This lesson covers the first half of the Joseph story that is found in Genesis 37-50. The story of Joseph is one of the most dramatic and richest stories in the whole Bible. A favored son got sold by his brothers into slavery. He rose to prominence in Egypt only to be falsely accused and thrown into prison. God gave him a gift of interpreting dreams that allowed him to not only find his way out of prison and then all the way to second in command of Egypt, but more importantly, God used him to save his people and fulfill his covenant to the children of Abraham.
Joseph the Dreamer: The Coat of Many Colors and Two Dreams
Joseph was the second youngest son of Jacob and his favorite. His father, Jacob, made him a richly ornamented robe (often called the “coat of many colors,” but the exact meaning of that phrase in Hebrew is uncertain). It is most likely related to the preference that a father would show to a firstborn (Reuben) but is instead being shown preferentially to his most favored son.
Joseph's brothers were jealous of Jacob's love for Joseph and offended by Joseph's dreams.
- First, Joseph dreamed that they were out binding sheaves of grain. His sheaf of grain rose and stood upright, while his brothers' sheaves bowed down to his. Of course, Joseph couldn't keep this dream to himself, so he told his brothers.
- Then, he had a dream that the sun and moon (his mother and father) and 11 stars (his brothers) were bowing to him. This one actually upset his father too.
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
His brothers were so enraged and jealous of him that they began to plot to kill him. One day, Jacob sent Joseph to the fields to check on his brothers (notice he was the only one not working in the field - is this further evidence of Jacob's favoritism?) As they saw him approaching, they realized this was their chance to kill him. Reuben was the only one with a soft heart (mostly for his father), and convinced the other brothers to just leave him in a cistern and tell Jacob he was killed by a wild animal. Judah wanted to get something out of it though, and convinced them to sell Joseph into slavery for money. They waited for a caravan of Ishmaelites (also called Midianite traders in the text) to come by and sold him.
Joseph was sold to the Ishmaelites while they were traveling to Egypt. The Ishmaelites were descendants of Abraham’s first son, Ishmael. You can remind your students that Abraham also had Isaac. So that means Isaac and Ishmael were half brothers. Isaac had Jacob, who had Joseph. This means Joseph was sold to his great uncle’s family. The Ishmaelites then sold him to Potiphar when they got to Egypt. Potiphar worked for the Pharaoh.
From Prison to Palace: How the Story Ends
Sitting at the bottom of a pit must have felt literally like the lowest Joseph could get. But there were many more twists and turns ahead. God not only saved Joseph, but he used Joseph to save his family and turned his family into the fulfillment of the covenant he made with Abraham. Next week, we will cover how Jacob's family (his 12 sons, including Joseph) would become the people we call the Israelites.
What Kids Should Learn from Joseph's Story
At this point in the story, keep the tension in place for the kids. At this point, all Joseph could do was trust that God would be with him, save him, and use him if he would just keep trusting God. Regardless of how the story ended, that's a great lesson for us all at any point in our lives.
