“Genesis 37–41,” Old Testament Institute Teacher Manual (2026)
Ancient Examples/Modern Promises, by Jeff Ward
Genesis 37–41
Because of their jealousy, Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. Joseph became overseer of Potiphar’s house in Egypt. He demonstrated his loyalty to God by resisting temptation from Potiphar’s wife to commit sexual sin. Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and imprisoned, but the Lord remained with him because of his faithfulness. Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams, through which the Lord warned of a coming famine. Pharaoh made Joseph a ruler in Egypt, and Joseph implemented a plan to store food in preparation for the famine.
Additional Resources
Scripture Helps: Old Testament, “Genesis 37–41”
Note: The “Introduction to the Course” provides guidance on how to use the standard lesson elements that follow.
Encouraging Personal Study
Before class, consider sending students one or more of the following messages or some of your own:
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Joseph of Egypt faced many trials from a young age. As you study Genesis chapters 37 and 39–41, ponder how your trials could benefit you and the people you love.
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If Joseph were to give counsel on resisting temptation to commit sexual sin, what do you think he might say? Think about this as you study Genesis 39.
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The Lord said, “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:30). While you are studying Genesis 41, consider how the Lord may bless you as you prepare for the future.
Questions and Sharing
Provide time for students to ask questions and share insights and truths they discovered in their personal study of Genesis 37–41.
Skill Training
The learning activity for Genesis 39 might be a helpful place to practice the skill “Likening the Scriptures” in Scripture Study Skills.
Learning Activity Options
Multiple learning options are provided for you and your students. Prayerfully choose which option or options will be most meaningful for your class. You could also seek input from your students.
Improving Our Teaching and Learning
Encourage students to live what they are learning. “Learning about the gospel is not sufficient if learners are to withstand all the trials they will face. This is why we should not hesitate to invite learners to consider how they can live what they are learning” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 27). As you invite those you teach to act in faith on true doctrine, you are giving them opportunities to deepen their conversion and become more like Jesus Christ.
How can the Lord use my trials to help me?
You could share the following statement by Elder Ronald A. Rasband, then invite a few students to share examples of the Lord’s hand in their life:
The Lord’s hand is guiding you. By “divine design,” He is in the small details of your life as well as the major milestones. (“By Divine Design,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 57)
Invite students as they study the account of Joseph of Egypt today to think about times when they have noticed the Lord guiding their lives in unexpected ways. To help students understand the background of Joseph’s experiences as a slave in Egypt, consider displaying the following image and inviting a member of the class to summarize Genesis 37. (If needed, students could also read the chapter heading.)
Joseph Is Sold by His Brothers, by Ted Henninger
Consider displaying the following table. Give students time to study one or more of the sets of verses in the column on the left, either individually or in small groups. Invite them to look for and record their answers to the questions in the other columns.
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Verses |
What happened to Joseph? |
How did God bless Joseph? |
|---|---|---|
Verses | ||
Verses | ||
Verses | ||
Verses |
Invite students to share their findings. You could also ask them to share truths they learned about the Lord from Joseph’s experiences. Student responses could include truths like: The Lord can be with us in all circumstances of our lives. God can use our trials to bless our lives and the lives of others. (You might consider studying Doctrine and Covenants 90:24 and inviting students to discuss how the Lord’s teachings in this verse could apply to Joseph’s situation.)
Consider also asking questions like the following:
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When have you recognized God using your trials to bless your life or the lives of others?
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How has God shown that He is involved in small details or major milestones of your life?
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How do you keep an eternal perspective when you are going through hard times or answers don’t feel obvious?
For additional examples of people who experienced God’s blessings through their trials, you could show the videos “Trial of Adversity” (2:40) or “How I Found Out God Loves Me” (5:26).
Consider inviting students to write down something they want to remember as they face their own trials. Share your testimony of God’s ability to use trials to shape our lives for our good.
How can the Lord help me overcome temptations to commit sexual sin?
Invite students to imagine they have a friend who says, “I don’t see how people can stay sexually pure in the world we live in.”
You could invite students to discuss questions like the following:
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Why might someone feel this way?
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What do you think could help someone who has this concern?
Point out that Joseph of Egypt was pressured by Potiphar’s wife to commit sexual sin while he was serving as overseer of Potiphar’s house. Invite students as they study his experience to notice what they learn from the Holy Ghost that can help them to resist pressure or temptations they might face.
To help guide students’ study of Genesis 39, distribute the handout titled “Learning from Joseph’s Example of Resisting Temptation.” Invite students to complete it with a partner or small group. (This could also be a good place to help students practice “Likening the Scriptures” in Scripture Study Skills.)
After students have finished their discussions, invite a few to share with the class some of the ideas they wrote down with their partner or group. (As students share, you could help them identify truths like: Our devotion to God can give us strength to resist temptation. If we remove ourselves from tempting situations, then we will have greater ability to resist temptation.)
You may have students who are struggling to resist temptation and need to feel hope that they can repent and overcome their sins. Testify of the loving, patient, and forgiving nature of Jesus Christ, “who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness” (Alma 7:14). Consider showing the video “Temptation Fades as We Seek Christ in Every Thought” (2:57) and inviting students to look for how the Savior can give us hope.
Consider displaying the following instructions to help students apply the truths they have studied:
Make a plan that can help you avoid and resist temptation. For example, you could:
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Think of a temptation you often face.
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Identify situations you might need to avoid so you can reduce temptation.
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Identify how you will “flee” when temptation arises.
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Pray for strength and guidance in overcoming this temptation.
Record your plan, and refer to it frequently over the next few weeks to assess your progress.
How can I better prepare for the future?
Consider displaying the following statements. Invite students to evaluate themselves on each statement, using a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Their responses will not be shared with others.
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I feel like I have direction for my life.
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I know what goals I would like to achieve in the next 5, 10, and 20 years.
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I have had experiences in my life when being prepared helped me later.
As students participate in this learning activity, invite them to think about how being prepared could bring peace and stability to them in future days.
Remind students that with God’s help, Joseph successfully interpreted Pharaoh’s dream that no one else could explain. Through the dream, God warned Pharaoh of an approaching famine, and Joseph recommended a plan of action to help him prepare.
As a class, read Genesis 41:33–42, 53–57, looking for Joseph’s recommendations to Pharaoh and what Pharaoh did as a result.
Invite students to share what they learned from these verses by asking questions like the following:
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How did the Lord bless Joseph and the people around him?
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What is a truth you learn from these verses about how the Lord prepares us for the future? (Students could identify a truth such as this: Through His inspired servants, the Lord counsels us to prepare for the future.)
Give students time to look for and share counsel the Lord has given through His prophets that could prepare us for the future in some of the following areas:
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Spiritually
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Intellectually
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Financially
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Physically
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Emotionally
Consider writing students’ responses on the board. You might also ask the students to share what these words of counsel can teach them about the Savior’s desires for them.
Consider sharing the follow statement by Bishop W. Christopher Waddell:
Today we are blessed to be led by prophets who understand the need for us to prepare against the calamities “which should come” [Doctrine and Covenants 1:17] and who also recognize the limitations or restrictions that we may encounter in striving to follow their counsel. …
… These principles [of preparation] should be applied “in wisdom and order” [Mosiah 4:27] so that in the future we might say, as did Joseph in Egypt, “There was bread” [Genesis 41:54].
The Lord does not expect us to do more than we can do, but He does expect us to do what we can do, when we can do it. (“There Was Bread,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 43)
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How has the Lord blessed you as you have made efforts to prepare for the future? How have you benefited from others’ preparation?
Invite students to think about how they are following the Lord’s invitations to prepare for the future. Invite them to consider adjustments they could make based on what they have learned or felt from the Holy Ghost. Encourage them to record their goals and act on them.