YEA Lesson Library

Objectives

At the end of the lesson, the children will be able to:

1. Tell why Joseph's brothers hated him so.

2. Describe the bad things they had planned for Joseph.

3. Recite the memory verse.

4. State that God can take something that is meant for evil and use it for good.

Topics & Themes

Dreams
Egypt
Envy/Jealousy
God’s Omniscience
God’s Protection
Hatred
Joseph
Joseph’s Brothers
Slavery
Trusting God

Materials Needed

Bible, YEA students’ and teacher’s books, attendance and memory verse chart, stars, songbook, music player and music tapes or CD, toilet tissue tubes, construction paper, glue, crayons, stickers, stapler, yarn, binoculars, blanket, coins and metal detector (if possible).

Preparation

When bad things happen in our lives, we often feel like we have been forsaken. We may even feel that God doesn't care about us. Knowing that God sees and knows everything that comes our way, whether good or evil, and reassurance that He is working al things for our good can reinforce the fact that we can trust God.

What happened to Joseph in today's lesson was definitely not good. But, God saw the bigger picture. He had a great work for Joseph to do. The education in the arts and law he would gain while in exile in Egypt would prepare him to be a blessing to his family and to God's people.

Cut construction paper into 4 1⁄2 × 6 inch strips. Collect enough toilet tissue tubes for each child to have two. Cut yarn into 20 inch pieces, one for each child.

How to Teach This Lesson

Bring in a pair of binoculars and, if possible, a metal detector. Show the class how the metal detector works. Scatter some coins on the floor and cover them with a blanket. As you pass the metal detector over the blanket it should beep, indicating where the coins are located. Allow the children to look through the binoculars to see how they can see things up close.

Our eyes - It takes special tools to find coins that are hidden in the sand or under a blanket. There are many things that we cannot see with our naked eye - things that are far away or that are very tiny. We must use binoculars or a microscope. But, God's eyes can see everything and everywhere. He sees the good things we do and the bad. There is nowhere you can go to hide from His all-seeing eyes.

Joseph’s brothers - When Joseph’s brothers put him in the pit, he was out of sight. They might have left him there to die. Chances are, no one would find him. But God knew exactly where Joseph was.

Joseph is Sold -When his brothers sold Joseph to the slave trader to be taken to Egypt, they thought they were finally rid of him. They took his beautiful coat and soaked it in the blood of one of the goats. They took it home to their father and told him that surely a wild animal must have killed him. They could fool Jacob, but God cannot be fooled!

God's Eyes- Once again, God's eyes were on Joseph. God was not only watching Joseph, but He was protecting him along the way. God had great plans for Joseph. He would use Joseph to save the lives of his family and even use him in the land of Egypt.

God's eyes also saw the evil things that Joseph's brothers did to him. Their hearts were filled with hatred and lies. Their actions showed it. They meant it for evil, but God would use it for good.

Review Questions

1. Where were Joseph's brothers when he found them?

2. Where did Reuben tell the brothers to put Joseph? Why?

3. Who did the brothers sell Joseph to?

4. What did they do with Joseph's beautiful coat?

5. What did they tell their father?

6. The brothers had evil plans for Joseph, but what did God plan?

Teacher-Directed Activity

Give each child two bathroom tissue tubes and two pieces of construction paper cut to 4 1⁄2 × 6 inches. Allow the children to decorate the paper with stickers and crayons. Glue the paper around each of the tissue tubes. Staple the two tubes together. With a hole punch, make a hole in each tube 1⁄2 inch from the end. Tie the ends of a piece of yarn through each hole.

If time and space allow, take the children outside and ask them to use their binoculars to discover something interesting, like a ladybug, a pretty rock, butterfly or flower.

REACH Activity

1. On the Road: Kids can draw a map showing the route Joseph and the caravan of Midianites probably took to Egypt.

2. Jacob’s Jealous Ten: Children should choose at least eight events from the plot to kill Joseph and make puppets for each brother and the caravan. Then use the events to put on a puppet show. Ask: What is the best title for your show?

Note: Making a simple sock puppet: To make your puppet, first find a plain white sock. Put your fingers in the toes and your thumb in the heel. When you close your hand, you close the mouth of the puppet. Using red construction paper, make an oval the size of the puppet’s mouth—from the toes to the heel. Glue it onto the sock. Using a permanent marker, draw eyes and a nose. You may choose to glue yarn hair on the sock.

3. The Favored Son: Have kids tell what they know about Joseph by completing an acrostic poem for J-O-S-E-P-H.

Note: Acrostic poem: Each letter of a word begins a line of the poem; i.e., in a “P-R-O-M-I-S-E” acrostic poem, “P” starts the first line, “R” starts the second line, “O” the third, etc.

4. The Rest of the Story: Ask: What do you think will happen next to Joseph in Egypt? What about his brothers? Will Jacob ever know the truth about Joseph?

5. Tooling Around: God did not hide what we need to know. But we need to dig into the Bible. We need tools. Sometimes it is easy (like soft ground); sometimes hard (like thick sand). These are your tools: concordance, dictionary, map, and commentary. We will switch tools depending on whether we are digging in “soft ground” or “hard.” Practice digging with these tools as the child looks for each of these words from this lesson—flock, Hebron, robe, shekel.

Note: Bible Tools: It’s not too early to start exposing the children to a concordance, dictionary, Bible dictionary, map, and commentary, and show how to use them.

6. Digging Buried Treasure: Materials: deep plastic buckets; sand; trinkets; small plastic container; spoon or shovel. Have children write today’s memory verse and prayer on separate pieces of paper and decorate them. Fold and hide them in a small container. Bury the small container in the plastic bucket filled with sand and the trinkets. Give the bucket to someone and tell them to start digging. Let them find the hidden treasures. Ask: Which “treasures” are the most valuable?

7. Plot it Out: Draw a Venn diagram on a dry erase board or chalkboard to show how Judah and Reuben are alike and how they are different.

Note: Venn Diagram: A Venn diagram is two circles which intersect, or overlap, each other. The part that overlaps is the place to write how two objects or persons are alike; the parts of the circles that don’t overlap are the places to write where the objects or people are different.

8. Weighing In: Check out “shekel” in Bible weights. Joseph was sold for 20 shekels of silver. That is about eight ounces of silver. Ask: What do you have that weighs about eight ounces? Silver coins? What are eight ounces of silver coins worth? (Hint: Use a Bible dictionary.)

9. Spice it Up: Let kids research Bible spices, including balm and myrrh. (Hint: Use a Bible dictionary.)

10. Sold into Slavery: Ask: How would Joseph have been treated after he was sold into slavery? What would it have been like to be a slave at that time? (Hint: Use a Bible dictionary.)

11. Five day project: Have kids draw: 1) Joseph coming; 2) brothers putting him in the pit; 3) selling him to traders going to Egypt; 4) brothers lying to Jacob; 5) Jacob very sad. Mount drawings on heavy cardstock to stand upright as a table display.

12. Have kids put captions on each drawing (see #11). Also write what God saw or thought.

13. Children can write a play with parts for the actions of the story (see #11).

14. Sing: “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” on page 54 of Kids Classics Collection.

15. Diorama: Let children construct a miniature set for the story showing hills, Jacob’s tent, the cistern, and the caravan trail.

Note: Diorama: To construct a diorama, find a medium-sized box. Mix some plaster of Paris to make the hills and valleys. Put twigs from trees or pieces of cedar (for trees and bushes) into the plaster while it is still wet. After the plaster dries (1-2 days, depending on how much plaster you used), paint your set with tempera paint. Remember to paint the caravan route. Make a paper tent, color the tent, and add it to the diorama. Make a tiny cistern by gluing pebbles together to make the well.

16. Do a sound and light play. Flashlights show the movement through the miniature set (see #15). Actors read their lines from the play (see #13).

17. Tell kids to pretend they are Joseph keeping a journal. Ask: What would you write? 


Other Ideas:
The biography cards can be used in so many ways. They can eventually be kept in a file of Who’s Who in the Bible. Store in a plastic card file box. The cards can be separated by men and women of the Bible; people of the Old and New Testament; prophets; kings, etc. Cards can be used to record information on Bible foods, animals, and places. Cards come in different sizes and colors!

The biography cards can also be used as “note cards” for a future book about that person. Books come in all shapes and sizes, and are a very creative way for a young person to express themselves. Be sure to make an author’s page.

Cartography (making and drawing maps) is very interesting and fun for young children. Paper towel rolls will help keep the storage issue under control for small paper maps. For the study of one specific area, a floor map would be fun. Use a shower curtain instead of paper. Fold and store in a plastic zipper bag.

Dramatic play is an area children usually love. Save old shirts and belts, hats and scarves, and let them play dress up. Acting out a story makes it easier to remember as well as making a lesson more relevant to them.

Song

"He's Got The Whole World In His Hands" is on page 54 of Kids Classics Collection.
For verse 2, sing "He's got Abraham and Isaac in His hands."

Closing Prayer

Ask one of the children to lead in prayer, thanking God for His all-seeing eyes that saw and protected Joseph. Ask Him to help them to always do what would be pleasing to Him.