The Mayfield Class

1. Joseph served faithfully in a place that felt like a step backward (40:1–4). Where in your life do you feel “at the bottom of the bottom,” and how might God be asking you to serve well right there?

2. Joseph noticed the faces of hurting men (40:6). Who around you is carrying something heavy that you’ve been too busy to see?

3. Joseph says, “Do not interpretations belong to God?” (40:8). What comes out of your mouth in reflex, in surprise, stress, or pain, and what does that reveal about your heart?

4. Joseph still believes his own dreams after 11 silent years (40:8). What promise or prayer have you quietly stopped believing God will answer?

5. Joseph tells the baker the truth even though it is painful (40:18–19). Where do you need to speak truth in love instead of settling for being “nice”?

6. The cupbearer “did not remember Joseph, but forgot him” (40:23). Where are you tempted to measure God’s faithfulness by people’s forgetfulness? How does Genesis 40 call you to trust God’s remembering instead?

1. In Genesis 39:2–3, Potiphar saw that the LORD was with Joseph. Where has God quietly worked in your life in ways others noticed before you did?

2. Joseph succeeds in Potiphar’s house and in prison (39:4–6, 21–23). Where do you need to redefine “success” as faithfulness rather than comfort or outcomes?

3. Joseph resists temptation by remembering who he is, what he’s been given, and who sees (39:8–9). Which of those three do you most often forget when temptation presses you?

4. Potiphar’s wife tempts Joseph day after day (39:10). Where are you facing a “day after day” pressure that requires daily resistance rather than a one‑time decision?

5. Joseph flees the house (39:12). What situation, habit, or environment do you need to physically leave rather than negotiate with?

6. “The LORD was with Joseph” in the house and in the prison (39:2, 21). Where do you need to trust God’s presence even though your circumstances feel like a setback rather than a blessing?

UHBC College Ministry 'The Hill'

Reflection Questions

1. What rituals in the “church” today are similar to the Jewish rituals described in this passage?  Things we do over and over again but don’t actually make us clean. 
2. Why do you think the servants who knew what had happened to the water did not see Jesus’ glory and believe in him as the disciples did? 
3. How can Jesus be angry in verse 15 and still not sin? What was He angry about?
4. What would you consider to be evidence that a person may have fake faith? 

UHBC College Ministry 'The Hill'

Reflection Questions

1. John the Baptist had a crowd and status, yet he spent the whole time pointing away from himself and to Jesus. What would that cost you this week if you did the same thing?
2. Nathanael asked, " Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” What is your version of that question about Jesus? What are things we can doubt about Jesus?
3. Philip did not argue or reason with Nathanael. He said, “Come and see.” Why do you think that worked better than an argument would have?
4. Five men follow Jesus in this passage: Andrew, the unnamed disciple (John), Peter, Philip, and Nathanael. Which one do you relate to the most?

1. Judah “went down” from his brothers (38:1).

Where do you see subtle drift in your own life — not rebellion, but slow movement in the wrong direction?
Explore spiritual drift

2. Judah surrounds himself with Hirah,  a friend who never challenges him.

Who in your life is allowed to tell you the truth? And are you becoming someone else’s Hirah?
Consider healthy accountability

3. Tamar waits on a promise Judah never intended to keep.

Where have you been wounded by someone’s broken promise? How does Tamar’s perseverance challenge your response?
Reflect on persevering through injustice

4. Judah keeps his promise to a stranger but not to his own family.

Where do you find it easier to honor commitments outside your home than inside it? What promise at home needs attention this week?
Explore faithfulness at home

5. Tamar’s two words — “Please identify” — expose Judah completely.

Where has God confronted you with truth you could no longer dodge? What did repentance look like afterward?
Consider repentance moments

6. Judah says, “She is more righteous than I,” and changes.

Where do you need to believe that God can still change you, or someone you’ve quietly written off?

1. The Coat and the Dream

In Genesis 37:3–11, Joseph receives a royal robe and dreams that point toward God’s future plan. Where has God given you a glimpse of something He may be doing, and how have others responded to it? How do you handle the tension between God’s calling and people’s misunderstanding?

2. The Brothers’ Jealousy

Joseph’s brothers “could not speak peacefully to him.” Where do you see jealousy, comparison, or resentment creeping into your relationships? What does this passage reveal about how quickly jealousy can turn into sin?

3. The Errand to Shechem

Jacob sends Joseph alone to the very place where danger still lingers. Where has obedience to God led you into places that feel risky or confusing? How does Joseph’s “Here I am” challenge your own willingness to obey?

4. The Man in the Field

A nameless man redirects Joseph to Dothan, unknowingly sending him into the pit. Where has God used an unexpected person or moment to move your life forward? How does this help you trust His providence even when the direction feels costly?

5. The Pit and the Silence

Joseph cries out from the pit, and nothing happens. Where are you experiencing silence from God right now? How does this chapter help you distinguish between God’s silence and God’s absence?

6. The Sale for Twenty Shekels

Joseph’s brothers sell him for the standard market price of a teenage boy. Where have you felt the sting of being undervalued, betrayed, or dismissed? How does God’s hidden work in Joseph’s life encourage you to trust Him with your own wounds?

7. Jacob’s Grief

Jacob mourns for twenty years over a lie. Where are you carrying grief or regret that feels unresolvable? How does the promise of redemption, not reversal, speak into your story?

8. Providence in the Details

Joseph ends up in exactly the right house in Egypt, though no one can see it yet. Where can you look back and see God arranging details you didn’t recognize at the time? How does that strengthen your trust in His unseen work today?

UHBC College Ministry 'The Hill'

Reflection Questions

1. The author, the disciple John, calls Jesus four things in 18 verses. The Word. The Light. The Life. God. Which one of those is the hardest for you to accept? 
2. Verse 12 uses the word received. What is the difference between receiving someone and just agreeing that they exist?
3. If this book is indeed a trial and we are the jury, what further evidence would you want before deciding who Jesus is? 
4. Where do you see this battle between the light and the darkness most clearly in your own life?

1. Genesis 36:1–8 shows Esau prospering while walking away from God. Where are you tempted to envy people who seem to be thriving without God? What does this passage expose about what you are counting?
2. Esau’s drift happened slowly — one compromise at a time. Where do you see slow drift in your own life? What small alignment needs correcting before it becomes a direction?
3. Esau’s family blended into Canaan over generations. What habits, values, or patterns might you be handing down without meaning to? What would faithfulness look like in front of those who are watching you?
4. Genesis 36 lists kings, chiefs, and territories — seventy‑three names. What “names” or accomplishments are you tempted to measure your life by? How does Hebrews 11 redefine success?
5. Jacob gets one sentence: he lived in a tent. Where is God calling you to embrace being a sojourner rather than chasing what looks impressive?
6. Edom had kings before Israel ever did. Where do you feel behind, overlooked, or small? How does this chapter remind you that God is not building what the world is counting?
7. The line of Esau ends in Herod; the line of Jacob ends in Jesus. How does this help you trust God’s long story rather than your short scoreboard?

1. In Genesis 35:1–4, God calls Jacob back to Bethel after ten years of stopping short. Where have you stopped short of obedience, not by saying no but by simply never going? What step is God calling you to take now?
2. Jacob buries the household gods under the terebinth tree at Shechem. What idols have you moved “to the garage,” keeping them out of sight but not out of your life? What would it look like to bury them instead of storing them?
3. In Genesis 35:5, God protects Jacob with a terror that falls on the surrounding cities. Where have you been living in fear of something God has already covered? How does this passage invite you to trust His protection rather than your own caution?
4. In Genesis 35:9–15, God repeats the promises Jacob already heard, but deeper and fuller. Where has God been repeating something to you, not because you missed it but because you are finally ready to hear it? How is He shaping your perspective?
5. In Genesis 35:16–20, Jacob builds a pillar over Rachel’s grave just days after building a pillar at Bethel. Where are you carrying joy and sorrow side by side? How does this chapter help you see God’s presence in both pillars?
6. In Genesis 35:22, Jacob hears of Reuben’s sin and remains silent again. Where are you tempted to avoid hard conversations, hoping silence will create peace? How is God calling you to speak truth with courage and love?
7. In Genesis 35:29, Jacob and Esau bury their father together. Where do you see God’s grace holding relationships that once seemed beyond repair? How does this encourage you to trust God with reconciliation in your own life?

1. In Genesis 34:1–5, Dinah is harmed and Jacob remains silent. Where are you tempted to stay quiet when speaking up would honor God and protect others? What fears or hidden motives keep you from acting?
2. Dinah is repeatedly called “the daughter of Leah,” highlighting Jacob’s failure to value her. Where might favoritism, neglect, or indifference be shaping your relationships? How is God calling you to see and defend those who are vulnerable?
3. In Genesis 34:6–12, Hamor offers Jacob land, offspring, and blessing on Canaanite terms. Where are you tempted to accept shortcuts that promise what God has already promised? How can you discern when an opportunity is actually a compromise?
4. In Genesis 34:13–17, Jacob’s sons use the covenant sign as a weapon. Where are you tempted to use spiritual things, Scripture, or religious identity to justify anger, pride, or control? What would repentance look like in that area?
5. In Genesis 34:25–29, Simeon and Levi avenge Dinah with slaughter, reproducing the very evil they sought to punish. Where has anger led you to escalate rather than heal? How does the gospel call you to pursue justice without revenge?
6. In Genesis 34:30–31, Jacob speaks only of himself, while his sons speak of their sister. Where do you see self‑protection overshadowing compassion in your own life? How is God inviting you to move toward courage, truth, and sacrificial love?
7. Genesis 34 contains no mention of God, prayer, or worship. Where have you stopped short of obedience, settling in a place God never told you to stay? What step of faith is God calling you to take so you do not remain “a day short of Bethel”?