The Tupelo journal., 1913-04-25

INTERNATIONAL
SUNDNYSQ1OOL
LESSON
(By E. O. SELLERS, Director OF Even
ing Department III Moody Bible In
stitute of Chicago.)
LESSON FOR APRIL Fl
JOSEPH SOLD INTO EGYPT.

GOLDEN TExT-"Love envieth not"
I Cor. 1874.
This is the first Of seven lessons
dealing with Joseph, a fact which sug.
gests to us his Importance in the his
tory and the working out Of Gods plan.
This particular lesson occurs about
ten years after Jacobs return to the
land of Canaan. There n many
points of similarity between Joseph
and Christ ~ His name means add
ings," see lisa. 90, q; Luke 1878 and
John $3.50. (2) His birth which re-
moved Rachel's reproach (30:34) even
SO the birth Of Christ has removed
the reproach of sin, Col. 2:13-15, Rom.
81; 60 The love of his father, see
Matt. 3:17. az His sufferings at the
hands of his brethren, Ps. 1874; John
1925. (5) His d~eliverance from pris-
on which was a shadow of Christ's res
direction, Acts 2:22-24. (6) His
marriage to one Of another race, Eph.
1874. Cd His revelation Of himself
to his brothers. see Zach. 1910. 1871.
1t. Their Envy Aroused.
The cause of the enmity of Joseph's
brethren was four-fold. (1) His tale
bearing, 37:2: his pure mind could not
brook their infamous ISLANDERS and he
reported the same to his father. t2)
His fathers partially az evidenced by
the coat of many colors ". 31). Only
the opulent and noble, kings sons,
wore such a garment, and Joseph was
thereby differentiated from his la
boring brothers. (3) His dreams, w.
81. God was revealing himself In q
marked manner to this young man,
which fact aroused their envy ". 11),
and (4) his very virtues were a re-
buke to his evil-minded brothers.
Five words will serve to fix this les
son in our minds: Deprivation, Dis
grace, Deliverance, Deceit and De-
portation.
/. Deprivation ". 2~3.-Joseph's coat
was symbolical Of regal power and au-
thority. 1t was not a mere patch
work, but a long woven garment of
bright hues. His dreams, too, had
had to do with his e%xaltation above
his brethren. AS a matter of policy,
perhaps, he ought not to have worn
the garment, but who al question
Gods ~providential dealings, Rom. 8:
%. Joseph's reception was like that
of Jesus, John iii; Matt. 27:2S.
II. Disgrace, w. 2427.-Stripped of
the coat. Joseph is cast into a pit.
One wonders If the fact that there was
no water there Is evidence OF the
malignity of his nine brothers or Of
their somewhat tempered wrath. Jo-
seph had pursued a long journey and
was doubtless hungry and thirsty, yet
these men sat outside eating and
drinking while murder lurked in their
hearts w. 20, rs, 26). Joseph starv-
ing. was, however, in a better case
than these brethren. One among
them, Reuben, had averted a trag-
edy ". 22), now God i%ntervenes and
sends this way a company of Ishmael-
lite traders from the land Of indian
(see Judges S:22-24). Cupidity prompts
both the traders and the brothers as
they made merchandise Of Joseph,
thus avoiding murder (Gen. 4:10).
Valued cheapIy.
III. Del%iverance, v. 28.-Like as
Christ was sold by one of his chosen
ones, SO Joseph is sold by the very
ones to whom of a right he should
have looked for love and protection,
and how cheaply he was valued, prob
ably a little more than $12. His bitter
cries we're OF no avail (42:21), but
this slavery was the road to a o J.
ereignty.
". Deceit wv. 2o:35.-These BROTH
ers are an illustration Of that degen-
Grafton OF character which results
from evil courses. 1t took place with
in a very brief time, probably not to
exceed Is years. Their jealousy a
the outcome of their own evil courses.
The intervention of Judah and Reuben
was not entirely above suspicion, and
not one Of them had any esteem Of
the truth. They hated Joseph the
dreamer because of his superior sa-
gacity. The commission of one sin
always calls forth .others In a vain
endeavor to cover the first. Their
ready willingness to deceive their
aged father, and their scornful words
"thy sons coat" reveal the blackness
Of their characters and their abso-
Lutte lack Of all fliai love.
v. Deportation, v. 36.-Reuben. re-
turning, found an empty PHI, whether
h, shared the profit Of Joseph's sale,
we are left to infer. His plan Of
d~elivsrance ccMld not however. have