The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-17

how the remembrance of their cruelty
toward their brother Joseph harassed
the evil-doers long years after. Our
Golden Text seems to lay down a prin-
ciple. Whatsoever anybody sows in
telligenetly will bring harvest of sim
liar kind.
The famine-stricken region included
Palestine. Word spread that there
was no lack of food in Egypt and that
corn of the old stock was sold there at
moderate prices. Jacob directed his
sons, men of families. to go down to
Egypt and purchase wheat.
AS strangers. they We're directed to
Joseph. Through an interpreter, he in
quired whether they were spies, COM
ing to see how much corn there was in
Egypt that they might bring an army
to steal it. They explained truthfully.
Joseph then inquired about Jacob and
Benjamin. Finally he put Simeon into
prison, and sent the others home with
corn. telling them that they would need
more and might have it, provided that
they brought their youngest brother
with them.
The guilty consciences of the breth-
rem connected these experiences with
their own wrong course in the past.
They said to one another, I'VE are
verify guilty concerning our brother,
when we saw the anguish of his soul,
when he besought US and We would
not hear: therefore is this distress
come upon us They knew not that
Joseph understood them, but he with
drew and wept His heart was not
hard. He was merely giving them
profitable lesson.
Many Stripes and Few Stripes.
When Jacobs sons arrived with the
wheat, they told their experience to
their father. Moreover, they were per-
picked to find that the money paid for
in
Their minds continually reverted to
the crime of years ago. Many times
had they 1-aped crops of sorrow and
surmisings respecting what God might
not exact from them in the nature of
trouble. similar to what they had
brought upon Joseph.
How advantage it would be if this
principle We're generally recognized
that every trespass must receive just
recompense of reward We have lost
such an appreciation of justice and
such a looking for retribution because
of very false doctrine which prevails.
That false doctrine ascribes only one
punishment for every sin, and that an
unthinkable one-eternal torment. Few
really believe that doctrine or are
really influenced by it. Its monstrosity
makes it unbelievable, and turns the
mind aside from the proper view of the
punishments which God has foretold.
Humanity cannot improve upon the
Divine arrangement. Hence all Chris
tians should begin afresh to tell the
world of both the justice and the love
of God-that Gods penalty against sin
is death. but that He has provided
through Christ for release from that
penalty, during Christ's millennial
reign Then all mankind will be grant
ed full opportunity of reconciliation
with God and of restoration to Gods
image and likeness. lost by Adam
sim
Jacobs Gray Hairs for Sheol.
When Jacob heard that Benjamin
must go on the next expedition for
wheat, he protested vigorously Jo-
seph was gone, and if now he should
lose Benjamin, the grief would bring
down his gray hairs to Sheol-the
tomb-the death state.
In the Common Version Bible
Sheol is repeatedly translated He'll,
Pit and Grave. In old times these
the Revised Version was in prepara-
ton the learned men charged with
that work refused to translate Sheol
by the word He'll, which has lost it's
original meaning and has come to
mean a place of torture. No such
meaning attaches to the Hebrew
| word Sheol. So these scholars de-
cided to leave Sheol and it's Greek
equivalent Hades untranslated.
Our Baptist friends have recently
met with similar dl1Ilculty, ana
have translated these words as the
UNDERWORLD OF course the grave,
| the tomb, the death state, may be thus
| indicated. and none can find fault
| 1t is needless to say that Jacob did
not mean his sons to understand that
| he expected to go to eternal torment.
! His meaning evidently is: My sons,
1 am old and gray. To lose my young
est son would hasten my death
| bring my gray hairs down to Sheol-
| the tomb
| Our Golden Text Lesson
Although st. Paul made a general
| observation that we reap what we
| sow, the context applies his words di-
| rectly to the church. Conservation to
| be dead with Christ is not sufficient.
God cannot be trifIed with. If God
| has entered into a covenant with US
nothing else than our agreement will
| stand