Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 1.djvu/221

Rh and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused 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 Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.

Joseph would soon be missed, great inquiry would be made for him, and therefore his brethren have a further design, to make the world believe that Joseph was torn in pieces by a wild beast; and this they did.

I. To clear themselves, that they might not be suspected to have done him any mischief. Note, We have all learned of Adam to cover our transgressions, Job. 31. 33. When the Devil has taught men to commit one sin, he then teaches them to conceal it with another; theft and murder, with lying and perjury; but he that covers his sin, shall not prosper long. Joseph's brethren kept their own and one another's counsel for some time, but their villany came to light at last, and it is here published to the world, and the remembrance of it transmitted to every age.

II. To grieve their good father; it seems designed by them on purpose to be avenged upon him for his distinguishing love of Joseph: it was contrived on purpose to create the utmost vexation to him; they sent him Joseph's coat of many colours, with one colour more than it had had, a bloody colour, v. 32. They pretend they had found it in the fields, and Jacob himself must be scornfully asked, Is this thy son's coat? Now the badge of his honour is the discovery of his fate; and it is rashly inferred from the bloody coat, that Joseph, without doubt, is rent in pieces. Love is always apt to fear the worst concerning the person loved; there is a love that casteth out fear, but that is a perfect love. Now let those that know the heart of a parent, suppose the agonies of poor Jacob, and put their souls into his soul's stead. How strongly does he represent to himself the direful idea of Joseph's misery! Sleeping or waking, he imagines he sees the wild beasts setting upon Joseph; thinks he hears his piteous shrieks, when the lion roared against him; makes himself tremble and grow chill, many a time, when he fancies how the beasts sucked his blood, tore him limb from limb, and left no remains of him, but the coat of many colours, to carry the tidings. And, no doubt, it added no little to the grief, that he had exposed him, by sending him, and sending him all alone, on this dangerous journey, which proved so fatal to him. This cuts him to the heart, and he is ready to look upon himself as an accessory to the death of his son.

Now, 1. Endeavours were used to comfort him; his sons basely pretended to do it, (v. 35.) but miserable hypocritical comforters were they all. Had they really desired to comfort him, they might easily have done it, by telling him the truth, "Joseph is alive, he is indeed sold into Egypt, but it will be an easy thing to send thither and ransom him." This would have loosed his sackcloth, and girded him with gladness presently. I wonder their countenances did not betray their guilt, and with what face they could pretend to condole with Jacob on the death of Joseph, when they knew he was alive. Note, The heart is strangely hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

But, 2. It was all in vain; Jacob refused to be comforted, v. 35. He was an obstinate mourner, resolved to go down to the grave mourning: it was not a sudden transport of passion, like that of David, Would God I had died for thee, my son, my son! But, like Job, he hardened himself in sorrow. Note, (1.) Great affection to any creature does but prepare for so much the greater affliction, when it is either removed from us, or imbittered to us; inordinate love commonly ends in immoderate grief; as much as the sway of the pendulum throws one way, so much it will throw the other way. (2.) Those consult neither the comfort of their souls, nor the credit of their religion, that are determined to sorrow, upon any occasion whatsoever; we must never say, "We wi11 go to our grave mourning," because we know not what joyful days Providence may yet reserve for us, and it is our wisdom and duty to accommodate ourselves to Providence. (3.) We often perplex ourselves with imaginary troubles; we fancy things worse than they are, and then afflict ourselves more than we need: sometimes there needs no more to comfort us, than to undeceive us: it is good to hope the best.

Lastly. The Ishmaelites and Midianites having bought Joseph, only to make their markets of him, here we have him sold again, (with gain enough to the merchants, no doubt,) to Potiphar, v. 56. Jacob was lamenting the loss of his life; had he known all, he would have lamented, though not so passionately, the loss of his liberty. Shall Jacob's free-born son exchange the best robe of his family for the livery of an Egyptian lord, and all the marks of servitude? How soon was the land of Egypt made a house of bondage to the seed of Jacob! Note, It is the wisdom of parents not to bring up their children too delicately, because they know not what hardships and mortifications Providence may reduce them to before they die. Jacob little thought that ever his beloved Joseph should be thus bought and sold for a servant.

CHAP. XXXVIII. This chapter gives us an account of Judah and his family, and such an account it is, that one would wonder that, of all Jacob's sons, our Lord should spring out of Judah, Heb. 7. 14. If we were to form a character of him by this story here, we should not say, Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise, ch. 49. 8. But God will show that his choice is of grace, and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief, and is not ashamed, upon their repentance, to be allied to them. Also, that the worth and worthiness of Jesus Christ are personal, of himself, and not derived from his ancestors; humbling himself to be made in the likeness of sinful flesh, he was pleased to descend from some that were infamous. How little reason had the Jews, who were so called from this Judah, to boast as they did, that they were not born of fornication! John 8. 41. We have in this chapter, I. Judah's marriage and issue, and the untimely death of his two eldest sons, v. 1..11. II. Judah's incest with his daughter-in-law Tamar, without his knowing it, v. 12..23. III. His confusion, when it was discovered, v. 24..26. IV. The birth of his twin sons, in whom his family was built up, v. 27..30.

ND it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2. And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her. 3. And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er. 4. And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan. 5. And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him. 6. And Judah took a wife for Er his first-born, whose name was Tamar. 7. And