Elementary Level, Block 3—Jacob and Joseph
Week 30
Joseph—The Ruler Who Took Care of His Family
Point to Emphasize: We can be those who care for our family.
Reference Reading: Genesis 42—50
Memory Verse: This is My commandment, that you love one another even as I have loved you. (John 15:12)
Story Sample
We have heard about all the troubles Joseph went through as a child and a young person. Now he was a ruler in Egypt! He was in charge of giving food to the people on the earth who had none during this time of famine. For seven years he had collected grain and now, while there was no food available, he was the one who distributed it to others. He had come a long way, from being sold by his brothers, to being a prisoner and a servant, to being a ruler!
If you remember, the rest of Joseph’s family lived in Canaan, not in Egypt. The famine was everywhere so even in Canaan they had no food. So his father Jacob and his eleven brothers were also in need of food. Jacob had his sons (except for Benjamin) go to Egypt to request food from Joseph. They didn’t know that this ruler was their brother, the one they had treated wrongly when he was young. But Joseph knew who they were! He didn’t tell them right away who he was though. And rather than try to get back at his brothers for wronging him, Joseph treated them fairly, making sure that they got enough food for all of them. After their first visit to Egypt, they returned home to Canaan with the food. After they ran out of food, they went back to Egypt to ask for more. This time Benjamin went along, as Joseph had asked.
Have you ever had a brother or sister treat you badly? One time my sister called me a name in front of my friends. I was so mad! She not only made me feel bad about myself, but she also embarrassed me! I told myself I would never talk to her again! But shortly after this incident, one day she fell at school while playing dodgeball and broke her arm. And suddenly, I wasn’t mad at her any more. I felt bad for her, laying on the playground in pain while the children on the playground were laughing and calling her clumsy, and I didn’t like that! So I told them that my sister was NOT clumsy, and then I helped her get up and took her to the nurse’s office. I realized it is better to take care of your family rather than to try to get even with them. [Storyteller, insert your own personal story.]
In the end, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. There was a lot of crying as they all were so glad that Joseph was all right. They returned to Canaan to get their father and bring him back to Egypt. Again, there was another happy reunion when Joseph and his father saw each other. Now Joseph promised that he would take care of all of them. After all, he was a ruler and could do what he wanted. And he wanted to take care of his family! They all lived in Egypt until the end of Jacob’s life.
I hope I can remember this story the next time I am mad at my sister. I want to be someone who always takes care of my family, don’t you?