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.

GENESIS 

Chapter 38 

If you don’t have a Bible handy, click this link for Genesis Chapter 38.

Verses 1-5       Judah leaves the family – picks a Canaanite woman for a wife and has 3 sons (Er, Onan, Shelah).
Verses 6-7       Fast forward – Judah’s son Er gets married to Tamar. But he was wicked and the Lord slew him.
Verses 8-10     Tamar is given to Onan . Onan realizes that an heir would not be his so he makes sure she does not get pregnant with his child. God was not happy with Onan and he dies as well.
Verse 11          Judah tells Tamar to wait for his younger son (Shelah) to be old enough to get married. But Judah was being deceitful and did not want Selah to marry Tamar.
Verse 12          Judah’s wife dies.
Verse 13 – 19  Tamar finds out that Judah is in town and plans a trap for him (she dresses as a harlot). Judah falls for it.
Verses 20-23    Later, Judah tries to pay the harlot but she can’t be found (Tamar gets rid of the harlot clothes and puts her widow clothes back on).
Verses 24-26    3 months later Judah finds out that Tamar is pregnant and then he finds out that he is the father.
Verses 27-30    Tamar has twin sons (Perez, Zerah). Note: Jesus will come thru Perez’s line (thru Tamar and Judah). Zerah is the ancestor of Achan (Joshua 7:1)

Discussion:
-- Does Judah leave because he feels guilty about Joseph?
-- Judah gets married but he is unequally yoked. Good idea? Bad idea?
-- Judah’s sons are wicked and 2 die because of their wickedness. Did Judah teach them about God? Was he being a godly influence?
-- Tamar decides to be deceitful (a running theme in this family) Was this a good idea? Jesus will come thru Judah’s line – did God take something bad and turn it to good?
-- Judah wanted Tamar to be burned – until he found out he was the father. Why did that matter?
-- Zerah was going to be born first but somehow he switched places with his twin and Perez was born first. Was there a reason that Perez needed to be the first born?
-- Would you consider this family as being dysfunctional?
-- Why would God choose this family as the ancestors of His Son?
-- Have you researched your family tree and found that you have some bad ancestors? You and Jesus have that in common!
-- God put Leah (Judah’s mom) in the ancestor line of Jesus. Why did He pick Leah? Was it because she was unloved?
-- Do you feel unloved or second best? Do you feel like you don’t matter? Well, you do matter! Just look at Leah and Tamar and how God used them for His glory.

GENESIS 

Chapters 36 and 37 

If you don’t have a Bible handy, click this link for Genesis Chapter 36 and Chapter 37.

Chapter 36
Verses 1-8       Esau takes his wives, children and goods and leaves the land of Canaan.
Verses 9-14    Genealogy of Esau (wife Adah – son   Eliphaz; wife Basemath – son Reuel; wife Aholibamah – sons Jeush, Jaalam and Korah).
Verses 15-19   Genealogy of Esau’s sons.
Verses 20-30   Genealogy of the family of Timna (Eliphaz’s concubine). Esau (Edom) is connected to Horites thru Timna).
Verses 31-39   The kings of Edom before Esau. (Edom had kings, Israel did not)
Verses 40-43   The chiefs of Esau.

Chapter 37
Verses 1-2       Joseph gives his father a bad report on his brothers.
Verses 3-4       Jacob loved Joseph the most and made him a coat of many colors.
Verses 5-11     Joseph has 2 dreams and tells them to his family. The dreams were not received well.
Verses 12- 17  Jacob sends Joseph to check on his brothers.
Verses 18- 20  The brothers conspire against Joseph to kill him.
Verses 21-24   Reuben (Leah’s son) doesn’t allow the brothers to kill Joseph.
Verses 25-28   The brothers sell Joseph to a company of Ishmaelites.
Verses 29 -35  Reuben returns and finds out that Joseph has been sold. They come up with a plan to tell their father that a wild animal killed Joseph.
Verse 36          Joseph is sold to Potiphar.

Discussion:
-- Was Joseph a tattletale? Or was he just doing what his father asked him to do?
-- Are you someone’s favorite? Are others jealous because of it? Are you jealous of someone that is a favorite?
-- Did Joseph know he was the favorite? Did he take advantage of that?
-- Have you ever been in an awkward position where you knew the truth would cause others to be angry with you? How did you handle it?
-- Did Joseph know his dreams were a prophecy or was he just being arrogant?
-- God’s plan was for Joseph to be in Egypt. Was it God’s plan for Joseph to be sold by his brothers or did God just use it for His plan?

Crafts for Children
White t-shirts
Fabric paint
Have each child make their own “shirt of many colors”.

Coloring Pages:

To print out coloring pages: Click on the image, select copy image, then paste the image onto a document (such as Word). You can make the image smaller or larger - then print.

GENESIS 

Chapters 34 and 35 

If you don’t have a Bible handy, click this link for Genesis Chapter 34 and Chapter 35.

Chapter 34
Verses 1-3      Shechem commits a crime against Dinah.
Verse 4           Shechem wants to marry Dinah.
Verse 5           Jacob learns of the crime against his daughter.
Verses 6-12    Shechem’s father asks Jacob to give Dinah to his son as a wife.
Verses 13-17  The sons of Jacob make an agreement with Shechem’s father.
Verses 18-24  Shechem and his dad present the agreement to the men of their city and all agree.
Verses 25-29  While the men of the city were recovering from the circumcisions, Simeon and Levi kill every male in the city. They take the women and children hostage and plunder all their goods.
Verses 30-31  Jacob is not happy with Simeon and Levi and he fears for his life.

Chapter 35
Verse 1          God tells Jacob to go to Bethel.
Verses 2-4     Jacob tells his family and all in his house to get rid of the idols and purify themselves.
Verses 5-7     Jacob travels to Bethel in safety.
Verse 8          Rebekah’s nurse dies.
Verses 9-10   God tells Jacob his name is now Israel.
Verses 11-15 The promises given to Abraham and Isaac are also given to Jacob.
Verses 16-20 Rachel dies in childbirth as she gives birth to Benjamin.
Verses 21-22 Reuben sleeps with Bilhah (Rachel’s maidservant).
Verses 23-26 A list of the 12 sons and who their mothers were.
Verses 27-29 Isaac dies. Jacob and Esau bury their father.

Discussion:
-- Have you been the victim of a crime? How did you handle it? Did you avenge yourself by committing a crime against that person? Did you take the law into your own hands?
-- Dinah was hanging out with the wrong people. Does that justify what happened to her?
-- Who do you blame when bad things happen to you? Do you forgive those who have wronged you?
-- Jacob was more concerned with his reputation than his daughter’s. What should he have done?
-- The 2 brothers killed all the males in that city – did that punishment fit the crime?
-- Jacob orders the family to “clean up”. Was that enough? Did anyone confess their sin or ask for forgiveness?

Children Discussion:
-- What kind of punishment should you get when you disobey? Time out? Spanking? Loss of privileges?
-- Does punishment help you to obey?
-- Is it better to just obey?