During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Isaiah 43:2
Betrayal hurts deeply because it usually comes from someone we trusted. Joseph experienced this kind of betrayal when his brothers sold him into slavery. Their jealousy was so deep that they found a way to get rid of him. Joseph had good reasons to feel angry and bitter. But he did something surprising: He trusted in God and learned to forgive. He did not allow betrayal to destroy his life.
Maybe you have experienced the feelings of anger, hurt, sadness, and fear that can result from betrayal. Maybe you think there is no one you can trust. Maybe you think there is no way you can ever heal and forgive. But God, who is always trustworthy, promises to walk with us on our journey of healing. He will help you pass through the waters of sadness. He will walk with you through the angry fire. And He promises that you will not be swept away. He can bring healing to your heart and help you to find peace.
Encourage the students to ask family members, “What do you do to overcome the obstacles in your life?” They can then share that trusting in God, persevering, forgiving, and continuing to trust can help us to overcome the obstacle of betrayal.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
As you greet students, ask them to share something they learned about trust. Invite 2–3 students to share their thoughts with the whole group. When you are ready to begin, tell the students you will start with a drama activity.
In this activity, you will tell a story about a traveller, and your students will add details to tell the story. The traveller is making a journey from his home to a destination your students suggest, such as a market, a relative’s house, a faraway city, or any other place they think of. Your traveller will meet many challenges on his journey (a storm, wild animals, flood, swarm of bugs, a thick jungle or forest—whatever obstacles your students suggest).
Invite a student to be your “traveller.” You may want to choose an outgoing student who will have fun acting in front of everyone. As you and the other the students tell the story, the traveller will act out the story. Ask the other students where the traveller is going. Begin the story by saying the following:
There was once a traveller beginning a long journey to (insert the students’ idea). He knew he would face many obstacles and challenges, so he carried a backpack filled with everything he thought might be needed. The traveller had been walking only a few minutes when …
Invite another student to tell the next part of the story in 2–3 sentences that describe an obstacle the traveller will face. The next person can finish that sentence and add another 2–3 sentences. As the students tell the story, the traveller will act it out. Continue this process for about 5 minutes. Then finish the story by having the traveller arrive at his destination.
After the story is complete, ask the following questions, allowing 2–3 students to answer each.
Just as we see in the story of our traveller, life is filled with obstacles. Betrayal is an obstacle that nearly everyone faces at some time in life. Betrayal can cause us to experience anger, hurt, sadness, and fear. When someone you trust disappoints you, breaks a promise, lies to you, or does something to intentionally harm you, it can be difficult to forgive that person. It can be difficult to heal from the pain.
Today we will learn about a person in the Bible who experienced betrayal. He did not let the obstacle of betrayal prevent him from doing what was right as he continued to trust God.
We will read part of the story of Joseph from the Bible. We have talked about his story before, but listen carefully for something new God may show you today. Here are some things you need to know about Joseph’s life before he was betrayed for the first time.
Joseph’s father’s name was Jacob, and his mother’s name was Rachel. Joseph had 11 brothers: 10 were older and 1 was younger. Joseph was his father’s favourite son, and Jacob gave him a beautiful robe of many colours. This made his older brothers very jealous. As a teenager, Joseph dreamed that one day his mother, father, and brothers would bow down to him. When Joseph shared this dream with his brothers, it made them angry. He had another similar dream, and he shared this dream as well. This made his brothers even angrier.
Optional: If possible, share the images from The Action Bible.
One day, Joseph’s father sent him to look for his brothers, who were tending sheep near another town. When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they made a plan to kill him because they were angry with him. But his oldest brother, Reuben, convinced them not to hurt Joseph. Reuben told them to throw Joseph into an empty pit instead. Reuben planned to rescue Joseph later and take him back to their father. But while Reuben was away, Joseph’s other brothers made a new plan. Let’s read what happened.
Optional: If possible, share the images from The Action Bible.
Have a student read Genesis 37:23–28 aloud from the Bible. If that is not possible, the verses are printed here.
So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe— the ornate robe he was wearing—and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it. As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt. Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed. So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekel of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
Genesis 37:23–28
Tell the teens that you will read a question and 3 possible answers. They should listen as you read the question and answers the first time. Then when you read them a second time, the teens should raise their hands to indicate their answers. Repeat this process for the questions with multiple answers.
What do you think Joseph did next?
Joseph trusted that God had a good plan for his life, and he persevered. Listen to what happened next.
The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did,Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant.Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned.
Genesis 39:2–5a
What do you think happened next?
Potiphar noticed Joseph’s success and his trust in Joseph grew. He began to give Joseph more and more authority in his household. But soon Joseph was faced with new problems. Listen to what happened next.
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”
Genesis 39:6b–9
What do you think happened next?
Joseph did what he knew was right. He did not betray God or Potiphar.
What do you think happened next?
Potiphar’s wife lied about Joseph. She betrayed her husband and Joseph. And though Potiphar had trusted Joseph with everything he had, he believed his wife and had Joseph arrested. The Bible does not tell us how Joseph felt, but he may have felt that Potiphar had betrayed him.
What do you think Joseph did next?
Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, his master, and his master’s wife. The Bible does not tell us, but at times, Joseph may even have felt betrayed by God. But instead of living in bitterness and hopelessness, he chose to trust in God and do what was right. Though he may have experienced deep emotional pain and difficult situations as a result of being betrayed, he chose to trust God.
We can learn from Joseph how to overcome betrayal.
Sometimes it is the people in our lives who betray us. Sometimes we may feel that God has betrayed us because He does not answer our prayers the way we want Him to. We may feel that God has abandoned us or does not love us. But God cannot betray us. He is always good and always faithful. Listen to what the Bible tells us about God’s faithfulness.
Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.
Psalm 36:5
When we are confused or feel betrayed because we do not see God in the midst of our situations, we can tell Him how we feel. He invites us to come to Him. The writers of the psalms often did this. Listen to this passage from the book of Psalms:
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
Psalm 62:8
We can always trust in God’s faithfulness, even when we feel betrayed. His faithful love for us never ends, and He is completely trustworthy and faithful.
We can choose to follow Joseph’s example. Even though betrayal is painful and difficult, we can choose not to let it change our attitudes or our trust in God. We can choose to persevere and overcome the obstacles. We can continue to trust others, and we can ask God to help us to forgive and heal.
Most of the time, those we trust do not betray us. But sometimes our trust is broken, and the effects can be painful. When someone has betrayed you, it can feel like an obstacle that is very hard to overcome.
Remember our traveller and the obstacles he faced? We had to think of solutions to help the traveller overcome the obstacles and reach his final destination. Learning to overcome betrayal is similar. We need to learn ways to overcome betrayal and begin to heal.
If the traveller had been betrayed, what are some of the consequences he might face? What are some of the emotions he might have felt?
Allow 5–6 students to share their thoughts. Some answers might include: he might have felt hurt, angry, afraid, or sad; he might not arrive at his destination; he might have been hurt along the way; he might have given up, turned around, and gone home.
What could the traveller do to overcome betrayal?
Allow 2–3 students to share their ideas. If they do not mention them, share that the traveller could trust God, persevere, forgive, and continue to trust others. Other ideas could include talking to a friend or trusted adult, sharing the emotions with God and asking God to help him to forgive, and talking to the person who betrayed him.
If you have been betrayed, it can be difficult to trust others again. It may even seem impossible to forgive those who betrayed you. Be patient with yourself. You can overcome betrayal! The most important thing to remember is that God will bring you comfort and healing. His love for you is greater than any hurt you have ever experienced. He knows your pain, anger, and fear, and He always listens and always understands.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, your teens can complete the activity on their pages and then do the one below.
Imagine you are the traveller. Think about a situation of betrayal in your own life. If you cannot think of a time you felt hurt and betrayed, you can thank God that you have not experienced this kind of pain.
Overcoming betrayal is a long journey. But it is also a choice. You can choose to stand at the bottom of the mountain or at the edge of the river and feel pain and sadness. Or you can begin taking 1 step at a time toward healing and forgiveness.
Think about your situation of betrayal, and make a choice to overcome it. Let’s act it out together. Pretend you are climbing over your betrayal like it is a mountain. Trudge through it like it is a big mud pit. Wade through it like it is a rushing river. Swat it away as though it is a swarm of insects. Stomp across it as though it is the hard, cracked ground of a desert. You can overcome the obstacle of betrayal!
The Bible can give us great comfort when we are feeling betrayed. God’s Word reminds us that He is with us always, even when we are overcoming the obstacle of betrayal. Listen to something God tells us about His presence in difficult times.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Isaiah 43:2
God is with you always. In the river, in the fire, in the mud, and at the bottom of the mountain of betrayal. He will not leave you alone. He is always faithful, and His love for you extends to the heavens! You can always trust in Him.
Close with this blessing based on Isaiah 43:2:
Blessing: When you pass through the waters of betrayal, may God be with you. May the rivers not sweep over you. May you pass through the fire and not be burned. May you know that God is always beside you, faithful and trustworthy.
Lead the children in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
