One thing my Grandpa taught me was that a keen understanding of the New Testament begins with the knowledge of The Old Testament. We have been reading two or three chapters from the Old Testament and have just gotten to the part where Joseph saves his brothers from the famine. Today we will be reading Genesis 43-45. This being the case, we will also begin memorizing the 12 tribes of Israel. We will try to get this done within a week, but will most certainly take longer if necessary. Feel free to copy, past, print this picture so you can take it on car rides and work on memorizing all week. I found it helpful to keep a 3x5 index card box in the car for each child to keep current and past memory cards in. Car rides are a great time for memory work because everyone is strapped down, mostly quiet, and sometimes sleeping! Don't waste this time!!!
Today in our reading I tried to emphasize to the kids that Joseph wasn't angry at his brothers or God for allowing him to be in Egypt and enduring the hardships of his young life. Rather, he was grateful to God for bringing him to Egypt so that he could prepare the country for the seven year famine and in doing so, save his own family. He saw that he had a temporary sacrifice in God's plan and was rewarded greatly for it. Remember this story and watch for times to remind your kids of it. Whenever they feel sorry for themselves, remind them of Joseph's attitude. Have them read Genesis 45:5-8 anytime the pity party starts. This will be a teachable moment. Another good way to get this story ingrained into their memories is to let them watch it and then act it out. Putting on skits is great fun! You can follow this link to watch the Joseph story Joseph reveals himself. Dig around on this youtube channel because this guy has several really good Bible stories to watch.
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