Exodus Chapter 1 

If you don’t have a Bible, click here for Exodus  Chapter 1

Verses 1-7:  Jacob had moved to Egypt with his sons.  They are fruitful and multiply.

(Fast forward almost 300 years since the death of Joseph.)

Verses 8-14:  Egypt has a new king (Pharoah) – doesn’t know Joseph.  Fear motivates the king to enslave the Israelites.

Verses 15-22:  Pharoah tells the mid-wives to kill all the male babies but to let the females live.  Pharoah (king) wants all male babies cast into the river.  Mid-wives refused to kill the male babies.  The mid-wives feared God (not Pharoah).  God honored the mid-wives – treated them well and provided households for them. 

Discussion

-- The new administration (Pharoah) did not honor the agreements made by the former administration.  Does this still happen today?  How does it happen?  What can be done about it?

-- The king tried to control the population by getting rid of the male babies.  Does population control still happen today? How do you control the population?  Which countries control how many babies you can have?  Is abortion population control?

-- Pro-Life vs Pro-Abortion – which side are you on?  Which side do you think God is on? 

-- What does "fear God" mean to you?  What does obedience mean to you? 

Activity for kids: 

make mud bricks.  (from Pinterest: Mud Bricks )

GENESIS 

Chapters 48, 49 and 50 

If you don’t have a Bible handy, click this link for Genesis Chapter 48, Chapter 49 and Chapter 50.

Chapter 48
Verses 1- 20:    Jacob blesses Joseph’s 2 sons and he elevates the younger one to the firstborn position.
Verses 21-22:   Joseph receives a double portion from Jacob.

Chapter 49
Verses 1-28:     Jacob gives a prophecy over each of his sons.
Verses 29-33:   Jacob wants to be buried where Leah is buried (as well as Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah).

Chapter 50
Verses 1-14:     Joseph buries his father – all the brothers go.
Verses 15-21:   Joseph’s brother are now worried that Joseph will now want revenge – they tell lies to protect themselves. Joseph reassures them that he does not hold a grudge.
Verses 22-26:   Joseph’s last request is to be buried in the promised land.

Discussion:
-- Is Jacob showing favoritism or doing God’s will?
-- Jacob makes it clear where he wants to be buried. Why not be buried with Rachel (the wife he loved)?
-- The brothers still feel guilty even though they were forgiven. Have you ever done something where you can’t forgive yourself?
-- Lots of people have “last wishes” when they die. Do you have any?
-- Joseph knew about the promised land and that it was God’s promise to them – even though they weren’t there yet and that’s where he wanted to be buried. Do you believe the promises that God has for you (even though you can’t see them yet)?

Note: Exodus 13:19 – Moses takes the bones of Joseph with him (in the exodus from Egypt).

GENESIS 

Chapters 46 and 47 

If you don’t have a Bible handy, click this link for Genesis Chapter 46 and Chapter 47.

Chapter 46
NOTE: Jacob / Israel – the name goes back and forth in these chapters.
Verses 1-4:      Israel starts his journey and God speaks to him.
Verses 5-7:      They all leave Beersheba and continue on their journey.
Verses 8-27:    The list of names of everyone who traveled – 70 in all.
Verse 28:         Judah goes ahead to Joseph.
Verses 29-30:  Jacob and Joseph reunite.
Verses 31-34:  Joseph gives instructions for meeting Pharaoh.

Chapter 47
Verses 1-6:     5 of the brothers meet Pharaoh and do what Joseph told them to do.
Verses 7-10:   Jacob meets Pharaoh.
Verses 11-12: Joseph gets the family set up in Goshen.
Verses 13-22: Joseph sells bread to the people of Egypt for money, livestock and land.
Verses 23-26: Joseph makes an agreement with the people – they can stay on the land, grow crops and give 1/5 of the harvest to Pharaoh.
Verses 27-28: Jacob lives there for 17 years and the family grew.
Verses 29-31: Israel makes Joseph promise to not bury him in Egypt but to bury him in his fathers burial place.

Discussion:
-- What’s going on with Jacob/Israel? Is he trusting God, then not trusting God? Does he have one foot in the world and the other foot in heavenly things?
-- Jacob needed encouragement and God gave it. When you have needed encouragement, did you seek it from God? If not, where did you get it from?
-- From a family of 70 people, God grew a nation. Did God keep His promise?
-- Jacob did have flocks, so it wasn’t really a lie telling Pharaoh that they were shepherds – Joseph used the truth to protect them. How do you protect yourself – with lies or truth?
-- Joseph wheels and deals with the Egyptians until he has all their money, livestock and land. Did Joseph help them or take advantage of them? What else could have been done?
-- Joseph’s deal with the people – would this be similar to taking out a loan or a 2nd mortgage on your home to cover expenses? Would you be a “slave” to that loan until it was paid off?

GENESIS 

Chapter 44 and 45 

If you don’t have a Bible handy, click this link for Genesis Chapter 44 and Chapter 45.

Chapter 44
Verses 1-2:     Joseph gives back the money again. Joseph’s cup is planted in Benjamin’s sack.
Verses 3-5:     Joseph sends one out to overtake his brothers for stealing the cup.
Verses 6-10:   The brothers are adamant that they did not steal anything.
Verses 11-15: The cup is found in Benjamin’s sack.
Verses 16-29: Judah tells the whole story up to this point.
Verses 30-34:  Judah tells Joseph that he will take Benjamin’s place.

Chapter 45
Verses 1-4:     Joseph reveals himself. The brothers are afraid – not sure of what he will do to them.
Verses 5-20:   Joseph tells them that God has put him where he is, not them. Joseph sends them back to get Jacob.
Verses 21-28: Jacob learns that Joseph is alive.

Discussion
-- Have you ever been accused of something you didn’t do? Was evidence planted on you? How did it all turn out?
-- Judah is willing to stand in for Benjamin – even though they did not do anything wrong here. Have you stood up for someone?
-- The brothers were in a situation where they had no control. Have you been in such a situation?
-- What do you think the brothers talked about on the way back to get Jacob?
-- Joseph forgave his brothers. Is there anyone that you need to forgive?
-- Benjamin gets a lot more than the other brothers. Were they jealous? Would you be jealous?
-- Joseph understood God’s plan even though he had to go through some really tough times. Has your life been a bed of roses or were there some thorns thrown in? Did you allow God to use it for His glory?

GENESIS 

Chapter 42 and 43 

If you don’t have a Bible handy, click this link for Genesis Chapter 42 and Chapter 43.

Chapter 42
Verses 1-5:    Jacob sends 10 sons to Egypt for food – keeps Benjamin home.
Verses 6-17:  Joseph recognizes his brothers but they don’t recognize him.
Verses 18-24: Joseph puts Simeon in prison – tells the brothers to go and get Benjamin.
Verses 25-28: Joseph has their sacks filled with grain and also includes the money they used to pay for it.
Verses 29-38: The brothers tell Jacob what happened but he won’t allow Benjamin to go.

Chapter 43
Verses 1-10:   They run out of food and Jacob tells them to go and buy more.
Verses 11-15: Jacob (Israel) allows Benjamin to go with the brothers to get food.
Verses 16-31: They all go to dinner at Joseph’s house.
Verses 32-34: Joseph seats them in age order – they each get a serving a food but Benjamin gets 5 times as much.

Discussion
-- Why does Joseph pick Simeon? Could he be the one who wanted to kill him?
-- Do you think the brothers regretted what they did to Joseph?
-- Jacob is still showing favoritism to his sons by Rachel but the brothers are acting differently. Have they learned their lesson? Have they matured?
-- In chapter 42 Jacob is called Jacob. In chapter 43, he is called Israel. Is Jacob now trusting God?
-- The brothers are bewildered that Joseph knows their age order. What do you think was going thru their minds?
-- Did Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream come true?
-- Did Joseph’s dreams (chapter 37) come true?
-- God had to put Jacob in a position where he had no other choice but to trust God. Have you ever been in a situation where you felt there were no choices? What did you do?

GENESIS 

Chapters 40 and 41 

If you don’t have a Bible handy, click this link for Genesis Chapter 40 and Chapter 41.

Chapter 40
Verses 1-4:     Joseph gets a couple of cellmates – butler and baker.
Verses 5-8:     The butler and baker have dreams.
Verses 9-19:   Joseph interprets their dreams.
Verses 20-22: The butler gets released and the baker is executed.
Verse 23:        The butler was supposed to “remember” Joseph to the Pharaoh but he “forgets”.

Chapter 41
Verses 1-8:     Two years later – Pharaoh has 2 dreams.
Verses 9-13:   The butler “remembers” Joseph.
Verses 14-32: Joseph interprets the 2 dreams.
Verses 33-44: Pharaoh promotes Joseph to 2nd in command.
Verse 45:        Joseph gets a wife.
Verse 46:        Joseph is now 30 years old.
Verses 47-49: 7 years of plenty.
Verses 50-52: Joseph has 2 sons.
Verses 53-57: The 7 years of famine begin.

Discussion:
-- Has someone let you down? How did you handle it?
-- When you wake up in the morning, do you remember your dreams? Do they make sense to you?
-- Have you ever had a dream come true? Not a wish, but an actual dream.
-- Joseph patiently endured during his trials. What happens when you go thru trials?
-- Joseph is now the “big man on campus” but his character is the same. If you have been promoted to a position of power, did your character change?
-- Joseph did not take credit for the interpretation of dreams – the credit belonged to God. Who gets the credit for all the things that you are able to do?
-- It took 13 years for Joseph’s prayers to be answered. Are you in the midst of a trial waiting for your prayers to be answered? Is the wait making for bitter or better?
-- Do you think answers to prayers are always “yes”? What happens when the answer is “no” or “wait”?

Children Discussion:
-- When a parent says “no”, are they being mean?
-- Do parents want the best for you?
-- Does the answer “no” make you angry?

GENESIS 

Chapter 39 

If you don’t have a Bible handy, click this link for Genesis Chapter 39.

Verse 1:          Joseph sold to Potiphar.
Verses 2-6:     Joseph is successful.
Verses 7-15:   Potiphar’s wife tries to cause Joseph to sin.
Verses 16-20: Potiphar’s wife lies and Joseph goes to prison.
Verses 21-23: Joseph is successful in prison.

Discussion:
--- Do bad things happen to good people?
--- Has something bad happened to you? How did you handle it?
--- When something bad happens, who do you blame? God? Parents? Spouse?
--- Others saw the Lord in Joseph – do others see the Lord in you?
--- Joseph made the best of each situation. Have you had opportunities to take something bad and turn it into good?
--- Has someone lied to get you into trouble? Have you lied to get someone else into trouble? How did that make you feel?
--- How do you handle temptations? What temptations do you face? Do you give in or get out?
--- We show our true character in the midst of trouble. What has your character said about you?

See also:
Romans 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

1Corinthians 10:13  No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture verses are from the New King James Version of the Bible.