Session 10
the consequences Joseph faced and how he handled those consequences.
17 Then she told him the same story:
“The Hebrew slave you brought to us came to make a fool of me,
18 but when I screamed for help, he left his garment beside me and ran outside.”
19 When his master heard the story his wife told him -
“These are the things your slave did to me” -
he was furious
20 and had him thrown into prison, where the king’s prisoners were confined.
So Joseph was there in prison.
21 But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor with the prison warden.
Believers can demonstrate trust in God when falsely accused.
scan the content for verses 17-20 on page 97 of the PSG.
highlight what happened to Joseph.
Share information about the prison and God’s faithfulness.
Direct attention to the chart contrasting Judah and Joseph.
Under the Joseph column add trustworthy.
Note that Genesis 38-39 offer a side-by-side contrast of Judah’s unethical behavior and the integrity demonstrated by Joseph.
Believers can demonstrate trust in God when falsely accused.
trusting God was the key difference between the two.
The Lord was with Joseph
This recurring comment (see Gen. 39:2)
reminds us that a person can be doing God’s will and still experience calamity.
Joseph remained faithful and refused to yield to temptation even when falsely accused and unfairly treated.
Ultimately, the Lord remained with him and blessed him, vindicating his faithfulness.
Sometimes, doing the right thing does not always guarantee positive outcomes in the short term.
Joseph experienced that with his brothers and again with Potiphar’s wife.
Regardless, he was determined to trust God with the results.
Review these points from Apply the Text on page 99 of the Personal Study Guide:
Invite the group to share how these statements can be used to craft a strategy for recognizing and overcoming temptation.
Group adults into teams of two to four people to complete the Bible Skill activity (PSG, p. 98). Allow time for teams to share.
Encourage the group to spend a moment reflecting on temptations in their lives. Close the Bible study with a prayer for God to strengthen each person. Ask Him to remind adults that He has provided His Holy Spirit to help face temptation.
Reinforce the session by sending each adult in the group a text or email, challenging them to think of tangible ways they can support individuals struggling with temptation. Encourage the group to seek help from other believers when they are facing temptation. Emphasize that this kind of transparency requires a high level of trust. Challenge them to become the kind of people others can trust with such sensitive information, even as they work to identify people they can trust with their own issues.
Play “Lord, I Need You” by Matt Maher. Encourage the group to join in singing the chorus. After playing the song, lead the group in a discussion of how Jesus is our defense and our righteousness. Emphasize that this includes those times when we face difficult temptations. Urge adults to examine Joseph’s example in today’s session and to identify things he could teach us about dealing with temptation God’s way.