The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1913-05-30

GOLDEN TEXT-"Confess therefore
your sins one to another, and pray one
for another, that ye may be healed"
James SIG, r. v.
Last week we beheld Joseph gazing
for the first time upon his brothers.
While we witnessed his joy, at the
same time we noted another strong
trait Of character, viz, that of self
restraint. In that lesson we studied
briefly the fear and the suspicion of
| the guilty brothers and at the close
we left them with feigned merriment
| (for their hearts were at unrest) seek.
ing to put on bold front, if perchance
their fears were groundless. 1t was
doubtless Joseph's plan to retain pos
session Of his brother Benjamin and
let the others go ". q. In his present
joy and love for his brother Joseph
seems to have forgotten for momeEt
the aged father
GIadness Shattered.
Gas soon as the morning was light"
the very earliest possible moment, the
brothers departed, and who can say
but that it was with a sense of rflief
that they were once more well out of
the city and on the road homeward?
!. The Plotting, w. Alb. However,
all Of their gladness and exultaion
was shattered swiftly and suddenly
when Joseph's steward overlook them
and charged them not only with in
gratitude, but worse still of purloinlng
the cup Of Joseph, who was "even as
Pharaoh" ". 49,. It Is easy for US to
picture the CONSERVATION that filled
them when after their protested inno-
cence the cup was discovered in Ben
jamin's sack, and, with what shame
and fear they must have retraced
their steps. We cannot read into this
story any idea that the brothers had
any knowledge Of the cup being in
Benjamin's sack, and therefore they
must have considered him, upon cir.
cumstantial evidence, as being guilty,
and having made such a strong pro-
testation ". 81 that they were In,
volved in his guilt. They were, there
fore, in a place of great danger and
difficulty.
Involved In Web.
Again, as last week, we do not
blink at Joseph's deception and we
need to remember that divination
wv. 5, 14) was later strictly forbidden
In the law, Deut. 18:10-12. It is prob
able, however, that Joseph did not
practice that art The profuse self
defense Of these brothers ". 81 in en-
phasizing their honesty may, in the
light Of their history, be questioned.
The return Of the money was more to
avoid trouble than because Of con-
scientious scruples. A proper regard
for the events of their former visit
ought to have cautioned them against
undue protestations or any thought
less promises in this instance. AS it
was, they involved themselves in a
web from which they were unable to
extricate themselves.
OF course the steward knew Of their
innocence, but notice how he prolongs
their anxiety by beginning with the
eldest and going through each sack
till he reaches that Of Benjamin w.
12). Now it was their turn to rend
their clothes ". 13); deception has
been practiced upon them even as they
had practiced 1t upon Jacob.
II. Pleading, w. 14-17, and the bal
ance of the chapter. Whether or not
Joseph foresaw the result of his plan,
a remarkable thing happened. Though
in all probability these men judged
Benjamin guilty yet they at once de-
cided to stand by him, both for his
own and for Jacobs sake. They there
by revealed the fact that change had
taken place or else was beginning to
work itself out in their lives. Joseph
was waiting for them as though in the
main he had all the details worked out
in his own mind Yesterday feasting
and making merry, today with abject,
serVile fear they are on their faces
before Joseph protesting their inno-
cence and through the mouth of Judah
pleading for Benjamin. We need to
remember that it was Judah who saw
ed the life Of Joseph by advising his
sale into slavery, and it was Judah
who undertook to be responsible for
Benjamin when they began this pres
journey. This is not the last time
y were on their faces before Jo-
seph (50:1S), even so the day of con-
fession before our Joseph is coming,
Phil, 2:10, II. They are called upon
to give an account of their deeds, even
so must we give an account of our
stewardship and of our acts, 2 Cor.
$40. Judah's plea is a fine bit of
logic and an appeal to compassion. His
words indicate that he knew that all
of the difficulties were the outcome Of
their own sin, Wv. 16, 20 and 1921, 20.
God always finds out our iniquities,
but blessed is that man whose sin is
covered by the robe of his righteous
ness" This new attitude of these
men as voiced by Judah is a remark
able illustration of what the grace of
God can do in the character of man.
Judah's sin, chapter SS, is a type Of
that danger ever present to Gods
children.
n. - L