Week 87 · about 45 minutes
Genesis 39
Genesis 39 · Memory verse Genesis 39:19
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Queues the lesson plan, this story’s coloring page (Genesis 39), the matching word search and answer key (Genesis 39 word search), the memory-verse tracer, and a parent slip.
Five-minute object lesson
Prop: a folded cloth
Hold a folded cloth. Read Genesis 39 in about four minutes, stopping at Genesis 39:19: “When his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your servant did to me,” his wrath was kindled.” Ask, “What does this prop have to do with Genesis 39?” Let two children answer, then say the memory verse together.
Story script
Genesis 39 is a real chapter from the Old Testament. It starts, “Joseph was brought down to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites that had brought him down there.” That is not a motto invented for a poster. It is the first sentence a family hears when this page is opened at night.
Keep going a little further. The chapter also says, “She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” He left his garment in her hand, and ran outside.” Genesis 39 opens with these words: “Joseph was brought down to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hand of…” The line to keep is Genesis 39:19: “When his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your servant did to me,” his wrath was kindled.” Carry the word “master” from that verse into the rest of the day.
The line worth learning out loud is Genesis 39:19: “When his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your servant did to me,” his wrath was kindled.” If the rest of the chapter feels crowded, hold that one sentence until the room is quiet.
What happens first in Genesis 39? Then try this: Read “When his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your servant did…” once more. What does it show you about God? You do not have to finish every verse. You can close the book after the memory verse and still have read the Bible together.
Group game
Walk the room as if you are moving through Genesis 39. Every time you freeze, a child says one word from Genesis 39:19. The last child says the whole verse.
Craft
On a US Letter sheet, draw one picture from Genesis 39 and write Genesis 39:19 under it. Send it home as tonight’s reminder, not as a decoration contest.
Memory verse
Genesis 39:19
“When his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your servant did to me,” his wrath was kindled.”
Take-home prayer
Father, thank you for Genesis 39. Help us remember Genesis 39:19 when we wake up, and teach us to notice you in an ordinary night. Amen.