Lesson Notes—Lesson 11 “How Can I Do This Great Wickedness?”

 

Genesis 34

Genesis 37-39

 

Main Points

·                 Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers

·                 Joseph refuses to “sin against God”

·                 Shechem, Reuben, and Judah commit serious moral sins—compare to Joseph’s faithfulness

 

Prep: print out little slips (see 3^rd page)

 

1. Today’s Morality—Opener

·      Went to the drugstore/bookstore/movie store/movies Saturday and began to browse through the racks there:  Mention titles of  main mags and books and movies that I saw that deal with worldly sexual morality standards (rather than feature violence or sci-fi, etc.) Some of these stories deal with a homosexual relationship between two cowboys, how to please your man, romance novels that have torrid sex scenes in them, after which that’s how they know that they love a person, that “the earth moved,” etc.       

·      How do these standards differ from the Lord’s standard as taught in the scriptures and by Church leaders?            

·      Was it always this acceptable? What was it like 40 years ago? What will it be like 40 years from now? The moral behavior of society often differs from the moral standards that the Lord has established. While society’s standards can change, the Lord’s standards are constant. This lesson deals with the experience of one man who followed the Lord’s standard of morality and other men who didn’t, and the consequences of following or not following the Lord’s standard.

2. Let’s look at the story of Joseph from the beginning:

Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers

·      have class member summarize Gen. 37: 1-17

If it is not addressed in the summary, ask “Why were Joseph’s brothers jealous of him?”

“How do you react when members of your family offend you or receive better treatment than you do?”

“How can we overcome feelings of jealousy or anger toward family members or friends?”

“How did Joseph respond when his father asked him to go to Shechem to see how his brothers were doing?”(Shechem about 45 miles away and Dothan another 12 miles away at least.)

“What can we learn about young Joseph from this account?

·      have another class member summarize Gen. 37: 18-28

·      have another class member summarize Gen. 37: 29-36

“How did Reuben’s reasons for sparing Joseph’s life differ from Judah’s?”

Joseph refuses to “sin against God.”

3. I believe someone has Genesis 39: 1-4—have them read it. Ask questions/make comments marked on my copy of scriptures after each stopping point.  Then 5-10, Questions/Comments; 11-19, Questions/Comments; 20-23 Questions/Comments (see Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual for ideas.

 Shechem, Reuben, and Judah commit serious moral sins—compare to Joseph’s faithfulness

4. Not all of Joseph’s family members and acquaintances were as valiant as Joseph was when facing temptation. How did Shechem, Reuben, and Judah react to sexual temptation? See Gospel Doctrine Manual for good questions.

 

Pass out to members before lesson

 

 

1. Please read over Gen. 37: 1-17 and when I call on you, summarize these events for the rest of the class. Thanks.

 

 

 

2. Please read over Gen. 37: 18-28 and when I call on you, summarize these events for the rest of the class. Thanks.

 

 

3. Please read over Gen. 37: 29-36 and when I call on you, summarize these events for the rest of the class. Thanks.

 

 

4. Please read Gen. 39: 1-4

 

 

5. Please read Gen. 39: 5-10

 

 

6. Please read Gen. 39: 11-19

 

 

7. Please read Gen. 39: 20-23