The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1907-04-25
JOSEPH FAITHFUL.
in PRISON
Sunday School Lesson for April %, 1907
Specially prepared for this paper.

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LESSON TExT.-Gen. 1920; 4o-1b; mem-
ory verses. 21-22
GOLDEN TExT.-"Be thou faithful un-
to death, and I will give thee a crown of
life. REV. 2:10.
TIME.-Thirteen years y. c. I729-171s
CUssher). Ten in slavery and three In
prison.
PLACE.-'Tt is not certainly known in
what city Of Egypt Potiphar dwelt. Ira
dition has fixed on On, called by the
Greeks Heliopolis (the City Of the SUM
as the scene alike of Abrsham's visit to
Egypt, Of Joseph's captivity, and OF the
education IL not the birth of Moses. 9th
ers. and with more apparent probability,
regard Zoan or Tanis. near the land OF
Goshen. ~ the abode Of Pharaoh."-
Biaikis.
Comment end Suggestive Thought.
The Dark Cloud Of siavery.-Gen.
39:1-6. I'm the anguish of his soul,
Joseph was carried away past his IA
TIERS green valley and deep we'll. past
HE mothers grave, past the very
home at Hebron. on the distant
heights. ."-Tomkins. The lad must
have thought, with keen grief, Of his
father and Leah and Dinah. In their
dark, shady tents behind those hills.
and OF the little red-cheeked, laugh
ing Benjamin running out and in
Bird. Put yourself In Joseph's
place. The fondling Of his father;
with servants to wait on his every
wish; and now, lashed to the side Of
a wagon In a slave caravan, and with
the vhistling whip OF his Ishmaelite
owner laid on his shoulder.
The Dark Cloud Of TemptatIon.--
Gen. 39:7-t2. In Pouphsr's house Jo-
seph was exposed to the sorest
temptation that can befali any one
to sin and prosper rather than resist
and uf1er."-9eikie. Joseph's is the
history OF man who kept his heart
pure and tender. and who thereby
gained that wisdom which comes only
to the pure In heart."-Charles Kings-
ley.
Light from the CIoud.-1., How
brightly shone Joseph's character In
the presence Of this shameful propos-
al! His answer at once took the
highest ground: GD recognizing the
fact that the deed would be a sin
against God. and (2) that It would
be base treachery toward his kind
master. And SO he did the best thing
possible, he ran away from the tempt
resa though he must leave his
coat In her hands. 1T Is better to
lose a good coat than q good con-
science. e."-Matthew Henry.
IT.. n.rL NI.,a - CI.nA..
39:13-19. On Joseph's refusal of Poti-
phar's wife, "the rapid change In her
feeling illustrates Milton's keen OBJ
servation that lust dwells hard by
hate '"-Dods. Her shameless ac-
cusation of Joseph to her husband was
the harder for him to bear because
she accused him with the very sin
that he had refused to commit. This
abominable Misrepresentation, to the
master who had trusted him so i'm
pllcitly, was the darkest cloud that
ever hung over Joseph.
Light from the cloud.-It is most
striking to see how Joseph, out of
pity for his master, refralned from ac-
cusing the wicked woman. More
men could be found who could thus
have spoken to Potiphars wife than
who could have kept silent when ac-
cused by Potiphar. For his purity you
will find his equal, one among thou
sand; for his mercy. scarcely ONE
Expositors Bible.
The Dark Cloud Of Imprisonment
V. 20. "And Joseph's master put
him into prison" THAT he did not
at once order him to capital pun
ishment could only be because he
had not the power of putting slaves
to death. h."-Blaikie. Or, perhaps Poti-
phar did not really believe his wife's
accusations. But. at any rate, Jo-
seph's lot was terrible. Psa. 105: IS
speaks of the fetters and chains, en-
tering into his flesh. In Gen. 40: Is
Joseph speaks of the prison, literally,
as hole"
The Dark Cloud of Neglect.-Vs.
5-15. v. 5. "They dreamed dream both
of them" 1T is not surprising that
three nights before Pharaoh's birth.
day these functionaries of the court
should have recalled In sleep the
parts they themselves used to play
in the festival. Bible.
v. 8. There is no interpreter" I'm
Egypt 1t was the business of men
trained for the purpose. called in Gen.
AIS masicians and wise men, to In.
terpret dreams, and to such the butler
and the baker could have no access
from their prison. ."-Ellicott. do not
interpretations belong to God?" A
glimpse of Joseph's real humility.
Loyalty to Jehovah In that heather
land. he made essentially the same re-
ply when asked by Pharaoh to in
terpret his dream two years later.
(Gen. 41:16).
Note that "Joseph's willingness TO
interpret the dreams of his fellow
prisoners proves that he still believed
In his own, that among his other quail.
tiles he had this characteristic also of
n steadfast and nrofound soul that H.