The Raymer enterprise., 1913-05-29
INTERNATIONAL,
SUND6YS(|1O0L
LESSON
(By E. o. SELLERS, Director of Even
ing Department. Tho Moody Bible In
stitute Of Chicago.)
LESSON FOR JUNE 1.
JOSEPH TESTS HIS BRETHREN.

LESSON TEXT-Gen. A:i-17.
GOLDEN TExT-"Confess therefore
your sins one to another. and pray one
for another. that ye may be healed.s
James Sis. 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 unresD seek
ing to put on bold. front, IL perchancs
their fears were groundless. 1t wai
doubtless Joseph's plan to retain pos
session Of his brother BENJAMIN and
let the others go ". 2). In his present
Joy and love for his brother Joseph
seems to have forgotten for a moment
the aged father.
Gladness Shattered.
"As soon as the morning was light
the very earliest possible moment, the
brothers departed, and who can say
but that 1t was with sense Of RELIEF
that they were once more we'll out d
the city and on the road homeward?
!. The Plotting, w. 4-13. However
oil ~ fhoir ulodpooo oud oyvIko{{ov
was shattered swiftly and suddenly
when Joseph's steward overlook then
and charged them not only with In
gratitude, but worse still of purloininl
the cup Of Joseph, who was "even al
Pharaoh" ". 18). 1t Is easy for US te
picture the CONSERVATION that filled
them when after their protested limo
cence the cup was discovered in Ben
jamin's sack, and with what shame
and fear they must have retracet
their steps. We cannot read into this
story any idea that the brothers had
any knowledge of the cup being Ia
Benjamin's sack. and therefore they
must have considered him, upon cir
cumstantial evidence, as being guilty,
and having made such strong pro
testation ". 81 that they were in,
volved in his guilt. They we're, there
fore. in place Of great danger and
difficulty.
Involved In Web.
Again, as last week. we do moi
blink at Joseph's deception and we
need to remember that divinatiou
wv. S. 14) was later strictly forbidden
in the law, Deut. 1s:1012. It is prob
able, however. that Joseph did not
practice that art. The profuse self
defense Of these brothers ". 81 In EN-.
phasizins 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 II
was, they involved themselves In
web from which they were unable to
e1tricate themselves.
or 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 ".
12). Now 1t 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 tho
main he had all the details worked out
In his own mind. Yesterday feastins
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 1t 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
ent journey. This Is not the last time
they were on their faces before 10.
seph t50:1S), 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 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, w. ls, 20 and 1921, 2s,,
God always finds out our iniquities.
but blessed is that man whose sin n
covered by the robe Of his righteous