As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things.  Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”
After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing?  Tell me what your wages should be.”
Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.  Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful.

• Genesis 29:13-17

This quiz is all about Jacob’s eleventh son, Joseph.  The story of his life is far from an ordinary story and Joseph became an extraordinary person.  The Scripture above is the point in the story where Jacob falls in love with his cousin, but there are two daughters of his mother’s brother.  Jacob is eventually tricked by his father-in-law.  Jacob does a bit of trickery himself.  But while in his service to Laban, his father-in-law, Jacob has eleven sons and a daughter.  The twelfth son was born after returning to the Promised Land.

The Questions:

?	Question	Bible Verse(s)	Answer
1	Who was Joseph’s birth mother?
2	Jacob liked Joseph more than his brothers.  What did Joseph receive to signify this love?
3	In both of Joseph’s dreams, what is the common thread in both?
4	What did Jacob ask Joseph to do after Joseph spoke of the dreams?
5	His brothers wanted to kill Joseph, but which brother suggested putting him in the cistern, thinking he could rescue him later?
6	Which brother suggested selling Joseph as a slave?
7	The traveling merchants sold Joseph to whom?
8	After running his master’s household efficiently, how did Joseph end in prison?
9	After Joseph had managed his master’s household, how did the warden react to his new prisoner?
10	Who are the two fellow prisoners that ask Joseph to interpret their dreams?
11	How did Joseph get out of prison?
12	Pharoah renames Joseph with the name Zaphenath-Paneah, gives him the daughter of a priest as his wife and what authority in Egypt?
13	When Jacob’s ten oldest sons come to buy food, they are accused of being spies and which brother is placed in prison?
14	When Benjamin returns with the brothers to get more food and get their brother out of prison, what does Joseph have placed in Benjamin’s sack of grain?
15	When Joseph reveals his true identity to his brothers, what does he ask?
16	Where are Joseph’s bones now, assuming no one has moved them since the biblical record?

In the tale of two sisters, the Scripture above, one was not pretty while the other was a beautiful woman.  Yet, beauty is only skin deep, as the saying goes.  In Genesis 30:14-19, the beautiful sister trades a night with Jacob in bed for a few mandrakes.  There are two things that I have learned about mandrakes.  First, they were a phallic symbol and thought to aid in fertility, but you must sleep with your husband to finalize the deal, and that was, for a time, forfeited.  Second, mandrakes have hallucinogenic properties.  Was the beautiful sister wanting to get pregnant or was she wanting to get high?

When Joseph is born, Joseph’s mother names him Joseph, meaning essentially “I want more” (Genesis 30:24).  Odd, to demand more when it was a miracle having the first, having been barren until then.

And when Jacob takes his family to return to Isaac and the Promised Land, Laban, Jacob’s father-in-law, discovers that his household idols have been stolen.  When he pursues and catches Jacob, Joseph’s mother, who had stolen the idols, sat on the idols, pretending to be on her period and not wishing to move.

In adding these events together, it points to someone that worships many false gods and is greedy, larcenous, and covetous.  While beautiful on the outside, there were several flaws in her character.  She died soon after giving birth to her second son, Benjamin.  She got her wish for more sons, but her wish cost her life.  She died in the town known today as Bethlehem.

I do not know if these events are connected, but they paint a picture that we need to learn from.  The true beauty lies within.

Bible References:

?	Question	Bible Verse(s)	Answer
1	Who was Joseph’s birth mother?	Genesis 30:22-24
2	Jacob liked Joseph more than his brothers.  What did Joseph receive to signify this love?	Genesis 37:3
3	In both of Joseph’s dreams, what is the common thread in both?	Genesis 37:5-9
4	What did Jacob ask Joseph to do after Joseph spoke of the dreams?	Genesis 37:13
5	His brothers wanted to kill Joseph, but which brother suggested putting him in the cistern, thinking he could rescue him later?	Genesis 37:21
6	Which brother suggested selling Joseph as a slave?	Genesis 37:26
7	The traveling merchants sold Joseph to whom?	Genesis 37:36
8	After running his master’s household efficiently, how did Joseph end in prison?	Genesis 39:16-20
9	After Joseph had managed his master’s household, how did the warden react to his new prisoner?	Genesis 39:22-23
10	Who are the two fellow prisoners that ask Joseph to interpret their dreams?	Genesis 40
11	How did Joseph get out of prison?	Genesis 41:1-40
12	Pharoah renames Joseph with the name Zaphenath-Paneah, gives him the daughter of a priest as his wife and what authority in Egypt?	Genesis 41:41-43
13	When Jacob’s ten oldest sons come to buy food, they are accused of being spies and which brother is placed in prison?	Genesis 42:24
14	When Benjamin returns with the brothers to get more food and get their brother out of prison, what does Joseph have placed in Benjamin’s sack of grain?	Genesis 44:2
15	When Joseph reveals his true identity to his brothers, what does he ask?	Genesis 45:3
16	Where are Joseph’s bones now, assuming no one has moved them since the biblical record?	Exodus 13:19

I have no idea why this quiz popped into my head, but I thought there would be a variety of things regarding the life of Joseph that could become an interesting quiz.

Note that Joseph’s responsibilities kept growing, even when his position for a time went downhill.  God was preparing Joseph.  Joseph trusted the Lord and knew that God was with him.

Sometimes we have moments of injustice and betrayal.  Life is not always fair, but if we turn to God, who loves us and has a plan for our lives, we can be used by God in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, as long as we are still breathing.  When placed in lowly circumstances, maybe the correct response is not defiance, but acceptance, adding a question: “Okay, Father, where from here?  You lead the way.”

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The Answers:

?	Question	Bible Verse(s)	Answer
1	Who was Joseph’s birth mother?	Genesis 30:22-24	Rachel
2	Jacob liked Joseph more than his brothers.  What did Joseph receive to signify this love?	Genesis 37:3	Ornate robe or coat of many colors or technicolor dream coat
3	In both of Joseph’s dreams, what is the common thread in both?	Genesis 37:5-9	The items representing the brothers bowed to Joseph or Joseph’s sheaf of grain.
4	What did Jacob ask Joseph to do after Joseph spoke of the dreams?	Genesis 37:13	Essentially spy on his brothers as he had already given Jacob bad reports.
5	His brothers wanted to kill Joseph, but which brother suggested putting him in the cistern, thinking he could rescue him later?	Genesis 37:21	Reuben
6	Which brother suggested selling Joseph as a slave?	Genesis 37:26	Judah
7	The traveling merchants sold Joseph to whom?	Genesis 37:36	Potiphar
8	After running his master’s household efficiently, how did Joseph end in prison?	Genesis 39:16-20	Potiphar’s wife lied that Joseph had attacked her.
9	After Joseph had managed his master’s household, how did the warden react to his new prisoner?	Genesis 39:22-23	Joseph ran the prison for the warden.
10	Who are the two fellow prisoners that ask Joseph to interpret their dreams?	Genesis 40	Pharoah’s cupbearer and baker
11	How did Joseph get out of prison?	Genesis 41:1-40	The cupbearer remembers that Joseph can interpret dreams and Joseph is called to interpret Pharoah’s dream.
12	Pharoah renames Joseph with the name Zaphenath-Paneah, gives him the daughter of a priest as his wife and what authority in Egypt?	Genesis 41:41-43	Second only to Pharoah
13	When Jacob’s ten oldest sons come to buy food, they are accused of being spies and which brother is placed in prison?	Genesis 42:24	Simeon
14	When Benjamin returns with the brothers to get more food and get their brother out of prison, what does Joseph have placed in Benjamin’s sack of grain?	Genesis 44:2	Joseph’s Silver Cup
15	When Joseph reveals his true identity to his brothers, what does he ask?	Genesis 45:3	“Is my father still living? (NIV)
16	Where are Joseph’s bones now, assuming no one has moved them since the biblical record?	Exodus 13:19	The Israelites took Joseph’s bones with them to the Promised Land.

And regardless of how you did, here is a dramatization of Joseph becoming governor of Egypt, in the TV mini-series, Joseph.  Paul Mercurio plays Joseph, Ben Kingsley as Potiphar, Stefano Dionisi as Pharoah, and Valeria Cavalli as Asenath, the priest’s daughter who would become Joseph’s wife.

And for the younger crowd, song by Little Big Heroes, Joseph the Dreamer.

This next song tells a bit of Joseph’s story, although the story is rewritten a bit by Tim Rice, before Hollywood added their twist.  Sung by the cast of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat with Donnie Osmond as Joseph and Maria Friedman as the narrator, Go Go Joseph.

If you like these Saturday morning Bible quizzes, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Saturday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.