O.T. Lesson 17: Joseph Forgives His Brothers

Lesson 17: Joseph Forgives His Brothers

Primary 6: Old Testament, (1996), 71–74

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Purpose

To help each child have the desire to forgive others.

Preparation

1. 1. 
   Prayerfully study:
   • • 
     Genesis 42:1–38—Jacob sends his sons to buy grain in Egypt. They bow before Joseph.
   • • 
     Genesis 43:1–34—Jacob sends Benjamin to Egypt.
   • • 
     Genesis 44:1–34—Joseph arranges to stop the return of his brothers to Canaan.
   • • 
     Genesis 45:1–19—Joseph makes himself known to his brothers, and they rejoice together.
2. 2. 
   Additional reading: Matthew 6:14–15 and Doctrine and Covenants 64:10.
3. 3. 
   Study the lesson and decide how you want to teach the children the scripture account (see “Preparing Your Lessons,”p. vi, and “Teaching from the Scriptures,” p. vii). Select the discussion questions and enrichment activities that will best help the children achieve the purpose of the lesson.
4. 4. 
   Materials needed:
   1. a. 
      A Bible for each child.
   2. b. 
      A Doctrine and Covenants.
   3. c. 
      A piece of paper and a pencil for each child.
   4. d. 
      Picture 6-20, Joseph Forgiving His Brothers.

Suggested Lesson Development

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

Attention Activity

Give the children each a piece of paper and a pencil, and have them write the numbers 1 through 5 down the left side of the paper. Explain that you are going to give them a quiz about forgiving. All the questions can be answered yes or no.

1. 1. 
   Are you forgiving when you say, “I forgive you, but I will never forget how unkind you have been to me”?
2. 2. 
   Are you forgiving when you are happy that something bad happens to someone you do not like?
3. 3. 
   Are you forgiving when you want to get even with someone who pushed or hit you?
4. 4. 
   Are you forgiving when you stop talking to someone who told lies about you?
5. 5. 
   Are you forgiving when you speak unkindly about the person who does not choose you to be on his or her team?

Point out that the correct answer to all the questions is no. Explain that to truly forgive we must:

1. 1. 
   Overcome our angry feelings.
2. 2. 
   Not judge or criticize others.
3. 3. 
   Forget about what was done.

Invite the children to briefly retell how Joseph’s brothers sold him into Egypt (see lesson 15), and explain that this lesson is about how Joseph forgave his brothers for being unkind to him.

Scripture Account

Using the picture at an appropriate time, teach the children the account from the scriptures listed in the “Preparation” section. (For suggested ways to teach the scripture account, see“Teaching from the Scriptures,” p. vii.) You might want to show portions of the video Joseph and His Brothers (53152) during the lesson.

Discussion and Application Questions

Study the following questions and the scripture references as you prepare your lesson. Use the questions you feel will best help the children understand the scriptures and apply the principles in their lives. Reading and discussing the scriptures with the children in class will help them gain personal insights.

• •
  Why did Jacob send his sons to Egypt to buy corn? (Genesis 41:56–57;
•  56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and ^asold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.
   57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn;because that the famine was so sore in all lands.
• 
  
•  42:1–2.) 
•  1 Now when Jacob saw that there was ^acorn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?
   2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.
• Which of Jacob’s sons did not go? Why? (Genesis 42:3–4.)
•  3 ¶And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy ^acorn in Egypt.
   4 But ^aBenjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.

• •
  What prophetic dream did Joseph’s brothers fulfill when they bowed down to him? (Genesis 37:7–8; 
•  7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made ^aobeisance to my sheaf.
   8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
• 42:6.)
•  6 And Joseph was the ^agovernor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and ^bbowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.
• •
  Why did Joseph’s brothers not recognize him? (Genesis 42:7–8, 23;
•  7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.
   8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
•  23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.
•  it had been twenty-two years since they had seen Joseph. When they sold him into Egypt he was seventeen, and now he was a mature man. They didn’t expect to ever see Joseph again, nor did they expect him to be the second most powerful man in Egypt. Also, he spoke to them in another language, communicating with them through an interpreter.)
• •
  How did Joseph know that his brothers felt guilty about what they had done to him? (Genesis 42:21–23; 
•  21 ¶And they said one to another, We are verily ^aguilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.
   22 And ^aReuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his ^bblood is required.
   23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.
• remind the children that the brothers didn’t know Joseph could understand what they were saying.) How can we get rid of feelings of guilt?
• •
  What did Joseph tell his brothers they needed to do before he would sell grain to them? (Genesis 42:15–16, 20.)

 15 Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.

 16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.

 20 But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.

• •
  Why did Jacob not want Benjamin to go to Egypt? (Genesis 42:36, 38.) 
• 36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take ^aBenjaminaway: all these things are against me.
   37 And ^aReuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.
   38 And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with ^asorrow to the grave.
• Why did Jacob finally agree to let Benjamin go with his brothers? (Genesis 43:1–4.)
•  1 And the famine was sore in the land.
   2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.
   3 And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your ^abrother be with you.
   4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:

• •
  How did Joseph feel when he saw his brother Benjamin? (Genesis 43:29–30.) 
•  29 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother ^aBenjamin, his mother’s son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son.
   30 And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and ^awept there
• Why do you think Joseph felt especially close to Benjamin? (Joseph and Benjamin had the same mother.)
• •
  What did Joseph do to prevent his brothers from returning to Canaan? (Genesis 44:1–5, 11–13.) Why do you think he did that?
•  1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man’s money in his sack’s mouth.
   2 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
   3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.
   4 And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?
   5 Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.
•  11 Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.
   12 And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.
   13 Then they ^arent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.

• •
  What did Judah do that showed he had repented and become a kinder, more caring person? (Genesis 43:8–9; 
•  8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, andalso our little ones.
   9 I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the ^ablamefor ever:
• 44:31–34;
•  31 It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with ^asorrow to the grave.
   32 For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the ^ablame to my father for ever.
   33 Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.
   34 For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.
•  remind the children that it had been Judah’s idea to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites.) What could you do to be kinder and more caring in your family?
• •
  What benefits did Joseph realize had come because of his being sold into Egypt? (Genesis 45:5–8.) 
•  5 Now therefore be not ^agrieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did ^bsend me before you to preserve life.
   6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
   7 And God sent me before you to ^apreserve you a ^bposterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
   8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ^arulerthroughout all the land of Egypt.
• Point out that each time Joseph faced a difficult situation, he had a good attitude, and he turned a bad experience into a positive experience. What difficult situations do you face that you could turn into positive experiences?
• •
  How did Joseph show that he had forgiven his brothers? (Genesis 45:9–11, 14–15.
•  9 Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:
   10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of ^aGoshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:
   11 And there will I ^anourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.
•  14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
   15 Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.
• 
  
• ) How do you think he felt? How do you feel when you forgive someone who has been unkind? (See enrichment activity 1.) How do you feel when someone forgives you?
• •
  Why do we all need to learn to forgive others? (Matthew 6:14–15; 
•  14 For if ye ^aforgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
   15 But if ye ^aforgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
• D&C 64:10.) 
•  10 I, the Lord, will ^aforgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to ^bforgive all men.
• (See enrichment activity 4.) Invite the children to share positive experiences they have had with forgiveness.

Enrichment Activities

You may use one or more of the following activities any time during the lesson or as a review, summary, or challenge.

1. 1. 
   Write words such as angry, peaceful, happy, jealous, loving, unhappy, critical, and friendly on separate slips of paper. Write the words Forgiving and Unforgiving on the chalkboard, and pass out the slips of paper to the children. Have the children take turns telling what their word is and putting it on the chalkboard under the word that it goes with.
2. 2. 
   Bring simple props such as robes and scarves and have the children role-play one part or several parts of the story of Joseph and his brothers.
3. 3. 
   Make a “medal” for each child. Attach a ribbon or string to it so it can be worn as a necklace. Read Matthew 6:14–15 with the children and discuss its meaning. Help them understand that if they forgive others, they will feel happier and Heavenly Father will forgive them of their wrongdoings. Ask the children to think of someone who has hurt their feelings. Challenge them to pray for that person and then do something kind for them. In the Olympics the best athletes receive medals for their performances. Spiritual performance is much more important than athletic performance, and each of us will be blessed by forgiving those who offend us. As each child accepts the challenge to return kindness for an unkind deed, give her or him a “medal” as a reminder of what the child promised to do.
   (click to view larger)
4. 4. 
   Talk with the children about forgiveness. You may wish to bring a bag and some rocks, books, or other heavy items. Have a child hold the bag as you put each rock in. Explain that each rock represents an angry or hurt feeling. Have the child walk around the room or just hold the bag for a while. Explain that when we keep our angry and hurt feelings, they become burdens to us. If we can forgive others, our burden will be gone and we will feel better. (Take the rocks out.) Emphasize that people are more important than problems. It is important to forgive others and continue to love and care about them. Encourage the children to be as forgiving as Joseph was to his brothers.
   Suggest that the children share this activity with their families. Encourage them to discuss how keeping angry or hurt feelings is like carrying around a bag of heavy rocks.
5. 5. 
   Write Doctrine and Covenants 64:10 
6.  10 I, the Lord, will ^aforgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to ^bforgive all men.
7. on the chalkboard; then read it and discuss it with the children. Explain that when we are full of angry feelings toward others, we cannot have the Holy Ghost to be with us. Heavenly Father wants us to forgive so we can be free of those angry feelings and enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Help the children memorize the scripture by having them recite it while you erase one word at a time.
8. 6. 
   Sing or read the words to the first verse of “Help Me, Dear Father” (Children’s Songbook, p. 99).

https://www.lds.org/music/library/search?query=%E2%80%9CHelp+Me%2C+Dear+Father%E2%80%9D+&x=0&y=0&lang=eng#d

Conclusion

Testimony

Share your testimony about the importance of forgiving others. You may want to describe the peace you have felt after you were able to forgive someone.

Suggested Family Sharing

Encourage the children to share with their families a specific part of the lesson, such as a story, question, or activity, or to read with their families the “Suggested Home Reading.”

Suggested Home Reading

Suggest that the children study Genesis 45:1–8 at home as a review of this lesson.

Invite a child to give the closing prayer.