Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1907-04-24
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson IV.-Second Quarter, For
April %, 1907.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text Of The Lesson, Gen. xxx ~
20 xl, t5-Msnory Verses, 2'' S<'
Golden Text, Rev. IL, 1o-Comnen'ars
pr.,.red bv Rev. o. AZ. Stearns.

that from Gen. Ill 10 rev. "A 'n0 W."
e,ct Is on between God and the devll
for man and his Inheritance, the eartn'
"The righteous Lord loveth righteous,
ness" Cps. xi, q, but this the ueVh
bates His work Is sin and unciean-
ness and lust and murder, ana ne ~
always after the people of God 10 Jake
them In hjs net. Too often he captures
them. and the name of the Loru ls
dishonored, but when the righteous
are oyercomers God is glorified. In
chapters xxxviii and xxx we nave
an example Of each, and in the lorher
q ,s the tribe from which our Loru
came that we see involved in the SIN,
for "our Lord sprang out OF juan
Heb vii. 14), and yet both judah anu
Tamal are mentioned In the ancestry
in Matt. 1, 3. When we have clearer
light II will be one of the surprises 10
see how fully the Holy One OF Coo
identified Himself with sinners that
He might save them by the sacrince
of Himself. Reuben, the firstborn OF
Israel. forfeited the birthright, ann'
though Judah prevailed above MS
hretbren and Of him came the cher
ruler Tor prince, the birthright was
Joseph's q Chron v, i, y.
We turn to the attractive story Oh
Joxeph and see him first as slave III
Egvnt in the house of Potiphar, an
ofieer of Pharaoh, and we read, Ine
lord was with him, and he was d
nrosperous man" (xxxix, 2, 81. what
n different thing prosperity is In the
SIGHT of God and Of man! On, that
we might see things as God sees them
and glorify Him! Notice how Pouphar
en- trusted him that he unreservedly
mt call that he had" into Joseph's
hands. and this fact Is stated nve
fines in verses to 8, with the COM
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, whicn
maketh rich and to which our Toll
| addeth nothing prov. x, %, Il. 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. III Ut
cannot lead him into sin and thus
break his fellowship with God, he VII
nersecute him for righteousness sake
and this he does and lands him II
nrison branded as a vile man. tron
being Potiphar's chief steward 10
prison what a seeming bowman
Rut read verses 21-23-"The Lord wa'
with Joseph. and that when M
did the Lord made it to prosper
Prosperous as a slave and also as
man wrongfully imprisoned!
In verse % we read that whateve
was done In the prison he was TN
doer of it, and, being faithful TO do'
there the same thing was afterwar'
true of him in all Egypt (Xl' 90
; Happy are we if our lives are so yleiu
Cd To Him that whatever is done IN o
through us He Is the doer OF IT. lie
ia weld fully to Him, as those wh
are alive from the dead Rom. vi, 10
and He will not fail to work IN u
: both 10 will and to do all His goo
Measure Phil. ii, 10; II Thess. ], l.
12: Heb. xiii, 2D. When we yieid al
trust Him to work, we must DeileV
! that He is working, no matter no
1 things seem and even though ever!
: thing seems to be against us. feai
4 are passing with Joseph, and II Is III
unlikely that the taunt OF his Drethre
J. ! ,rten came to him from the great az
: versary.
a Now mark the steps in the worklr
out of Gods plan and His using Ill
), overruling the most ordinary even
;, and His making the sin and wra'
and even unkindness Of man TO wol
= ;. out His purposes. The offenses OF u
u chief butler and the chief baker
the king Of Egypt cause them 10
'e sent to prison, and they are given
charge Of Joseph as their keeper.
the same night each Of them dreaI
re q dream which makes him sad, al
q. Joseph. noticing their sadness,
W ou,res the cause, and on being 70
ie that il was because no one couiu
Is .ernret the dream he said: do Z
2 interpretations belong to GodF L
u me vonr dreams" (verse 8. This tn
OF did The chief butler telling his III
rs and receiving from Joseph favoral
D. Interpretation, the chief baker is
q. couraged to tell his also. When =
IL semi saw the evil in store for
at baker. he did not in any way decel
II, him, but told him faithfully the int
~ probation. Any one who walks W
o' the God Of Truth cannot but speak
OF truth under all circumstances with(
,. respect of persons.
n The closing verses Of our lesson G.
~ tain n pitiful plea from Joseph to
a. chief butler showing how keenly
felt the situation, though bravely IN
= ing the best Of it and seeking TO 81
~ God in It, 1t seems almost incr
ible that for two full years this II
. gave Joseph no thought (xl, %; Kill
Z vet such is man. Compare Eccies.
IL Is. and say honestly before Goo
ie. ron are in no way forgetful OF +
or Of the suffering ones for Wi
VS. Jesus died and to whom He expects
full TO tell the good tidings. To be foFi
Dr. ten by those to whom we have D
'oI, kind is indeed grievous, b~ W
'e' shall he said of those who know
al. kindness of God and refuse to 10
ne II known to others?
dis
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