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?