Joseph Forgives

 Genesis 42–45

WATCH VIDEO

Our true story is found in a part of the Bible called Genesis. The word genesis means “the beginning.”

We have been learning about God’s plan for Joseph. And now, we get to hear the last part of the story. Joseph always trusted God’s plan. Remember, Joseph had a lot of brothers-ELEVEN! Count them with me: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven!


All of those brothers got angry and jealous because their father gave Joseph a special coat.


They were jealous because Joseph was given a special coat and they weren’t. So, they stole the coat, and threw Joseph in a big hole. Then, they sent him with people who took Joseph to Egypt, far from home, where he was thrown in jail.


Then, Joseph was taken out of jail. He helped Pharaoh learn about his dreams, and Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of giving hungry people food. Wow! What a plan. God’s plan is awesome!

No matter how hard it was, Joseph knew that God loved him, that God was always with him, and that Joseph could trust God’s plan. But that’s not the end of the story. There is more to God’s plan. Remember those eleven brothers? Back at home, the brothers were super-hungry and had no food.


And guess where those brothers had to go to get food? Yes! They had to travel all the way to Egypt, to see Joseph, because he was in charge of all the food. But the brothers didn’t KNOW that Joseph was in charge.

Those brothers had no idea they were about to see Joseph again. One day, Joseph was at the palace when his brothers came looking for food. Joseph was surprised to see them.

Joseph had a choice to make.  He could forgive his brothers and give them food. Or he could just send them away hungry! What do you think GOD wanted Joseph to do? Yes! God wants us to forgive. And that’s exactly what Joseph did. Joseph forgave his brothers and gave them food. He even gave them a hug and was happy to see them.

It was the best ending to the story, because Joseph followed God’s plan. I love how Joseph followed God’s plan. God’s plan is definitely the BEST plan. And just like God had an awesome plan for Joseph, He has a plan for you! And God has a plan for me. 




Bible Paraphrase: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. — Jeremiah 29:11, NLT

Text Truth: God’s plan is always best.



Family Devotional

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 
—Genesis 45:4-5

One of the best parts of today’s story is when Joseph’s brothers go to Egypt to find food, and they found something even better—their brother, Joseph! God used Joseph to save A LOT of people from being hungry, including his own family. God’s plan really is ALWAYS best!

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. —Jeremiah 29:11, NLT

It had to be hard for Joseph to forgive his brothers after all the mean things they did to him. But Joseph did it! Joseph forgave his brothers, gave them a big hug, and gave them plenty of food. Joseph trusted that God’s plan is always best.

With your family, make a list of things you know God wants you to do. Sometimes, they will be hard to do, but you do them anyway because you know God’s plan is always best.

Pray with your family. Allow any family members to pray if they wish. In your own words, thank God for each member of your family by name. Acknowledge that you know it won't always be easy to (read through your family's list), but you want do do these things. Ask God to help you, because you know His plan is always best. Thank God for His love and acknowledge to God your love for Him.

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Story illustrations are the copyright of Sweet Publishing and licensed by FreeBibleimages (http://freebibleimages.org) for free download under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike 3.0 unported licence. 
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