Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026

The Lord sends Jacob and his family of seventy souls to Egypt—The descendants of Jacob are named—Joseph meets Jacob.

Joseph makes himself known to his brothers—They rejoice together—Pharaoh invites Jacob and his family to dwell in Egypt and eat the fat of the land.

Joseph arranges to stop the return of his brothers to Canaan—Judah offers himself in place of Benjamin for their father’s sake.

Jacob is persuaded to send Benjamin to Egypt—Joseph’s brothers show respect to him—They all eat and drink together.

Jacob sends his sons to buy grain in Egypt—They bow before Joseph—He makes harsh accusations against them, imprisons Simeon, and sends them back for Benjamin.

It had been about 22 years since Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. Joseph had suffered many trials, including false accusations and imprisonment. When he finally saw his brothers again, Joseph was the governor of all Egypt, second only to the pharaoh. He could easily have taken revenge on his brothers, and considering what they had done to Joseph, that might seem understandable. And yet Joseph forgave them. Not only that, but he helped them see divine purpose in his suffering. “God meant it unto good” (Genesis 50:20), he told them, because it put him in a position to save “all his father’s household” (Genesis 47:12) from famine.

In many ways, Joseph was like Jesus Christ. Even though our sins caused Jesus great suffering, He offers forgiveness, delivering all of us from a fate far worse than famine. Whether we need to receive forgiveness or extend it—at some point we all need to do both—Joseph’s example points us to the Savior, the true source of healing and reconciliation.

By Elder David A. Bednar

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Now is the time to prepare and prove ourselves willing and able to do all things whatsoever the Lord our God shall command us.

Time and again, good fortune seemed to abandon Joseph, but the Lord never did. As you read Joseph’s story, ponder questions like these: What did Joseph do to stay close to the Lord during his times of trial? How was the Lord “with him”? (Genesis 39:2–3, 21, 23).

By Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

No matter what our mortal experience may entail, we can trust God and find joy in Him.

Pharaoh dreams of the cattle and the ears of grain—Joseph interprets the dreams as seven years of plenty and seven of famine—He proposes a grain storage program—Pharaoh makes him ruler of all Egypt—Joseph marries Asenath—He gathers grain as the sand upon the seashore—Asenath bears Manasseh and Ephraim—Joseph sells grain to Egyptians and others during the famine.