11.24.2024 | Joseph Taken to Egypt
Genesis 37; 39–46; 50:15-21
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.
Memory Verse & Question
Family Prayer Time
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?
Family Activities
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.
