" Joseph Endured His Trials"
a. Read the chapter summaries for Genesis 29-30 and 35. List the birth order of Jacob's 12 sons
Reuben (from Leah)
Simeon (from Leah)
Levi (from Leah)
Judah (from Leah)
Dan (from Bilhah)
Naphtali (from Bilhah)
Gad (from Zilpah)
Asher (from Zilpah)
Isaachar (from Leah)
Zebulun (from Leah)
Joseph (from Rachel)
Benjamin (from Rachel)
b. Read Genesis 37:1-11 & Institute Manual (pg 93) "What was the coat of many colors?". Write explanation of possible reasons Joseph's brothers were envious of him.
In verse 3, it states "Israel loved Joseph more than all his children". Right there pretty much sums it up. Of course they were jealous because their father loved Joseph more and gave him the gift of the coat. None of the rest of them had received such a gift. Joseph also had dreams that foretell of future events and the brothers were resentful of the fact that at some future time they would be bowing down to their younger brother. In addition, the Institute Manual talks about how the coat of many colors was actually just a long coat with long sleeves like the kind wore by those in the upper class and may have signified that Joseph held the birthright. Reuben being the oldest should have been the one to receive the birthright and if he didn't then it would naturally pass to the next in line which was Simeon. So basically the brothers thought through a series of other events also, that some of them should be the birthright possessors and not Joseph.
c. List the challenges in Genesis 37 that Joseph faced. How do you think Joseph felt about his challenges? How are Joseph's challenges like the ones young people face today?
I gave this one quite a bit of thought. First, the challenges Joseph faced were his not being accepted by his brothers. They envied him and conspired to get rid of him. He was taken and cast into a pit, then sold into slavery, then sold into slavery in a different land where he knew no one and no one shared his common beliefs or values. He was alone.
I feel like the youth of today face these same types of challenges although they may not think they do. Many youth feel like if they stand up for their beliefs (like Joseph did when he shared his dreams), then they are likely to be bullied or ridiculed. This makes them essentially feel alone and like no one understands.
d. Read Genesis 39:2-3, 21, 23 and find a phrase that is similar in all four verses. Then answer the following questions:
1.What did Joseph do in Genesis 39 that allowed the phrase in v. 2-3 to still be true in vs. 21 & 23? When do you think Joseph made the commitment to be morally clean?
2.Give examples from Genesis 40-41 & Institute Manual (pg 95) that illustrate how the Lord remained with Joseph.
3.Write 2 or 3 paragraphs listing lessons you learn you learn from the life of Joseph. What can you learn from Joseph about turning bad experiences and circumstances into good ones?
The phrase that I saw repeated was "the Lord was with Joseph".
1.Joseph refused the advances of Potiphar's wife. I think that Joseph must have made a commitment to be morally clean from an early age because when he was faced with this temptation he didn't even have to think about what to choose...he just chose to go away from it.
2.Even when Joseph was falsely accused of wrongdoing and sent to prison, he was blessed by the Lord. Sure he was in prison, but he had a position of power and took care of other prisoners. He could've blamed the Lord for not protecting him from that fate, but he never did. He just kept carrying on and being righteous. He helped other prisoners by interpreting their dreams and just bided his time until it was the time when he was released.
3.I learned from Joseph that life is hard. Things happen to us but that doesn't have to define us. There is a quote that I heard some years ago that I try hard to remember in my everyday life. I don't know who said it but it goes like this..."Attitude is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it". I think that shows exactly how Joseph turned his bad experiences into good ones. He didn't let what was happening in his life or to his life be how he lived. He made the best of it and kept on being obedient to the Lord.
This is what I need to work on in my life. So often I get down in the dumps when something doesn't go my way and start to place blame. I don't want to be like that which is why I try to follow the advice given in the quote I shared, but I will admit that it is hard. It is a daily choice.
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