Joseph’s Journey - Genesis 37, 39-41

The Story in a Nutshell

One of Abraham’s descendants was Jacob.  Jacob had several sons, his favorite being Joseph.  When Joseph was a young man he dreamed that he would rule over his father, mother, and brothers.  When told about the dreams, his brothers resented what he said.  So, one day while the brothers were tending their father’s sheep, they made plans to kill Joseph.  When Joseph came near they caught him and were about to kill him when a caravan of foreign traders passed by.  Instead of killing Joseph, the brothers sold him to the traders.  Then they told their father that a wild animal had killed Joseph. The traders traveled to Egypt where they sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of the king of Egypt.  There, Joseph became a slave, but even as a slave, the Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.  Joseph was so well liked that Potiphar put him in charge of everything he owned.  Now Joseph was very handsome, and Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him.  He refused her advances and this made her mad.  So she told her servants and husband that Joseph tried to attack her.  Potiphar believed the false story and threw Joseph in Jail.  Two years passed and Joseph continued to prosper, even in Jail. Then one day Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had a dream, but no one could tell him what it meant.  Then the king’s cupbearer remembered that Joseph had once interpreted one of his dreams and a dream of the king’s baker. At the recommendation of the cupbearer, the king asked Joseph to interpret his dream.  With God’s help, Joseph told the king that there would be seven years of plenty in the kingdom followed by seven years of famine.  The king was pleased with Joseph and put him in charge of supervising the collection and storage of food for the seven years of famine.  And Joseph continued to prosper.

Review Questions

Who was Jacob’s favorite son?

What did Joseph dream about?

What did the brothers think about Joseph’s dream?

What did the brothers do with Joseph?

What did the traders do with Joseph?

What did Potiphar do with Joseph?

What happened between Joseph and Potiphar’s wife?

Joseph’s interpreted the dreams of two of the king’s workers.  Who were they?

Why did the king ask Joseph to interpret his dream?

What did the king’s dream mean?

What did God do to Joseph while he was a slave and while he was in prison?

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