The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-05-24
International Sunday School Lesson.
second Quarter. Lesso s Gen 43:
May 25. 1913.
Joseph and BENJAMIN
The Story.

The fascination of the story of
Joseph is that it is true. 1t is
cross-section of human life. You
see the emotions and motives of
mankind in action, stirring and i'm
polling. That is what makes it uni
versal and perpetually applicable. 1t
has no provincial or racial limita-
ton. That justifies twenty-five mil
lion persons (the Sunday School
population OF the WORLD in turning
their attention to this story. 1t is
not a bit of folklore; it is a tran
script from life. The brothers ma
turally postponed their return to
Egypt to the latest moment What
took them there the first time drove
them the second. Famine. The
provisions they carried up to Ca
naan were doled out in short ra-
tons. They made it last as long
as possible, perhaps for several
months. Now necessity compelled
their return to the granary. The
fathers irrational elimination, the
sons equally irrational proposal
how perfectly true to nature when
in extremity. Jacob, remembering
how he once appeased his brother
Esau with his gifts, tries the same
device upon the viceroy of Egypt
Little does he know how inestimab-
ly precious will be the sight and
taste OF these products of Canaan
to one who has been so long exiled
from it. He planned better than he
knew. The scenes in this drama
are shifted by Master hand The
men with their homely gifts and
their youngest brother stand one
moment timorously at the viceroy's
palace gate. The next, wonderful
to tell, they are sitting at table
with him in his princely dining hall,
arranged in precise order to their
ages, not emitting Simeon, the host
age. Their natural trepidation
about the money in their sacks has
been first Quilted, so that they can
duly enjoy the FEAST. They so far
forgot themselves that they could
even be merry. 1t is master
stroke in the picture which rep
resents Joseph so touched at the
sight of his full brother, Benjamin,
as to be compelled to quit the room
in haste to shed his tears, and on
his return to serve five times the
variety to Benjamin than to the
others. The moral progress of jos
seph's brothers appears when they
show no resentment or envy at the
decided preference given to their
half-brother Benjamin. There is a
parental benediction for the young
est of their company, but none for
them. Five times as much goes
from the regal sideboard to him
as, to the others. But if they note
it at all, it is probably with pleas
ure. Again the health of their IA
Their is inquired for, but no special
greeting is theirs. If their hearts
were as of DID, hateful jealousy
would have certainly ranked there |
Mark their Advancement. Joseph |
certainly did.
The Teachers Lantern.
The folly of foreboding appears.
Joseph's brothers were afraid. They
suffered an agony of trepidation as
they approached the viceroy's pal
ace. 'tHe may fall upon us and
take us for bondmen:" Yet,as the
sequel showed, they had no need
Of fear. The evils do not come,
then fear of them is vain. If they
DO come, then fear only augments
The suffering. "A quaint preacher
once said, "The DEVILS mountains
are all mountains of smoke" What
seems an impossible barrier, if we
walk straight at it, often proves as
oenetrable as smoke. The five .por-
ions Of dainties to Benjamin were
ike another coat of many colors.
It was distinct and designed pref
srment. 1t could not but be no.
iced by all. There is not the
slightest evidence, however, that it
kindled the old enmity that once
urked In their hearts. Joseph was
llert to detect it if it was there.
treat must have been his satisfac-