Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-01-08
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
For Jan. 10.
BY DR.. MARION MICH. HULL

/ evidence in her false charge against
him.
General Potiphar did not believe
her story-human life was so cheap
he would have had the slaves head
cut off in a jiffy If he had believed
it-but he had to save his wife's
face, as the Chinese say; so he had
Joseph committed to prison in his
! house. The keeper OF the prison
| had heard of Joseph, as a servant
under the same officer; and prob
ably knew the circumstances well
enough not to believe in his guilt.
! 1t was not long before Joseph was
! the real keeper of the prison, al
though a prisoner himself.
Here he learned from fellow pris-
oners, the chief butler and the chief
baker, many things about Pharaoh,
his court, Egypt's affairs Of state;
interpreted their dreams for them
one day. Two years later this
brought him into the presence of
Pharaoh himself; and was the means
Of his being elevated to the position
Of prime minister and realizing his
dreams. The devil had offered him
: paramount; God gave him as a wife
the finest lady in Egypt.
The famine came on seven years
later, and after two years more
brought his brothers and later his
father and all his descendants into
| Egypt. Humanity speaking, Egypt
was an accident! The accident of
jealousy of brothers, prison expert
eEces. and faminel But it was no ac-
| cident; it was Just part Of the work
ing out of Gods plan to send Abra-
ham's seed to Egypt for 400 years as
He has said-an interesting combi-
nation and illustration of the two
fold truth taught in the word Of
sovereignty and foreknowledga and
the free agency Of man., You recall
JCseph's word to his brethren when
he mad ehimself known to them
'for God did send me before you to
preserve life so it was not
you that sent me hither but God"
Gen. 1858.
Egypt Necessity
From mans standpoint, Egypk
was an accident; from Gods it was
but part of the outworking of His
Plan and a necessity. When Jacob
came to Beersheba. after Joseph had
the vision of the night and said,
',Jacob, Jacob" ''I am Cod
the God of thy father; fear not to
go down into Egypt; for I will there
make of thee a great ration; 1 will
go down with thee into Egypt and
will surely bring thee up again;
and Joseph shall put his hand upon
thine eyes Gen. 1924.
Read that 1assage again and I'M
derscorc the there" Egypt was a
necessity. God had promised to Abra-
ham and TO Isaac and to Jacob a.
seed and a land. Bua that land was
Already occupied by strong and war
like tribes. AS Jacobs seed would
multiply in number and more land
would be required for its main
tenance jealousy and opposition
would be aroused and the snail num-
Der of the people of Israel would be
overpowered by the more numerous
and stronger people of Canaan. Tt
was necessary for them therefore to
be placed in some territory where
they could multiply. The seed must
be kept separate and pure. Inter
marriage could not be tolerated. AL
ready the people of Canaan had
shown a strong desire to take the
daughters of Israel for wives; so they
must be taken to some place where
this temptation would not be strong.
Now it SO happened that the Egyp-
tians had been conquered by the
Hyksos kings who were shepherds;
therefore they hated shepherds above
| everything else in the world. Shep-
herds were an abomination to the
Egyptians. Joseph knew this;
he also knew that Goshen
separated from the rest of Egypt ter
ritorially and that it was one of the
richest pasture lands in the country
Therefore he told his father to say
that they were shepherds and ask
for the land Of Goshen, when Pha-
roah, for his sake. had offered any
thing they wanted
In Goshen, separated from the
Egyptians physically, the Israelites
could multiply rapidly; and the strain
would be kept pure because of the
hatred of the Egyptians for shep-
herds. 1t was there" that God
brought them, that there" He might
make of them a great nation. The
seventy-five should multiply to a,
great company. After $50 years
Moses led them out and when hs
numbered them at Sinai there were
603,50O above twenty years of age
able to go to war. This did not in
clude any of the Levites, nor any
women or children. The seventy-five
had increased to over two million,
Gould they ever have done that in
that time in Canaan? Egypt was a
necessity. This company could and
did drive out the Canaanites who had
already taxed Gods patience to the
llmlt-and that is going some. After
Egypt God could give them the land.
which He had promised to Abraham,
to Isaac and to Jacob.
And all of this was for purpose
the choice of Abraham, the training
OF Isaac and Jacob, the bitter expert
ences of Joseph, the long sojourn in
Egypt-all of this was for the one
purpose that God had always had
IN view: in order to give His only
oegotten Son that whatsoever should
oelleve on Him should not perish.
put have everlasting life. Don't ever
forget that God has always in mind
your salvation. He loves you. He
wants Won RI he