Joseph Responded to Call to Service – JSS1 Christian Religious Studies Lesson Note (Second Term)

Joseph responded to God’s call to service by working faithfully wherever he was placed: in Potiphar’s house, in prison and as prime minister of Egypt.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. narrate how Joseph was sold into slavery and served in Egypt;
2. explain why Joseph refused Potiphar’s wife;
3. describe the work Joseph did as prime minister of Egypt;
4. list ways of maintaining a good relationship with God;
5. state moral lessons from Joseph’s service in Egypt.

What is a call to service?

A call to service is God’s invitation to a person to do work that helps other people.

• Service: work done to help others, such as caring for a household or feeding a nation.
• Faithfulness: doing your duty honestly, even when nobody is watching.
• Fear of God: respect for God that makes a person avoid sin.
• Temptation: a strong pull to do something wrong.
• Famine: a long period when there is very little food.
• Prime minister: the highest official under the king who runs the government. Joseph was second only to Pharaoh.

How did Joseph respond to the call to service? (Gen 37 and 39 to 41)

Joseph served faithfully in four places: his father’s home, Potiphar’s house, the prison and Pharaoh’s palace.

How was Joseph sold into slavery?

• Favouritism: Jacob, his father, loved Joseph more than his other sons.
• Jealousy: his brothers hated him and treated him badly because of this love.
• Sale: they sold him to traders, who took him to Egypt as a slave.
• God’s plan: God later used him to save many people, including his own family, from famine.

How did Joseph serve in Potiphar’s house?

• Master: Potiphar was an officer of Pharaoh who bought Joseph in Egypt.
• God’s presence: God was with Joseph, and his work prospered.
• Trust: Potiphar saw his good character and made him chief of his servants.
• Responsibility: Potiphar put everything he owned under Joseph’s control.
• Faithfulness: Joseph served Potiphar honestly.

How did Joseph serve in prison?

• Temptation: Potiphar’s wife tried again and again to make Joseph sleep with her.
• Refusal: Joseph refused because he feared God and would not betray his master’s trust.
• False accusation: she lied about him, and Potiphar put him in prison.
• God’s presence: God was with him even in prison.
• Dreams: he interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker, who were in prison with him.
• Release: the cupbearer later told Pharaoh about him, and Joseph was brought out of prison.

How did Joseph serve as prime minister of Egypt?

• Pharaoh’s dreams: Joseph explained that God was warning of seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine.
• Advice: he advised Pharaoh to choose a wise person to prepare the land for the famine.
• Promotion: Pharaoh chose Joseph and made him prime minister.

Joseph’s duties and results are set out in these steps:

1. He directed farmers and labourers to produce and gather grain during the seven years of plenty.
2. He supervised the building of barns in the cities of Egypt to store the grain.
3. When the famine came, Pharaoh sent the people to Joseph for food.
4. Joseph shared out the stored grain carefully, so the Egyptians had enough to eat.
5. People from other countries came to Egypt and bought grain from him.

What did Joseph’s service look like at each stage?

What are the ways of maintaining a good relationship with God?

A good relationship with God is kept by obeying him and living the way he teaches.

1. Praying: talk to God daily and live a holy life.
2. Worshipping: attend church and praise God with others.
3. Doing good: help the poor, the sick and people in need.
4. Loving one another: treat everyone with kindness.
5. Forgiving one another: do not keep anger against people who wrong you.
6. Reading the Bible: read it every day to learn what God wants.

What moral lessons do we learn from Joseph’s service in Egypt?

Joseph’s life teaches faithfulness, self-control and good service to others.

1. Run from sin: Joseph fled from Potiphar’s wife, so we should always run away from sin.
2. Serve others well: people who render good service are remembered for good, even after they die.
3. Reward: God rewards good service here on earth and in heaven.
4. Promotion: God rewarded Joseph’s faithful service by making him prime minister.
5. Be faithful anywhere: Joseph did his best as a slave, a prisoner and a ruler.
6. Plan ahead: storing food in good years saved many lives in the bad years.

Evaluation

1. Why did Joseph refuse Potiphar’s wife?
2. What responsibility was Joseph given as prime minister of Egypt?
3. How did Joseph make sure there was enough food during the famine?
4. State two moral lessons from the service of Joseph in Egypt.

Assignment

1. Narrate the story of Joseph’s slavery in Egypt, then list three ways of maintaining a good relationship with God.