12.9.18

Use the following thoughts and questions to have a spiritual conversation as a family. Don’t emphasize having the right answer, but focus on spending time discussing the Word as a family.

Scripture 

Genesis 37:3-8,18-28

Session Summary 

Just as Jacob’s mother (Rebekah) and father (Isaac) played favorites with him and Esau, Jacob also played favorites with his children. Joseph was the firstborn son of his favorite wife, Rachel. While Joseph surely enjoyed the benefits of being the favorite, including the famous “robe of many colors” (Gen. 37:3), his brothers hated him and didn’t treat him well (Gen. 37:4). Joseph certainly didn’t help the situation by sharing with his brothers the dream he had about reigning over his brothers. In fact, the Bible says Joseph’s brothers “hated him even more” (Gen. 37:8) when he told them about this dream. Joseph’s brothers eventually came to the conclusion that Joseph had to go. They wanted him dead, but eventually decided that wouldn’t benefit them much, so they decided to sell him to the Ishmaelites instead.

Conversation Questions 

• How has God turned around difficult situations in our family for His glory and our good?
• When has favoritism harmed someone in our family? How can we guard against this in our family in the future?
• Talk about a time of suffering when we, as a family, have experienced the presence of God.
• Why is it sometimes difficult for our family to take a stand against sins like favoritism and jealousy in our culture?

Family Challenge 

As a family, play a game of This or That. Present a series of questions that help your family make simple choices. For example: Pop or Country Music? Marvel or DC Comics? Dogs or cats? Italian food o Mexican food? Flip-flops or sandals? Netflix or Redbox? Instagram or Youtube? Apple or Andriod? Cake or Cookies? Make the list unique as unique to your family as you want, or find sample questions online. Use this game to talk about how we each have favorites. However, when it comes to the people in our lives, showing favoritism can be dangerous and can lead to jealousy between the ones we love.