You have all heard of Joseph, and remember very well about his being
Jacob's favourite son; and how jealous his ten brothers were that their
father made him a beautiful coat of many colours.
Joseph was a kindly young fellow of seventeen, and he did not bear
any grudge against his brothers, but talked to them and told them his
dreams, as any boy would now-a-days.
But these dreams made his brothers even more angry than their father's
love for him, and they hated him.
When people begin to cherish hatred in their hearts, it is not long
before it comes out in their actions.
So when Jacob sent Joseph a long journey to see if all was well with
his brothers and the flocks, they saw him coming from afar, and began
to plan how they could get rid of him and his dreams.
But there was one thing those ten brothers did not think of. They had
made a clever plan to murder their brother when he was so far away
from home, but they did not remember that their father Jacob's God
was Joseph's God as well; and that He was watching over that boy of
seventeen, and had a glorious work for him to do by and by.
So God put it into Reuben's heart to advise that Joseph should not be
killed, but be put into a pit; intending presently to take his brother
back to their father.
But while he was away, a company of merchants came by on camels, and
the brothers at once decided to take Joseph out of the pit and sell him
as a slave.
When Reuben came back, the camels had passed on their way down to Egypt
carrying Joseph with them. The pit was empty, Jacob's darling boy was
gone!
And when the cruel sons brought the coat of many colours, all stained
with the blood of a kid, Jacob felt sure some evil beast had killed
Joseph, and that he should go down to the grave mourning for him.
Do you think those brothers ever had a truly happy moment for years and
years?
We read afterwards how they said one to another in Egypt, when
God brought their sin to their remembrance: "We are verily guilty
concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he
besought us, and we would not hear." And how Reuben had answered them,
"Did I not speak to you saying, 'Do not sin against the child,' and ye
would not hear?"
So the Midianites and their camels came down to Egypt, and Joseph was
sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and Captain of the Guard.
It would take too long to tell you here, and you can read it for
yourselves in the beautiful account of it in Genesis, chapter xxxix,
how God took care of Joseph in every way. How he was raised to favour
in his master's house; how he was falsely accused and cast into prison;
how again after being put in fetters and irons (as we read in Psalm cv.
18), he was brought into the favour of the keeper of the prison; how he
listened to the prisoners' dreams, and told them the meaning of them;
how, in consequence of the interpretation of these dreams coming true,
he was taken before Pharaoh to explain to the great king his dream; and
how God gave Joseph an insight into the future that made him know that
there would be seven years of plenty, and then seven years of famine;
and how he advised Pharaoh to lay up a store of corn for the scarcity
that was coming.
[Illustration: He was taken before Pharaoh
to explain to the great King his dream.]
Pharaoh was so pleased with Joseph, and found his advice so good, that
he raised him to great honour. He put his own ring on Joseph's hand and
dressed him in beautiful clothes, and gave him a chariot to ride in,
and made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
What Joseph had predicted surely came to pass; and when the scarcity
came, all the nations around came to buy Pharaoh's corn, which Joseph
had so carefully stored up; so that Pharaoh became very rich.
Why do you suppose all this happened to Joseph?
It was because God loved Joseph; he had been His faithful servant all
his life. Because He had purposes of mercy not only to the brothers who
had been so cruel, but to the world, in which a dreadful famine was
coming; and also to the sorrowing father, who had lost the light of his
eyes when Joseph was taken from him!
Ah! If we only look out for God's ways, and ponder over them, we shall
understand more of "the loving-kindness of the Lord."
And now, because there was corn in Egypt, and because there was a
fearful famine in the land of Canaan, it came to pass that the shepherd
brothers went down to buy corn, and Joseph, the great ruler, instantly
recognized them; and he sent them back with corn for their families,
and by and by to fetch his dear old father to come to him till the
famine was over. And that was how it was God gave His servant Jacob his
heart's desire. You can just imagine with what joy Joseph set out in
his chariot to meet his father!
Jacob, who was now a hundred and thirty years old, lived near his dear
son Joseph for seventeen years, till his death.
Then the brothers were afraid, that now their father was gone, Joseph
might requite the wrong which they had done him. So they went to him,
and earnestly asked him to forgive them.
And Joseph wept at their words, and freely forgave them; and said that
God had turned their thoughts of evil into good, to keep much people
from dying of famine.
And this is how "the Children of Israel" came to settle down in Egypt
for four hundred and thirty years.
[Illustration]