August, 1942
!THB K ING ’ S BUSINESS
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who found this statement: to be true. LESSON" STORY: Do you remember Abraham, who went out into a strange country because God told him to go? Abraham’s nephew Lot also went with, him. In time the herdmen of Lot and Abraham quarreled because the land Would not support all their flocks to gether. So Abraham g a v e Lot his choice of the land and agreed to take what was left. Lot chose the plain of Jordan because it was well watered, and Abraham dwelled in Canaan. It looked as though Lot had the best of the bargain. But wait a minute. There was a worm in the apple! We read that Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom, and Sodom was a very wicked city. The people of this city and of the city of Gomorrah spent their time in drunk enness and sin of all kinds. At last God decided to rain fire and brim stone upon these wicked cities to de stroy them. Had it not been for the prayers of Abraham, Lot would have been destroyed too, but God spared him for Abraham’s sake. It is a true saying that “a man is known by the company he keeps.” And this is true of boys and girls as well. It is a dangerous thing to “pitch your tent toward Sodom”—that is, to dwell on the edge of wickedness. It is better to keep as far away from evil as possible. The land that Lot chose looked beautiful to the eye, but it was not beautiful inside. The worm of sin had eaten a hole right through "it. It didn’t pay Lot to be greedy. It w ill not pay you, either. , OBJECTS: Five wire-spring clothes pins, a small fjask-shaped. bottle of vinegar, an imitation cigarette, an im itation playing c a r d , an imitation theater ticket, an imitation invitation to a dance, the outline of a church cut from cardboard, a large magnet, •a piece of black cloth two feet square, a piece of red cloth two inches wide and two" feet long, and a piece of white cloth two feet square. (Sew one edge of the red strip to the black, and the other edge of the red to the white. Allow, a few inches of this black, red, and white cover to overhang the table where the lesson is to be given. Dress the clothespins to represent a father, mother," and three children.) , LESSON: I brought a strange fam ily with me this morning. Here they aré—Mr. and Mrs. Clothespin w i t h their three children, Carl, Clara, and Carrie. We w ill put them on the black side of the table. Did you know that life has two sides? Between the black and white sides of life there is the fed, reminding us of Christ and His Object Lesson T he C lothespin F amily
death for qs. A ll people are sinners by nature and therefore start on the . black side of life.. H ie Holy Spirit is like a magnet, constantly seeking to. pull people from the black side of life to Christ, the ■Saviour, and then on to the white side of life. Suppose the. whole family joins this church, w ill that place them on the white side? No. Church mem bership in itself could mean nothing for people who are living on the black side of life. The magnet pulls Mr. Clothespin along until he comes near to the- red, and then he stops and looks back at this bottle which represents whiskey. He knows that he must leave whiskey behind if he goes over on the other side of life. Finally the magnet suc ceeds in getting him to the red and over on the white side. Mrs. Clothespin hesitates as the magnet leads her along.' It is this playing card which causes her to look back, but she goes on and joins her husband. Carl is next to feel the pull of the magnet. He is reluctant to leave this cigarette. He has no peace until he. leaves it to join his father, and. mother on the white side of life. Genesis 37»23 And It came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him; 24 Ant* they took him, and cast him into a pltt and the pit was empty, there was no water in It. 35 And they sat down to eat breads and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold a company of Ishmaelites came-from Gilead, with their camels bear* ing spicery and balm and myrrh,-,going to carry it down to Egypt. 26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? 27 Cóme, and .let us . sell, him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be up on him; for he is our brother and oiir flesh : and his brethren were content. 28 Then there passed by Mtdianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph but of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites foy twenty pieces of silver; and they brought Joseph into Egypt. 29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. 30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go? i 31 And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the- blood; . 32 And they sent the ^coat of many colors, and they brought it to their fa ther; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no. 33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. 34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his; son many days. 35 And all his sons and all his daugh ters rose up to comfort him; but he re fused to be comforted; and he said, For. I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. 36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Phar aoh’s, and captain of the guard.
Clara loves shows, and 'it is difficult for her to leave this theater ticket A show would last only a short time —^eternal life would never end, and thus she decides to follow the magnet to the.white side of life. Carrie is left all alone. How lonely she must feel, with only a dance in vitation to keep her company! As the magnet pulls her toward the white side of life, she hesitates for a little, and then goes to join the rest o f the family. What a happy family they, must be, all having accepted Christ as Saviour, and living on the white side of life! It is now proper for them to join the church, as. they are truly saved and are living on the White side of life. LESSON TEXT: Gen. 37:23-36. % GOLDEN TEXT; «Charity envieth not* (1 Cor. 13:4). DEVOTIONAL READING: Psa. 136* Outline and Exposition i I. T he E nd of H atred ^(23-28) H IS BRETHREN hated Joseph be selves, but like a dog in the manger, they rebelled when favor, went to an other rather than to them. They hated Joseph because of the moral separa tion between him and them, and be cause of the prophetic dreams that in dicated he would one day rule over them. Human nature rebels against both goodness ,and submission. When Jacob sent J 0 's e.p h to his brethren, they thought they had an opportunity to get rid of this boy whom they hated. S o m e of them wanted to murder him in cold blood. . But as they were discussing this pos sibility, some traveling .merchants came along, and Judah proposed that they sell the lad to.these men. This they did. The brothers drew Joseph . out of the pit into which ^he had been cast and sold him for what has been estimated as being about fifteen dol lars in our money, or about one dollar and a half apiece. The exact figures are not known.
SEPTEMBER 13, 1942 JOSEPH SOLD INTO SLAVERY G enesis 37, 39 to 41
cause he was the favorite son of their father. They cared nothing for t h a t distinction them-
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