Bible Study

Have children look up and read each passage, then lead a discussion to help them put themselves in Joseph’s place. What would they do in the same situation?  

1. Read Genesis 37:1–11:

¹ So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived as a foreigner. ² This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing. ³ Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe. ⁴But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him. ⁵ One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. ⁶ “Listen to this dream,” he said. ⁷ “We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!” ⁸ His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them. ⁹ Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. “Listen, I have had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!” ¹⁰ This time he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers, but his father scolded him. “What kind of dream is that?” he asked. “Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground before you?” ¹¹ But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.

Ask:

• Do you think Joseph understood that his dreams were given to him by God?
• Have you ever had a dream you believe was from God?
• Would it have been easy or difficult to share your dream with your family?
• Do you think Joseph should have kept it to himself, or just shared it with his father; why or why not?
• Are there times we should just keep things that God shares with us to ourselves; why or why not? 
• Have you ever been affected by jealousy? How can you overcome it?

2. Read Genesis 39:1–6a:

¹ When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. ²The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. ³ Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.⁴ This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. ⁵From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. ⁶ So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat!

Ask:

• What do you think was going through Joseph’s mind as he was attacked and then sold into slavery by his brothers?
• Do you think Joseph was angry at God; why or why not?
• How do you think Joseph felt, being sold to an important Egyptian like Potiphar? Would you feel that God had given you favor?
• Why did Joseph succeed? Do you think Joseph knew it was God and not his human ability that gave him success; why or why not? Look at verse 3.
• What do these verses tell you about Joseph’s trust and relationship with God?
• Would it be difficult for you to keep a good attitude with all the things that happened to Joseph?
• How do you think Joseph felt when he was promoted and put in charge of Potiphar’s whole house, while he was still a slave?
• What results can come to us and others when we trust God, do our best, and keep a good attitude regardless of the circumstances?

3. Read Genesis 39:19–23:

¹⁹ Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her. ²⁰ So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained. ²¹ But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. ²²Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. ²³The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.

Ask:

• If you were Joseph, how would you feel if you did everything right, and with a good attitude, yet now you are in prison?
• Have you ever been falsely accused of something? What was the outcome, and how did you feel?
• Did Joseph react with anger and bitterness? What did he do? 
• Did God abandon Joseph when he was thrown into prison? What did God do?
• What does the fact that Joseph was put in charge say about his attitude and his service to God?
• Has God shown you favor when you were in a difficult situation? 
• What does this say about trusting God, serving Him faithfully, and giving Him all we have? What can the result be?

Pray: Dear God, You showed Joseph favor in his life even in Egypt and in a prison! Joseph trusted and served You even when he didn’t understand Your plan. Help us to faithfully trust and serve You so we can have favor in our lives and bring glory to You! In Jesus’ name, Amen.