Joseph Sold Into Egypt


JOSEPH was left in the pit for a time; and

while there, perhaps he had some idea that God

would interpose, and send some one to his 

rescue.

But the last hope seemed gone, when a

company of Ishmaelites came along. The

brothers, still restless with jealousy and envy,

began to talk of selling him; and at last they

lifted him out of the pit, and though he was

worth more than mines of gold to his father,

sold him for twenty pieces of silver. Now

Reuben's plan to rescue him was of no use.

Oh what a pity, you may say, what a pity that

Reuben had gone away and what a pity that he 

allowed anything to call him off, when, if he had

stayed close by the pit, he might have saved

him. Pretty soon Reuben comes back, finds

Joseph gone, and in the extremity of his agony

rends his clothes, and exclaims, ‘the child is

not: and I whither shall I go?' The brothers

were as indifferent to his anguish as to Joseph's,

but went on in their wicked work. They were

first jealous, then envious, and afterwards

 deceitful and hypocritical. To shield themselves

from blame, they killed a kid, dipped Joseph's

coat in the blood, and took it home with them,

and told their father they had found that coat

all soaked in blood. Ah, thought Jacob, this

coat tells the mournful story; Joseph has been

torn in pieces by wild beasts. And he rent his

clothes, and put on sackcloth. Though his

sons saw him bowed down with grief, they

 continued to wear a mask when they might have

consoled him by letting him know that Joseph

was alive. This would have been a great comfort

to poor Jacob, but it was withheld. All

love to their father seemed lost in their evil

passions. And to all this they added the sin of

hypocrisy; they pretended to mourn with their

father, and tried to comfort him, when they

knew Joseph was not slain, but was on his way

to Egypt.

So it is one sin that leads to another.

No heart over felt the full blight of sin

in a moment, in an hour, or in a day. One

sin stains the soul, another makes the stain

deeper and the guilt greater, and so an evil

passion is formed. Children let it be your

prayer and mine that we tremble at the first

approach of sin; that we may resist temptation,

and fly to the only safe place, the warm, quiet,

sure hiding place under our heavenly Father's

broad wing of love.



There we may take our rest,

There undisturbed may hide;

Sheltered and sweetly pressed,

Close to our Father's side.

He loves to hide us there;

He loves to feel us cling;

While round as all he folds

His broad protecting wing.

YI