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 39-40
Joseph The One Who Chose to Obey
BIBLE STORY SUMMARY: God was with Joseph while he was a slave, and He blessed him and the household of his master. God allowed Joseph to remain a slave for a long time. Joseph refused to become bitter, and He trusted and obeyed God, resisting temptation. God was in control, and Joseph trusted God to bring about the promises He had made for him even when he was treated unjustly. LESSON FOCUS: To understand that God’s plan for my life is that I am obedient and that I trust Him. To understand that obedience to God results in His blessing, but God’s blessing may not include removing the difficult situation. WHAT I LEARN ABOUT GOD: God is faithful to keep His promises. God may use difficulty to reach the goal of helping me to trust Him. LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT WE’VE LEARNED: What did Jacob think had happened to Joseph when he saw his torn, bloodsoaked coat? (He thought Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. His brothers
God Gives Success When I Am Obedient
actually sold him. He became a slave to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials.)
How did Joseph handle his new life as a slave in Egypt? (He worked hard.) Who tempted Joseph? (Potiphar’s wife.) What did Joseph do? (He ran away from her.) She was angry and lied to her husband. What did Potiphar do to Joseph? (He put him in prison.) Who came to be with Joseph in prison? (Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker – each had dreams on the same night.) How did Joseph know what the dreams meant? (God revealed it to him.) How did Joseph handle being in prison? (He lived and worked in obedience to God.) What did God do when Joseph was in prison? (He showed him kindness and granted him favor and success.) What did Joseph continue to remember each day as he remained in prison? (God was in control and was working out His plan in Joseph’s life.)
Will you believe that God is using the hard situations in your life to teach you to trust Him? Will you choose to be obedient to God every day?
See you on Sunday!
Copyright 2007 Berean Baptist Church 309 E. Co. Rd. 42 Burnsville, MN 55306 952-432-7168
Joseph Is a Slave 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 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 28, 2007
Monday – Waiting and Working In God’s Plan
Saturday – This Week’s Puzzle
Read: Genesis 39:1-6 and Colossians 3:23 Joseph’s brothers went back to their father with Joseph’s special coat after dipping it in the blood of a goat. What did Jacob think happened to Joseph? __________________________________________________
Was that true? yes To which
no
country was Joseph taken? Israel Canaan Egypt Jerusalem
Joseph was sold again. This time he was sold to Potiphar, an important person in Pharaoh’s guard. Potiphar was the captain of the guard. Did Joseph get mad and rebel against Potiphar? yes no Joseph lived out what God tells us in Colossians 3:23.
W___ w___
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ you do,
___ ___ at it with all your
working for the
L___
h___
___ ___ , not
___ ___ ___ , as
m___
___ .
Joseph knew God saw him wherever he was. Joseph wanted to live and work for God in good times and bad. Can you think of a way that you can work with your whole heart as unto the Lord this week? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
Success to the Obedient t j t n r o l k s g j k y d f
y j c y t x n r x e u n i j
p o b p w o t s u c h o n r
k y b w s a u e d o f i s l
l x g i k f f v w l f t a z
a u r e f o b a l e p a s a
e p c e t b d l y f o t m i
c m r i r e m s l b t p q w
d i e z f y r e j p i m w a
n l f m j f e l h k p e q j
p u c y b g i z b a h t n i
o s e p h e t d p s a w h b
g w o h g u r k i o r x v w
y i j u g t z r e k a b d w
g d u h j o l z w b e e c a
Can you find each of the words below in the letters above ? baker
cupbearer
difficult
Egypt
flee
Joseph
obey
Potiphar
prison
remember
slave
suffering
temptation
p x r e r a e b p u c j p w
Friday – God Loves Obedience Read: Genesis 40:14-23, Daniel 9:4, and Hebrews 5:7-8
Joseph was willing to be helpful. He used the gift God had given him to help the cupbearer. Did the cupbearer return the favor? yes no Write down three words that describe how you think Joseph must have felt? ________________ ________________ ________________
Joseph’s suffering probably seemed even worse when “this friend” forgot about him. Still, Joseph continued to live obediently to God. He knew that the Lord was with him. Can you think of a time when you felt like someone forgot about you? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
Will you remember that God is always with you, even when others forget about you?
Tuesday – Run From Temptation
Wednesday – Joseph Obeyed In Hard Times
Read: Genesis 39:6-20 and 1 Timothy 6:11
Read: Genesis 39:19-23
When Joseph’s master, Potiphar, saw him work hard and saw that the Lord was with him, he put Joseph in charge of everything he owned. Potiphar knew he could trust Joseph. While Joseph was working for Potiphar, his wife tempted Joseph. She wanted him to act like he was married to her even though she was married to Potiphar. Joseph knew that this was wrong. He refused saying, “How could I do such a
Potiphar didn’t take time to ask who was right and who was wrong, he just threw Joseph right into prison.
w___
___
against
G___
___
___
___ thing and ___
____
___
___ ?” (v. 9)
Even though she bothered him day after day, what did Joseph do? he argued with her a lot he tried to reason with her he stayed away from her Are you tempted sometimes to do what other people tell you to do? yes no When Potiphar’s wife tempted him again, he ran out of the house. What did he leave behind? his cloak his shoes his hat Did Joseph do what God tells us to do in 1 Timothy 6:11? “But you, man of God, ___ ___ ___ ___ from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” If you are tempted this week, will you run from it and run to God? for sure I’ll try it depends
Do you think life could have gotten any worse for Joseph? a lot not much a little Joseph didn’t forget about God or His plan for him. Did God forget about Joseph while he was in prison? yes
no
I don’t know
Circle the mistakes in the verse below. There are three.
“The Lord wasn’t with him; He showed him no kindness and granted him no favor in the eyes of the prison warden.” You are not in prison, but you may have hard times. God uses difficult things in our lives to teach us and change us so that we become more like Jesus. What are some difficult things happening in your life? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Do you think that God can use these difficult things to teach you and to change you to become more like Jesus?
Thursday – Joseph Interprets Dreams Read: Genesis 40:1-13 and 20-23 Some other people made Pharaoh angry and were also thrown into prison. Who were they? ___________________________________________________ Joseph noticed their feelings, they were ___ ___ ___ . (40:7) They each had a very clear dream with a special meaning and they didn’t understand the meaning of their dreams. Who did Joseph say the interpretation of dreams belonged to? Pharaoh the cupbearer and the baker God Joseph What would happen to the cupbearer? good things bad things What would happen to the baker? good things bad things Did their dreams come true? yes
no
What did Joseph ask the cupbearer to do for him? (v. 14) __________________________________________________ Did the cupbearer remember to do what Joseph asked him to do? yes no