OT 20 Joseph is Sold by His Brothers

Reference: Genesis 37:12-26


Story Summary: 
Jacob sent Joseph to go check on his brothers. They were watching his flock in a place called Shechem, about 50 miles away. When the brothers saw Joseph approaching, they said to each other, "Let's kill that dreamer! We'll tell our father that a wild animal ate him!"
   One of the brothers, Reuben, spoke up. He convinced them not to harm Joseph, but to instead throw him into an empty well. Reuben's planned to release Jacob later. So, they took off Joseph's robe and threw him in a well.
   As the brothers ate lunch, a group of traders appeared. Judah, another of the brothers, said, "If we kill Joseph, we'll get nothing. Let's sell him to these traders instead." And so they sold Joseph to the traders for eight ounces of silver. The traders took Joseph to Egypt, where he was sold as a slave to a man named Potiphar.
   The brothers took Joseph's robe, the one his father had given him, and soaked it into the blood of a goat. When Jacob eventually saw the robe, he said, "A wild animal has eaten Joseph up." Jacob wept for his son for days. He had believed the lie his sons had told him.

Big Idea and Motions: Evil deeds come from evil in the heart.
Evil - frown and use your index fingers to give yourself “horns”
Deeds - bump the bottom of one fist onto the top of the other
Come from - gesture from your heart out towards another
Evil - frown and use your index fingers to give yourself “horns”
Heart - tap your heart


Verse / Motions: Jeremiah 17:9, ESV - The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Heart - put your hand over your heart
Deceitful - rub your palms together and look around deviously
All things - gesture your arms in a wide circle above your head
Sick - grab your stomach and look/sound sick
Who - shrug your shoulders and hold out your hands
Understand - tap your brain

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
Why were the brothers away from home? // They were looking after Jacob’s sheep
What did Jacob send Joseph to do? // Check on the brothers
When they saw Joseph coming, what did the brothers say? // Let’s kill that dreamer
What did Reuben say? // Don’t kill him, throw him into an empty well
What did they take from Joseph before they threw him into the empty well? // His beautiful robe
Who came while the brothers ate lunch? // Some traders
What plan did Judah come up with? // Sell Joseph as a slave to the traders
Where did the traders take Joseph? // To Egypt
What did the brothers do with Joseph’s robe? // Dipped it into blood
What did Jacob think happened to Joseph? // He was eaten by an animal

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/t8MSIl
Resources - http://goo.gl/fCkBTO

OT 19 Joseph’s Dream

Reference: Genesis 37:5-11


Story Summary: 
   Joseph had a strange dream one day. In the dream, he and his brothers were tying together bundles of grain. Then, Joseph’s bundle of grain stood up. The eleven other bundles bowed down to Joseph’s. When Joseph told them the dream, the brothers hated him and said, “Will you really rule over us like a king?”
   Joseph again dreamed. This time, the sun, moon, and eleven stars all bowed down before Joseph. He told the dream to his brothers and his father. When the brothers heard it, they were jealous and angry. But his father, Jacob, kept the matter in mind. “Will your mother, your brothers, and I really bow down before you?” he asked his son.
   Joseph’s dreams weren’t ordinary dreams. They were special messages from God about his future. God was telling Joseph that one day, he would be put in charge of his family and they would bow before him.
   God was able to tell Joseph what was going to happen in the future because God is the only person who knows the future. God doesn’t just know the future; he’s in charge of what happens in the future!

Big Idea and Motions: God knows and is in charge of the future.
God - point up
Knows - tap your temple
In charge - wag your index finger, like you’re bossing someone
Future - hold your hands out, wiggle your fingers, and speak in a spooky voice

Verse / Motions: Isaiah 46:9-10, ESV - I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning...
God - point up
None - wave your hands “no”
Me - point to yourself with two thumbs
Declaring - make your hand talk like a puppet
End - point to the far right with both index fingers
Beginning - point to the far left with both index fingers

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
How many brothers did Joseph have? // Eleven
What were the brothers doing in Joseph’s first dream? // Bundling grain in the field
What did the brothers’ bundles do in the dream? // Bowed down to Joseph’s bundle
How did the brothers feel when they heard Joseph’s dream? // They hated Joseph.
What happened in the second dream? // The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed down to Joseph
Who did the sun and moon represent in the dream? // Joseph’s father and mother
Who did the eleven stars represent? // The eleven brothers
How did the brothers feel after hearing the second dream? // They hated and were jealous of Joseph.
What did his father Jacob do after hearing the dream? // Thought about it over and over.
Why were these dreams special? // They were messages from God about the future.
Who is the only person who knows the future? // God

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/fQeYvQ
Resources - http://goo.gl/Ue08Ir

OT 18B Jacob Wrestles With God

Reference: Genesis 32


Story Summary: 
   Jacob left his Uncle Laban with his wives and kids. As he travelled, he realized he need to pass the country where his brother, Esau, lived. Jacob was worried because Esau had vowed to kill him because Jacob had stolen his blessing 20 years before. Because he was worried, Jacob prayed that God would keep him safe from Esau. Jacob reminded God that he had promised to make Jacob's family into a great nation.
   That night, a man came and wrestled with Jacob until the morning. Eventually, the man touched Jacob's hip and injured him. But Jacob refused to let the man go until he gave him a blessing. The man did bless Jacob. And he gave him a new name, Israel, which means he "struggles with God." Jacob named that place "Peniel" which means "face of God." He said, "I've seen the face of God and have lived!"
   Jacob went on to meet with his brother, Esau. Instead of attacking Jacob and his family, Esau hugged and kissed his brother. God had answered Jacob's prayer. He gave Jacob the blessing of a brother who had forgiven him for the wrong things he had done when he was younger.

Big Idea and Motions: Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
Trust - pretend to grasp a rope in front of you with two hands
Lord - point up
All - gesture your arms in a wide circle
Heart - put your hands over your heart

Verse / Motions: Proverbs 3:5, ESV - Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
Trust - pretend to grab a rope with two hands
Lord - point up
All - gesture your arms in a wide circle
Heart - hand over your heart
Do Not Lean - cross your arms and pretend to lean against something
Understanding - tap your temple

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
Who did Jacob’s family have to travel past? // Jacob’s brother, Esau
Why was Jacob nervous about travelling past Esau? // He had tricked Esau, Esau vowed to kill him
How many men was Esau sending to Jacob? // 400 men
What did Jacob think Esau’s men might do? // Attack him
What did Jacob do when he prayed? // Asked God to save him from Esau, reminded God of his promise
Who came to Jacob that night? // God.
What did God and Jacob do all night? // Wrestle
What new name did God give Jacob? // Israel
What does the name Israel mean? // He struggles with God
Jacob would not let God go until he did what? // Blessed him
What happened when God touched Jacob’s hip? // Injured it, knocked it out of joint, and Jacob limped

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/Id6tZz
Resources - http://goo.gl/PZhBtc

OT 18 Joseph and His Brothers

Reference: Genesis 35:23-26, 37:1-5

Story Summary: 
   Jacob had four wives: Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah. This was wrong because God said from the beginning that a man should only have one wife. Because he had so many wives, Jacob had many kids, too. He had thirteen kids: a daughter and twelve boys.
   But there was one boy Jacob loved more than any other: Joseph, the oldest son of his favorite wife, Rachel. One day, Joseph and four of his brothers were watching Jacob’s sheep. They did something wrong and Joseph brought a bad report about them to their father.
   Later, Jacob gave Joseph a beautiful and expensive robe to wear. When the other brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more, when they saw the beautiful robe only Joseph received, they hated him. They couldn’t save a kind word to him.
   Jacob's family had lots of problems. That's because Jacob's family was filled with lots of sinners. But the good news is that God had great promises to Jacob. And about 2000 years later, Jacob's great-great-grandson Jesus was born. Jesus was God's Son, and he came to save sinners like the ones in Jacob's family.


Big Idea and Motions: Jesus can save messed up people like you and me!
Jesus - form a cross with your forearms
Save - do the baseball “safe” sign
Messed up - twirl your index finger by your head (like you’re calling yourself crazy)
You - point to another person
Me - point to yourself with both thumbs

Verse / Motions: 1 Timothy 1:15, ESV - ...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
Christ Jesus - form a cross with your forearms
Came - march in place
World - trace a big circle with your arms
Save - do the baseball “safe” sign
Sinners - two thumbs down
I am - point to yourself with two thumbs
Foremost - hold up 1 finger

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
How many wives did Jacob have? // Four
Which wife did he love most? // Rachel
How many sons did Jacob have? How many daughters? // Twelve, One
Who were Zilpah and Bilhah? // Leah and Rachel’s servants, Jacob’s third and fourth wives
What problem did Rachel have? // She couldn’t have kids
Who was Jacob’s favorite son? // Joseph, Rachel’s oldest son
When they were watching the sheep, what did Joseph do? // Tell on them for doing something wrong
What did Jacob give Joseph? How did the brothers feel? // A beautiful robe, they couldn’t say a kind word to him
What commandment did Jacob’s family break many times? // Love your neighbor as yourself
Who was Jacob’s great-grandson who came to save us? // Jesus

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/hcT2Qa
Resources - http://goo.gl/iMQWLJ

OT 17B Jacob’s Family

Reference: Genesis 29

Story Summary:
   After running away from Esau, Jacob ran to his uncle Laban’s home. He stayed with Laban for a month and worked for him. Laban wanted to pay Jacob for his work, so he asked Jacob what he wanted. Jacob asked to marry Laban’s younger daughter, Rachel. She was beautiful and Jacob loved her. Laban said that, if Jacob worked for him for seven years, he could marry Rachel. So Jacob worked for seven years, but they seemed like a few days because he loved Rachel so much.
   The morning after his wedding, Jacob woke up next to Leah. Laban had tricked Jacob into unknowingly marrying Leah. He did that because he wanted his older daughter to be married first. Jacob was furious with Laban. Laban told Jacob he could marry Rachel, too, if he waited one week, and also worked another seven years. And so Jacob did.
   Jacob and Laban were both tricksters. And because of their sin, they caused lots of trouble for each other and their families.

Big Idea and Motions: Sin displeases God and makes trouble for you and me.
Sin - two thumbs down
Displeases - cross your arms and frown
God - point up
Makes trouble - put your palm
You - point to another person
Me - point to yourself with two thumbs

Verse / Motions: Romans 6:23, ESV - For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Wages - pretend to swipe a credit card through a card reader machine
Sin - two thumbs down
Death - cross your arms over your chest and bow your head
Free gift - pretend to hand a present to someone else
Eternal life - trace a ∞ in the air with your finger
Christ Jesus - form a cross with your forearms

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
Whose home did Jacob run away to? // His Uncle Laban.
Who were Laban’s daughters? // Leah and Rachel
What kind of work did Jacob do for his uncle? // Took care of his animals.
What “pay” did Jacob ask Laban to give him for his work? // To marry his daughter, Rachel
How long did Jacob have to work for Rachel? // 7 years
What trick did Laban pull on Jacob? // Had him marry Leah instead of Rachel
Why did Laban trick Jacob? // He wanted the older daughter to be married first
What did Laban say Jacob could do if he wanted to marry Rachel? // Wait a week, marry her, then work for 7 more years
How many wives does God’s Word tell us we should have? // Only one.
Which wife did Jacob love more? // Rachel

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/VbUqcB
Resources - http://goo.gl/gUoXof

OT 17 Jacob’s Dream

Reference: Genesis 28:10-22

Story Summary: 
   Esau had vowed to hurt his brother, Jacob, because he had stolen his blessing. When Jacob’s parents heard of this, they told Jacob to run away to his Uncle Laban’s house, which was about 550 miles away.
   One night on the journey, Jacob stopped at sunset. He used a large rock as his pillow and soon fell asleep. It was then that God came to him in a dream.
   In his dream, Jacob saw a great ladder to heaven, which angels going up and down it. At the top, he saw the Lord God himself. God spoke to Jacob and made him many great promises. These were the same promises God had made to Jacob’s father, Isaac, and his grandfather, Abraham.
   When he woke, Jacob realized God had come to him in that dream. He made a promise to God: “if you keep your promises to me, then you will be my God.” Jacob took the stone he had slept on. He set it up like a pillar and poured oil over it to remember what God had said to him there.

Big Idea and Motions: God kept his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God - point up
Kept - clasp your hands together
Promise - Touch your right index finger to your lips, press the palm of your right hand down onto the top of the fist of your left hand (See http://goo.gl/B9xpEJ for a demonstration).
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - hold up additional fingers as you say each name

Verse / Motions: Psalm 105:8, ESV - He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations...
He - point up
Remembers - tap your temple
Covenant - pretend to write on your palm with a pencil
Forever - draw a ∞ in the air with your finger
Word - open your palms like a book
Commanded - wag your finger, with your other hand on your hip
Thousand - gesture your arms in a wide circle

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
Why was Jacob running away from home? // His brother, Esau, wanted to hurt him
What did Jacob sleep on? // A large stone
What did Jacob do when he slept? // He dreamed
How tall was the ladder in Jacob’s dream? // All the way to heaven
Who was going up and down the ladder in the dream? // Angels
Who was at the top of the ladder? // The Lord God
What did God talk about with Jacob in his dream? // He gave him the same promises he gave Abraham and Isaac.
What did Jacob do with the stone after the dream? Why? // He set it up to remember God spoke to him there
What promise did Jacob make? // “God, if you keep your promises, you’ll be my God.”
Who was Jacob’s great-great-great-great grandson? // Jesus

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/EoHA5G
Resources - http://goo.gl/J1w7Qq

OT 16 Jacob Steals Esau’s Blessing

Reference: Genesis 27

Story Summary: 
   Isaac, who was very old and blind, wanted to pray a prayer of blessing over his son, Esau. But first, he wanted his son to hunt some wild meat and prepare a meal for him to eat. So Esau set out.
   Rebekah overheard this and went to Jacob. She told Jacob to pretend to be Esau and get Isaac to bless him instead. They cooked food the way Isaac liked it, dressed Jacob in Esau’s clothes, and even coated Jacob in goat fur so he’d be hairy like Esau.
   When Jacob came, Isaac was suspicious. But Jacob kept lying and lying, saying that he was Esau. Eventually, he convinced Isaac of his lies and Isaac blessed him.
   Soon after Jacob left, Esau arrived with his wild meat, prepared for his father. Quickly, Isaac and Esau realized they’d been tricked by Jacob. Esau as furious and wanted to kill Jacob. Rebekah heard of this and told Jacob to run away to her brother, Laban.

Big Idea and Motions: Tell the truth like God.
Tell - make your hand talk like a puppet
Truth - tap your lips with your index finger, then point away*
God - point up
* This is the ASL sign for “true”

Verse / Motions: Ephesians 4:25, ESV - Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor...
Put away - pretend to toss something over your shoulder
Falsehood - cross your index fingers in an X over your lips
Each one of you - point to different people as you say each of these words
Speak - make your hand talk like a puppet
Truth - tap your lips with your index finger, then point away*
With his neighbor - put your arm around someone else
* This is the ASL sign for “true”

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
What did Isaac want to do for his son, Esau? // Pray a prayer of blessing to God for him
What did Isaac want Esau to do first? //Hunt for meat and cook it for him
When Rebekah heard this, what did she do? // Get Jacob and make a plan to trick Isaac
What was Rebekah’s plan? // Have Jacob pretend to be Esau and steal the blessing
What did they do to make Jacob smell and feel like Esau? // Wore his clothes and goat skins
Why couldn’t Isaac see that it was Jacob? // He was blind.
Did Jacob successfully trick Isaac? What did Isaac do? // Yes, he blessed him
Who came in after Jacob left? What happened? // Esau did. He and Isaac realized Jacob tricked them
How did Esau feel after Jacob stole his blessing? // So mad he wanted to kill Jacob.
What did Rebekah tell Jacob to do? // Run away from Esau to live with her brother

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/PNsFDm
Resources - http://goo.gl/lQnO5n