Bible Verses

Work with your child and your students to learn each verse. Then, discuss the meaning of the verse and how it can be applied to our everyday lives. On Sundays during class, riding in the car, or at dinner, it's fun to share stories of how the children have used the verse in their lives that week.

We provide memorization verses for each week. You can add your own.

Sunday June 4 Gal 5:25
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

• What does it mean to “live in the Spirit?”
• What is Spirit?
• Are we willing to walk after the Spirit?
• How would you do that?

Sunday June 11 Gal 5:7
Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

• Who is Paul writing to?
• What does Paul mean by “who did hinder you” that you didn’t obey the truth?
• Look at Philips translation? You were making splendid progress; who put you off the course you had set for the truth? How does this help you understand Paul’s meaning?
• What are some of the obstacles that pop up that keep us from doing our best for God?

Sunday June 18 Gal 3:26
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

• Why are we all children of God?
• What kind of faith is required to be children of God?
• Describe the fatherhood qualities of God.
• How do you understand God as your divine Parent?

Sunday June 25 Gal 6:7
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

• What does Paul mean when he writes, “be not deceived?”
• Who would try to deceive you?
• Philips paraphrases “God is not mocked” with “you cannot make a fool of God.” How would someone try to make a fool of God?
  • What in our current society tries to “mock” God?
• What are you sowing in your life?
• Are you afraid of what you might reap?

Sunday July 2 Philips Gal. 5:1
Plant your feet firmly therefore within the freedom that Christ has won for us, and do not let yourselves be caught again in the shackles of slavery.

• What does it mean to “plant your feet firmly?”
• What freedom has Christ won for us?
• What are the “shackles of slavery?”

Bible Stories

In the next few months we are going to review some of the favorite figures of the Bible. This is a good time to review the books of the Bible and help pupils tell the stories.

• Noah (Genesis 6-9:18)
• Abraham’s and Sarah’s journey (Genesis 11:27-13:18)
• Abraham’s prayer (Genesis 15:1-8;)
• Hagar and Ishmael (Genesis 16; 21:9-20)
• Sarah and Isaac (Genesis 18:1-16: 21:1-8)
• Isaac gets a wife (Genesis 24)
• Twins (Genesis 25: 20-34; 32-33)
• The Blessing (Genesis 27)
• Jacob leaves his home (Genesis 28)
• Life with Uncle Laban (Genesis 29:1-15)
• Marriage to Leah and Rachel (Genesis 29:16-30)
• Joseph and the coat of many colors (Genesis 37:1-12)
• Joseph in the pit (Genesis 37:13-36)
• Joseph at Potiphar’s (Genesis 39)
• Joseph in prison (Genesis 50)
• Joseph as Pharaoh’s Top Guy (Genesis 41)
• Joseph forgives (Genesis 41-46:7)
• Galatians

Exercise

Olene Carroll submitted these ideas from her Vacation Bible School (VBS). As I studied her suggestions, I realized that this would be great for a weekend Bible school or an afternoon Bible school, not just Vacation Bible School. With willing hearts and open hands, these ideas are perfect for any time of the year. Olene Carroll is an author of Bible stories for children and a tour guide to the Holy Lands.

I've been holding VBS in my home on Tuesdays from 10-1 all summer long. We make allowances for vacations and camp, etc.

The children each come dressed in tunics, which they helped to make. They must say "Shalom" at the front door. Many of the mothers also come and prepare the food -- authentic from Bible times. Once, we baked bread out on the coals. We have a couple of hours of activities and then we lounge around a low table (a board resting on boxes) and eat as they would have in Bible times. They repeat the authentic blessing.

They make their own clay lamps, which we light during our meal. They have stomped their own grapes (once only). Now we mash them in the kitchen and drink the juice. They make their own authentic clay toys -- marbles and animal and bird figurines. We make small cookies that have that manna flavor of coriander.

We'll be making coats of mail, swords and shields and sling shots in preparation for a play we'll put on of David and Goliath. I'm writing the dialogue now.

We'll be washing feet and making scrolls and phylacteries and ephods, jewelry, swaddling clothes, fishing equipment, coins......

They listen to stories from the Bible concerning the activity that is taking place. Maps stay on the wall all week.

We sing children's Bible songs.

The ideas are endless. The children remember what they've learned all year long, apply it to Sunday school, and look forward to the next summer.

At first I invited only 3rd and 4th graders, but now we have younger children as well as a couple of 12 year olds.

Exercise:

With summer vacation close at hand, Bible review is a great activity. You can ask your SS pupils which Bible character they would take with them for the summer if they could only take one. Do this activity along with them. This exercise will give you a great introspective view of how well they know their Bible figures.      

Exercise – Sunday school campfire.

Ask pupils to bring flash lights to class. Using some red, yellow, and orange cellophane, cover the light end of the flashlight. Use tape or rubber bands to secure the cellophane. Try to get in a very dark room. Ask them to turn on their flashlights and set them in the center of the floor – like a campfire. Then sit in a tight circle and sing some hymns. Start a Bible verse and have each pupil add one word to it until it is completed. Correct the verse as needed, but keep it moving. Then ask them to tell one of their favorite Bible stories. Close with singing and prayer.

Exercise – The People of Genesis.

How many people can they name that are in the book of Genesis? Create index cards with questions about each person. Write OT-GEN on the cards so the students start connecting people in the Bible with where to find them in the Bible. See this month’s Swap Shop.

Keep these cards for future review or team competition.

You can add different questions. Once you start this collection, it is a wonderful reminder for the pupils. If your curriculum allows, play this game once every two months. You’ll be amazed at the results.

For younger classes, have them draw pictures of each of these people and put them up around the class for reference.

Exercise –Use the Map Fun and chart Abraham’s journey.

Exercise:

With Father’s Day approaching, this would be a good time to be like Paul and write a letter. Unlike Paul, this letter would be to the student’s father. You might ask them to write a letter that tells what they love most about their fathers. What are some of their memorable moments -- ones they’ll always cherish? You might ask them to add specific details about what they have learned from their fathers. Statements such as “Dad you’re great, I love you” are nice, but give an example of a special experience they have had with their dads.

Exercise:

In preparation for Father’s Day you might have the students match Dads and Sons.  You can add depth to this by asking older students:  in which book of the Bible we would find the dad? What wonderful things did this dad do? How did his children turn out?  You might want to be selective  There are two matching quizzes, one for little ones and one for older children.

Exercise submitted by one of our readers:

Activity: Story of Joseph
(For 3 year olds, but can be adapted for older students)

Purpose:
Both Joseph and Daniel experienced the fear of being thrown into a pit or den. We all have “pit” experiences. How did these Bible characters overcome adversity and rise to greater heights?

Materials:
Black “feely” box (or paper bag that children can reach into without seeing the contents) Slips of paper (two for each child in your class) Marker

Procedure:

1. Prior to Sunday school, write one word on a slip of paper for each student in your class. These words should represent Joseph’s uplifted state of thought as he emerged from the pit. The word list might include: humility, love, trust, and gratitude. Wad each piece of paper into a ball and put it in the box or bag (the “pit”). (The children will be asked to pull out a wadded ball of paper, leaving the flat slips of paper in the box or bag.)
2. For each child in your class, write a word on each piece of paper such as: fear, anger, hurt, sadness, revenge, etc. (How do you think Joseph may have felt about his brothers? about his absence from his family? about the experience inside the pit?)
3. Give each child a slip of paper with one of the words in #2 and have them “drop” them into the box or bag (the “pit”). Say “_______ went into the pit with Joseph.”
4. Have each child reach into the box or bag and bring out a wadded piece of paper. Say “ ________ came out of the pit with Joseph.” Have them open the wadded piece and read/ help them read the word on the paper.

Summary:
This was a very quick activity that I used with my 3 year-old class after reading/telling the story of Joseph and the betrayal by his brothers. Although the narrator of the Bible account does not provide a great number of details about Joseph’s state of mind, we know that Joseph was a changed young man after this experience. Although a captive in Egypt, he rose above his challenging circumstances through hard work, humility, intelligence, loyalty, and, above all, an abiding trust in God. The lists of fine qualities that Joseph expressed are numerous. The story of Joseph provides a valuable lesson for all ages in helping us rise above life’s challenges and grow into men and women of God’s creating!

Jane Fuller

Exercise:

If you have the time and facilities, create a meal found in Genesis. Have the students research all the food items mentioned in Genesis. Then prepare a menu. Goat meat might not be easy to obtain, but you could use goat cheese in place of it. Be creative. This exercise is to help them be familiar with the times in which the Bible people lived and have an appreciation for their life-style.

You might ask what Isaac would think of a Big Mac? or Joseph a burrito?

Exercise: Submitted to BW

Twenty Questions with Bible Characters

This activity produces lively discussion. Children love games. This game gives them the opportunity to become an authority on one Bible character. Each pupil is given a sealed envelope with the name of a Bible character inside. The assignment is written on the outside of the envelope:

"For next Sunday's class, you must find out as much as possible about the Bible character named inside the envelope."

"You may dress in costume and/or use props."

"Do not tell anyone the name of your Bible character."

"Think of the types of questions you might ask to discover someone else's Bible character."

"When class starts, each pupil will ask closed questions -- that is, questions that require only "yes" or "no" responses or one word answers. No more than twenty questions can be asked about each individual. Whenever someone has enough clues, they may guess who you are. Whoever guesses the most characters correctly or in the shortest number of questions, wins.

If no one guesses who you are - you get 25 points.

If you can guess someone's identity with less than 5 questions being asked, you get 15 points; 6-10 questions - 10 points; 11-15 questions - 5 points; 16-20 questions - 3 points.

Sample Characters   Moses Abraham Jacob Esau Joseph Noah Joshua Isaac David Saul Samuel Daniel Jonah Miriam Rebekah Rachel Jesus Mary Hannah Martha Hagar

Sample Questions and Responses   Are you from the Old Testament? Yes   Did you live prior to Moses? Yes   Do you interpret dreams? Yes   Did you fight with your siblings? Yes   Were you a mother? father? Yes   Did you have any children? Yes or two   Did you get a special gift from your   dad? Yes   Do you believe in God? Absolutely   Did you obey God? Yes   Time to guess. Who is this person?   [answer: JOSEPH, Jacob and Rachel's son]

Exercise:

Summer is a great time to work on attitude. Look at the fruits of the spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. What kind of work does our attitude need? Sometimes when it gets real hot outside, it seems easy to get hot inside and get angry easily. How do we control reacting with anger?

How will our attitudes improve or damage friendships?

Use the exercise “How Are Your Attitudes?” from Kids Korner.

Exercise: Have fun with Tell the Story in Kids Korner. Add more people to the exercise below.

Exercise:

To assist memorization of books of the Bible work with students on Old Testament Word Scramble.

Exercise:

For the artistic and creative SS pupil, ask them to use Noah’s Zoo and create the animals out of the letters.

Exercise

Use the quiz about Noah in Facts and Figures.

Exercise:

Recreate the story of Noah, by using chairs turned seat-side out to get the hull of the boat. Have small plastic animals and give one to each child; they become the counterpart to the plastic animal and go two by two on board. When it has rained forty days and no land is in sight, ask them to pray. Listen to each one’s prayer. This gives incredible insight for the teacher on how to work with prayer in later lessons. Praise them for their honest and frank prayers. Encourage them to say more as the seas get rougher. Then work with the rainbow as God’s promise to them. What is God promising each of them?

Discussion questions about some people in Genesis. While it is impossible to cover every aspect and every person in Genesis for this month, you will find a wealth of information to be used for reviews throughout the year. Bookmark it for further use.

• Noah Genesis 6-9:18
  • Discuss the qualities of Noah. We know he walked with God. What a companion! What would it be like to walk with God? Do we walk with God today?
• The Bible also tells us that Noah found grace in God's eyes. What does that mean?
• In Genesis we find that Noah was:
• Just
• Perfect
• Spiritually upright
• Genuine
• Inwardly entire and complete
• Obedient
• What other qualities do you see in Noah?
• What did Noah build?
• Why did he build it?
• If God asked you to build a boat four and a half football fields long in the desert, what would you say?
• How would you handle the heckling of people who thought it was a pretty dumb idea to build such a huge boat in the desert?
• Could you stay with a task God gave you if people made fun of you?
• Look at the materials and dimensions of the ark.
• Calculate how long it would take you to build the ark if you were working alone.
• What made the ark waterproof?
• What didn't God give Noah? (a rudder see Healing Messages)
• Why do you think God omitted this item?
• Do you let God steer your life? Why or why not?
• What else didn't God give Noah?
• Abraham’s and Sarah’s journey  Genesis 11:27-13:18
  • What kind of courage does it take to give up your home and travel without a destination in mind?  Just listening to God’s direction?
  • Could you do it?
  • What kinds of thoughts do you think Abraham and Sarah were having about God’s request?
  • How is Noah's rudderless ark similar to Abraham's experience?
  • What did Noah and Abraham have in common?
  • What did God ask Abraham to do?
  • Would you be willing to give up your Porsche, lovely home, TV, video games, and after-school activities if God wanted you to backpack in the desert for Him?
  • What is a nomad?
  • What does it mean to live like a nomad?
  • What is monotheism? Polytheism?
  • Do you believe in one God?
  • The Bible cites three references where Abraham is called "the Friend of God." (II Chron. 20:7; Isa. 41:8; James 2:23) What do you think Abraham did to be called God's friend?
  • Is God your friend?
  • Why would Abraham want Sarah to tell Pharaoh they were brother and sister? (Gen. 12)
  • Would you call that a lack of trust or cowardice on Abraham's part?
  • Abraham’s prayer  Genesis 15:1-8;
  • What was Abraham’s prayer?
  • What did he want?
  • What did God promise him?
  • Would you have had doubts that you would be a father of nations when your wife hadn’t had a child yet and you were over 75 years old?
  • Hagar and Ishmael Genesis 16; 21:9-20
    • Why does Sarah give her maid, Hagar, to Abraham?
  • Do you think Sarah was justified in giving Hagar to Abraham?
  • If Sarah had trusted God's promise completely, would our world be different today? How so?
  • Should Abraham have refused Sarah's offer of Hagar?
  • Why is this story so pivotal to what's happening in the world today?
  • Sarah and Isaac Genesis 18:1-16: 21:1-8
    • What is the significance of the name change from Abram to Abraham and from Sarai to Sarah? [Abram means "exalted father." Abraham means "father of many nations." Sarai means "my princess." Sarah means "princess of multitudes." (Matthew Henry's Commentary p. 34)
  • Would you have laughed if you heard you were going to have a child at 90 years old?
  • What does the name "Isaac" mean? [one laughs] Why did he get this name? (Gen. 18:11-14)
  • How is it possible for someone Abraham's and Sarah's age to have a child? (Gen. 18:14)
  • Do you believe that nothing is too hard for God?
  • Isaac gets a wife Genesis 24
  • Retell this wonderful story.
  • What is unusual about this story?
  • How old is Isaac?
  • Why isn’t he getting a wife on his own?
  • Why did his dad wait so long to find him a bride?
  • How would you feel if you were the servant?
  • What do you think of arranged marriages?
  • What did the servant ask God to do?
  • What was the sign that Rebekah was the one?
  • Does Isaac like Rebekah?
  • What was the servant's prayer? (Gen 24:11-14)
  • Are we that specific when we pray?
  • One would think it would take a long time for someone not only to offer him water but be willing to serve 10 camels as well. In the book, Running with the Giants, author John C. Maxwell calculates how many jars of water it would take to water 10 camels. "Each camel could drink 20 gallons of water."
    • "10 camels at 20 gallons each = 200 gallons 200 gallons drawn with a 5-gallon jar = 40 trips 40 trips at (a conservative) 3 minutes each = 2 hours" What seemed like a simple act of kindness would require 2 hours of work.
  • Maxwell contends extra effort brings extra blessings. Would you be willing to do that much for a stranger? A friend? A member of the family? A boss?
  • What extra blessing did Rebekah receive? A husband? Or something even greater? [she was the great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother of Jesus.]
  • Who is blessed when we give generously?
  • What was special about Rebekah besides being beautiful?
  • What qualities did she express?
  • What qualities are you looking for in someone to date?
  • Which is more important? Looks? Traits?
  • Why do people get hung up on the outside of the package?
  • How do you get around the "looks" issue?
  • Twins  Genesis 25: 20-34; 32-33
    • Tell the story of Jacob and Esau.
  • What is the significance of Rebekah's prayer and God's response in Genesis 25:21-23?

  Gen 25:22-23 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

  • How were Esau and Jacob different?
  • If you were going to cast a television show or movie of Esau and Jacob's lives, who would play Esau? Jacob? Isaac? Rebekah? Why?
  • Explain the differences in the brothers.
  • How obedient are Jacob and Esau to their parents?
  • What is the significance of the birthright? Do we have anything like that today?
  • Was Jacob justified in forcing his brother to sell his birthright for a bowl of stew?
  • Why was the birthright more important to Jacob than Esau?
  • Would you sell your inheritance?
  • Do you have siblings? How well do you get along with them? Would you intentionally do any of them harm? Cheat them? Trick them?
  • What did Jacob and Esau do for a living?
  • Have you made any decisions about your career path?
  • The Blessing Genesis 27
    • What did God promise Rebekah about Jacob? (Gen 25:23)
  • What did Rebekah hear Isaac tell Esau? (Gen 27:1-5)
  • What did she ask Jacob to do? (Gen 27:6-10)
  • Why didn't Jacob think her plan would work? (Gen 27:11-12)
  • Were Rebekah and Jacob wrong for deceiving Isaac?
  • What is the importance of the blessing?
  • How do you think Esau felt when he didn't get the blessing? (Gen 27:38,41)
  • What did Esau promise to do to Jacob? (Gen 27:41)
  • Has anyone ever taken away something very important to you? What did you do?
  • What did Jacob have to do?
  • Who was hurt by this deception?
  • Do we ever benefit from deceiving someone?
  • Jacob leaves his home Genesis 28
    • Where did Jacob go to sleep?
  • Have you ever used a rock for a pillow?
  • Have you found it tough to go to sleep if you've done something wrong?
  • What is a "guilty conscience?"
  • What happened when Jacob fell asleep?
  • What did he see?
  • Have you ever talked with an angel?
  • What did these angels ascending and descending a ladder represent? [God's messages flowing to Jacob's consciousness.]
  • Does Jacob say anything about a dream when he awakes? [No.]
  • What does he talk about?
  • Why does he appear surprised that God was there? [Remember the guilty conscience?]
  • What does God's presence tell Jacob?
  • Does God only love us when we are good?
  • What does this experience do for Jacob?
  • What does Jacob promise God before leaving Bethel?[Gen. 28:20-22]
  • Life with Uncle Laban  Genesis 29:1-15
    • When Jacob arrives in Haran, who does he see?
  • Do you believe in love at first sight?
  • Why do you think Jacob cried after kissing Rachel? [No, she didn't have onions for lunch!]
  • What was Jacob willing to do to marry her?
  • Would you be willing to work for someone for seven years before marrying the person you love?
  • Marriage to Leah and Rachel  Genesis 29:16-30
    • What happened on Jacob's wedding night?
  • Why did Laban do that to Leah, Rachel, and Jacob?
  • How do you think Rachel felt? Leah? Laban? Jacob?
  • Why do you think deception keeps surfacing in Jacob's life?
  • What agreement did Laban and Jacob make after the wedding night? [Jacob had to wait seven days before marrying Rachel and then he had to work seven more years.]
  • Discuss the emotions now. How would Leah, Rachel, Laban, and Jacob feel?
  • Have the emotions changed any for Leah, Rachel, Laban, or Jacob?
  • What did this injustice do to the family?
  • What lessons do we learn from these stories?
  • Joseph and the coat of many colors  Genesis 37:1-12
  • Why did Joseph get this special coat?
  • Did his brothers have similar coats?
  • What was unusual about this coat?(it had long sleeves which meant it wasn’t for someone who worked)
  • There are three nasty behaviors listed in the first four verses of Gen. 37. Name them. [tattling, favoritism, and envy]
  • What's a tattle-tale?
  • Have you ever been a tattle-tale?
  • Do you like tattle-tales? Who played favorites? Why?
  • Do you play favorites?
  • How do you feel when others have favorites and you're not it?
  • What is envy? Why were Joseph's brothers envious?
  • Have you ever been envious?
  • What did Joseph dream about? (Gen. 37:5-11)
  • Why did his brothers get upset about Joseph telling them about the dream?
  • Do you think Joseph was taunting his brothers or was he innocently sharing his dream? Would you have told your family about the dream?
  • Did Joseph need some humility? Why did the dream upset Jacob?
  • What were the consequences of Joseph sharing this dream?
  • Joseph in the pit  Genesis 37:13-36
    • Why did Joseph's brothers throw him in a pit?
  • Why did they want to harm him?
  • What is revenge?
  • Is revenge ever right?
  • Who stopped them from killing Joseph?
  • What happens when anger, envy, and revenge get out of hand?
  • What happened to Joseph after he was thrown in the pit?
  • Would you ever do anything like that to your brother or sister?
  • Has much changed since Joseph's time?
  • Joseph at Potiphar’s  Genesis 39
    • What kind of a person was Joseph?
  • He is sold as a slave and becomes second in the household of Potiphar.
  • What does Potiphar do to Joseph?
  • Why wouldn’t he sleep with Potiphar’s wife?
  • Why do you think he was unjustly accused?
  • He is thrown in prison and is put in charge of the prisoners. What does this tell us about Joseph?
  • Joseph in prison Genesis 50
    • Name two prisoners in jail with Joseph. (Gen. 40:1)· What did they do wrong?
  • Who did Joseph say was responsible for interpreting the dreams? (Gen. 40:8)
  • How is this response different from when he told his brother about his dreams?
  • Describe the dream of the butler. What did Joseph tell him about his dream? (Gen. 40:9-13)· What did Joseph ask the butler to do? (Gen. 40:14-15)
  • Describe the dream of the baker. What did Joseph tell him about his dream? (Gen. 40:16-19)
  • Were Joseph's interpretations correct?
  • How long does Joseph have to wait to get out of prison? (Gen. 41:1)
  • How does Joseph get out of prison?
  • Who told the Pharaoh about Joseph's ability to interpret dreams? (Gen. 41:9-13)
  • Joseph as Pharaoh’s Top Guy  Genesis 41
  • What did Joseph do to warrant such a high position?
  • What was Pharaoh's dream? (Gen. 41:17-24)· Why was it significant?
  • To whom did Joseph give credit for the interpretation of the dream? (Gen. 41:16)
  • What was the interpretation of that dream? (Gen. 41:25-37)
  • How did the interpretation of that dream alter Joseph's life? (Gen. 41:38-52)
  • While in Egypt, Joseph moved from being a slave to second-in-command under Pharaoh. Who was responsible for his meteoric rise to power?
  • What were Joseph's new responsibilities? (41:53-57)
  • How old was Joseph when he started his new duties? (30)
  • Joseph forgives  Genesis 41-46:7
    • Think back to Joseph's earlier dream that he shared with his father and brothers. Was that dream fulfilled? How?
  • Who sent Joseph's brothers to Egypt? (Gen. 42:1-2)
  • Which brother did not travel to Egypt? (Gen 42:4)
  • What did Joseph call his brothers? (Gen. 42:9,14)
  • Did the brothers recognize Joseph?
  • Who is Reuben referring to in Gen. 42:22? [Joseph]
  • Do you think the brothers felt guilty about what they had done to Joseph? Support your answers.
  • What do the brothers have to do to prove they aren't spies? (Gen. 42:34)
  • Who stays behind in prison? (Gen. 42:24)
  • Is Joseph being unfair to his brothers?
  • What is his motive for keeping Simeon?
  • How do you think Joseph felt seeing his brothers again?
  • What would you have done if you were Joseph?
  • Why did Joseph return his brother's money with the grain?
  • What do you think the brothers thought when they saw the money?
  • What were Benjamin's brothers willing to do to ensure Benjamin's safety? (Gen. 42:37)
  • Why did Jacob finally let Benjamin go to Egypt with his brothers?
  • Why was it hard for Jacob to let Benjamin go to Egypt?
  • Have you ever lost something or someone who you loved? How can you heal the pain?
  • Why were Joseph's brothers afraid of Joseph?
  • Whose health did Joseph ask about? (Gen. 43:28)
  • Where did Joseph sit when he and his brothers were having dinner? Why? (Gen. 43:32)
  • What did Joseph have his servant put in Benjamin's bag? (Gen. 44:2)
  • Why do you think Joseph was testing his brothers? Have you ever been falsely accused of anything?
  • How do you challenge a lie? How do you decide when to speak up and when to stay silent?
  • What did Judah tell Joseph to convince him to enslave himself rather than Benjamin?
  • Why did Joseph cry? (Gen. 45:1)
  • According to Joseph, why was he in Egypt? (Gen. 45:5-8)
  • How did God take care of Joseph and his entire family? (Gen.45:17-20)
  • What can we learn from Joseph's defeats and triumphs?
  • Tell about a time when you've had to trust in God even though the situation was pretty bad. What truths helped?
  • How do you think Joseph's brothers felt when they discovered him alive and powerful? Do you think they had mixed emotions?
  • Which feelings do you think were the most powerful during their reuniting?
  • Have you ever wished you hadn't done something? Would you like to be forgiven?
  • Why do you think Joseph was able to forgive his brothers?
  • What does forgiveness do for people?
  • What did Joseph tell his brothers to do?
  • How did God comfort Jacob before he moved to Egypt?
  • How do you think Jacob and Joseph felt when they finally saw each other after so many years?
  • What was Jacob supposed to tell Pharaoh that he and his family did for a living? Why? (Gen. 46:34)
  • How did Pharaoh treat Joseph's family? (Gen. 47:5-6)
  • What did Jacob do to Pharaoh? (Gen. 47:7)
  • How did Joseph run the country? What did he do with the money and cattle?
  • How did Joseph save the Egyptians and people in neighboring countries? (Gen. 47:13-21)
  • How would you describe Joseph's business sense?
  • How did he help both the people and Pharaoh?
  • What did Joseph do for the priests? (Gen. 47:26)
  • What did Jacob/Israel do for Joseph's sons? (Gen. 48:1-5)
  • To whom did Israel give the greater blessing? Does that remind you of anything or anyone? (Gen.48:13-20)
  • Galatians  see How Are Your Attitudes?