Sample Saturday Virtual Book Fair
Find out more about the Five Minute Bible Story Series (TM) at Cape Arago Press
If you'd like to hear me read the first story in Genesis People, just click on this video.
Otherwise, read on and meet a littlest boy, middle boy, biggest boy called Judah as he tries to find his place in the world. It's story #36 from Genesis People.
~ 36 ~
(Genesis
29:31-35, 35:23-26, 34:25-31, 37:12-36, 44:1-45:15)
There was once
a boy called Judah who was the youngest of four brothers. He rather liked being
a youngest son because everybody liked him and gave him treats. Then Judah’s
father had eight more sons and a daughter, and Judah became just another
kiddy-in-the-middle. Nobody noticed him anymore. The littlest kids were cute
and funny, and the oldest were clever and strong. But Judah was just a nuisance
and a pest.
One day the
oldest brother did something bad and made their father very mad. Then the next
two brothers did something even worse and made their father even madder. And
then something very strange happened. Their father was sending the boys out to
work in the fields and he called out to Judah. “Hey Judah,” he said. “I need
you to tell everyone what to do.” Judah said yes and wondered how he’d ended up
in charge, but it worked out all right. The littlest kids knew to do what he
told them, and the oldest brothers didn’t dare mess about or they knew they’d
make their father even madder.
“Judah, you’re
the boss,” said their father in spring, when they moved camp to a better
grazing place. “Judah, tell those boys to behave themselves,” he said when they
spent the night watching the sheep. “Judah, I trust you,” he said and Judah
felt proud. He felt like a biggest kid.
One day all
the boys were really angry with one of the younger brothers. He was being a
pain and they wanted to kill him, even though he was their father’s favorite.
The oldest brother said no, but nobody listened. Then Judah said, “Let’s just
sell him as a slave instead,” and they listened and did as he said. Selling his
brother probably wasn’t a very good idea but it was much better than killing
him.
One day the
family went to Egypt to buy food and the Egyptian leader tried to take the
littlest brother away and put him in jail. But Judah wasn’t going to lose
another brother. “You can’t have him,” he said. “I’m not selling my little
brother, no matter how much food you offer. I don’t care if my family is
starving. You can’t have him!” Then the Egyptian leader took off his headdress
and Judah got such a surprise. The Egyptian wasn’t an Egyptian at all. He was
the brother they’d sold as a slave all those years ago.
Judah’s
brother forgave them all and gave them a place to live with plenty of food.
Judah and his family, and his father and his brothers and his sister and all
their families, all moved to Egypt. They lived in a comfortable district not
far from the river and they looked after sheep, because that was a job that
Egyptians didn’t like to do. And they were happy.
Lord God, you don’t love the cutest brothers best,
or the sweetest sisters, or the bossiest boys,
or the kindest girls.
Thank you, because you love us all the same,
and do good things for all of us.
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