THE KING’S BUSINESS
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brethren? Is there no cry to his soul for vengeance from those twenty years of suf fering, no demand for the infliction of pun ishment? Is it not more difficult to for give the enemies of our own household than of others? Why does not Joseph say, “Now I have you and you shall get what is rightfully coming to you?” What an op portunity to vent spleen and gloat over his victims. “You put me in the pit, did you? I will put you in the pen. You sold me, did vou? I will out vou to the lash.” “An eye for an eye,” is the law. Revenge is sweet. This part of the story is very won derful. Joseph has not been spending his days in nursing his wrath. He has been cultivating the spirit of humility and of love. If God was with him in the days of his adversity, and it so says, surely God was with him in his prosperity and kept his heart tender. Here is a man who is not spoiled by being lifted to a throne. The power to strike back is his, but he will not use it: His rough voice is but a veil to hide from them his soft heart. How little we know of those inner chambers of the human heart, of that life which is open only to God. How little we know of the tears which are in the hearts when the smile is in the eyes! How very small these ten men seem beside this one big man, whose soul has been enlarged by the Spirit of God and how much he reminds us of Christ! Who reviled not again and who said of his own brethren the Jews, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” If a man without any Bible and without any spiritual fellowship, subjected to twenty years of ex treme hardship, could love his erring breth ren, why do we, with the Book in our hands and the indwelling Christ abiding in us and surrounded with friends and loved ones who are kindred spirits, why do we fall so short of Joying our brothers?
lips the awful confession, “we saw the an guish of his soul when he besought us,” “we would not hear, therefore is this dis tress come upon us.” If twenty years will not efface the guilt of such a- sin, by what process of reason ing do men come to believe that a thousand years will blot out the remembrance of their sins? Will the sinner ever be able to rid himself of the sense of that awful guilt, the rejection *>f the pleading Christ, Who with pierced hands outstretched has said to them over and over again, “Come unto me” ? Twenty years have failed to bring to these men any rest of conscience, and twenty thousand years will not serve to quiet the consciences of those who refuse the tender entreaties of the Saviour. The lesson for today gives us a picture of the marked contrast between the unre- pentent brothers of Joseph and Joseph him self. Their hearts are full of fear arising from their guilt and his heart is full of tender compassion. They are wondering how they are going to get out of the scrape they are in and he is purposing good in their behalf and planning for their bless ing. They do not recognize Joseph, but they do recognize the dealings of this ruler, and their hearts are full of fear. Why should they fear? Why do they not re joice when a feast is made for them? The searching question here is, how has Joseph come to such a high moral and spiritual plane? There is no enmity in his heart toward these men who have so bit terly wronged him. What have been the experiences through which he has passed that have eliminated from him the desire to exercise justice towards his sinning L esson VIII— M ay 25, 1913. Golden Text,—1 John 2 :10.
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