March 1st & 8th: Joseph & His Brothers

Joseph’s life began in a favored position. He was the first son of Jacob’s second (and favorite) wife, Rachel, and his favorite child. But Joseph’s ten older brothers felt differently about him. They saw the robe their father gave to him, and they heard him tell about his dreams. Their jealousy and hatred led them to sell their brother into slavery. Then they misled their father into believing Joseph had died. This sibling rivalry was bitter indeed!

The brothers’ actions catapulted Joseph into a dramatic series of events. As a slave in Egypt, he was wrongly sent to prison. But the Lord would bring good out of this bad situation. Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams, which he always credited to God, resulted in Pharaoh choosing him for a position of power. Joseph’s actions led to preparations for famine, and eventually he forgave and fed his brothers. Through it all, God was with him.

The story retelling in the Frolic Preschool Bible describes a colorful robe and hungry people who need food. As preschoolers grow older, they’ll learn that there’s even more to the story when they hear of Joseph’s vivid dreams of sun, moon, stars, wheat, and cows. But any story about Joseph includes the sibling rivalry between a boy and his brothers. Children will be interested to learn that young Joseph grows up to have power and influence. He is able to feed his hungry brothers, who are sorry for their earlier mistreatment of him.

Preschoolers may find themselves on the receiving end of the question, “What do you say?” when an adult wants them to apologize. They need modeling and support to say the words, “I’m sorry.” They are just learning how apologizing and receiving forgiveness work, and this story can help them learn how these actions can be rooted in faith.