Last week in staff meeting I was reminded of a Bible Study I facilitated for the Origin Retreat last February 2020. For any who are sorting through the date — that’s before our Covid “lockdown” here in BC a few weeks later.
Several times over the last ten years I have lead students through long reads of Scripture. This one was particularly fun and deeply meaningful.
I’ve laid it out for you. In small groups someone would read the Scripture and then I would write out the questions. While they were answering the questions I would add to Joseph’s timeline. (Expand the picture.) I provided a bit of commentary between each reading and discussion assignment as well as some teaching that referenced, Dr. J. Robert Clinton’s work, The Making of a Leader. Specifically I as interested in Clinton’s idea of an integrity check. He writes,
“The God-given capacity to lead has two parts: giftedness and character. Integrity is the heart of character.
An emerging leader becomes aware of the importance of integrity through through integrity checks. An integrity check is a test that God uses to evaluate intententions in order to shape character. There are three parts to an integrity check: the challenge to consistency with inner convictions, the response to the challenge, and the resulting expansion of ministry.”
Dr. J. Robert Clinton,The Making of a Leader: Recognizing the Lessons and Stages of Leadership Development, 1988. p. 58-59.
I was also interested in helping our group expand their sense of time across their reading of the pages of Scripture as well as their lives. We are in such a hurry! Life happens (and that can be traumatic!) and we can loose sight of the fact that God is working. One of the pivotal questions and the great “aha moment” came when we figured out the years covered in Joseph’s life and added in the questions, “What do you hope will be true about you in 13 years?”
Read: Genesis 37:1-11
Q: What is it like to be the favourite? or to not be the favourite?
Q: What is it like to have ambitions or great dreams as a teenager?
Read: Genesis 37:12-36
Q: What kinds of violence or trauma can make a dream disappear?
Read: Genesis 39:1-23
Q: What kind of integrity tests/events are common between the ages of 18 and 24?
Q: How do you respond when people take advantage of you, your vulnerability, or your integrity?
Read Genesis 40:1-23
Q: Why is it important that Joseph gave credit to God for the interpretation?
Q: If you were a prisoner with Joseph would believe his story of innocence?
Q: What is it like to be forgotten?
Read Genesis 41:1-57
Q: What did God do for Pharaoh?
Q: What did God do for Joseph?
Q: What do you hope will be true about you in 13 years?
Read Genesis 42-43
Q: How is a moment of possible “revenge” an integrity test?
Q: Is this a high moment or a low moment for Joseph?
Q: How is Joseph still an “outsider?”
Now I hope you are not just riding the highs and lows with Joseph, but you are also living the highs and lows with God.