PRIMARY 6 LESSON 15 JOSEPH WAS SOLD INTO EGYPT
* portions of this lesson are taken from a Primary 5 lesson I did last year, also on this blog
CLASSROOM PREP
Set on you table a container of cocoa powder and a Hershey’s chocolate bar (or some other version of regular chocolate).
Post these three scriptures:
My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.
- D&C 121:7-8
“...for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet.”
- D&C 29:39
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God."
- Romans 8:28
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God."
- Romans 8:28
OPENING ACTIVITY (OPTIONAL IF YOU NEED TIME TO SET UP FOR YOUR LESSON)
Coloring page of Joseph’s coat of many colors (many found online)
If it’s Mother’s Day, you could have them fill out a questionnaire about their moms.
OPENING DISCUSSION
Today we’re going to be talking about attitudes and adversity.
What is adversity?
Discuss how adversity can be trials, disappointments, sadness, sickness, and heartache that are all part of this life...with the help of the Lord, they can lead to spiritual growth and progress.
Do you know where pearls come from? (Display a picture of an oyster with a pearl in it.)
Pearls are made in oysters.
When a tiny grain of sand gets inside an oyster, it gets kind of irritated. It builds layers of something called calcium carbonate around the sand. Over many years it builds up many layers and those layers become a beautiful pearl.
We often have irritations -- what are some examples you can think of? (use manual examples like hurt, disappointed, mistreated, misjudged)
So when we have difficulties, how do we react? (use manual examples like complain, be sad or angry or jealous)
Do we handle it in a way that turns into something good? (positive attitude, make the best of it)
Our attitudes determine our actions.
Today we’re going to learn about great man named Joseph...not Joseph Smith but rather Joseph, son of Jacob.
(Quickly review the family tree so they are reminded of who has come before…
Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, he was Isaac’s son and Abraham’s grandson, he had four wives Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah, and they had 12 sons altogether)
LESSON
- The bad grade you got
- The friend that rejected you
- Hardships you were born with
- Having to move somewhere far away
How would your outlook change if you knew “God is in this, He has a plan, even though it feels out of control and it’s painful.”
You might be thinking, well I’m not sure if I believe that about everything!
What if you did?
How would your outlook on life and your attitude change if you did believe it?
In the life of Joseph, that question is presented to us.
In the book of Genesis, we learned that God had promised Abraham that he would be blessed and his posterity would be blessed, and that God would never leave him and would watch over him.
So what did that look like in the life of Joseph?
Well who was Joseph, first of all?
Joseph was the son of Jacob
Joseph was really favored by his father Jacob.
Do you feel like sometimes your parents favor one kid over another?
Joseph was a favorite of Jacob’s.
He even gave him a coat of many colors - very bright and colorful.
It showed that you had a high status.
Usually the oldest brother got to wear it, but Jacob gave it to Joseph.
He was one of the younger brothers.
Hmm...how do you think this might make his brothers feel?
It made them so upset, even so much that “they could not speak peaceably unto him”
And then Joseph started having dreams.
In one of them, he and his family were working out in the wheat field when Joseph’s wheat suddenly grew bigger than everyone else’s and suddenly everyone’s wheat stalks began to bow down to Joseph.
So Joseph shares this dream with his family.
Hmm….didn’t go over too well. It says in verse 8 that they hated him more for his dreams.
One day his brothers were out in the mountains feeding the goats.
Where was Joseph? NOT helping. He didn’t have to, remember?
But Jacob asked Joseph to go to them and check on them.
He found them and it says in verse 18 that they were together conspiring against him to slay him!
Why would they be conspiring to kill him?
They saw him and said in verse 19 “Behold, this dreamer cometh.”
They plan to slay him, put him in a big pit and lie that an animal killed him and eat him.
But his brother Reuben heard this and said no, “Let us not kill him” (verse 21).
He said to instead throw him in a pit and let him starve, but not hurt him.
Reuben was more merciful and planned to save him later out of the pit.
So then Joseph caught up to them and they took off his colorful coat, and cast him in the pit.
It was just an empty pit, no water.
They noticed a group heading to Egypt and had an idea - Judah said, well what good will it do us to kill him?
We should sell him.
So they lifted him out of the pit and sold him for 20 pieces of silver and brought him into Egypt.
Reuben had been gone and came back and Joseph was not there!
He was sad, probably because he was going to free him. He “rent” Joseph’s coat in grief.
They had to do something to explain where Joseph had gone to their father.
So they took his coat, ripped it up, dipped it in goat’s blood and took it to their dad.
What do you think they tell their dad? “This we have found” (Joseph must be dead, we found this coat)
Their father is really sad and said “It is my son’s coat, an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.”
Jacob was sad for many days!
And what’s happening at that time to Joseph?
He’s down at the slave market being bought by an Egyptian called Potiphar.
He was a big big head guy, captain of the Egyptian army!
Okay, so there was a lot to that story.
What are your thoughts about Joseph?
Everyone gets a BITTER and a SWEET sign to make.
(Give them a paper plate and a marker or colored pencil or crayon.)
Have them draw a bitter face on one side and a sweet face on the other.
List “bitter” and “sweet” experiences and have them hold up the corresponding side of their sign to “vote” on what the answer is.
The experiences you list can be from daily life, from Joseph’s story (so far), from all the stories in the Old Testament so far (so like a review).
- Larry Richman, BYU Devotional, published in the Ensign
You might be thinking, well I’m not sure if I believe that about everything!
What if you did?
How would your outlook on life and your attitude change if you did believe it?
In the life of Joseph, that question is presented to us.
In the book of Genesis, we learned that God had promised Abraham that he would be blessed and his posterity would be blessed, and that God would never leave him and would watch over him.
So what did that look like in the life of Joseph?
Well who was Joseph, first of all?
Joseph was the son of Jacob
Joseph was really favored by his father Jacob.
Do you feel like sometimes your parents favor one kid over another?
Joseph was a favorite of Jacob’s.
He even gave him a coat of many colors - very bright and colorful.
It showed that you had a high status.
Usually the oldest brother got to wear it, but Jacob gave it to Joseph.
He was one of the younger brothers.
Hmm...how do you think this might make his brothers feel?
It made them so upset, even so much that “they could not speak peaceably unto him”
And then Joseph started having dreams.
In one of them, he and his family were working out in the wheat field when Joseph’s wheat suddenly grew bigger than everyone else’s and suddenly everyone’s wheat stalks began to bow down to Joseph.
So Joseph shares this dream with his family.
Hmm….didn’t go over too well. It says in verse 8 that they hated him more for his dreams.
One day his brothers were out in the mountains feeding the goats.
Where was Joseph? NOT helping. He didn’t have to, remember?
But Jacob asked Joseph to go to them and check on them.
He found them and it says in verse 18 that they were together conspiring against him to slay him!
Why would they be conspiring to kill him?
They saw him and said in verse 19 “Behold, this dreamer cometh.”
They plan to slay him, put him in a big pit and lie that an animal killed him and eat him.
But his brother Reuben heard this and said no, “Let us not kill him” (verse 21).
He said to instead throw him in a pit and let him starve, but not hurt him.
Reuben was more merciful and planned to save him later out of the pit.
So then Joseph caught up to them and they took off his colorful coat, and cast him in the pit.
It was just an empty pit, no water.
They noticed a group heading to Egypt and had an idea - Judah said, well what good will it do us to kill him?
We should sell him.
So they lifted him out of the pit and sold him for 20 pieces of silver and brought him into Egypt.
Reuben had been gone and came back and Joseph was not there!
He was sad, probably because he was going to free him. He “rent” Joseph’s coat in grief.
They had to do something to explain where Joseph had gone to their father.
So they took his coat, ripped it up, dipped it in goat’s blood and took it to their dad.
What do you think they tell their dad? “This we have found” (Joseph must be dead, we found this coat)
Their father is really sad and said “It is my son’s coat, an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.”
Jacob was sad for many days!
And what’s happening at that time to Joseph?
He’s down at the slave market being bought by an Egyptian called Potiphar.
He was a big big head guy, captain of the Egyptian army!
LESSON FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION
What are your thoughts about Joseph?
About his brothers? About Reuben? About Jacob?
Why does the Lord allow adversity in our lives?
There’s a scripture in D&C 122:7 that talks about all experience being for our good.
How can it be for our good? (We learn, we turn to God, our faith grows)
How can it help us look to our Savior? (He suffered greatly for us, He knows what we’re going through)
Does anyone want to share an experience that’s been really hard for them that’s strengthened them?
What does bitter mean to you? (Sharp taste or smell, not sweet)
What does sweet mean to you? (Pleasant, not salty/bitter/sour, a sugary taste)
Refer to the cocoa powder and take out a spoon.
Drop a tiny bit in their palm for them to taste but warn them it won’t taste much like chocolate.
Perhaps have small water bottles for them!
How does this taste? (Bitter, gross, icky)
What do you think this cocoa powder is lacking?
It says “unsweetened” so what is missing? (Sugar)
(Hand them a small piece of chocolate to help get rid of the bitter taste.)
We're going to do a "bitter" and "sweet" activity.
Why does the Lord allow adversity in our lives?
There’s a scripture in D&C 122:7 that talks about all experience being for our good.
How can it be for our good? (We learn, we turn to God, our faith grows)
How can it help us look to our Savior? (He suffered greatly for us, He knows what we’re going through)
Does anyone want to share an experience that’s been really hard for them that’s strengthened them?
(Let the discussion go for a bit, as long as they have things to share)
BITTER AND SWEET ACTIVITY OPTION
What does sweet mean to you? (Pleasant, not salty/bitter/sour, a sugary taste)
Refer to the cocoa powder and take out a spoon.
Drop a tiny bit in their palm for them to taste but warn them it won’t taste much like chocolate.
Perhaps have small water bottles for them!
How does this taste? (Bitter, gross, icky)
What do you think this cocoa powder is lacking?
It says “unsweetened” so what is missing? (Sugar)
(Hand them a small piece of chocolate to help get rid of the bitter taste.)
We're going to do a "bitter" and "sweet" activity.
Everyone gets a BITTER and a SWEET sign to make.
(Give them a paper plate and a marker or colored pencil or crayon.)
Have them draw a bitter face on one side and a sweet face on the other.
List “bitter” and “sweet” experiences and have them hold up the corresponding side of their sign to “vote” on what the answer is.
The experiences you list can be from daily life, from Joseph’s story (so far), from all the stories in the Old Testament so far (so like a review).
Post this quotation on the board and read it together:
Trials give us opportunities to show the Lord and ourselves that we will be faithful. We can choose to feel sorry for ourselves and ask, “Why me?” or we can grow from our trials, increase our faith in the Lord, and ask, “How can I be faithful in the midst of this trial?” We can let adversity break us down and make us bitter, or we can let it refine us and make us stronger. We can allow adversity to lead us to drift away from the things that matter most, or we can use it as a stepping-stone to grow closer to things of eternal worth.- Larry Richman, BYU Devotional, published in the Ensign
TRIAL OF ADVERSITY VIDEO OPTION
Hand out questions and a pen and tell them to read the questions through and answer after the video.
Watch as a class.
- Either said she could either be a bitter angry person or hit the challenge head on. What did she choose?
- Katie said she knew everything was going to be horrible / terrible / perfect / okay. (circle one)
- After serving others and giving them hope, how did Katie feel?
- What is this life about? ____ of others and the ____ that it brings. (fill in the blank)
- What physical activities did you see Katie do after her accident?
- The Lord sees the _______ picture. (fill in the blank)
- The Lord sees the _______ within the disability. (fill in the blank)
- What did President Uchtdorf say about trials at the end? They form our _______ and shape our __________. (fill in the blank)
- Would you say Katie focused on the bitter or on the sweet?
TESTIMONY/TAKE HOME
“If there were no night, we would not appreciate the day, nor could we see the stars and the vastness of the heavens. We must partake of the bitter with the sweet. There is a divine purpose in the adversities we encounter every day.” - President James E. Faust
Share a testimony of how adversity can strengthen us!
Send home some Hershey’s/chocolate treats with this note (and attach to a Mother’s Day card or questionnaire if it’s Mother’s Day) and have the words bitter and sweet highlighted on the printout with either bold or italics etc.:“If there were no night, we would not appreciate the day, nor could we see the stars and the vastness of the heavens. We must partake of the bitter with the sweet. There is a divine purpose in the adversities we encounter every day.” - President James E. Faust
I am just so grateful for this blog. I come every week and use your play by play to teach my class. It is such a blessing to me. thank you for taking the time to post it each week and help others like me. You are a wonderful human being and these lessons are fantastic
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