Joseph Tells His Brothers Who He Is

(Genesis 44:1-17; 45:1-28)        Review Activities for this Lesson

JOSEPH: [to his servant] Fill the men’s grain sacks with as much as they can hold and put their money in the sacks. Also put my silver cup in the sack of the youngest brother. Then go after them.

SERVANT: [to the brothers] My master has been good to you. Why have you stolen his silver cup? You have done a terrible thing!

BROTHERS: We would never do anything like that! If you find that one of us has the cup, then kill him, and the rest of us will become your slaves.

SERVANT: [searches the sacks] Here it is in Benjamin’s sack! You must come back with me!

JOSEPH: [to his brothers] What have you done? Didn’t you know I could find out?

JUDAH: How can we prove we are innocent? Now all of us are your slaves.

JOSEPH: Only the one who was caught with the cup will become my slave. The rest of you are free to go home.

JUDAH: Our father is a very old man. Benjamin’s brother is dead. I promised my father that I would bring Benjamin safely home. Please let me stay here as your slave and let Benjamin return home with his brothers.

JOSEPH: Everyone except these men leave the room now! [speaking to his brothers] I am Joseph! [cries loudly] Is my father still alive? Yes, I am your brother, Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt. Don’t worry or blame yourselves for what you did. God is the one who sent me ahead of you to save lives. There has already been a famine for two years, and it will last for five more years. But God sent me on ahead of you to save you in this wonderful way. Now hurry back and tell my father that I am ruler of Egypt. Tell him to come here as quickly as he can. You will all live near me with your families, as well as with your animals and everything else you own. I will take care of you there during the next five years of famine. [Joseph cries and hugs and kisses each of his brothers]

KING: [to Joseph] Have your brothers load their donkeys and return to Canaan and bring your father and their families back to Egypt. I will give them the best land in Egypt, and they will eat and enjoy everything that grows on it.

JOSEPH: [to his brothers] Here are new clothes for each of you. Benjamin, I am giving you five new outfits and 300 pieces of silver.

BROTHERS: [to Jacob, their father] Joseph is still alive and he is the ruler of Egypt! He wants us all to go live with him!

JACOB: I will see my son Joseph before I die!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What did Judah offer to do to save Benjamin?
2. How could Joseph tell that his brothers had changed?
3. What did Joseph do when he told his brothers who he was?
4. What did Joseph give his brothers before he sent them home?
5. What did Jacob say when his sons told him that Joseph was still alive?
6. What is the most important thing you learned from the stories of Joseph?
7. What was the most interesting thing you learned from the stories of Joseph?

Credits
Text by Jerri Fusch, used here with the kind permission of the author. Users are free to reproduce for use, but not for publication.