Confirmation: Joseph

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Work through the confirmation Lesson below.  Do the best you can on your own.  If you need help, or if you get stuck send me an email, (revrichm@gmail.com), text or call me (610-401-5602).  When you're done, post your answers at the bottom.  When we meet next I will go over this and we'll do an exercise to have some fun with it.  

Joseph

My Faith Story

Ask yourself the Big Question: Why should I trust God?

Think about the people you are growing up with—neighbors, friends, and schoolmates. Reflect on major world events that have occurred during your lifetime. As you think about these events, search for your favorite stories of God bringing good from evil. When have you seen this happen? Why should you believe that God is at work in the world despite all the bad things that happen?

Open the Bible

The Joseph story begins in Genesis 37 and continues through chapter 50, the end of the book of Genesis. Read Genesis 37 in two parts—verses 1–11 for the story of Joseph's dreams and verses 12–36 for the story of how Joseph was sold into slavery. The stories of Joseph continue two themes about God found in early Genesis stories: (1) God protects the leader who trusts in God, and (2) God's guidance is mysterious and can turn human expectations upside down.

Q: Why were Joseph's brothers jealous of him?

A: Their father favored Joseph who was the second youngest brother. Joseph was a dreamer, and his two dreams that suggested the brothers would bow down to him angered the brothers. In addition, the special coat probably suggested to the sons that Jacob was going to make Joseph his heir.

Q: What did the brothers' hatred of Joseph drive them to do?

A: They sold him into slavery and then told their father that Joseph had been killed.

Read Again Genesis 37:5–11. Do you think the dreams were a prophecy of what was to come? What other examples do we have of God speaking through dreams in biblical times? Does God speak through dreams today?

Joseph being sold into slavery and ending up in Egypt was a part of God's plan to save the people. It gives a foretaste of the beginning of Exodus, in which Pharaoh enslaves God's chosen people. As time allows, read all or selected parts of the account of Joseph's life in Egypt in Genesis 39–50. The story of seduction and false accusation in Chapter 39 brings disgrace to Joseph. The key thing is that Joseph continues to trust God, and God continues to remain faithful to Joseph, even in the tough times.

Read Genesis 39:2. God is at work through faithful people even when those people find themselves in difficult situations. God's presence in a person's life is a powerful thing. Can you describe how God is present in your life?

As you can discover from reading Genesis 40–41, Joseph's gift of dream interpretation is not only uncanny, it's practical. He goes from prison to the palace when his prophecy about famine and crops saves the economy and the people of Egypt. And Joseph's reliance on God earns rewards, freedom, and status for himself. Yet Joseph does not take the credit; instead, he gives the glory to God.

Q: Why did God use the chain of events related to Joseph to get Joseph's family to Egypt, the land where their ancestors would eventually become slaves?

A: In Egypt they were protected from the many wars being fought in Canaan. In Egypt they grew from a small family to a nation of several million people.

Read Genesis 50:20, a passage from the close of the Joseph story.

Q: What do you think the words "God intended it for good" mean?

A: God continued to act in the Joseph story, but in a different manner from the previous stories of Genesis, such as Noah's ark and Sarah and Abraham. God's ways were more hidden to Joseph's family, but they were just as life-changing as ever.

Joseph shows us a new way of relating to God through indirect communication, more like the prayer and trust we depend on to communicate with God. Joseph is vulnerable and rejected, yet he trusts God, and through him God saves many people. Forgiveness is key in this story and becomes the turning point for reuniting the chosen family. That same turning point is ours today. Jesus frees us by forgiving our sins. When have you felt really free?

Open the Catechism

Think about this question: "When did God finish creating the world?"

Student Book page 299: Read the first article of the Apostles' Creed and its meaning.

Read again the meaning from the phrase "In addition, God daily. . ." through the end.

How does this connect to the Joseph story?

God took care of Joseph through some very tough times. And Joseph served God's purposes. When we put our trust in God, God makes sure that what we do does some good for ourselves and others. God gets the job done.

Cartoon Connection

Do you think that by showing off his special coat, Joseph sent his brothers over the edge?

How did God intervene and use the brothers’ resentment of Joseph for good?

Life Connection

Joseph was really good at planning ahead. We can’t all have dreams that tell us what to do, but we can use our knowledge to plan ahead. When you get home, look at your calendar for the next week and make a daily to-do list of chores, assignments, and fun stuff you’ll get done in the next week. Keep to your schedule and report back on how you did at the next class.

True/False Quiz

Answer the following questions with “True” or “False.”

Look in Genesis for help.

1. Joseph and his brothers had the same mother (Genesis 35). T or F

2. Jacob refused to give special gifts to his son Joseph (Genesis 37). T or F

3. Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son (Genesis 37). T or F

4. Joseph’s brothers killed him (Genesis 37). T or F

5. Joseph was wrongly accused of having an affair with a rich man’s wife (Genesis 39). T or F

6. Joseph had the gift of interpreting dreams (Genesis 40). T or F

7. Joseph was unable to help Egypt prepare for a famine (Genesis 41). T or F

8. Joseph never saw his brothers after they sold him as a slave (Genesis 42). T or F

9. Joseph tested his brothers to see if they had changed (Genesis 44). T or F

10. Eventually, Jacob and his sons moved to Egypt (Genesis 46). T or F