Men whom God favored, and to whom He entrusted great responsibilities, were sometimes overcome by temptation and committed sin, even as we at the present day strive, waver, and frequently fall into error. Their lives, with all their faults and follies, are open before us, both for our encouragement and warning. If they had been represented as without fault, we, with our sinful nature, might despair at our own mistakes and failures. But seeing where others struggled through discouragements like our own, where they fell under temptations as we have done, and yet took heart again and conquered through the grace of God, we are encouraged in our striving after righteousness. As they, though sometimes beaten back, recovered their ground, and were blessed of God, so we too may be overcomers in the strength of Jesus. On the other hand, the record of their lives may serve as a warning to us. It shows that God will by no means clear the guilty. He sees sin in His most favored ones, and He deals with it in them even more strictly than in those who have less light and responsibility. 239

Da de nåede Ægypten, rejste de direkte til Gosens land. Josef kørte dertil i sin embedsvogn, ledsaget af et fyrsteligt følge. Han glemte både sine omgivelsers pragt og sin høje stilling. Kun een tanke fyldte hans sind, og kun een længsel fik hans hjerte til at banke. Da han så de rejsende nærme sig, kunne han ikke længere styre sin kærlighed, som han i så mange år havde undertrykt. Han sprang af vognen og ilede hen for at byde sin fader velkommen. Og han omfavnede ham og græd længe i hans arme; og Israel sagde til Josef: Lad mig nu kun dø, da jeg har set dit ansigt, at du endnu lever!