Joseph's Coat

Main Points to Remember

1) Bragging can be hurtful to others
2) We must control jealousy, not let it control us

Vocabulary:
jealousy: disliking someone because of what they have
Prayer: Father, we thank you for protecting us through the difficult times like Joseph
went through.

Lesson: Genesis 37:3-36

Lesson Texts: Jerri Fusch's lesson text: Joseph's Brother Sell Him

Activity: Make a robe from a striped cloth or shirt and have the students take turns being
Joseph. Discuss how expensive and different a striped coat would have been in those
times, and how clothes were made by hand to last for many years.

Discussion: What things make you jealous today? What might your friend show off at
school that would make you envious? A brand name pair of shoes? A portable electronic
game? Why do some kids use things to establish their importance? Because the world
teaches them that possessions determine your worth. What really makes us important?
God says that we are his children if we love Him and love one another. Our “status” is
reflected by how we treat others. Should we really be jealous of someone who only feels
important because of what they own? No - we should emphasize that we value them for
who they are, not what they own.

Activity: Review Jacob's family tree. Have the students use generic paper people (like
Bible Friends) to illustrate the lesson. Name them and post them on a board, using yarn or
dots to connect the family lines. A great source for OT family tree information is:
http://bible.ort.org/books/gened2.asp

Map of Joseph's Journey to Egypt

in 800x600 and 1024x768, FREE from
eBibleTeacher.com

True/False
1. Joseph dreamed that he would rule over his brothers. T
2. Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him. T
3. Jacob treated all his sons the same. F
4. All of Joseph’s brothers wanted to kill him. F
5. Joseph was sold as a slave. T

Memory WorkGenesis 37:3 "Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons,
because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for
him."Psalm 121:7-8 "The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your
life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."

Review Activities from Jerri Fusch

Answer the following questions about today’s story:
1. Why do you think Jacob sent his son Joseph to check up on his brothers?
2. What did Joseph’s brothers plan to do when they saw him coming?
3. How did Reuben plan to save Joseph?
4. What did the brothers see coming that made them change their plans?
5. How much money did the brothers get for selling Joseph?
6. What did the brothers do with Joseph’s coat?
7. What did the brothers tell their father Jacob?

UNSCRAMBLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS Read Genesis 35:23-26 in your Bible. How many son
FROM OUR STORY. Jacob have? The first initial of each of their names is
LODOB shown below. Finish their names.
STROBHER 1. R __________
ACOT 2. S __________
SMEARD 3. L __________
ATOG 4. J __________
VEGAR 5. I __________
THEDA 6. Z _________
COJAB 7. J _________
SPEJOH 8. B _________
ILIK 9. D _________
RATOPPIH 10. N _________
LODS 11. G _________
LEWL 12. A _________
DWIL LANAIM

Review Questions (can be used with Joseph gameboard)

linguistic questions
1. What is a slave? (A person who is owned by another person)
2. Unscramble this word: Yejasoul
3. Name Jacob’s sons.
 activity questions
1. Act out the dream of the sheaves.
2. Sing the Sons of Jacob song.

3. Draw a coat of many colors emotion questions

1. How do you think Joseph felt to be honored in his dream? (He was surprised and felt
important - he wanted his brothers to share in his excitement)
2. How do you think Joseph’s brothers felt when he was bragging about his dream? (Even
more jealous than they already were)
3. How did Jacob feel when his sons told him Joseph was dead? (He was devastated with

sorrow) application questions

1. Should we brag, even about things that are true? (No - we can be honest without
bragging)
2. Is it OK to pick on the teacher’s pet? (No - we can’t “punish” the student for the
teacher’s actions)
3. Does anyone like friends who constantly talk about themselves? (No)

fact questions
1. How many brothers conspired against Joseph? (10 - Benjamin was not yet born)
2. What gift did Jacob give only to Joseph? (a coat of many colors)
3. What did the brothers do instead of kill Joseph? (Sold him as a slave)

review questions
1. How did the brothers convince Jacob that Joseph was dead? (They tore his coat and
dipped it in blood)
2. Why did the brothers hate Joseph so much? (Jacob showed him extra favor, and he
bragged about being more important than they)
3. Why did Jacob love Joseph so much? (He was the only son [at that time] of his favorite
wife)