Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors

The Story

• Read the story from Genesis 37
• Joseph and His Coat of Many Colors Retold
  A simpler version of the story for younger children.
• Family Worship: The Joseph Story
  Provides an overview of the Joseph story and discussion ideas for use at home or with a Sunday School class.

Read More About Joseph

• “Joseph the Favorite” by Harold C. Cranch
  Joseph's brothers are jealous of him and sell him into slavery.
• “Joseph and His Brothers” by Donald Rose
  The story of Joseph features several dreams that held a promise of things to come.
• “Joseph Grows Up” by Kathleen Orthwein (ages 5-8)
  This lesson plan may be helpful in teaching young children about Joseph.
• “The Coat of Many Colors” by Fred Chapin
  There are several layers of inner meaning in the story of Joseph. In our own lives, the story of Joseph pictures the way the evil spirits will try to attack us when we choose to follow the Lord and do what is good.

Ideas for Discussion

1. How do we know that Jacob loved his son, Joseph?  
2. What were Joseph’s dreams? Who gave those dreams to him?
3. Why were Joseph’s brothers jealous of him?
4. How did Reuben intervene when his brothers wanted to kill Joseph?
5. How do you think Joseph felt when his brothers put him a pit and then sold him to traders for twenty shekels of silver?
6. How might his dreams have comforted Joseph during his time in Egypt, letting him know that the Lord was with him?
7. Joseph pictures a love for God and living from spiritual principles. Joseph is key to our spiritual health and happiness.
8. Joseph’s older brothers picture knowing truths from the Word but not living the life of religion. Factual knowledge from the Word is important and necessary for our spiritual development but unless we commit to doing the good things that those truths teach us, the knowledge we have gained will become useless and eventually fade away.
9. Why does it take many people a long time before they allow the voice speaking for the Lord to become the respected ruler of their minds?
10. Joseph dreamed that his brothers, his mother and his father would bow down to him. Which qualities in us should “bow down to” or do what our conscience tells us to?
11. When Joseph was thirty years old, his brothers came to Egypt and he saved them from starvation. In a similar way conscience develops from a young age but is often invisible to us until later in life.
12. What are some parallels between this story and the Lord’s life on earth? (Consider the antagonism He faced, the silver exchanged at His betrayal, time spent in Egypt.)

Projects and Activities for All Ages

• Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors
  Color and cut out Joseph and his colorful coat, then use to act out the story.
• Joseph’s Coat
  Children can make a coat from a man’s shirt with the collar and cuffs cut off. Decorate it with paint, crayons, or potato stamps and dyes.
• Coat of Many Colors Bible Picture
  A beautiful color illustration of Jacob giving Joseph a special gift.
• Clothespin Figure of Joseph
  Make a clothespin figure of Joseph and a coat of many colors for him to wear.
• Joseph and His Coat Coloring Page by Jacqueline S. Bostock
  Joseph is wearing his new coat with his father nearby and his brothers in the background.
• Joseph’s Coat Song by Lori S. Odhner
  This catchy song helps children think about key elements of this story.
• Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors Coloring Page by Lisa S. Buss
  Shows Joseph admiring the new coat from his father.
• Divine Providence Storytelling (ages 12 and up)
  Share stories that show how people who trust in the Lord receive good from Him, even though it may not seem like it at the time. Draw on you own experiences or what you may have read or seen in movies.

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