YEA Lesson Library
Discoveries
About This Lesson
Using the story of Joseph when his brother’s were afraid they were being punished for what they’d done to Joseph, this lesson teaches that it is impossible to hide from God. He knows your actions and thoughts.
Scriptures
Genesis 43:1-34
Genesis 44:1-17
Psalm 32:1-5
Psalm 37:23-26
Psalm 69:5
Psalm 90:8
Ecclesiastes 12:14
Matthew 10:26
Luke 8:17
Luke 12:2
Words to Know
FOOLISH - unwise, silly
GUILT - feeling bad for having done wrong
THIEVES - people who steal from others
The Lesson
Ben and Sean were sitting in the back seat of the car. It was a long trip to Grandpa's farm. The boys were getting bored. Sean wanted the game that Ben had been playing. He reached over and grabbed it. Ben grabbed it back. Soon the boys were hitting each other.
"What's going on back there?" Mother asked. Both boys answered, “Nothing." Sean grabbed the game from Ben. Ben punched Sean's arm. Both boys kept an eye on Mother while they were fighting. They didn't want her to see what they were doing. When Sean got hurt and started to cry, Mother stopped the car.
The boys had been trying to hide from their mother. They even lied when she asked them what was going on. Now Ben was feeling guilty for hurting Sean. He knew he was in trouble. Ben told Mother he was sorry. He told Sean he was sorry.
When Joseph's brothers sold him as a slave, they lied to their father. They wanted to hide the terrible thing they did. And their father believed the lie. All these years they thought their sin was hidden. But there is one person from whom you cannot hide - God. He knows everything you do and everything you say. He even knows what you are thinking!
Joseph's brothers knew what they did was wrong. They couldn't forget what they did. Now they were told to bring their youngest brother to Egypt. Joseph's brothers were feeling guilty. They thought they were being punished. They went back home to their father feeling very sad.
Joseph had sold grain to his brothers. But the grain didn't last very long. Soon they were hungry again. Their father told them to go again to Egypt to buy food. But the brothers knew they couldn't go without Benjamin. Joseph wanted to see his youngest brother. Their father didn't want Benjamin to go to Egypt. He was afraid he would lose Benjamin just like he lost Joseph.
Now their food was all gone. They had no choice. They must take Benjamin with them to buy more food. So, their father sent gifts to Joseph. He sent spices and nuts and the very best they had. He also sent back the money that was in their sacks of grain.
This time Joseph had his brothers taken to his own house. They were very afraid. They didn't want Joseph to think they were thieves. They gave his servant the money they found in their sacks. They said they had more money to buy more food. They also had gifts for Joseph.
Joseph ordered his servant to make dinner. He seated his brothers at a table. There was more food than they had seen in a long time. They should have been happy. But, they were very afraid. Why do you think they were afraid? Do you think they were feeling guilty?
Joseph asked the men if their father was well. Then he saw his real brother, Benjamin. All of the other brothers were his half-brothers because they had a different mother. When Joseph saw Benjamin he had to leave the table. He went to his room and cried. Do you think Joseph was happy or sad? He was happy to see Benjamin. But, he was sad that he was separated from his father and mother. Now his mother was dead.
Joseph again sold grain to his brothers. Again he had their money placed in their sacks. But this time he had his servant place his silver cup in Benjamin’s sack. His brothers started for home. But, Joseph sent his servant after his brothers. They searched the sacks and found the silver cup.
Joseph's brothers tried to hide the bad thing they did. Now Joseph hid the money and silver cup in their sacks. Joseph was even hiding who he was from his brothers. But, we know that God sees all. He knows when we have been foolish. He knows everything about us!
Student Prayer
Dear Father in Heaven,
You see everything I do. I can't hide from you. You even know what I think. Help me to always try to do things that will make you happy. And when I do wrong, teach me to admit it and confess it.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Psalm 90:8
Monday - Ecclesiastes 12:14
Tuesday - Luke 8:17
Wednesday - Genesis 44:15-16
Thursday - Psalm 37:23-26
Friday - Matthew 10:26
Saturday - Luke 12:2
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the children will be able to:
1. Tel whatJoseph's brothers were trying to hide.
2. Explain why the brothers were afraid.
3. State that you cannot hide from God.
Topics & Themes
Benjamin
Consequences of Sin
Egypt
Famine
God’s Laws
God’s Omniscience
God’s Presence
Jacob
Jesus, His Ministry
Light
Joseph
Joseph’s Brothers
Lying
Slavery
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA students' and teacher's books, attendance and memory verse chart, stars, music player and cassette or CD, coin, paper, lemon juice, lamp with bulb
Preparation
The secular world is facing a dilemma- attempting to teach morality without an ultimate standard. Children are taught to consider the consequences of their behavior. If there is a choice, they should decide which way to act on the basis of the consequence. In most cases children are supposed to decide their own values, within certain limits. Some values are imposed on children for their safety or the safety of others. And many of these values are ever-changing and confusing.
We in the Christian realm have no such dilemma. We can teach from the Bible what is right and what is wrong. God has given us "absolute" guidelines for living our lives. fI properly taught, these guidelines will help children lead happy and productive lives. Feelings of guilt can be avoided by following God's guidelines. Children need to be taught God's guidelines (laws) which will become the schoolmaster that will lead them to salvation.
Before you come to class, dip the end of a toothpick into lemon juice. Use the toothpick to print your name on a plain sheet of white paper and allow it to dry (To be used in object lesson). Write the answers to the review questions on separate pieces of paper. Practice holding the paper over a warm light bulb to reveal the name before coming to class.
How to Teach This Lesson
Object Lesson - Tell the children that you know a secret about someone. You have written that person's name on a sheet of paper (Show them the paper. They will no doubt say they cannot see anything.) Tell them this person doesn't want anyone to know who they are or what their secret is. But, you know how to reveal their secret. (Hold the paper close to the heat of a light bulb, moving it back and forth until the name appears.) Explain that the light bulb is a lot like Jesus. He is called the Light of the world. Nothing is hidden from Him or from our Heavenly Father. They know all our secrets.
Brothers' Secret -Joseph's brothers had a terrible secret. They had sold their brother into slavery. They lied to their father to hide what they had done. They didn't want him to know they had been so mean. They thought he would never find out the truth.
Feeling Guilty- The brothers had gone to Egypt to buy food. They didn't know that the man who sold them the grain was their brother, Joseph. Ask: What did the brothers find in their bag when they got home? (They found the money they had used to pay for the grain was in their bag along with the grain.) Joseph said he wouldn't sell them any more grain unless they brought their youngest brother to him. Joseph's brothers thought they were being punished for the thing they had done. They felt guilty and were sorry for what they did. But, how could anyone know?
Back to Egypt - The food that Joseph's brothers had bought was now all gone. They were hungry. Their animals were hungry. They would have to take Benjamin back with them to Egypt. If anything happened to Benjamin, their father would be very sad. He thought Joseph was dead and didn't want to lose Benjamin too.
The brothers were very afraid when Joseph had them taken to his house.They wondered if they were going to be punished for stealing the money. Instead, Joseph served them a wonderful dinner. This time, when they left Egypt, Joseph had his silver cup hidden in Benjamin's bag. He also put everyone's money in their sack.
The Discovery- Joseph sent his servant after his brothers. He told them that Joseph’s silver cup was missing. He looked in everyone's sack and found the money. But, when he looked in Benjamin's sack, he found the silver cup! Ask: How did Joseph's brothers feel? Were they mad at Benjamin for stealing? Were they afraid of what Joseph would do? Did they think they would be punished?
You Can't Hide - We couldn't hide the name on the paper when it was exposed to the heat of the light bulb. In the same way, you cannot hide anything from our God. He knows when you do foolish things. He knows when you lie to your mother. He knows when you break your sister's toy. You cannot hide from Him. Ask: How do you feel when you know you have done something wrong? Do you feel guilty, like Joseph's brothers? What should you do when you have done something wrong - should you hide it, or should you confess it?
Review Questions
Ask the following questions, allowing the children to give their answers. Then use the light bulb to reveal the answers listed.
1. What did Joseph's brothers try to hide from their father? (They sold Joseph as a slave.)
2. How did Joseph's brothers feel about what they had done? (Guilty)
3. What did the servant hide in Benjamin's sack? (Money and silver cup)
4. Who is the one person from whom nothing can be hidden? (God)
Teacher-Directed Activity
Stand or seat the children in a circle, with their hands behind their backs, open. Place one child in the center of the circle. Slowly walk around the circle with a coin, pretending to put the coin in each child's hand. Deposit the coin in the hand of one child. Tell all the children to close their hands and hold them in front of them.The child in the center tries to guess who has the hidden coin.
(This can be repeated with as many different children as you have time for.)
REACH Activity
Materials needed: tempera paint, paint brushes, package of colorful construction paper, string, glue, tape, Kids Classics Collection songbook and/or CDs, Bible, YEA book, Bible notebook, black permanent marker, watercolor paints, 11 x 17 drawing paper, card stock, pencils, markers, colored pencils, crayons, scissors, ruler, index cards, CEM Hymnal, Bible dictionary, concordance, access to encyclopedia or the Internet, Bible encyclopedia, Bible map or Bible atlas, dictionary, clear contact paper, white or silver buttons, brown beans, white or brown rice, cotton swab, heavy card stock, bag, grain, nut, spices, play money, foil
Bible notebook: A spiral bound notebook will be used as a Bible notebook. This is a good place to write and keep all of the writing activities.
1. What does it mean to discover? Find the meaning of this word and write it in your Bible notebook. Have you ever discovered something or made a discovery? Write about it in your Bible notebook.
2. Write the memory verse. Then honestly write your sins. Pray, asking for God’s forgiveness. There is no need to share; this is between you and God.
3. Sing: “Surely the Presence of the Lord” on page 192 of the CEM Hymnal and “O Be Careful Little Eyes” on page 39 of Kids Classics Collection.
4. Read Genesis 43:1-44. Then role play it.
5. Joseph’s brothers had to take Benjamin with them when they returned to Egypt for more grain. They had run out of food again! But Jacob was very sad to let Benjamin go to Egypt. Why do you think he was sad and worried? If you were Jacob what would you write in your journal the day that Benjamin left with his brothers for Egypt? Write your entry in your Bible notebook. Share your journal entry with your Sabbath School class or family.
6. Using the following materials, make a bag that contains the items that Jacob sent with the brothers to give to Joseph: burlap or other fabric, grain, play money, nuts, and spices. Use the bag in R.E.A.C.H. activity #8.
7. Draw the outline of a cup on an 81/2 x 11 inch piece of cardboard. The cup should be large enough for the audience to see during the play in R.E.A.C.H. activity #8. Cut out the cup outline and cover it with foil. It is now ready to use.
8. Put on a play/skit of the brothers at Joseph’s house, ending with Joseph’s servant finding the money and the silver cup in the brothers’ sacks. Emphasize facial expressions (see R.E.A.C.H. activity #10) of fear and guilt if they have the role of one of Joseph’s brothers who were responsible for selling him to be a slave. Ask other Sabbath School students to help fill in for a part, as needed. Invite parents and friends.
9. Create a mosaic of the cup in Benjamin’s bag. Use white or silver buttons for the cup, brown beans for the bag, white or brown rice for the grain inside the bag.
Note - Mosaic: On a heavy piece of card stock, outline (with a pencil) a simple drawing of the cup in Benjamin’s bag—similar to the drawing in the student activity from the YEA Lesson 4. Then trace over the drawing with a black marker. Put a little glue on the back of the white or silver buttons and place them on the card stock to make the cup. Similarly, glue beans for the bag and rice for the grain. Leave the mosaic flat until it is dry.
10. This activity will help with R.E.A.C.H. activity #8. Have you ever done something wrong and tried to hide it from your parents or teacher? You knew what you did was wrong and so did God. We can never hide from God. He knows everything about us! Our feelings on the inside show on the outside, on our faces. Draw two pictures in your Bible notebook of your face. Fill in one face showing the expression or look you had when you knew you had done something wrong. On the other face, show how you felt and looked after you asked God and the person you hurt for forgiveness. If you have not asked God’s forgiveness for what you did, be sure to do that today. And don’t forget the person you hurt, too.
11. Think about it, then write: Where can we hide from God’s presence? Read Psalm 139:7.
12. Divide a piece of drawing paper into four sections. Draw: 1) No food. 2) Going back to Egypt with Benjamin. 3) Eating at Joseph’s house. 4) Joseph’s silver cup being put in Benjamin’s sack. Color each picture. Laminate with clear contact paper. Then cut the picture into jigsaw puzzle pieces. As you share the puzzle with someone, tell them the story.
13. Joseph’s brothers were very unhappy with him. Do you remember why? Do you remember what Joseph’s brothers did to him? Do you remember what they told Jacob, their father, when they got home without Joseph? To review before lesson 4, read the Scriptures that tell the story about what the brothers did to Joseph. Divide the story into parts so that each student can draw one part of the story. After the students have shared their pictures, tape each picture together (banner-style) and hang. Leave banner up until this YEA book is completed. Materials might include construction paper, color tools, glue. Punch out letters can be used for a title if the students decide to include a title to their work.
14. Make a quiz for your siblings and/or parents from this YEA lesson. Give it to them. Grade it when they are finished.
15. Memory work activity for book: To help with the memorization of Psalm 23, give each student 13 4 x 6 cards. On one side of the card the student should write one phrase of each verse. For instance, one card will have: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. The next card would have: He makes me lie down in green pastures. The third card would be: He leads me beside still waters. Continue with each phrase of the psalm. On the other side of the card the student should draw a picture that will help them remember that phrase. Since the students will be expected to recite Psalm 23, the cards should be made after YEA Lesson 1. After each of the subsequent lessons, the student should practice the psalm until memorized. Provide a reward for their hard work!
Song
"O Be Careful Little Eyes" is on page 39 of Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Lead the children in prayer, acknowledging that God sees everything we do. Ask Him to teach the children to confess when they do wrong, and to always try to do things to make Him happy.
Printable Pages
