Genesis 39:9-12 There is none greater in this house than I; neither has he kept back any thing from me but you, because you are his wife… — I. In the first place, when Joseph realized God's presence he found in it COMPLY IN HIS LONELINESS. One of the best and holiest men that ever lived was Henry Martyn, the English missionary to Persia. In carrying on his work there, he had many long and lonely journeys to take. But how sweetly he realized God's presence, as giving him company in his loneliness, is seen in these beautiful lines, which were found after his death, written on one of the blank leaves of the Bible that he carried with him wherever he went. "In desert woods, with Thee, my God, Where human footsteps never trod, How happy could I be! Thou, my repose from care, my light Amid the darkness of the night— In solitude my company."And how many of God's dear children have realized His presence in just the same way! Here are some illustrations of this. This incident was told by one of our chaplains in the late war. "I went into a tent connected with the general hospital one day," says he. "There, on one of the beds, lay a beautiful drummer-boy, about sixteen years of age, burning up with fever. 'Where is your home, my young friend?' I asked. 'In Massachusetts, sir,' was his reply. 'And do you not feel very lonely here, so far away from your father and mother, and all your friends, and so sick as you are?' I never can forget," says the chaplain, "the sweet smile that lighted up his deep blue eyes, and played over his fevered lips, as he said, in answer to my question, 'Oh, no, sir. How can I feel lonely when Jesus is with me?'" That dear boy was realizing God's presence in just the way of which we are speaking; and he found company in it. There was an old Christian gentleman, who had been for many years a successful merchant. He was once very well off, and had been surrounded by a happy family. But he had failed in business, and was left very poor. His wife and children had all died. In poverty and loneliness he had to spend the closing years of his life. A Christian friend, who used to call and see him occasionally, was talking with him one day, and said, "Well, I hope Jesus visits you sometimes." "Visits me sometimes?" said the old man, "why, He lives with me at all times!" And so, in realizing the presence of that blessed Saviour, he found company in his loneliness. And if we follow the model which Joseph sets before us, it will bring this blessing to us; and we shall find company in our loneliness. II. In the second place, as he realized God's presence, Joseph found — COMFORT IN TROUBLE. And we shall find the same, just so far as we follow the model he has left us. Few persons have had such great troubles to bear as Joseph had. And yet he bore them bravely and cheerfully. And the secret of it was, he felt that God was present with him all the time, and he found comfort in this thought. This gave Joseph comfort when nothing else could have done so. And if we follow the model which he left us, and learn to realize God's presence, as he did, we shall find comfort under all our troubles, in the feeling that He is with us. Let us look at some examples of the way in which this comfort is found. A city missionary in London used often to visit a poor old widow. She lived in a garret alone by herself. All she had to live on was half-a-crown a week, allowed her from some charity. This was only a little over half a dollar of our money, and was barely enough to keep her alive. The missionary used to notice, standing on her windowsill, an old broken tea-pot, in which a strawberry-plant was growing. He felt interested in watching it, and seeing how it grew. One day he said to the old woman: "I am glad to see how nicely your plant is growing. You'll soon have some berries ripening on it." "I don't care about the fruit," she said. "It's not that which leads me to watch over this little plant. But I am too poor to keep any living creature with me. And I love to have this little plant in my room. I know it can only live and grow by the power of God. And as I look at it, from day to day, and see it growing, it makes me feel that God is here with me, and I find great comfort in that thought." III. In the third place, Joseph found STRENGTH FOR DUTY in realizing God's presence. And if we follow the model he has set us we shall find the same. A brave sailor boy: — He was a cabin-boy on board an English man-of-war. He "had a pious mother, and was trying to be a Christian; and the story shows how the sense he had of God's presence strengthened him for duty under very trying circumstances, and made him eminently useful to his shipmates and to his country. The sailors called this boy "Cloudy." The incident, to which I refer, took place in the midst of a terrible naval battle between the English and the Dutch. The flagship of the English fleet was commanded by the brave Admiral Narborough. His vessel had got separated somehow from the rest of his fleet, and was drawn in the thickest of the fight. Two of its masts had just been shot away, and had fallen with a fearful crash upon the deck. The Admiral saw that all would soon be lost unless he could bring up the rest of the ships to help him. He summoned a lot of his men upon the quarter-deck. He could not send a boat, but he asked if any of them would volunteer to swim through the fight, and take an order for the rest of the fleet to come at once to his help. A dozen men offered to go; and little Cloudy made the same offer. The Admiral smiled, when he looked at him, and said: "Why, Cloudy, what can you do?" "I can swim, sir, as well as any of them. You can't spare these men from the guns, sir. It won't make much matter if I am killed. But I'm sure that God will take care of me. Please, sir, let me go." "Go, my brave lad," said the Admiral, "and may God bless you!" He thanked the Admiral, and running to the side of the ship, sprang over into the sea, and struck out bravely towards the ships, which he was to order up. The men cheered him, and then went back to their guns. The fight went on; but the Dutch were getting the best of it. The Admiral was feeling very sadly. He did not see how he could hold out much longer. He said to himself — "I have never hauled down the flag of old England yet. I'd rather die than do it now. But how can I help it?" Just then he heard a firing to the right. Looking through the clouds of smoke that surrounded him, he saw that the brave boy had got through his long and dangerous swim. He had delivered the order entrusted to him; and the expected ships were coming, crowding down upon the enemy. This turned the tide of battle. The Dutch were soon beaten, and the flag of old England was not hauled down that day. In the evening the Admiral called his men on deck to thank them for their brave conduct. And then, turning to Cloudy, who was also present, he said: "And I want especially to thank you, my brave lad, for your noble conduct. We owe this victory to you. I hope to live to see you have a flagship of your own, some day." And it turned out just so. That cabin-boy went on realizing God's presence; and this gave him strength for duty, till he was knighted by the king, and known in the English navy as — Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovel. And if we follow the model that Joseph has left us, we shall find that realizing the presence of God will be sure to give us strength for duty. IV. And then, when Joseph realized the presence of God, he found that it gave him — VICTORY OVER TEMPTATION. And if we follow the model he has left us, we shall find that it will do the same for us. The thought of God's eye: — Emma Gray was a Sunday-school girl, who was trying to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, and to make herself useful. As she was going to school one day, during the week, she passed a little boy, whose hand was thrust through the railings of a gentleman's front garden, trying to steal some flowers. "Oh, my little boy," said Emma kindly, "do you think it's right to take those flowers without asking leave?" "I only want two or three," said the boy, "and nobody sees me." "You are mistaken there, my boy. God is looking at you from yonder blue sky. He says we must not take what does not belong to us without leave. And if you do it He will see it, and it will grieve Him." "Then, if He's looking at me I won't do it," said the little fellow. And so, as he thought of God's eye, or realized God's presence, it gave him the victory over the temptation to steal those flowers. Spoiling his trade: — A mission Sunday-school was started in a very wicked part of London. A good many boys in that neighbourhood got their living by stealing. Some of these boys were persuaded to go to this school. One boy, who was a great thief, went there. After he had been going for some time, one of his companions asked him how he liked the school. "I don't like it at all," said he. "Why not?" asked his friend. "Because, you see, they are all the time talking about God seeing you, and the like o' that; and it just makes a fellow feel afeard. It takes all the pluck out o' me, I know. Many a time now, when I see a good chance to get a hankercher, or a nice purse of money, just as I'm going to take it, I think of that great Eye looking at me. And then I'm afeard and have to stop. So, you see, it's spoiling my trade. And I'll either have to give up going to school, or else have to learn another trade and try and get my living in some other way." Here we see the true effect which must always follow from realizing God's presence. We cannot go on doing what we know to be wrong when we feel that God is looking at us. (R. Newton, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? |
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