Genesis - Esau and Jacob Through Joseph's Conclusion

_{Esau and Jacob}

• _{Genesis 25:19-33, 27 tells the story of Isaac, Abraham's son.}

• _{Isaac married Rebekah at 40 and they had twin sons: Esau and Jacob.}

_Esau

• _{First born.}

• _{Hairy skin and red.}

• _{Loved hunting and the outdoors.}

• _{Loved by Isaac.}

• _{Became the nation of Edom.}

_Jacob

• _{Second born.}

• _{Smooth skin.}

• _{Loved cooking and staying at home.}

• _{Loved by Rebekah.}

• _{Chosen by God to be Jesus' ancestor.}

• _{Became the nation of Israel.}

_{The Birthright}

• _{Esau, hungry and tired, traded his birthright to Jacob for stew.}

• _{Esau's response (Genesis 25:32): "Look, I am about to die. what good is the birthright to me?"}

• _{This transferred Isaac's blessings, promises, and possessions to Jacob.}

_{Rebekah's Plan}

• _{Isaac, old and nearly blind, planned to bless Esau.}

• _{Rebekah instructed Jacob to kill two young goats to cook for Isaac, so Jacob could take Esau's blessing.}

• _{Rebekah's plan (Genesis 27:15-16): "Put on Esau's clothing and cover your hands and the smooth part of your neck with goatskins."}

• _{Jacob followed the plan, and Isaac blessed Jacob.}

_{Esau's Anger}

• _{Esau was furious and planned to kill Jacob.}

• _{Rebekah sent Jacob to her brother Laban in Haran for safety.}

_{Jacob in Haran}

• _{Jacob stayed with Uncle Laban and agreed to work seven years to marry Rachel.}

• _{Laban tricked Jacob into marrying Leah instead because it was customary to marry the older daughter first (Genesis 29:26): "It's not the custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older".}

• _{Jacob worked another seven years to marry Rachel.}

• _{Jacob was deceived by Laban, just as he had deceived Esau, illustrating that lying never pays.}

_{Jacob's Family}

• _{Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.}

• _{Leah bore children for Jacob, while Rachel was initially barren.}

• _{God healed Rachel, and she had a son named Joseph.}

• _{Jacob had a large family: 11 sons and one daughter.}

_{Jacob's Return to Canaan}

• _{Jacob decided to return to Isaac in Canaan and gathered his family and possessions.}

• _{God spoke to Jacob (Genesis 32:28): "No longer shall your name be Jacob; you shall be called Israel, a prince of God".}

• _{Esau was coming to meet Jacob and Jacob feared Esau would kill him}

• _{Esau was happy to see Jacob showed brotherly love.}

_{Rachel's Death and the Twelve Tribes of Israel}

• _{During the journey, Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin, Jacob's 12th son.}

• _{Jacob reached Canaan and became Israel, father of 12 sons whose descendants formed the 12 tribes of Israel.}

_{Israel's Sons}

• _{The sons of Leah were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun and daughter Dinah.}

• _{The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.}

• _{The sons of Rachel's maid were Dan and Naphtali.}

• _{The sons of Leah's maid were Gad and Asher.}

_{Joseph's Dream}

• _{Genesis 37:1-10: Jacob had large flocks and twelve sons, loved Joseph more, and gave him a special coat, causing envy among his brothers.}

_{Joseph as Favorite Son}

• _{Joseph was the favorite because:}

  1. _{He was born in Jacob's old age (91 years old).}

  2. _{He was the firstborn of Jacob's favorite wife, Rachel.}

  3. _{He was open-hearted to his father, loving good and hating evil.}

  4. _{He was a good shepherd.}

_{Brothers' Hatred}

• _{Joseph's brothers hated him because:}

  1. _{Jacob loved him more.}

  2. _{He boasted about his dreams.}

  3. _{He acted superior.}

  4. _{He reported their bad behavior to Jacob.}

_{Joseph's Dreams}

• _{Joseph's brothers were annoyed by his dreams, which suggested Joseph would be greater than them}

• _{First dream: Eleven sheaves of corn bowed down to his.}

• _{Second Dream: The Sun, Moon and eleven Stars bowed down to him.}

_{Joseph and his Coat of Many Colors}

• _{Hebrews 13:5 encourages contentment and freedom from the love of money, trusting in God's promise to never leave or forsake.}

_{Boastful or Humble}

• _{Examples illustrating the difference between boastful and humble behavior.}

• _{James 4:6: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.}

_{Joseph Goes to Egypt}

• _{Genesis 37:12-34: Joseph's brothers plotted against him when Jacob sent him to check on them.}

_{The Brothers' Plans}

• _{First Plan: Kill him.}

• _{Second Plan: Put him in the well.}

• _{Third Plan: Sell him to the merchants for $20$ silver pieces.}

• _{Reuben convinced the brothers not to kill Joseph, but to put him in a well, hoping to rescue him later.}

• _{Judah suggested selling Joseph to merchants heading to Egypt.}

• _{The brothers killed a goat and dipped Joseph's coat in its blood to deceive Jacob.}

• _{Jacob believed wild animals had killed Joseph.}

• _{At that time, Joseph was only $17$ years old.}

_{Luke 6:27}

• _{Code used to reveal the passage from Luke 6:27: "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you."}

_{Joseph in Prison}

• _{Genesis 39, 40: Joseph was sold as a slave in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh.}

_{Potiphar's Household}

• _{God gave Joseph success, and Potiphar made him head of his servants, overseeing his household and land.}

_{Joseph's Temptation}

• _{Joseph resisted Potiphar's wife's advances, fleeing from temptation and remaining faithful to Potiphar and God.}

• _{Reasons for not sinning:}

  1. _{He did not want to betray Potiphar's trust.}

  2. _{He had no right to take what did not belong to him.}

  3. _{It was a sin against God (Genesis 39:9b): "How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?"}

_Imprisonment

• _{Potiphar's wife lied about Joseph, leading to his imprisonment.}

_{Joseph in Jail}

• _{God was with Joseph in prison, and the chief jailer put him in charge of the jail.}

• _{Joseph interpreted the dreams of the butler and baker:}

  • _{Butler's dream: "I saw a vine with Three branchesI took the grapes And squeezed the juice into the king's cup". Joseph said, "Congratulate butler, the three branches are three days. In three days, the king will send for you and make you his butler again".}

  • _{Baker's dream: "I saw three baskets on my head, and the birds come down and ate the cakes”. Joseph said, "Sorry baker, the three baskets are three days. In three days, the king will send for you and hang yous, and the bire birds and eat your flesh".}

• _{Three days later, the butler was freed, and the baker was hanged, but the butler forgot about Joseph for two years.}

_{Secret Code Message}

_{"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God."}

• _{Secret Code Message: GOD HEL EDE J OSEPH. HE CAN HELP y OU TOO!}

_{The Pharaoh's Dream}

• _{Genesis 41: After two years, the butler remembered Joseph because Pharaoh had troubling dreams.}

_{Joseph's Interpretation}

• _{Joseph was brought to Pharaoh after a bath and change of clothes and told Pharaoh that God would provide the interpretation.}

• _{Pharaoh's dreams:}

  • _{First dream: Seven fat cows were eaten by seven skinny cows.}

  • _{Second dream: Seven strong ears of corn are eaten up by seven thin ears of corn.}

• _{Joseph explained that the dreams foretold seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. There will be seven good years of harvesting in Egypt. After that, seven years of famine will come.}

_{Joseph Advice to Pharaoh}

• _{To find a man with wisdom and insight, and put him in charge of the country.}

• _{To choose other men to help him.}

• _{Save a fifth of the crops for the famine years.}

• _{Pharaoh was amazed by Joseph's wisdom and made him Governor of Egypt at the age of $30$.}

_{Joseph's brothers come to Egypt}

_{Fill in the Blanks}

• _{Seven years of huge harvest had come, and the overmuch was carefully kept. There was a famine over the whole world. Only Egypt had food to sell. From Canaan, Jacob sent his sons to buy some. Joseph saw them and recognized them. They could not recognize him because:}

  1. _{he had grown to be a man, $38$ yrs old}

  2. _{he wore Egyptian clothes and, as an Egyptian,}

  3. _{he had no beard.}

  4. _{he spoke harshly to them in an angry way}

  5. _{the brothers probably believed that Joseph was dead.
     Joseph wanted to test them. He accused them and called them spies. So he put them in prison for three days.}

_{Joseph's brothers reflected on all the things happening to them. In Genesis 42, there were six significant events that helped them realize their sins.}

1.  They were mistreated, just as they had treated Joseph when they sold him into slavery.
2.  Their lives were threatened as they had put Joseph in danger.
3.  Simeon was taken into slavery, just as Joseph had been.
4.  Money was returned as if they didn't pay for the food.
5.  They had to plead for mercy, just as Joseph had done in the past.
6.  They were asked to bring Benjamin, which reminded them of their betrayal and hatred towards Joseph.

_{Joseph in prison}

• _{For three days because did not want his family to suffer from hunger. Holding Simeon as a hostage was to ensure the brothers return. They recognize their guilt and are being led toward repentance.}

_{Joseph's Silver cup}

• _{Give them a chance to Survive-give up Benjamin}

• _{Accused them of theft, stealing Joseph's Silver Cup.}

• _{The next time they brought Benjamin. Then Joseph asked them how about their father. Joseph gave them a great feast. As the brothers were seated, they noticed two strange things (Genesis 42:33,34):}

  1. _{They were given places according to their ages, from the oldest to the youngest}

  2. _{Benjamin received five times as much as the other brothers when they were served.}

• _{After the meal, Joseph again commanded his servant to put their money back secretly into their bags. Into Benjamin's sack, his own Silver cup was put.}

• _{Benjamin was later accused of theft, and this frightened all his brothers who were loyal to their father and true to Benjamin. He told them that he was Joseph, their brother. He had long forgiven them because that was the will of God. Then he sent them home and asked them to bring their father and families back to Egypt. When the news reached the palace that Joseph's brothers had come, the Pharaoh was pleased and gave them the best place Goshen to live in.}

• _{Remember: God is in control and God will turn something bad into your good}

_{Joseph's Conclusion}

• _{To find out what Joseph said to his brothers when he revealed himself to them, use the code to solve the puzzle. Find the letter in the message on the outside circle. Match it with the letter under it on the inside circle.}

• _{"I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt… TBQ FRAG ZR NURNQ BS LBH GB CERFREIR}

• _{God sent me ahead of you to preserve SBE LBH N ERZANAG BA RNEGU NAQ GB}

• _{for you a remnant on earth and to FNIR LBHE YVIRF.."(Genesis 45:5-7)}

_Questions:

• _{1. Why didn't Joseph reveal his identity to his brothers right away?}

• _{Joseph wanted to be certain that they had not only truly repented of their sins against him but that they had also changed their sinful, selfish ways}

• _{2. What was Benjamin accused of? Stealing Joseph's silver cup.}

• _{3. What was Joseph's final test for his brothers?
  Joseph gave them a chance to escape with their lives if they would give up Benjamin}

• _{4. How did the brothers prove loyal to their father and true to Benjamin?}

• _{When Benjamin was accused of theft, his brothers refused to give up Benjamin and asked to be made the slave, to let him go back to their aged father}

• _{5. How did he prove his love for his family?}

• _{He kept on asking those questions about his family he put back the money into their sacks of and he invited them to live with (him in Egypt)}

_{Josephs Conclusion}

_{Joseph is an example of a wise person. He is diligent and self-disciplined. He has trust in God. However, his life was one of confusion and pain! Please state the ups and downs of Joseph's life.}

_Up

• _{Joseph was his father's favourite son, as he was born in Jacob's old age.}

• _{God was with Joseph and made him Success everything he did. Joseph worked hard to become the head of the Servants}

• _{God was with him and blessed him. Joseph was good and reliable so the Chief put Joseph in charge of prisoners.}

• _{He was appointed as the Governor of Egypt.}

• _{Pharaoh gave them the best land, Goshen, to live in.}

_Down

• _{His brothers were angry and jealous of him. They sold him into slavery in Egypt.}

• _{Joseph displeased Potiphar's wife, who then lied to her husband about him. Potiphar was very angry and put Joseph in prison.}

• _{He assisted the butler in explaining his dream and hoped to mention him to Pharaoh to get him out of prison. However, he did not remember Joseph for two long years.}

_{Three Brutal Blows in Joseph's life}

• _{1. He was sold into slavery because his brothers jealous.}

• _{2. He was accused of trying to seduce Potiphar's wife and he was placed jail.}

• _{3. He was Forgotten because the butler was busy.}

_{Lessons from Joseph's life}

• _{Jealousy is an evil emotion that can lead to terrible consequences.}

• _{God wants us to give Him credit for anything good inside us or for anything good that we do.}

• _{God encourages us to repent.}

• _{God wants us to be content and thankful for what we have been given.}

• _{God wants us to forgive others.}