Joseph continues as governor over Egypt. The people begin paying a 20% tax. Jacob is about to die so he gathers his sons & some of his grandsons, telling each of them what will happen in the coming years. Joseph gets double the inheritance & his younger son will be greater than his older. This a very informative episode about the Israelite nation.

Joseph and Jacob are finally reunited. Joseph settles his family in Goshen. This is how God keeps them one nation under Him while also allowing them to grow. Jacob describes his life as short but evil. We contrast his life with that of his fathers and of Joseph. Then we reflect on our own lives and how we can be thankful for the life that the Lord has given us.

Joseph finally tells his brothers who he is. He then explains that their part in sending him there was wrong but that God had a plan. The Lord worked everything together for the good of their family and the surrounding country. We spend the rest of our time talking about the Providence of God. He is in control. He has a plan & a purpose. He is perfect & powerful. We look at several verses revealing His character, explaining how He works within our difficult times, how He is with us, how He comforts us, gives us hope, and is worthy of our trust because He know the big picture that we do not.

Joseph's brothers continue to prove their loyalty & devotion to Benjamin. They do all they can to keep their promise to their father proving their love & unselfishness towards him. Judah presents himself before Joseph as Benjamin's substitute. This reminds us of Jesus who is our substitutionary sacrifice. We also are asked to give our lives to Him in return and love others with a sacrificial love.

I can't but He can. Simeon has been put in prison until they bring Benjamin back to Egypt. But Jacob is afraid and will not let him go. It isn't until he has no other choice that he finally gives in. When he is helpless and powerless, he gives up control, and trusts God with his family. Sometimes God has to bring us to a place of helplessness so that we will turn to Him for help. Sometimes He has to show us that we do not have the power to fix the situation so that we will turn to the One with all the Power. He is our ever present help in times of trouble! He is Almighty God!

Joseph's brothers go to Egypt to get food & they don't recognize him. So he tests them to see their character 20 years after they sold him. We talk about being decisive & proactive, not allowing ourselves to be too overwhelmed or fearful to make good decisions. Also we talk a little about jealousy but the main focus is on the guilty conscience of his brothers. How do we handle it when we have seemingly gotten away with something wrong? What is God's way for us to truly be set free from our guilt?

Joseph and Pharaoh. This one is a little long because it is a combination of two lessons but it is so good. After 13 years of suffering, 13 years of ups and downs, Joseph gets out of prison and begins to see God's plan for his future. We look back at his life and see that God had his hand in Joseph's life the whole time. He was preparing him for what was to come. How do we deal with times of suffering or difficult times? We look at several scriptures to help us trust Him all the way through and come out stronger and better than when we went in.

When life gets Better. Joseph interprets 2 prisoners dreams. One of them is supposed to help him get out of prison after he is set free himself, but he doesn't. Was he too ashamed to mention his imprisonment? Did he just get busy with his life? Was he trying to put the bad times out of his mind? When you get to the other side of your struggles, do you forget the people that helped you? Do you try to put it all out of your mind & forget everything you learned when times were hard? Do you forget all God did for you? Do you get prideful and think you alone pulled yourself out? Also, how easily do you talk about God in your everyday conversation?

Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. He must have felt so betrayed and afraid. But he was bought by an important man and God gave him favor towards Joseph. He was soon put in charge of his master's entire household. But his wife also had favor towards Joseph and since Joseph continued to turn her down, she decided to get rid of him. She made up false rape accusations and Joseph was thrown into prison. But God was with him and he was favored by the prison keeper too and made the second in charge there also. So God was with him, but still allowed him to suffer when he had done no wrong? Why? How do we react in times of suffering? Do we trust Him? Do we question Him?

Judah and Tamar. Judah's two oldest sons were wicked and God killed them both before they were able to have any children. Then Judah puts his daughter in law in a bad position and ends up with a situation he never bargained for. His hypocrisy is quickly revealed but he does take responsibility and God redeems him. How hypocritical are we at times? Do you put things off that you should be doing or make excuses that aren't completely truthful? What do we do when we are confronted with our sin? Is redemption available for us too?