![\"\"](\"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_3397-800x400.jpeg\")
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Given the famine described in the Bible, it is certainly fortunate that Joseph ended up in Egypt and in a position to help his family. His rise there to 2nd in the kingdom seems highly unlikely, something that might require the help of divinity to occur. And the explanation this lesson focuses on, \u201cGod meant it unto Good,\u201d says that God was there, arranging circumstances so that Joseph would be in the right place to help BOTH his family and the nation of Egypt.<\/p>\n
But it may be that the more significant blessing is the reconciliation that Joseph had with his siblings on their arrival in Egypt. That blessing, along with the blessing given by Jacob to his sons, and the later trials of their life in Egypt helped to unite the family and transform them into what would become a nation and a people. Too often nations are birthed in such strife and bloodshed. But without that, will the birth be successful? Will they consider themselves one people?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What does the word \u201cpreserve\u201d mean in this statement? If the family isn\u2019t united, will they be preserved? I think we often limit the meaning here to some kind of physical survival\u2014i.e., they didn\u2019t die because Joseph got them food. But couldn\u2019t \u201cpreserve\u201d also be spiritual? Without what Israel learned from their reconciliation, would it have been preserved? Maybe there is a lesson in this for Israel today \u2014 can it survive without a reconciliation?<\/p>\n
The following poem was published as a hymn in the 1840, 1841 and 1843 hymnals published in England.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
by Parley P. Pratt<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
1840<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
I think the title of this section of the lesson says everything. To me, this section is the most important part of the lesson.<\/p>\n
Not only is this poem on topic, it also makes me smile because of the poet\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
by James Bond<\/p>\n
1854<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Parental blessings are an important and encouraged part of our belief. Regardless of who gives the blessing, they provide comfort, counsel and influence to help family members. And in the case of Israel, the blessings suggest how the tribes of Israel saw themselves, perhaps similar to how these blessings influence how we see ourselves.<\/p>\n
Here, Eliza R. Snow muses about the Father\u2019s role in giving blessings and helping the family.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
by Eliza R. Snow<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
1845<\/p>\n
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I sometimes think that the idea of how to confront trials shows up in every other lesson\u2014perhaps because we do have trials, and perhaps even that often (depending on what you think is a trial). What trials mean is more difficult to figure out. Fortunately, the lesson hints that the meaning can be personal, what we understand it to be. And I think it is often best to let people believe what they believe about their trials. Let them find their own meaning, helped by what comes from the Lord.<\/p>\n
Here Eliza R. Snow looks at the trials of the early Danish saints\u2014missionary work began in Denmark just two years before this poem was written. The country had instituted religious freedom three years earlier, and many people there were still against that idea.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
By Eliza R. Snow<\/p>\n
1852<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Among LDS Church members, this statement is usually interpreted as a prophecy about Joseph Smith and his mission. Of the many poems that discuss Joseph\u2019s role as a seer, I like this poem for its interesting associations and metaphors.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
by Anna Musser<\/p>\n
1931<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Given the famine described in the Bible, it is certainly fortunate that Joseph ended up in Egypt and in a position to help his family. His rise there to 2nd in the kingdom seems highly unlikely, something that might require the help of divinity to occur. And the explanation this lesson focuses on, \u201cGod meant it unto Good,\u201d says that God was there, arranging circumstances so that Joseph would be in the right place to help BOTH his family and the nation of Egypt. But it may be that the more significant blessing is the reconciliation that Joseph had with his siblings on their arrival in Egypt. That blessing, along with the blessing given by Jacob to his sons, and the later trials of their life in Egypt helped to unite the family and transform them into what would become a nation and a people. Too often nations are birthed in such strife and bloodshed. But without that, will the birth be successful? Will they consider themselves one people? \u201cGod sent me before you to preserve you.\u201d What does the word \u201cpreserve\u201d mean in this statement? If the family isn\u2019t united, will they be preserved? I think we often […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":52981,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2895,2906,2462,1323],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-come-follow-me-currculum","category-old-testament","category-poetry-arts","category-sunday-school-lesson-old-testament"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_3397.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/111"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52973"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52973\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52988,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52973\/revisions\/52988"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}