Chapter 3: Joseph: From to Deputy Pharaoh Key Question: What can we learn from Joseph about trusting God through hardship and betrayal? From Favorite to Enslavement 29–31 Everyone knew Joseph was his dad’s favorite. His mother, Rachel, was the only wife his dad had truly loved. She was barren, though, and his dad prayed many years for her to have a child. Finally when his dad, Jacob, was 91, Rachel gave birth to Joseph, bringing joy to them both. Joseph was Jacob’s eleventh son. Eventually Rachel became pregnant again, but grief struck when she died giving birth to little Benjamin. Although the family was blessed in many ways, they suffered tragedies too, some from living in a harsh land and some from Joseph’s brothers’ bad choices, including his oldest brother, Reuben, sleeping with his dad’s concubine. When Joseph was seventeen, Jacob gave him a beautiful coat, inflaming his brothers’ jealousy. (a) What are some of the reasons Joseph’s brothers hated him (Genesis 37:2–11)? (b) What are some areas in which Joseph’s character perhaps needed to grow? (c) What are ways that parents can combat rivalry among their children? Not long after Joseph had brought a bad report to his father about how his brothers tended their flocks, Jacob again sent Joseph to check on his brothers. The brothers saw him coming and plotted to kill him. (a) How did the oldest brother, Reuben, attempt to rescue Joseph (Genesis 37:21–22)? (b) What plan did oldest—devise (37:26–27)? (c) The other brothers followed Judah’s leadership. How might Reuben’s incest have eroded his moral authority and lessened his effectiveness as a leader among his brothers?
Chapter 3: Joseph: From to Deputy Pharaoh Key Question: What can we learn from Joseph about trusting God through hardship and betrayal? From Favorite to Enslavement 29–31 Everyone knew Joseph was his dad’s favorite. His mother, Rachel, was the only wife his dad had truly loved. She was barren, though, and his dad prayed many years for her to have a child. Finally when his dad, Jacob, was 91, Rachel gave birth to Joseph, bringing joy to them both. Joseph was Jacob’s eleventh son. Eventually Rachel became pregnant again, but grief struck when she died giving birth to little Benjamin. Although the family was blessed in many ways, they suffered tragedies too, some from living in a harsh land and some from Joseph’s brothers’ bad choices, including his oldest brother, Reuben, sleeping with his dad’s concubine. When Joseph was seventeen, Jacob gave him a beautiful coat, inflaming his brothers’ jealousy. (a) What are some of the reasons Joseph’s brothers hated him (Genesis 37:2–11)? (b) What are some areas in which Joseph’s character perhaps needed to grow? (c) What are ways that parents can combat rivalry among their children? Not long after Joseph had brought a bad report to his father about how his brothers tended their flocks, Jacob again sent Joseph to check on his brothers. The brothers saw him coming and plotted to kill him. (a) How did the oldest brother, Reuben, attempt to rescue Joseph (Genesis 37:21–22)? (b) What plan did oldest—devise (37:26–27)? (c) The other brothers followed Judah’s leadership. How might Reuben’s incest have eroded his moral authority and lessened his effectiveness as a leader among his brothers?
287302_PersonalJournalandDiscussionGuide.docx