Dear Parents, We hope the following summary of the Sunday School lesson will help you in discussing the lesson with your children and in working through this booklet together. SCRIPTURE PASSAGE: Genesis 37:12 to 36
Joseph— He Chose to Obey
BIBLE STORY SUMMARY: Joseph’s brothers hated him, and God allowed them to take him and sell him to slave traders. God then brought along a caravan that took Joseph to Egypt—to the place where God wanted him. God was in control, and Joseph trusted God to bring about the promises He had made to him. LESSON FOCUS: God was in control of the things that happened in Joseph’s life. Joseph trusted God and did not become angry or bitter when he had to suffer. WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT GOD: God’s name is El Shaddai, The All-Sufficient One. He is not helpless when I suffer. He is in control of everything. LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT WE’VE LEARNED: Why did Joseph’s brothers hate him? What did they decide to do when they saw Joseph coming to them while they were tending sheep? They resented that he was their father’s favorite son. When they saw him coming, they plotted to kill him. Joseph’s brothers changed their minds about killing him. What did they do instead? The sold him to a caravan passing by on their way to Egypt. How did they explain Joseph’s disappearance to their father? They showed him Joseph’s special coat, covered with goat’s blood that they had put on it to make it look like Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. What had really happened to Joseph? He had been taken to Egypt, where he was sold as a slave to Potiphar, an official in Pharaoh’s court. Joseph knew that God had a plan for his life. How did that free him from being angry and bitter toward his brothers? He trusted God to use even this very difficult event to bring about God’s good plan. Will you trust God to be in control even when things are very difficult? Will you refuse to become angry and bitter when life is hard?
See you on Sunday!
Copyright 2007 Berean Baptist Church 309 E. Co. Rd. 42 Burnsville, MN 55306 952-432-7168
God Is Always In Control
Joseph Is Sold by His Brothers This Week’s Memory Verse “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD. Jeremiah 29:11-14a
October 20, 2013
MONDAY – JOSEPH IS WILLING TO HELP
SATURDAY – THIS WEEK’S PUZZLE
Joseph was part of a very big family. (He had 11 brothers and he had sisters, too.) What else do you remember about Joseph? (Genesis 37:1-11)
Fill in the puzzle with words from our memory verse. (They come from the memory lines we’ve been working on – the first five lines.) Then, say the lines you’ve learned so far out loud. See if you can say them by memory to three people before Sunday!
Mark a T by what is true about Joseph and his family. Mark an F by what is false. ____ Joseph’s brothers all liked him a lot. ____ Jacob gave Joseph a fancy coat to show that he was his favorite son. ____ Joseph’s brothers hated him. ____ Joseph told his brothers about dreams that said he would rule over them. ____ The brothers were happy about Joseph’s dreams. Read Genesis 37:12 to 14. When his dad told Joseph to check on his brothers, what did Joseph do? He obeyed right away. He waited until he felt like going. He went only because he had to.
Across 3. What God has for us Down 1. Believing the best will happen 2. Talking to God 4. To really look for something
Did Joseph complain about looking for his brothers? Yes No I don’t think so Do you complain when your parents ask you to help? Yes Sometimes No
I’ll try to be like Joseph
What are two things your parents ask you to do? ____________________________
____________________________
Pray and ask God to help you be glad to obey. Practice saying the memory verse lines that are in the darkest print on the front cover.
Puzzle created with Puzzlemaker on DiscoverySchool.com
FRIDAY – JOSEPH HAS HOPE
TUESDAY – JOSEPH’S BROTHERS PLAN TO KILL HIM
Read Genesis 37:36. Joseph was brought to Egypt and sold as a slave to a man named Potiphar. Joseph was now many, many miles away from his family.
Read Genesis 37:17 to 20. Joseph obeyed his father. He went to see how his brothers were doing while they took care of the sheep.
What would Joseph’s life as a slave be like? (Circle any that you think are true.) Easy Fun Very hard Lonely
How do you think his brothers knew it was Joseph when they saw him from far away? They saw him wave. No one else had a camel like Joseph. Joseph was wearing the fancy coat from their dad.
Slaves cannot choose what to eat, where to be, or what to do. But even slaves can choose what they will think! What kinds of things do you think Joseph chose to think about? I will make plans to kill my brothers someday. I know that God is with me. I will show others what God is like by always doing my best job. I will choose to trust that God has a plan for my life. I will always be mad at my brothers. Even though Joseph was far from his family, he was not alone. GOD WAS WITH HIM! He had learned that God was in control and that He had a plan for his life. Joseph still had hope! When life was hard for Joseph, he thought about God’s promises to Him. Read Jeremiah 29:11 to 12. What are two things about God that can help you feel better when life is hard? _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ Ask God to help you remember that He has good plans for you. Practice saying the first five lines of our memory verse on the front cover.
How happy were they to see Joseph? 0
1
2
Not at all
3
4
5
6 7
8
9 10
Very glad
What name did they call Joseph? (Verse 19)
d ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ !
The brothers saw Joseph wearing his fancy coat. They also thought about Joseph’s dreams of ruling over them. While Joseph was still a long way off, they made plans to kill him! Their father had told Joseph about obeying God. Do you think he told his other sons? Yes
Maybe
No
It is not enough just to hear about God. Every person must choose if he or she will obey God. Can you think of one way God wants you to decide to obey Him today? ______________________________________ Will you pray and ask God to help you obey Him today? Thank Him that He listens to you when you ask Him to help you. Practice saying our memory lines. Ask someone you know to say them with you.
WEDNESDAY – JOSEPH IS SOLD
THURSDAY – JACOB MOURNS
Read Genesis 37:21 to 30. Reuben, the oldest brother, tried to save Joseph from being killed! He told his brothers to put Joseph into a nearby cistern (a deep hole in the ground for storing water—this one was dry). Reuben wanted to come back later and bring Joseph home. What happened after Joseph came to his brothers? (Verses 23 to 28) Put a 1 by the first thing that happened in this story. Put a 2 by what happened next, and so on, until you get them all. ____ A caravan (a group of people traveling) came nearby on their way to Egypt. ____ Joseph’s brothers stripped his fancy coat off of him. ____ Joseph was sold as a slave for 20 silver coins. ____ Joseph was thrown down into the cistern. ____ The caravan took Joseph to Egypt. ____ The brothers decided to sell Joseph instead of killing him.
Afraid
Lonely
Angry
Peaceful
In pain
Yes
Ask God to help you follow Him even when it’s hard to do. How many lines of our memory verse can you say?
Jacob was very, very sad about Joseph. (Verses 34 to 35) Put a frown next to the things that Jacob did to show his sadness. ____ He tore his clothes. ____ He wore sackcloth. (Sackcloth is very rough and scratchy cloth that people wore to show they were very sad.) ____ He stayed sad even when all his other children tried to make him feel better.
Proud
Whose plan do you think it was for the caravan to go near Joseph and his brothers? _________________________’s Do you think Joseph was trusting God, even when it was hard to understand His plan?
Read Genesis 37:31 to 35. What happened when the brothers showed their father the coat stained with blood? A. Jacob saw that it was the special coat he had given Joseph. B. It looked like Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. C. Both A and B.
How do you think Joseph’s brothers felt when they saw that their father was so sad?
How do you think Joseph felt as he sat at the bottom of that cistern? (Draw a line under any that you think are true.) Sad
Joseph had been sold and was on his way to Egypt. What would his brothers tell their father? To cover up what they had done, they killed a goat and put its blood on Joseph’s special coat. Then they showed the coat to their father, Jacob.
No
Ashamed
Confused
Other _________________________
What do you think they should have done then? Pretend for the rest of their lives that an animal had eaten Joseph Tell their father what really happened Travel to Egypt to buy Joseph back Do you think God knew what happened to Joseph? Yes Could God still bring about His plans for Joseph? Yes
Maybe Maybe
Tell God how you feel when you are sad.
No No