Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/314

Rh The Book of Genesis

296

Lesson

XXI

JOSEPH IN EGYPT (Genesis

The Lord

Trust

And In

was

XXXIX,

(Genesis

in the

with

XXXIX-XLI) and

Joseph,

he

was

prosperous

a

man.

2.)

Lord with

all

lean not upon thine

thy heart,

own

understanding.

thy ways acknowledge Him.

all

And He

will

direct

Read Proverbs HI.

(Proverbs HI, 5-6).

thy paths. 1-8.

Thus Joseph came down slave to

to Egypt and was sold as a Yet His future seemed black indeed. and with (^lod, as we have forsaken him

Potiphar.

God had

not



As

"The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man". God was with Joseph, because He had in mind a great work to be done through him. Joseph was to be the agent through whom God worked His wise purpose; but like his father Jacob in his youth, he had first to be purified, to be made learned, everything

is

possible.

the Bible says,

His inclination toward selfishness had But Joseph seems to have As a child been naturally of a kindly and lovable nature. he had probably been spoiled by his indulgent father, while his brothers, too, had not exerted a helpful influence upon fit

for God's service.

first to

him.

be purged from his soul.

But

at

of })urification

was sound and good hence the task was easy for him, when compared with Jacob.

heart he



Joseph had yielded to the temptation of selfishness in his have more of the love of his father and more of j)ower and authority than relations with his brothers, to the desire to \n