Never beyond His reach

Theme: God is in control

Objectives:

Know: Joseph faced death at the hands of his brothers and oppression as a slave in Egypt, but God spared his life and provided him favor and position with his master.

Think: Live with the awareness that this world can be full of danger and disappointment, but God can convert those distresses into His purpose for those He calls His children.

Do: Be confident and endure hardship with hope because God is in control and nothing is beyond His reach.

Scripture: Genesis 37:1-36 and Genesis 39:1-5

Notes and questions:

B1 Define: favoritism"...the unfair practice of giving someone help or advantages that you do not give to other people. Provided by Macmillan Dictionary.

B2 Have you seen the effects of favoritism? Has it been good or bad?

B3 Genesis 37: 1 (picture)

B4 Genesis 37:2, how old is Joe? What is he doing with his brothers? What was this bad report? Was he being to picky, seeking revenge against his brothers, criticizing them so that he could get special favors from his father?

B5 Genesis 37:3, what is the reason Jacob (Israel) loved Joseph more than the other?

B6 Genesis 37:3, what is so special about this coat, that Joseph's brothers were jealous? (We don't know, except that Israel knew, the brothers knew, and Joseph knew that is was special and was given to Joseph alone. See Genesis 37:4).

B7 Genesis 37:5-7, why did this dream make the brothers so angry? See Genesis 37:8.

B8 Were the things that happened to Joseph of God, of man, of circumstance? (Bible doesn't say, but used it anyway).

B9 Were these dreams from God?

B10 Genesis 37:20, why did they want to kill Joseph? Did the brothers really think that they would be successful?

B11 Genesis 37:21, why did Reuben want to rescue Joseph?

B12 Genesis 37:26-27, what is the motive for wanting to sell Joseph into slavery? (Covetousness)

B13 How many brothers were present at the time of selling Joseph? (9. Joseph was sold, Benjamin was home, Reuben was gone for a short time).

B14 How much money would each of these receive for their "sale?" (A little over 2).

B15 Genesis 37:29, why was Reuben upset?

B16 Genesis 37:31-32, what sin is shown in this deception?

B17 Genesis 37:34-35, how could the brothers join in mourning for the "death" of Joseph and try to comfort Israel?

B18 Genesis 39:2, it is said that God was with Joseph, was God with the brothers, too?

B19 Genesis 39:5, why did the LORD bless Potiphar?

B20 Why do trouble and suffering come to Christians?

B21 Name some times in your life where God has turned something bad into good.

B22 How are we to act when we suffer for doing the right thing or suffering because of false accusation?

B23 Do we continue to do the right thing (in God's eyes), when we are accused falsely or suffer?

B24 Does showing favoritism ever result in good?

Next week "In His care"

God provides for His family.

Scripture: Genesis 45:1-28