A Coat and a Dream Text Version
by Linda Sue Pochodzay Edwards
Chelle was prancing around the room happily. She was excited about having a new pair of shoes and just couldn't sit still. She wanted to show them to everyone she knew.
Her older sister, Chantay, wasn't happy at all. In fact, she was sitting in a corner, pouting and muttering to herself. "It just isn't fair," she was thinking. "She gets to play and I have to work. She gets new shoes, and I have to wear my old ones. I'm sure Mom and Dad love her more than they love me."
Seeing Chantay sitting in the corner, looking so sad, made her mother sad, too. She quietly lifted her older daughter into her arms and gave her a big hug. She began to explain that things are not always as they appear. Chantay didn't even realize this was the very first pair of brand new shoes that Chelle had ever had. Since Chantay was the oldest and grew faster, she was the one that got new shoes, and when she outgrew them, they were passed down to Chelle.
Her mother reminded her of the fun she had at a party, which Chelle was too young to attend. She assured Chantay that she loved her just as much as her younger sister, but that since she is older, that love is shown in different ways. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Chantay gave her mother a hug. With a big smile now replacing that sad frown, she took her little sister by the hand and began to prance around the room with her.
Joseph was out in the fields, helping his older brothers feed the animals. There were cows, sheep, goats, and just about every other kind of farm animal. There was a lot of work that needed to be done and everyone had to lend a hand.
After the chores were finished, they went home to eat a nice meal. They talked about the events of the day. Then Joseph's father called Joseph away from his other brothers and handed him a gift. Joseph was very surprised, because he had not expected this. Carefully, he unfolded the garment, put it on, and tied the belt around his waist. It was the most beautiful coat he had ever seen, made with lamb's wool which had been dyed with all the colors of the rainbow. Joseph's eyes were glowing with pleasure because of this beautiful gift his father had just given him. He rushed into the room where his brothers were talking. "LOOK!" he cried out excitedly. "SEE MY NEW COAT! ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL?" he exclaimed.
Joseph's brothers were not as happy about the coat as he was. In fact, they were ANGRY. They were jealous because they thought their father loved him more than them. They were so jealous that they hated Joseph and couldn't even say anything kind to him.
Joseph didn't let the attitude of his angry brothers upset him. He was happy and slept peacefully. The next morning, he gathered his brothers together. "I want you to listen to this dream I had last night," he said to them.
"We were all in the fields, bundling wheat into sheaves. My sheaf of wheat stood straight up. All of your sheaves of wheat bent over as if they were bowing down to mine."
The brothers listened impatiently as Joseph was telling his dream. "Do you actually think YOU are going to rule over us, and WE are going to bow down to you?" they asked with a smirk.
Imagine their surprise when Joseph said, "Wait! That's not all! I had another dream. In the second dream, the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to me!"
This made the brothers even more angry than they had ever been. "How can you possibly think that your mother, your father, and all of us are going to bow down to you?" With that, they left Joseph standing there, and they went off to the fields to do the work for the day.
While they were working, they were discussing Joseph, his new coat, and his dreams. The more they talked, the more ANGRY they became. "We have got do something about that foolish, dreaming, young brother of ours. We already knew that our father loved him more than the rest of us. Then he received a new coat that he just wants to show off. Now he is telling us about these ridiculous dreams. We need to come up with a plan to get rid of him."
The brothers talked, argued, planned, and schemed, first one idea and then another. Finally one of them said, "Let's pick him up and throw him into that deep pit over there until we can decide on a better plan." So that is exactly what they did. They took Joseph's beautiful coat away from him, and then threw him into the pit. They all sat down to eat their lunch, happy that Joseph wasn't eating with them. Now they didn't have to listen to his foolish talk about all his dreams.
While they were eating, they saw a caravan of camels in the distance. As the camels came closer, they discovered that the men were merchants from the country of Midian. The brothers thought, "This is even better than we had hoped. We can sell Joseph as a slave to these merchants. Then we will divide the money among us." They went to the pit and helped Joseph out of it. They sold him to the Midianites. They were pleased with themselves until one of them thought, "Oh, no! What are we going to tell Father?"
Quickly they thought of another scheme. They killed an animal and put some of the blood on the beautiful coat. When they showed the coat to their father, he immediately thought that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. It was a very mean trick these brothers had played on their father. He was sad for a very, very long time, because he thought Joseph was dead.
The Midianite merchants found that they had made a good choice in buying Joseph from the brothers. He was a strong, healthy young man, and they were able to sell him quickly to a man named Potiphar, who was from Egypt. Potiphar was a captain in Egypt and knew King Pharaoh very well. He was a wealthy man with a very large house and many servants.
Even though Joseph was far away from home, he never forgot the teachings of his father. He never became angry with his brothers for treating him so badly. He was righteous and honest in all his dealings, and he loved the Lord very much. The Lord was with Joseph and helped him to become prosperous. Potiphar noticed what an outstanding man Joseph had become and honored him by making him the ruler of everything in his house. With Joseph in charge, Potiphar became even more wealthy, because the Lord was blessing HIM because of Joseph.
THINK!
Why did the brothers hate Joseph?
Why is jealousy such a bad thing?
How do you know God was with Joseph when he was in the pit?
How do you know God was with Joseph when he was in Egypt?
REMEMBER:
God ALWAYS knows and cares about what is happening to you. Even when bad things happen, God can make something good out of the situation.
A VERSE TO LEARN
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God..."
(Romans 8:28a).
LET'S PRAY
****************************************************
Dear God, thank You for being with us in every
situation. Help us to remember that You love us
and You know exactly what is happening all the time.
Help us not to get jealous or angry when others
have things that we do not have.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
****************************************************
CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE?
Genesis 37:1-36 and 39:1-6
Color Romans 8:28
Joseph Coloring Page
Joseph and His Colorful Coat
Joseph
Joseph Colouring Book (Bible Heroes)
Joseph Wearing His Coat Of Many Colors
Joseph Coloring Pictures
Christian coloring Books
Joseph the Dreamer
Joseph's Coat (Famous Bible Stories)
The Birth of a Nation: Abraham to Joseph (listen and read online)
Joseph
Joseph--God's Superhero (Discover 4 Yourself Inductive Bible Studies for Kids)
God's Dreamer: The Story of Joseph (Bible Wise)
Joseph
Joseph's Journal (Bible Detectives)
Joseph and His Brothers (Arch Books)
Joseph The Dreamer
Word Search
Joseph/Coat Of Many Colors Activity Book (Little Golden Books)
Joseph Is Sold By His Brothers (Adobe Acrobat Reader Required)
Fill In The Blanks
Windows To The Past: The Life Of Joseph (30-pc wooden puzzle)
Activity Books
Lot, Stock, and Pharaoh:
Quizzles About Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph
(Quizzles - Quizzes & Puzzles for the Whole Family)
In His Dreams
Children's Music
Joseph DVD (Bible Collection)
Episode 6 - Joseph the Dream Reader (Kids Bible)
Joseph & His Brothers VHS (Greatest Adventures)
/Joseph & Coat (Greatest Heroes & Legends)
Joseph and His Coat Crafts
Joseph's Coat
Joseph Paper Craft
Pipe Cleaner Characters
Joseph Activities and Games
Children's Crafts Books
- Tie-dye a T-shirt. This way each child can personally design their own shirt and each time they wear it, they will be reminded that God is with them always, they are special to him, and that His love "covers" them through all situations and circumstances. (I work with a lot of children from dyfunctional families who go through horror stories on a regular basis. They need to know God is with them at all times.) Basically all you need to do is have several different bowls of clothing dye, a t-shirt for each child, and rubber bands. Tightly wrap rubber bands intermittently around different parts of the white t-shirt. Dip only portions of the shirt into difference colors. Let dry, remove bands and praise the Lord, you have a "shirt" of many colors.
- Should it be a smaller church or a lot of children, to defray the expense, you could purchase white handkerchiefs at a dollar store and do the same thing. This would give each child something to place under their pillow or carry with them as a reminder.
- With your picture to color of Joseph, you could have pre-prepared strips of tissue paper to be glued on the picture or you could use construction paper as well. I have found tissue paper is sometimes easier to use because it is not as stiff and "turns corners" better.
Submitted by Karin Adams
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Resources For Parents and TeachersJoseph Is Sold As A Slave
Joseph - Parent Guide
Joseph Gameboard
Joseph (by F B Meyer)
Joseph - A Very Colorful Story
Sunday School Resources
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Copyright © 2007 by Linda Sue Pochodzay Edwards.
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