Lesson Objective:
The children will learn that you should do right even when life isn’t fair. They will also learn that you should run from temptation to sin.
Scripture:
Genesis 39
Arrival:
As you sing with the children, sing “Be Careful Little Eyes What You See.”
Prayer:
When you pray, ask God to help you flee from temptation.
Lesson:
When Joseph was sold into slavery, it seemed as though his life was over. But God had a great plan for him. He ended up serving in the house of a man named Potiphar. Joseph worked hard, and eventually Potiphar put him in charge of his entire household.
Joseph tended the fields, took care of the other servants, made sure enough food was ready at all meals, and made sure the house was clean and tidy. In fact, the Bible says that nothing was kept from Joseph. He was basically the leader of the home!
The Bible also says that Joseph was very handsome. One day, Potiphar’s wife noticed Joseph. She thought he looked handsome, and she wanted him to show her special attention (teacher, make this as age appropriate as possible). Joseph knew this was wrong. He knew that God said that you should only show special attention to your own husband or wife.
Day after day Mrs. Potiphar asked Joseph for attention. “Come on, can’t I have a little kiss? No? How about a hug?” Every day she asked Joseph this, and every day his reply was the same: “Your husband has given me authority over everything in this house, except for you. How can I commit this great wickedness and sin against my God? I will not do it!”
This made Mrs. Potiphar angry. She was used to getting her way! One day when she was talking to Joseph, she grabbed his shirt and tried to make him come to her. He wiggled out of his coat and ran away! Suddenly, he heard her scream. The other servants came running, and she told them he had forced her to do wicked things. This was a lie, but because she said it, Potiphar had to put Joseph in prison.
In prison, Joseph still did what was right. It wasn’t fair that Joseph was a slave. It wasn’t fair that Joseph was in prison. But no matter what, he didn’t complain, and he did what was right. Soon the captain of the prison put Joseph in charge of the prison. As we will learn next week, God had a plan for Joseph, even in the prison where it seemed there was no hope.
When Mrs. Potiphar tried to get Joseph to sin, he not only said no, but he ran from her. When you are tempted to sin, you need to say no, and run away from the temptation. Maybe you are playing with your friends, and your friend decides it would be fun to throw rocks at the cars driving by on your street. Is this respectful to the drivers? No, so it is sin. Instead of just saying no, you should run home so that you will not be tempted to do wrong. Be like Joseph, and run from temptation.
Memory Verse:
Help the children learn the first sentence in II Timothy 2:22 – Talk to them about what “lusts” are (desires to sin). Remember to keep the discussion age-appropriate.
Craft/Game Time:
Practice “fleeing youthful lusts” with a relay game.
Dismissal:
Give the children time to calm down after playing the game by reviewing the story with them. Have a small prize for any child who can quote the memory verse at the end of the lesson time.