Joseph Part 1: A Coat and a Dream
by Linda Sue Pochodzay Edwards
Text Version | Afrikaans | Italian
Chelle was prancing around the room happily. She was excited about having a new pair of shoes and just couldn't sit still. She wanted to show them to everyone she knew.
Her older sister, Chantay, wasn't happy at all. In fact, she was sitting in a corner, pouting and muttering to herself. “It just isn't fair,” she was thinking. “She gets to play and I have to work. She gets new shoes, and I have to wear my old ones. I'm sure Mom and Dad love her more than they love me.”
Seeing Chantay sitting in the corner, looking so sad, made her mother sad too. She quietly lifted her older daughter into her arms and gave her a big hug. She began to explain that things are not always as they appear. Chantay didn't even realize this was the very first pair of brand new shoes that Chelle had ever had. Since Chantay was the oldest and grew faster, she was the one that got new shoes, and when she outgrew them, they were passed down to Chelle.
Her mother reminded her of the fun she had at a party, which Chelle was too young to attend. She assured Chantay that she loved her just as much as her younger sister, but that since she is older, that love is shown in different ways. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Chantay gave her mother a hug. With a big smile now replacing that sad frown, she took her little sister by the hand and began to prance around the room with her.
Joseph was out in the fields, helping his older brothers feed the animals. There were cows, sheep, goats, and just about every other kind of farm animal. There was a lot of work that needed to be done and everyone had to lend a hand.
After the chores were finished, they went home to eat a nice meal. They talked about the events of the day. Then Joseph's father called Joseph away from his other brothers and handed him a gift.
Joseph was very surprised, because he had not expected this. Carefully, he unfolded the garment, put it on, and tied the belt around his waist. It was the most beautiful coat he had ever seen, made with lamb's wool which had been dyed with all the colors of the rainbow.
Joseph's eyes were glowing with pleasure because of this beautiful gift his father had just given him. He rushed into the room where his brothers were talking. “LOOK!” he cried out excitedly. “SEE MY NEW COAT! ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL?” he exclaimed.
Joseph's brothers were not as happy about the coat as he was. In fact, they were ANGRY. They were jealous because they thought their father loved him more than them. They were so jealous that they hated Joseph and couldn't even say anything kind to him.
Joseph didn't let the attitude of his angry brothers upset him. He was happy and slept peacefully. The next morning, he gathered his brothers together. “I want you to listen to this dream I had last night,” he said to them.
“We were all in the fields, bundling wheat into sheaves. My sheaf of wheat stood straight up. All of your sheaves of wheat bent over as if they were bowing down to mine.”
The brothers listened impatiently as Joseph was telling his dream. “Do you actually think YOU are going to rule over us, and WE are going to bow down to you?” they asked with a smirk.
Imagine their surprise when Joseph said, “Wait! That's not all! I had another dream. In the second dream, the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to me!”
This made the brothers even more angry than they had ever been. “How can you possibly think that your mother, your father, and all of us are going to bow down to you?” With that, they left Joseph standing there, and they went off to the fields to do the work for the day.
While they were working, they were discussing Joseph, his new coat, and his dreams. The more they talked, the more ANGRY they became. “We have got do something about that foolish, dreaming, young brother of ours. We already knew that our father loved him more than the rest of us. Then he received a new coat that he just wants to show off. Now he is telling us about these ridiculous dreams. We need to come up with a plan to get rid of him.”
The brothers talked, argued, planned, and schemed, first one idea and then another. Finally one of them said, “Let's pick him up and throw him into that deep pit over there until we can decide on a better plan.” So that is exactly what they did. They took Joseph's beautiful coat away from him, and then threw him into the pit. They all sat down to eat their lunch, happy that Joseph wasn't eating with them. Now they didn't have to listen to his foolish talk about all his dreams.
While they were eating, they saw a caravan of camels in the distance. As the camels came closer, they discovered that the men were merchants from the country of Midian. The brothers thought, “This is even better than we had hoped. We can sell Joseph as a slave to these merchants. Then we will divide the money among us.”
They went to the pit and helped Joseph out of it. They sold him to the Midianites. They were pleased with themselves until one of them thought, “Oh, no! What are we going to tell Father?”
Quickly they thought of another scheme. They killed an animal and put some of the blood on the beautiful coat. When they showed the coat to their father, he immediately thought that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. It was a very mean trick these brothers had played on their father. He was sad for a very, very long time, because he thought Joseph was dead.
The Midianite merchants found that they had made a good choice in buying Joseph from the brothers. He was a strong, healthy young man, and they were able to sell him quickly to a man named Potiphar, who was from Egypt. Potiphar was a captain in Egypt and knew King Pharaoh very well. He was a wealthy man with a very large house and many servants.
Even though Joseph was far away from home, he never forgot the teachings of his father. He never became angry with his brothers for treating him so badly. He was righteous and honest in all his dealings, and he loved the Lord very much. The Lord was with Joseph and helped him to become prosperous.
Potiphar noticed what an outstanding man Joseph had become and honored him by making him the ruler of everything in his house. With Joseph in charge, Potiphar became even more wealthy, because the Lord was blessing HIM because of Joseph.
THINK!
1. Why did the brothers hate Joseph?
2. Why is jealousy such a bad thing?
3. How do you know God was with Joseph when he was in the pit?
4. How do you know God was with Joseph when he was in Egypt?
REMEMBER:
God ALWAYS knows and cares about what is happening to you. Even when bad things happen, God can make something good out of the situation.
A VERSE TO LEARN
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…”
(Romans 8:28a).
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Have you ever seen something that a sibling or friend has or received or achieved and
realized that you would like it as well? Have you ever felt that you were being treated
unfairly or neglected or loved less than others who were being favored?
Have you ever boasted about being better than others or having more stuff than others?
[After discussion:] The Lord says in the book of James 4:1-3 that we do not have, because
we do not pray and even when we pray, we pray with wrong intentions and for thinking only
about ourselves. So let us take a moment and ask God to forgive us for having a wrong
attitude and wrong intentions and for being selfish and jealous and for times when we were
boastful about what we have and achieved.
Let us ask God to give us a godly attitude and noble intentions and not to be boastful. And
then, let us go out and do some good like giving a gift to someone who needs it,
congratulating someone on an achievement.
LET'S PRAY
****************************************************
Dear God, thank You for being with us in every
situation. Help us to remember that You love us
and You know exactly what is happening all the time.
Help us not to get jealous or angry when others
have things that we do not have.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
****************************************************
CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE?
Genesis 37:1-36 and 39:1-6
Color Joseph and His Brothers (online)
Color Romans 8:28 (online)
Action Bible Coloring Book
Coloring Through the Bible (online)
Beginner's Bible Super-Duper Mighty Jumbo Coloring Book
Bible Stories Kids Love Coloring Book (ages 2 to 4)
Big Book of Bible Story Coloring Pages for Elementary Kids
God Cares for Me Coloring Book by Shirley Dobson
God Loves You Coloring Book:
A Read-aloud Coloring Book About God's Plan for Salvation
Jesus Loves Me, This I Know, Coloring Book
My Bible Coloring Book
My Favorite Bible Stories Coloring Book (reproducible)
My Gospel Story by Colors--Activity Book
The Awesome Coloring Book of Bible Comics
The Super-Sized Book of Bible Coloring & Art
The Super-Sized Book of Bible Verse Coloring Pages
Children's Bible Coloring Books
Adventure Bible: Joseph The Dreamer (I Can Read)
Beginner's Bible: Joseph & His Brothers (I Can Read)
Joseph, Jacob's Favorite Son (Arch Books)
Joseph—God's Superhero (Discover 4 Yourself Inductive Bible Studies for Kids)
Joseph (read online)
Joseph the Dreamer (read online)
Kingstone Comics: Joseph
The Birth of a Nation: Abraham to Joseph (listen and read online)
365 Read-Aloud Bedtime Bible Stories
365 Activities For Kids:
A Bible Story And Activity For Each Day Of The Year
100 Bible Stories 100 Bible Songs w/2 CD
Beginner's Bible
Beginner's Bible for Little Ones
Bible in Pictures For Toddlers
Bible stories
Early Reader's Bible
Little Pilgrim's Progress
The Comic Book Bible
The Preschooler's Bible
Toddler's Bible
Children's Books
Spanish Children's Books
The Picture Bible (also in Spanish)
Jigsaw Puzzle (online)
Fill In The Blanks (online)
Joseph Activities
Joseph Is Sold By His Brothers (online)
Best Book of Bible Activities
Bible Puzzles: Word Search
Big Book Of Bible Puzzles
Big Book Of Bible Story Activity Pages V1
Bingo (online)
Children's Activity Books
Children's Puzzles
Christian and educational toys
Crossword Books
Encyclopedia Of Bible Games For Children's Ministry
Games
Jumbo Bible Activity Book 4
Memory Verse Games for Kids
Sticker Books
The Super Sized Book of Bible Puzzles Sticker Books
All Things Work Together for Good (listen online)
He Who Began a Good Work in You (watch online)
In His Dreams (online)
Joseph's Coat Of Many Colors [Music Download] (listen online)
Keep Your Tongue from Evil (listen online)
What Really Happened to Joseph? by Continental Singers (listen online)
100 Bible Stories 100 Bible Songs
Action Bible Songs
Bible Songs on CD
Bible Songs on DVD
Illustrated Songs
150 All-Time Favorite Veggietunes
100 Singalong Bible Songs For Kids
Platinum Bible Collection of Classic Christian Songs on DVD
Sunday School Song Medley (online)
The Bible in a Minute (online)
25 Favorite Sunday School Songs
Children's Music
Bugtime Adventures: Blessing in Disguise - The Joseph Story (watch online)
Greatest Heroes of the Bible: Joseph & the Coat of Many Colors (online)
Joseph (listen online)
Joseph (watch online)
Joseph and His Brothers
Joseph: Beloved Son, Rejected Slave, Exalted Ruler DVD
Joseph: Beloved Son, Rejected Slave, Exalted Ruler (watch online)
Sight & Sound Theatres: Joseph
The Beginner's Bible, Volume 4 (watch online)
The Story of Jacob and Joseph
VeggieTales: Joseph and his Coat of Veggie Colors (watch online)
All the Shows, Volume 1: 1993-1999
Do You Wonder Why? (online)
God's Story from Creation to Eternity (online)
Read and Share Toddler Bible with DVD
The Jesus Storybook Bible Curriculum Kit
Bible story DVDs
DIY Art: Joseph’s Robe and Grains (online)
Joseph and His Coat Crafts (online)
Joseph in the Well Craft and Game (watch online)
Joseph's Coat (online)
Joseph Paper Craft (online)
Bible Crafts
Bible Craft Videos (online)
Crafting the Word of God (online)
Easy-to-Make Bible Crafts PDF for Kids
& Digital Album Download [PDF Download]
Encyclopedia Of Bible Crafts For Preschoolers
Hot Crafts for Cool Kids pdf download
Maker-ific WOWS! (ages 8-12): 54 Surprising Bible Crafts
Puppet Crafts For Kids (online)
The Big Picture Bible Crafts:
101 Simple and Amazing Crafts to Help Teach Children the Bible
- Tie-dye a T-shirt. This way each child can personally design their own shirt and each time they wear it, they will be reminded that God is with them always, they are special to him, and that His love "covers" them through all situations and circumstances. (I work with a lot of children from dyfunctional families who go through horror stories on a regular basis. They need to know God is with them at all times.) Basically all you need to do is have several different bowls of clothing dye, a t-shirt for each child, and rubber bands. Tightly wrap rubber bands intermittently around different parts of the white t-shirt. Dip only portions of the shirt into difference colors. Let dry, remove bands and praise the Lord, you have a "shirt" of many colors.
- Should it be a smaller church or a lot of children, to defray the expense, you could purchase white handkerchiefs at a dollar store and do the same thing. This would give each child something to place under their pillow or carry with them as a reminder.
- With your picture to color of Joseph, you could have pre-prepared strips of tissue paper to be glued on the picture or you could use construction paper as well. I have found tissue paper is sometimes easier to use because it is not as stiff and "turns corners" better.
Submitted by Karin Adams
***********************
Resources For Parents and TeachersJoseph by F B Meyer
Joseph - A Very Colorful Story (online)
Joseph Is Sold By His Brothers (online)
Free Bible story images (online)
801 Questions Kids Ask About God
Absentee Postcards
African American Resources
Almost Every Answer for Practically Any Teacher
Bible for Children in 232 languages (online)
Children's Ministry
Bible Memory Match Game
Big Book of Bible Games
Bulletin Board helps
Chicken Soup for the Teacher's Soul
Children's Sermon (online)
Church Supplies
Closing Prayer (online)
FREE materials to Bible schools, Bible colleges, seminaries,
churches, missionaries & individuals worldwide (online)
52 Games That Teach The Bible
Free educational videos (online)
God's Servants Teach Me
God's Wisdom for Little Boys:
Character-Building Fun from Proverbs
Help! I'm a Sunday School Teacher
How To Lead a Child To Christ
How to Make Bible Characters from Milk Cartons (online)
KidMin ToolBox: Boxed Book Set
King James Version Gift & Award Bibles
Leading Little Ones to God:
A Child's Book of Bible Teachings
Lord Teach Me To Pray For Kids
Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours
Memory Verse Activities (online)
Memory Verse Resources
Object Talks
Opening Prayer (online)
Parenting Resources
Puppet Scripts
Review Activities for Bible Lessons (online)
Seven Laws of the Learner
Spanish Resources
Sunday school resources
Sunday School Songs: Lyrics and Tunes (online)
Talking to God
Teachers' Reproducible Classroom Pages
Teaching Children Memory Verses Ages 4-5
Teaching Children To Pray Ages 4-5
Teaching to Change Lives
The Beginner's Bible Curriculum Kit
The Jesus Storybook Bible Curriculum Kit
The Humongous Book of Bible Skits
for Children's Ministry
Vacation Bible School
What Every Sunday School Teacher Should Know
Children's resources (online)
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