3a)
Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.“Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.” “And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you.So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here.”Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.
Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts,according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey. He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments. And he sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey.So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, “See that you do not become troubled along the way.” Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father.And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.” And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them. But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.Then Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
(3b)
(Pick three)
i)Principled :-he had character and integrity. He was honest. He was
tempted at multiple times, and he resisted.
ii)Humble :- the power and prestige of his position working for Pharaoh never changed him.
iii)Disciplined :- Joseph had the proper long term perspective, even while in jail for a crime he didn’t commit.
iv)Grace:-Joseph showed grace and mercy to his brothers, even though they had sold him into slavery.
6a)
Stephen, a man "full of faith and of the Holy Spirit," was among them. Stephen performed great wonders and miracles among the people of Jerusalem. Jews of the outer provinces began to argue with him, but they could not win against his Spirit-filled wisdom.So in secret,they convinced false witnesses to lie, accusing Stephen of blasphemyagainst Moses and God. In ancient Judaism, blasphemy was a crime punishable by death. The accusers brought Stephen before the Sanhedrin, the great council, where the false witnesses said they heard Stephen say Jesus would destroy the Temple. Stephen launched into a powerful defense, detailing the history of the Jews from Abraham through the prophets. He concluded that the Sanhedrin had murdered the prophesied Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.
The crowd became furious at him, but Stephen looked up to heaven: "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." At that, the mob dragged Stephen out of the city and began to stone him. They laid their coats in front of a young man named Saul of Tarsus. As he was dying, Stephen prayed to God to receive his spirit, and further asked God not to hold the sin against his killers.
Stephen "fell asleep," or died. Other believers buried Stephen and mourned his death.
(6b)
i)Stephen, had Greek names, showing that the members of the early church considered it a universal institution, not just another sect of Judaism.
ii)Stephen's death was illegal. The Sanhedrin was not authorized to impose the death penalty, but the stoning appeared to be the result of mob action.
iii)Stephen was the first martyr of the Christian church. His final words were similar to Jesus' last words on the cross. Stephen was the only one to say Jesus was standing, instead of sitting,at his Father's right hand.
