Free Bible lesson for kids · Joseph
Israel Comes to Egypt
On the way to Egypt God spoke to Jacob in the night: “Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation.” Joseph went up in his chariot to Goshen and wept on his father’s neck, and before Jacob died he gathered his twelve sons, the twelve tribes of Israel, and blessed them; he called Judah a lion’s whelp, and Jesus is “the Lion of the tribe of Juda” (Revelation 5:5). Afterward the brothers were afraid, but Joseph said, “Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good.”
- Bible passage
- Genesis 46:1–7 · 46:28–30 · 49:1–28 · 50:15–21
- Big idea
- God can turn even the wrong things people do into good for His people.
- Memory verse
But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Genesis 50:20 (KJV)- Ages
- Preschool to preteen (3 to 12), with tips for each age
- Time
- About 45 minutes
- Included, free
- Animated story film, coloring page, class sheet, teacher guide, questions and answers, a game
The story
On the way to Egypt, Jacob offered sacrifices to God at Beersheba (Genesis 46:1). That night God told him not to fear going to Egypt, for He would go with him and make him a great nation there (Genesis 46:2–4). So Jacob and all his family came into Egypt (Genesis 46:6–7). Joseph rode in his chariot to Goshen to meet his father, and he wept on his neck a good while (Genesis 46:28–29).
Later Jacob gathered his twelve sons, the twelve tribes of Israel, and blessed each one (Genesis 49:1, 28). He called Judah “a lion’s whelp” (Genesis 49:9). After Jacob died, the brothers feared Joseph would pay them back for their evil (Genesis 50:15). But Joseph said, “Fear not: for am I in the place of God?” They had meant evil, “but God meant it unto good” (Genesis 50:19–20). And he spoke kindly to them (Genesis 50:21).
Read it in the Bible: Genesis 46:1–7 (KJV)
1And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. 2And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. 3And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: 4I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. 5And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him: 7His sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.
Questions to ask
What did God tell Jacob on the way to Egypt?
“Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation” (Genesis 46:3).
What did Joseph do when he met his father in Goshen?
He fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while (Genesis 46:29).
What did Joseph tell his brothers when they were afraid after their father died?
“Fear not… ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good” (Genesis 50:19–20).
What this story teaches
- God goes with His people wherever He sends them (Genesis 46:4).
- God promised to make Jacob’s family a great nation (Genesis 46:3).
- Only God is judge, so we leave payback to Him (Genesis 50:19).
- God can turn the evil people do into good (Genesis 50:20).
- Forgiving people speak kindly to those who hurt them (Genesis 50:21).
Jesus Is Judah’s Lion
Jacob called Judah a young lion. Jesus came from the tribe of Judah, and He is the Lion who has won the victory.
Revelation 5:5
A 45-minute lesson plan
| 5 min | Welcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Thank God that He is working for good in our lives, even in hard times. |
|---|---|
| 10 min | The story. Play the story film: each verse appears on screen in the King James Version while the scene plays. Pause to ask what happens next. |
| 10 min | Talk about it. Ask the three questions below. Then ask: “God can turn even the wrong things people do into good for His people.” What does that mean for us? |
| 5 min | Memory verse. Say Genesis 50:20 together, covering one word at a time until the children can say it alone. |
| 10 min | Activity. Younger children color the coloring page while you retell the story; older children do the class sheet (memory-verse fill-in, word search and questions). |
| 5 min | Pray and send home. Pray together and send the sheet home so families can talk about the first question this week. |
- Preschool: keep it short and physical. Act out the story, use a simple prop, and repeat the big idea in one sentence.
- Elementary: let children find the passage in their own Bibles. Ask “who, what, where” questions first, then “why.”
- Preteens: read the verses before and after the passage, and ask how this story fits the whole story of the Bible.
Game time
For kids · game · indoors · about 10 minutes
Family Reunion
You need: Cards with four animals from Jacob’s blessings: a lion (Judah), a wolf (Benjamin), a deer (Naphtali), a strong donkey (Issachar)
- Give each child a card to keep secret.
- On “Go!”, everyone acts out their animal, with no words, until they find their whole family.
- Families sit together and share a family hug.
Jacob’s whole family came to Egypt, and he blessed his twelve sons. God was making them into a great nation.
For youth group · activity · indoors · about 30 minutes
Blessing Night
You need: Blessings written ahead of time by parents or mentors, sealed in envelopes
- Ahead of time, ask a parent or mentor of each teen to write them a blessing.
- Hand them out and give quiet time to read.
- Then teens write a blessing back.
Before he died, Jacob gathered his sons and spoke a blessing over each one. Words of blessing last a lifetime.
Pray
Thank God that He is working for good in our lives, even in hard times.