In Sunday School, the two, three, and four year-olds have been learning about Joseph in Egypt after his brothers sold him as a slave. Even though Joseph wasn’t supposed to be there and hadn’t done anything wrong, he still decided that he was going to keep believing in God and do the best he could even though life wasn’t fair. (Genesis 37:12-36 and Genesis 39-41)
While Joseph was a slave, he got into trouble because the wife of the man he was sold to. Sometimes when teaching children important Bible accounts, you need to censor it a bit until they’re old enough to process what’s really going on. So this man’s wife wanted Joseph to be her boyfriend. Joseph told her no, so she got mad and lied about Joseph, telling her husband that Joseph had tried to hurt her. Joseph was sent to prison. He still decided to do the best he could because of God, and eventually he became very important. We’ll be talking about how he became that important next week.
While the fun focus of Joseph’s story is often his special coat, his dreams, and his dream interpretations, it is also important for us to realize just how well Joseph behaved himself despite his circumstances. If my siblings had sold me into slavery, I’d probably be working my way towards a chance at revenge. But later on in Joseph’s story when he gets the chance at revenge, he doesn’t take it. Sure he messes with his brothers a bit, but he doesn’t exact vengeance and ends up extending mercy, letting them know that even though they meant to do evil, God had turned it into something good to save them all from famine. (Genesis 42-45)
Related on Joseph:
How Did Joseph Feel in Egypt?
Joseph’s Leadership
When You Don’t Know the Plan
Faith Outside of Trials
Related Children’s Versions:
The Boy Samuel
God’s Greatest Gift
Noah’s Ark
Feeding of the Five Thousand