi, y, but this the devil
hates. His work is sin and unclean-
ness and lust and murder, and he is
always after the people of God to take
them in his net. Too often he captures
them, and the name Of the Lord is
dishOnOred, but when the righteous
are Overcomers God is glorified. In
chapters Xxxviii and xxx we have
an example Of each, and in the former
it is the tribe from which our Lord
came that we see involved in the sin,
for "our Lord sprang out Of Judah
Heb vii IA, and yet both Judah and
Tamal are mentioned in the ancestry
in Matt j. 3. When we have clearer
light it will be one of the surprises to
see how fully the Holy One of God
identified Himself with sinners that
He might save them by the sacrifice
of Himself. Reuben, the firstborn of
Israel, forfeited the birthright, and,
though Judah prevailed above his
brethren and of him came the chief
ruler Tor prince, the birthright was
Joseph's q Chron. V, /, ..
We turn to the attractive story of
Joseph and see him first as slave in
Egypt in the house of Potiphar, an
officer of Pharaoh, and we read, The
Lord was with him, and he was Il
prosperous man" (XXXix, ., -. What
a different thing prosperity is in the
sight of God and of man. Oh, that
we might see things as God sees them
and glorify Him! Notice how Potiphar
so trusted him that he unreservedly
put "all that he had" into JOseph's
hands, and this fact is stated five
w. A tn witt
ment that from the time Potiphar did
this the blessing of the Lord was up
On his house and all that he had.
There is nothing that can compare
with the blessing Of the Lord which
maketh rich and to which our toll
addeth nothing prov. X, %, r. v,
margin). and perhaps there is nothing
which the devil hates more, for see
now his anger at Joseph, through
whom all this blessing came. If he
cannot lead him into sin and thus
break his fellowship with God, he will
prosecute him for righteousness sake,
and this he does and lands him In
prison branded as a vile man. From
being Potiphar's chief steward to a
prison = what seeming downfall!
But read verses 21-23-"The Lord was
with Joseph, and that which he
did the Lord made it to prosper"
Prosperous as slave and also as a
man wrongfully imprisoned!
In verse 30 we read that whatever
was done in the prison he was the
doer of it, and, being faithful to God
there, the same thing was afterward
true of him in all Egypt xii, so.
Happy are we if our lives are so yield
ed to Him that whatever is done in or
through US He is the doer of it. Let
us yield fully to Him, as those who
are alive from the dead Rom. vi, 49,,
and He will not fail to work in US
both to will and to do all His good
pleasure phil. ii, 10; II Thess. /, IL,
u; Heb. xiii 21). When we yield and
trust Him to work, we must believe
that He is working, no matter how
things seem and even though every
thing seems to be against us. Years
are passing with Joseph, and it is not
unlikely that the taunt of his brethren
often came to him from the great adj
versary.
Now, mark the steps in the working
out of Gods plan and His using and
oyerruling the most ordinary events
and His making the sin and wrath
and even unkindness of man to work
out His purposes The offenses Of the
chief butler and the chief baker of
the king of Egypt cause them to be
sent to prison, and they are given in
charge of Joseph as their keeper. On
the same night each of them dreams
a dream which makes him sad, and
Joseph, noticing their sadness, in
quires the cause, and on being told
that it was because no one could in
terpret the dream he said: do not
interpretations belong to God? Tell
me your dreams" Verse g. This they
did The chief butler telling his first
and receiving from Joseph favorable
Interpretation, the chief baker is en-
couraged to tell his also. When Jo-
seph saw the evil in store for the
baker, he did not in any way deceive
him. but told him faithfully the inter
probation. Any one who walks with
the God of Truth cannot but speak the
truth under all circumstances without
respect of persons. 4