Joseph Taken to Egypt
Genesis 37; 39–46; 50:15-21
March 23, 2025
Sunday Recap
•
Sunday Recap •
Hey Fams!
Today’s passage tells of God’s faithful covenant being carried from Abraham to Isaac, then to Jacob, and now Joseph. Jacob loved Joseph more than his brothers because he was born to Jacob in his old age. Jacob’s favoritism toward Joseph caused the others to feel deep anger toward Joseph.
Beyond Jacob's treatment of Joseph, his sons grew even angrier after hearing of their brother's dream, in which Joseph would reign over each of his siblings and their parents, too. The brothers’ jealousy and anger loomed so large that they schemed to take Joseph’s life; however, they settled with selling him into slavery instead, making it appear as though an animal had killed him.
In Egypt, Joseph became a slave of the officer Potiphar, who promoted him over his household. God gave Joseph great success in serving his new master. Joesph obeyed God amidst life’s challenges, even against the temptation of Potiphar’s wife, in which he declared, “...how could I sin against God?” Though this refusal would send Joseph to prison, God was with him and granted him favor despite his terrible circumstances. Even the warden knew God was with him.
God gave Joseph the ability to interpret his fellow prisoners’ dreams and Pharaoh’s dreams as well. God's sovereign care to be with Joseph and give him the ability to interpret dreams resulted in him being raised to oversee Pharaoh's entire household. As Joseph served Pharaoh, God granted him wisdom to provide grain during a famine, not just for others in the land, but for his brothers as well. This is a full-circle story of God's sovereign provision, faithfulness, and grace through trials.
At the closing of Genesis, Joseph—in the aftermath of slavery, famine, and injustice—declares that God used his brothers’ evil plans to bring about flourishing for His people. Joseph extended words of comfort, courage, and kindness his brothers did not deserve.
In Christ, we receive an even greater gift—everlasting life, the undeserved bestowal of immeasurable peace, courage, and kindness. Christ experienced injustice and suffering on our behalf so that we might gain eternal life and redemption. As faithful to God as Joseph was, Jesus is even more faithful, forever renowned as the suffering Servant who takes away our sin. Pray for your kids to place their faith in the One who redeems our sins and suffering for His glory and our good.
** Next week: The Suffering of Job (Book of Job)
This Week's Main Ideas
•
This Week's Main Ideas •
-
God was always with Joseph and took care of him.
-
BABIES-TODDLERS
God’s plans are good.
PRESCHOOL-K
Even when bad things happened, God had a plan for good. Jesus never sinned, but He was arrested, beaten, and killed on a cross to bring about our good—so people could be saved from sin through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
1ST-5TH GRADE
Even when bad things were happening in Joseph's life, God had a plan for good. Bad things also happened to Jesus. Jesus never sinned, but He was arrested, beaten, and killed on a cross. Those things happened to bring about our good—so people could be saved from sin and death through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
-
Q: Who is in control of everything?
A: God is in control of everything in heaven and on earth. Nothing is outside of God’s good plan.
-
New Memory Verse!
PRESCHOOL-K
You planned to harm me. But God planned it for good.
Genesis 50:20a NIRV
1ST-5TH GRADE
You planned to harm me. But God planned it for good. He planned to do what is now being done. He wanted to save many lives.
Genesis 50:20 NIRV
Family Discipleship Activities
•
Family Discipleship Activities •
-
Read all or parts of Genesis 37; 39–46; 50:15-21 from the Bible
-
Have you ever ridden on a roller coaster? Roller coasters have a lot of ups and downs. In the book of Genesis, we meet a man named Joseph. Joseph’s life was like a roller coaster, it was full of ups and downs. At first Joseph’s life looked great—he was the favorite son, and he was even gifted with a beautiful coat. But his life took a sudden downward turn when his brothers sold him into slavery. He was even thrown into an Egyptian prison for a crime he didn’t commit!
Eventually his life started looking brighter again when he was freed from prison for telling Pharaoh what his bad dreams meant.
After Joseph was placed in charge of the food supplies in Egypt, his brothers came to buy food from him so that they could survive. Because Pharaoh had placed Joseph in charge, Joseph was able to save the lives of his family and all the people of Israel. Even though the story began with an evil plan, God used Joseph to save his entire family from the famine.
After the family had settled safely in Egypt, Joseph told his brothers, “You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.” (Genesis 50:20). Joseph’s life points us to Jesus as the greater rescuer! Jesus was hated by others. He was treated unfairly. He was punished for sins He did not commit. Every event of Jesus’ life—even His death—was part of God’s plan to save people from their sin. For those who believe in Jesus, His story has the happiest ending of all!
Even when bad things were happening in Joseph’s life, God had a plan for good. Bad things also happened to Jesus. Jesus never sinned, but He was arrested, beaten, and killed on a cross. Those things happened to bring about our good—so people could be saved from sin and death through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
Pray: God, thank You that we can trust You in every situation—good and bad. We know that You are always in control and nothing can stop You from doing what You have planned. Thank You for using Jesus’ death to bring forgiveness and eternal life to all who believe. Amen.
-
PRESCHOOL-K
You planned to harm me. But God planned it for good.
Genesis 50:20a NIRV
1ST-5TH GRADE
You planned to harm me. But God planned it for good. He planned to do what is now being done. He wanted to save many lives.
Genesis 50:20 NIRV
-
Mornings
Ask God to help you trust Him in every situation. How can God’s goodness help us trust Him in bad times?
Evenings
Ask God to use your life to glorify Himself and to help others know Jesus. How does Joseph’s story help us to trust God with our future? How will you remind yourself that God has a plan even when things go wrong?
-
For Fun
Bake bread or a similar treat (brownies, cinnamon rolls) together as a family. Give each family member a job like measuring, mixing, kneading, or shaping the dough. Talk about the cupbearer and baker that Joseph met in prison. Discuss how God used them in His plan. Then, discuss how God might use your family to help others know Jesus and believe in Him.
To Serve
Gather food to donate to a food pantry or make a monetary donation to a food bank. Talk with kids about how your family can provide for others’ needs to help them feel the love of Jesus and hear more about Him. Talk about how God used the hunger of Joseph’s brothers to bring them to Egypt, which ultimately led to their salvation from the famine.