Day 1 – THE STORY
Have you ever had a weird dream? Pharaoh was the person who ruled over all of Egypt. While Joseph was in Egypt, Pharaoh had some crazy dreams. In one of his dreams he saw seven fat cows eating by the Nile River. A little later in the same dream, he saw seven skinny cows eat up the first seven fat cows. Weird, huh? The dreamed bothered him, so he searched high and low to find a wise person to explain it to him. He asked all the land’s magicians and wise men and no one could give him the answer. Joseph used God’s wisdom to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. He told Pharaoh the seven fat cows represented seven years of lots of food in the land. The skinny cows represented seven years that would follow where the land would grow no food, causing many to starve. Using God’s wisdom, look and see what Joseph tells Pharaoh how he should prepare for the years with no food.
Read Genesis 41:33-40
What does Joseph tell Pharaoh that he should do during the years there is a ton of food?
How will this help them for the seven years when there is no food?
Was Pharaoh thankful for the wisdom God gave Joseph? What job did he give Joseph?
Day 2 – THE WITNESSES
Look back at last week’s Day One Lesson.
How did Joseph get to Egypt?
Do you think he wanted to go there instead of staying with his family?
Many people were saved from starvation because Joseph was in Egypt. Do you think Joseph was sent to Egypt on purpose?
Day 3 – THE SOURCE
God had everything to do with Joseph getting to Egypt. Joseph didn’t understand why at first, but He trusted God to show him.
Read Isaiah 41:10
The word “ordained” means something that is decided before it happens. God is telling you that He has decided all the days of your life before you were even born! How does this encourage you when something happens that you don’t understand?
After reading this verse, do you think God planned for Joseph to go to Egypt?
Did God have a really good reason for getting Joseph to Egypt? What was His reason?
Day 4 – THE MOTIVE
You might not always understand what God is doing, but you can trust Him to have a reason for why He does something in your life.
Read Proverbs 3:5-6
Is there something happening in your life and you don’t understand why it’s happening?
How can Joseph’s example encourage you to trust in God’s plan?
Day 5 – CAUGHT IN THE ACT
Give it a try!
An investigator sometimes has to sketch things he or she sees when they are scooping out a story. Here is a list of some things from Joseph’s story. Grab a pencil, some markers or crayons and draw these things: Colorful Coat, Skinny Cow, Fat Cow and Egyptian Ruler.
