LESSON XXIV.—THE PROMISE.
- How old was Joseph at this time? Gen. 41:46.
- How much corn did Joseph gather?
- Did the famine come on as Joseph predicted?
- How far did the famine extend? Verse 56.
- Who came to Egypt to buy corn?
- How did Joseph’s brethren fulfill his dream when they came to buy corn?
- Did Joseph’s brethren know him?
- Did he know them?
- What did he remember, as he saw them bow before him?
- How did he treat them?
- Of what did he accuse them?
- What did they say, as they protested against this accusation? Gen. 42:10–13.
- Did Joseph seem to believe what they said?
- What did he do with them?
- How long did he keep them in prison?
- What did he do at the end of three days?
- What did he do with Simeon?
- What did Joseph require of his brethren, to prove that they were true men? Verse 20.
- When these wicked men were brought into such trouble, what did they remember?
- What did they say? Verse 21.
- What happened on their journey home to make them feel still worse? Verses 27, 28.
- When they arrived in Canaan, was Jacob willing to let Benjamin go with them to Egypt, as Joseph had demanded?
- What did he say?
- What finally induced him to let Benjamin go?
- What did they take with them when they went down to Egypt again?
- What did Joseph do when he saw Benjamin with them?
- How did he entertain them?
- What plan did he take for bringing them back after they had started on their journey?
Joseph was thirty years old at this time. He went throughout all the land, and gathered up corn, according to the plan proposed. “And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering, for it was without number.” The famine came on, as Joseph had predicted, and extended over all the face of the earth, so that the people of other countries were obliged to come to Egypt to buy corn; and among others, came ten of Joseph’s brothers. As Joseph was the one who sold the corn, they came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground. This fulfilled Joseph’s dream about the sheaves. They did not know Joseph; but he knew them, and remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them so many years before. He spoke to them harshly, calling them spies; but they protested, saying that they were true men, the sons of one man; that they had a younger brother at home with their father; and that one of their brothers was not. Joseph persisted that they were spies, and put them in prison. After three days he released all but Simeon, and filling their sacks with corn, sent them home to their families. Simeon he bound before their eyes, and gave them to understand that he should regard them all as spies unless they brought down their younger brother. When these wicked brothers were thus brought into trouble, they remembered how they had treated Joseph, and thought God was punishing them for their cruelty to him. “And they said one to another, ‘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; therefore is this distress come upon us.’” The money that they paid for corn, Joseph had restored to them, each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. On their way home they discovered the money, and felt still more afraid that God was going to bring some terrible punishment upon them. When they arrived in Canaan, Jacob was unwilling to let Benjamin go with them to Egypt, as Joseph had requested, fearing that evil might befall him. He said, “Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away; my son shall not go down with you.” But when their corn was gone, and they were all in danger of starving, he consented. So they took money to buy corn, and the money that had been restored to them in their sacks, and a present for Joseph, and went again to Egypt. When Joseph saw that Benjamin was with them, he ordered the ruler of his house to prepare them a sumptuous dinner. He greeted Benjamin very affectionately, and after entertaining them all with great pomp in his own house, he gave them their corn, restoring their money as before, and sent them away. And Joseph said to his steward, “Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest.” And as soon as they had gone a little way out of the city, Joseph sent his steward to accuse them of stealing his cup. They denied, saying, “With whomsoever it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord’s bondmen.” NOTE.—The Bible tells this story in such touching and beautiful language that nothing else can equal it; it is rewritten only for the sake of brevity.