Exploring God's Word for Kids
Week 8 / Lesson 1
1. Common Ground - Prepares Students to Learn God's Word on their level.
2. Read Word - Insert the Bible Story
3. Like Jesus - How Can I Be Like Jesus through this Story?
4. Questions - Review the Story and Ask Questions.
5. Interactive Exercise
2. Read Word - Insert the Bible Story
3. Like Jesus - How Can I Be Like Jesus through this Story?
4. Questions - Review the Story and Ask Questions.
5. Interactive Exercise
Joseph: The Favorite Son
Common Ground
Do you have a BEST friend? Who is your favorite? Did you know that the man in the Bible named Jacob had 12 sons and he had a favorite. He was so loved by his dad that he received a special coat of many colors. His brothers did not receive a special coat. They hated him because of it. One day he had a dream that all of his brothers would bow down to him and he told them about his dream. They hated him even more! Then his brothers decided to throw him into a pit and see him into slavery in Egypt.
This is his story...
This is his story...
Read the Word
Genesis 37 -41 (ERV)
Joseph’s brothers saw him coming from far away. They decided to make a plan to kill him. 19 They said to each other, “Here comes Joseph the dreamer. 20 We should kill him now while we can. We could throw his body into one of the empty wells and tell our father that a wild animal killed him. Then we will show him that his dreams are useless.”
21 But Reuben wanted to save Joseph. He said, “Let’s not kill him. 22 We can put him into a well without hurting him.” Reuben planned to save Joseph and send him back to his father. 23 When Joseph came to his brothers, they attacked him and tore off his long and beautiful coat. 24 Then they threw him into an empty well that was dry.
25 While Joseph was in the well, the brothers sat down to eat. They looked up and saw a group of traders[b] traveling from Gilead to Egypt. Their camels were carrying many different spices and riches. 26 So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we get if we kill our brother and hide his death? 27 We will profit more if we sell him to these traders. Then we will not be guilty of killing our own brother.” The other brothers agreed. 28 When the Midianite traders came by, the brothers took Joseph out of the well and sold him to the traders for 20 pieces of silver. The traders took him to Egypt.
The Midianite traders later sold Joseph in Egypt. They sold him to Potiphar, an officer of the king of Egypt and the captain of his palace guards. The Lord helped Joseph become a successful man. Joseph lived in the house of his master, Potiphar the Egyptian.
3 Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph and that the Lord helped Joseph be successful in everything he did. 4 So Potiphar was very happy with Joseph. He allowed Joseph to work for him and to help him rule the house. Joseph was the ruler over everything Potiphar owned. 5 After Joseph was made the ruler over the house, the Lord blessed the house and everything that Potiphar owned. The Lord also blessed everything that grew in Potiphar’s fields. The Lord did this because of Joseph. 6 So Potiphar allowed Joseph to take responsibility for everything in the house. Potiphar didn’t have to worry about anything except deciding what to eat.
Joseph was a very handsome, good-looking man. 7 After some time, the wife of Joseph’s master began to pay special attention to him. One day she said to him, “Sleep with me.”
8 But Joseph refused. He said, “My master trusts me with everything in his house. He has given me responsibility for everything here. 9 My master has made me almost equal to him in his house. I cannot sleep with his wife! That is wrong! It is a sin against God.”
10 The woman talked with Joseph every day, but he refused to sleep with her. 11 One day Joseph went into the house to do his work. He was the only man in the house at the time. 12 His master’s wife grabbed his coat and said to him, “Come to bed with me.” But Joseph ran out of the house so fast that he left his coat in her hand.
13 The woman saw that Joseph had left his coat in her hand and had run out of the house. 14 She called to the men outside and said, “Look! This Hebrew slave was brought here to make fun of us. He came in and tried to attack me, but I screamed. 15 My scream scared him and he ran away, but he left his coat with me.” 16 Then she kept his coat until her husband, Joseph’s master, came home. 17 She told her husband the same story. She said, “This Hebrew slave you brought here tried to attack me! 18 But when he came near me, I screamed. He ran away, but he left his coat.”
19 Joseph’s master listened to what his wife said, and he became very angry. 20 So Potiphar put Joseph into the prison where the king’s enemies were held, and that is where Joseph remained.
21 The Lord was with Joseph and continued to show his kindness to him, so the commander of the prison guards began to like Joseph. 22 The commander of the guards put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners. Joseph was their leader, but he still did the same work they did. 23 The commander of the guards trusted Joseph with everything that was in the prison. This happened because the Lord was with Joseph. The Lord helped Joseph be successful in everything he did.
Two years later Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile River. 2 In the dream, seven cows came out of the river and stood there eating grass. They were healthy, good-looking cows. 3 Then seven more cows came out of the river and stood on the bank of the river by the healthy cows. But these cows were thin and looked sick. 4 The seven sick cows ate the seven healthy cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
5 Pharaoh went back to sleep and began dreaming again. This time he dreamed that he saw seven heads of grain growing on one plant. They were healthy and full of grain. 6 Then he saw seven more heads of grain sprouting, but they were thin and scorched by the hot wind. 7 The thin heads of grain ate the seven good heads of grain. Then Pharaoh woke up again and realized it was only a dream. 8 The next morning Pharaoh was worried about these dreams, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told these men the dreams, but none of them could explain the dreams.
9 Then the wine servant remembered Joseph and said to Pharaoh, “I remember something that happened to me. 10 You were angry with the baker and me, and you put us in prison. 11 Then one night he and I had a dream. Each dream had a different meaning. 12 There was a young Hebrew man in prison with us. He was a servant of the commander of the guards. We told him our dreams, and he explained them to us. He told us the meaning of each dream, 13 and what he said came true. He said I would be free and have my old job back, and it happened. He also said the baker would die, and it happened!”
14 So Pharaoh called Joseph from the prison. The guards quickly got Joseph out of prison. Joseph shaved, put on some clean clothes, and went to see Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can explain it for me. I heard that you can explain dreams when someone tells you about them.”
16 Joseph answered, “I cannot! But God can explain the dream for you, Pharaoh.”
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing by the Nile River. 18 Seven cows came up out of the river and stood there eating the grass. They were healthy, good-looking cows. 19 Then I saw seven more cows come up out of the river after them, but these cows were thin and looked sick. They were the worst cows I had ever seen anywhere in Egypt! 20 The thin, sick cows ate the first healthy cows, 21 but they still looked thin and sick. You couldn’t even tell they had eaten the healthy cows. They looked as thin and sick as they did in the beginning. Then I woke up.
22 “In my next dream I saw seven heads of grain growing on one plant. They were healthy and full of grain. 23 And then seven more heads of grain grew after them, but they were thin and scorched by the hot wind. 24 Then the thin heads of grain ate the seven good heads of grain.
“I told these dreams to my magicians. But no one could explain the dreams to me. What do they mean?”
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both of these dreams have the same meaning. God is telling you what will happen soon.
Pharaoh said, “I don’t think we can find anyone better than Joseph to take this job! God’s Spirit is in him, making him very wise!”
39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “God showed these things to you, so you must be the wisest man. 40 I will put you in charge of my country, and the people will obey all your commands. I will be the only one more powerful than you.”
Like Jesus
God’s plan for Joseph’s life really had some ups and downs! You see, God sees a much bigger picture than we do. We often see just the world directly around us—a very small picture compared to what God sees. We must be patient and trust God and His will for our lives, like Joseph did! When we do, God will bless us; and we will accomplish God’s plan—not only for us, but others, too!
Questions
When the brothers saw Joseph coming, what did they want to do to him? They wanted to kill him and throw him in a pit. (Gen. 37:20)
Who talked them out of their original plan and what was his new plan? Reuben encouraged them to throw him in a pit. Reuben planned to come back later and rescue Joseph. (Gen. 37:21-22) How many pieces of silver did the brothers receive for selling Joseph? 20 (Gen. 37:28)
What did the brothers tell their father Jacob, and how did he react? They tricked him, showing him Joseph’s coat stained with goat’s blood, and telling him an animal had killed Joseph. Jacob grieved and refused to be comforted. (Gen. 37:31-35)
Where did Joseph go? Egypt; He was sold to work for Potiphar, a high-ranking officer of Pharaoh. (Gen. 37:36)
Who talked them out of their original plan and what was his new plan? Reuben encouraged them to throw him in a pit. Reuben planned to come back later and rescue Joseph. (Gen. 37:21-22) How many pieces of silver did the brothers receive for selling Joseph? 20 (Gen. 37:28)
What did the brothers tell their father Jacob, and how did he react? They tricked him, showing him Joseph’s coat stained with goat’s blood, and telling him an animal had killed Joseph. Jacob grieved and refused to be comforted. (Gen. 37:31-35)
Where did Joseph go? Egypt; He was sold to work for Potiphar, a high-ranking officer of Pharaoh. (Gen. 37:36)
Interactive Exercise
| joseph_and_pharaohs_dream_coloring_sheet.pdf |