Family Home Evening for Exodus 7-13

 Read Exodus 8:28 and 32

28 ​And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the ​​Lord​​ your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: entreat for me.

32 And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go.

Discuss

Ask your children if they know what it means to keep their word. Let them know that keeping your word means that you when you tell someone that you will do something, you do it. Explain that Pharaoh was not good at keeping his word. He kept telling Moses that he would let his people go if Moses did what he asked. No matter what Moses did, Pharaoh would harden his heart and not let Moses and his people go.

Role Play

Have your kids role play some examples and non-examples of keeping their word. I like to use examples of things that come up often in my house. For example, if they say, “I promise I’ll clean up my mess.” Then, they get busy playing a video game. I remind them of their word, and they say, “I’m beating a bad guy, I can’t right now.” Or they can model picking up their mess. Have other family members say which scenario shows them keeping their word.

Follow Up Discussion 

Ask your children if they know an example of someone who is really good at keeping their word. Discuss examples of people keeping their word.

Watch

The video below shows our examples of these activities.

Family Home Evening for Exodus 1-6

 Read Exodus 3:5

​​​5 ​And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy ​​​shoes​ from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest ​is​ ​​​holy​ ground.

Discuss

When Moses approached the burning bush, the Lord told him to remove his shoes as a sign of reverence. Discuss how we can show reverence for the following sacred places and make them a place where the Lord’sSpirit can dwell: 

• Home

• Church

• Temple (Even though children cannot enter the temple, the temple grounds are also considered sacred ground. Prepare your children to enter the temple one day by learning to treat the outside of the temple with reverence.)

Click on the picture below to see how we did this activity:

FHE for Genesis 42-50

 Activity

Act out the story of Joseph in Egypt. Here is a sample of the script we used (click the picture below to see our video)

 

Israel: Boys, I need you to go into Egypt and go get food for our family. We are all starving! I’ll keep Benjamin here, because I don’t want him to die, like your brother Joseph did.

 

Sons: Okay, Dad!

 

In Egypt…

 

Joseph: Here is your food for your family. (Gives a bundle of food to townsperson). Next!

 

Joseph’s brothers step up and bow

 

Joseph: (Looks surprised) (Talks in a deep voice) Whence come ye?

 

Judah: From the land of Canaan to buy food

 

Joseph: You are spies to see how bad the famine is here!

 

Ruben: Nay my lord, but we are here to buy food. We are all brothers. We are servants not spies.

 

Joseph: No, you are spies to see how naked the land is!

 

Simeon: No! We are all brothers. Our youngest brother stayed home with our dad, and another one of our brother’s died.

 

Joseph: I still think you are spies, and if you want to prove that you are not spies, send one of you to go get your youngest brother and bring him here. For now, all of you will be in prison!

 

3 Days Later

 

Joseph: Okay. I’ll make a deal. One of you stay here, and the rest of you can go take food to your families. If you want your brother back, prove you are not spies by bringing me your youngest brother.

 

Simeon: I feel guilty for what we did to Joseph. We saw how sad and scared he was, when we sold him, and we ignored him.

 

Ruben: I told you not to do that, and you didn’t listen. Now we are being punished!

 

Joseph: (turn and cry)(Take their money, and then fill their bags and put the money back in) (Put Simeon in jail)

 

When They Arrive Home…

 

Rueben: What?! My money is still in my bag!

 

Judah: Mine too! What is that God has done to us?

 

Israel and Benjamin Enter

 

Rueben: Dad, the man who is lord of the land thought that we were spies. We told him that we weren’t, but he wouldn’t listen.

 

Judah: We told him that we were brothers, and that our youngest brother stayed home.

 

Ruben: So, he took Simeon and said that he will keep him until we prove that we are not spies, by bringing Benjamin to see him.

 

Israel: First Joseph died, now Simeon is in prison, and now, you want to take away Benjamin? My heart can’t take it. No!

 

Rueben: Let me take Benjamin, if I don’t bring him back to you, you could take my two oldest sons.

 

Israel: No! My son shall not go down with you. His brother is dead, and he is the only son left from my Rachel. If anything happens to him, I will just die!

 

A While Later…

 

Israel: All the food we had is gone. You need to go back to Egypt to buy more food.

 

Judah: That man said that we cannot have any more food, unless we bring Benjamin with us.

 

Israel: Why did you tell him that you had another brother?

 

Judah: He asked us about our families. He asked us if our father was well, and if we had any other brothers.

 

Ruben How were we supposed to know he would ask to see him?

 

Judah: Please let us take Benjamin, or we will all die. Let me take him, and I will be responsible for whatever happens to him.

 

Israel: Okay. Take all your best fruits with you as a little present, so that he will not take any more of my sons.

 

When they got to Egypt…

 

Joseph: (looks happy to see Benjamin) Bring these men to my house. They will eat lunch with me.

 

Rueben: Uh, Sir. We are very sorry, but when we got home last time, we found all our money in our sacks of food. Tell your master to forgive us. We brought enough money to pay for the food we are getting today and for the food we got last time.

 

Servant: Peace be unto you. God put that money in your sacks. Here is your brother. (Release Simeon)

 

At Lunch

 

Joseph: How are you today?

 

Brothers: Good.

 

Joseph: How is your father?

 

Ruben: He is in good health.

 

Joseph: Is this your younger brother that you told me about?

 

Judah: Yes. It is.

 

Joseph: (Leaves the room, cries, and washes his face)

 

Servant: (Brings out food. Benjamin gets a huge plate)

 

Joseph: (To Servant) fill these people’s bags with food and put the youngest’s cup in his bag.

 

Joseph’s brothers take bags and leave.

 

Joseph: (to servant) Go catch up to them and tell them that someone took a cup from the table, and you need to check their bags.

 

Servant: (to Joseph’s brothers) Whomever has the cup will be put to death. Open your bags. (Checks each bag and pulls it out of Benjamin’s.

 

Back at Joseph’s house…

 

Judah: You cannot harm my father’s son. It will kill him if he loses another son.

 

Joseph: I won’t kill him. I’ll just make him my servant. You can go back home now.

 

Judah: You don’t understand. Benjamin’s brother is dead, and his mother is dead. He is the only one that our father has left from his mother. If he gets taken away, then our father would die of sadness. Take me instead.

 

Joseph: All servants leave. (Joseph takes off disguise) I am Joseph. Is Dad still alive?

 

Brothers: Look surprised

 

Joseph: I am Joseph. The brother you sold into Egypt. Don’t be angry with yourselves. I forgive you. I can see that Heavenly Father made this all happen so that I could be here to get food for our family, during this famine. Go home and get all your families and come live closer in the town of Goshen. I will take care of you.

 

Brothers hug each other

 

Back in Canaan

 

Rueben: Dad! Joseph is alive. He is the governor over all of Egypt.

 

Israel: I don’t believe it.

 

Judah: Look at the wagon he sent for you, Dad!

 

Israel: Joseph my son is yet alive! I will go see him before I die!

 

Discussion

Discuss how forgiveness blessed Joseph’s family, and how it can bless your family.

 

Family Home Evening for Genesis 37-41

 You may want to preface this lesson, the way they do in Old Testament Stories Joseph in Egypt. This lesson will begin in Genesis 41, so you can stop the summary when the Chief Butler tells Pharaoh about Joseph.

Now, read or summarize Genesis 41:14-57. When I do this with my kids, I like to mix both reading and summarizing. For example, I would use the following outline:

Pharaoh wanted to know the meaning of his dream, so he called for Joseph to be brought to him. Joseph shaved, cleaned up, and put on nicer clothes, before going to meet Pharaoh. Pharaoh told Joseph that he heard that Joseph could interpret any dream. Joseph replied, “It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” (vs. 16) Meaning that Joseph would tell him what his dream meant, but Heavenly Father would tell Joseph what to say.

Pharaoh told him about 2 dreams. In the first dream, Pharoah saw 7 kine (cows) come out of the river. They were really fat and would provide a lot of food for the people. Then, 7 more came, and they were skinny and weak. So, they ate the fat kine. After the kine ate, they were still just as sick and this as they were at the start. 

In the second dream, 7 ears of corn popped up and were good. Then, a second stalk of corn sprang up with corn that was withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind. The thin corn devoured the full corn.

Joseph explained that the kine and ears of corn represented a time period of 7 years. The fat kine and full cGeneralorn represented 7 years of really good food, before 7 years of no food, also called famine, represented by the thin kine and withered corn.

Joseph told him, “… the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.” (vs. 32)

Pharaoh listened to this warning and stored lots of food for the 7 years when famine, or no food, was available.

The Pharaoh was so grateful that he released Joseph from prison and made him a ruler over Egypt.

When the famine hit, all of the people cried to Pharaoh for guidance. He replied, “Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.”(vs. 55) Because they were prepared, Egypt had enough food to feed themselves and the people in the lands around them.

Discuss

What do we learn from these verses about how the Lord blessed the people of Egypt through Joseph? What can we learn about preparing for future emergencies? Discuss what you can do to be better prepared as a family.

The “Emergency Preparedness” Gospel topics can help give you some ideas.

Challenge

 Conference is in a few weeks. Find a way that you can listen to the words of the prophet and do as Pharaoh suggested, “what he saith to you, do.”

Click the picture below for a link to our video

Family Home Evening for Genesis 28-33

 Click on the picture to view our lesson for this video

Family Home Evening for Genesis 24-27

 Click on the Video for the Lesson

Family Home Evening for Genesis 18-23

 Read or Summarize 

Genesis 19:15-17; 24-26

15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.

16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

24 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven;

25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Discussion

Explain to your children that God protects us, when we are doing what is right. Sodom and Gamorah was a city where all the people were wicked and were doing bad things. An angel came and warned Lot. The angels told him to take his wife and 2 daughters and leave. The Lord told them not to look back after leaving, but Lot's wife didn't trust that she could be happy outside of Sodom and Gomorrah, and she looked back, wanting to go back to the city. She did not listen and the Lord turned her into salt.

Activity

Set up a picture of Christ on one side of the room, and tell your children to stand on the opposite side of the room. Read the following scenarios in which a friend might invite the children to do something they know isn’t right. How would we “flee” these situations? What could we say to our friend?When they provide a correct answer, have them step closer to the picture of Christ.

Scenarios

1. Your friend has some pictures of girls and boys that are naked or have only a little bit of clothes on. What do you do? What do you say to your friend?

2. You are super nervous about a test at school. Your friend is an aide in the copy center, at school. He has gotten all of the answers to the test, and he tries to give them to you. He says that now all you need to do is memorize all of the answers. What do you do? What do you say to your friend?

3. You are playing at your friend's house and they offer you some bad drinks. They say that it will help you feel happy and relax. What do you do? What do you say to your friend?

4. You are at a birthday party for one of your friends. They decide to turn on a movie. You know that this movie has a lot of swearing and other inappropriate things in it. What do you do? What do you say to your friends?

5. Your parents dropped you off at your friend's house and told you not to go anywhere else. After playing for a while, your friend convinces their mother to take you and your friend to go get ice cream. You say that you are not supposed to leave their house, without your parents' permission. Your friend says, "You don't need to tell your parents. They'll never know." What do you do?

Click the picture below for our scripture reading, discussion story, and activity scenarios (with the picture of Jesus for the activity.

Family Home Evening for Genesis 12-17; Abraham 1-2

 A lot of times, we hear that a covenant is a sacred promise between us and God. In ancient times, such as those recorded in the Bible, covenants were also an important part of people’s interactions with each other. In order for people to be safe and stay alive, people needed to be able to trust each other, and covenants were a way to secure that trust.

So when God spoke to Noah, Abraham, or Moses about covenants, He was inviting them to enter into a relationship of trust with Him. One of the best-known examples of a covenant in the Old Testament is the one God made with Abraham and Sarah

Genesis 13:16

16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

Genesis 15:2-6

2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

4 And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Genesis 17:15-19

15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him

 We often call this the Abrahamic covenant, although in the Old Testament it was known simply as “the covenant.” You will see that the Old Testament is fundamentally the story of people who saw themselves as the inheritors of this covenant—the covenant people.

God’s covenant with Abraham promised wonderful blessings: an inheritance of land, a large posterity, access to priesthood ordinances, and a name that would be honored for generations to come. But the focus of this covenant was not just on the blessings Abraham and his family would receive but also on the blessing they would be to the rest of God’s children.

That was thousands of years ago, but this covenant has been restored in our day. And it is currently being fulfilled in the lives of God’s people. In fact, the fulfillment of the covenant is building momentum in the latter days as God’s work progresses, blessing families throughout the world. And anyone who, like Abraham, wants to be a greater follower of righteousness, anyone who seeks the Lord earnestly, can be a part of it.

You are a child of the covenant. You made a covenant with God when you were baptized.

Galatians 3:27 says the following:

27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise

 You renew that covenant every time you partake of the sacrament. And you make sacred covenants in the temple. Together, these covenants make you a participant in the Abrahamic covenant, the fulness of which is found in temple ordinances. As President Russell M. Nelson taught, “Ultimately, in the holy temple, we may become joint heirs to the blessings of an eternal family, as once promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their posterity

Think also about God’s promise to you of eternal families and eternal increase

Think also about the celestial destiny of the earth itself—an inheritance promised to the “meek” who “wait upon the Lord

Think also about what you can do—as a covenant follower of Jesus Christ—to be a blessing to the families around you.

Click the Picture below to see our video