You will get through this Session 12
Teachers
Lesson Summary
The class began with a warm greeting and thanks to the broadcasting volunteers, followed by a prayer that set the focus on compassion, forgiveness, and provision. John McCarthy revisited the Joseph narrative, emphasizing the moment Joseph, now second‑in‑command of Egypt, could have taken vengeance on his brothers but instead chose mercy. He linked this to a broader framework for coping with hardship, warning against foolish naiveté and the poison of spite, illustrated by the story of a New York “spite house." The teacher also shared a modern illustration of brotherly support through a blind basketball player whose sibling coach helped him succeed, drawing a parallel to Joseph’s relationship with Benjamin and Judah’s sacrificial plea. The session then turned to Scripture, reading Genesis 45:1‑15 and recalling the surrounding chapters (Genesis 43, 44:18‑34, 37, 38) to highlight the emotional reunion and Judah’s transformation. The class concluded that true vindication lies in God’s justice, not personal revenge, and that believers are called to embody forgiveness and providence, trusting that God will use even painful circumstances for good.
Key Scriptures
Then Joseph could not control himself before all who stood by him. He cried, 'Make everyone go out for me.' So no one was with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the house of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?' But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. Joseph said to his brothers, 'Come near to me, please.' And they came near. He said, 'I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither harvest nor yield. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God. And moreover, the king has made me lord of all his house, and ruler over all his land.' Then Joseph quickly took his brothers to the house.