LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS
In Numbers 21:4-9, the people of Israel were traveling through the wilderness and growing deeply impatient. God had been faithfully providing food and water for His people throughout their long journey, yet instead of responding with gratitude, they turned their frustration into complaint. They spoke against both God and Moses, calling the food God provided worthless and miserable. Their grumbling was not simply dissatisfaction with a meal. It was a direct rejection of God’s care and provision. It revealed hearts that had forgotten all that God had done and were focused instead on what they felt they lacked.
In response to their sin, God allowed venomous snakes to enter the camp, and many people were bitten and died. When the people recognized their wrongdoing, they came to Moses in repentance and asked him to pray on their behalf. God heard their confession and provided a way of healing. He instructed Moses to craft a snake from bronze and lift it high on a pole. Any person who had been bitten only needed to look up at that bronze snake in faith, and they would be healed. This story points forward to Jesus, who would one day be lifted up on a cross so that all who look to Him in faith might be saved. It teaches children that God is the only one who can truly provide, protect, and heal, and that a grateful heart is one that trusts in His goodness.
PLAY ROOM 5:45-6:00
Children will be dropped off in the playroom between 8:45-9:00 a.m. Allow them to play freely as they arrive. Transition them to the classroom at 9:00 a.m.
OPENING ACTIVITY 6:00-6:15 | Play-Doh Snakes
Items Needed:
- Play-Doh
- Craft sticks
- Googly eyes (optional)
Children roll and shape Play-Doh into snakes of different sizes. Encourage them to wrap their snake around a craft stick to create their own “snake on a pole.” This introduces the central image of the lesson in a hands-on and tactile way.
BIBLE STORY 6:15-6:25
Question 1: Where is this story found in the Bible? Numbers
Question 2: Is Numbers in the Old Testament or the New Testament? Old Testament.
[Hold up your large stick with a large plush snake on a pole and let the children look at it. Say with excitement:]
Friends, today we have a very exciting story about snakes.
Let us travel back in time and hear one of God’s stories.
The Israelites, God’s people, were walking through a big, hot desert. They had been walking for a LONG, long time. Even though it was hard, do you know what God was doing every single day? He was giving them food! God sent special food called manna. It was like little flakes on the ground. Can you pretend to scoop up manna from the ground?
[Scoop hands low to the ground and bring them up]
He also gave them meat from birds called quail. God made sure they had food to eat every single day. God was SO good to them. But do you know what happened? Some of the people started to complain.
They said, “We do NOT like this food! We want something DIFFERENT!” They were not being thankful.
Do you ever complain about anything?
[Allow kids to answer or give examples – food mom cooked, having to go grocery shopping, having to do chores, etc.]
When we complain about the good things God gives us, it is like telling God, “I don’t like your gift.” Imagine if you made a big yummy birthday cake for your best friend, and they said, “Yuck, I don’t want this!” How would that make you feel?
[Wait for response]
Because the people kept complaining and saying bad things about God, something happened. God allowed snakes to come into the camp.
Let me hear your best hissing snake sound!
[Wait for children to hiss]
The snakes were biting people, and people were getting very sick. When the people saw what was happening, they knew they had done something wrong. They went to Moses. Moses was their leader. They said, “We are SORRY. We were wrong to complain. Please ask God to help us!”
Moses prayed to God. Do you know how to pray? Let me see your praying hands!
[Put hands together, let kids copy and hold them]
Moses asked God to please help the people, and God answered. God told Moses to make a snake out of shiny bronze metal. Bronze is a shiny, golden-brown color. God said to put that bronze snake up on a tall pole so everyone could see it.
God said, “Anyone who was bitten by a snake, if they LOOK at the bronze snake on the pole, they will be healed!”
God made them better! Let me hear you say GOD HEALED THEM!
[Wait for response]
This is so important, friends. When we turn our hearts back to God and look to Him for help, He hears us. He provides. He heals. He takes care of us.
[Hold up the stick snake again]
Every time we see this snake on a pole, we can remember that God is the one who provides and heals.
Okay, big thinkers. I have some questions for you.
Theological Questions:
- Why did God provide a way to heal the people even after they complained against Him? What does that tell us about who God is?
- The people had to look at the snake on the pole to be healed. Why do you think God asked them to do something to be healed instead of just making it happen?
Life Application Questions:
- Have you ever complained about something, like food or a toy, and then realized later that you were glad you had it? How did that feel?
- When something goes wrong, do you talk to God about it or do you try to fix it yourself? What can you do this week to look to God for help?
Prayer:
God, thank You for always taking care of us and giving us what we need. When we forget to be thankful, please help us turn our hearts back to You and look to You for help. Amen.
[Have the children say Amen together out loud]
WORSHIP IN SONG 6:25-6:35
PRAYER 6:35-6:45
Transition kids to the floor for prayer time. Pray for thankful hearts, asking God to help us remember all the good things He has given us and to trust Him instead of complaining when things feel hard.
BIBLE STORY GAME 6:45-6:55 | Bronze Snake Relay
Items Needed:
- Craft sticks, pipe cleaners twisted into snake shapes for each team
Divide into two teams. Place the craft stick snakes at one end of the room. On go, one child from each team runs to pick up the snake, holds it up high like Moses, then runs back and gives it to the team leader. The next person goes. First team to have every player hold the snake up wins. Connect it back by saying Moses had to hold the snake up high so everyone could look to it.
BIBLE CRAFT 6:55-7:10 | Pipe Cleaner Beaded Snake
Items Needed
- Pipe Cleaners
- Bead Assortments
- Googley Eyes
- Hot Glue
- Pencils
Let children string beads onto their pipe cleaner to make a snake. Wrap the top of the pipe cleaner into a head and help them by hot gluing the eyes onto their snake. Give them a pencil and let them wrap the snake around the pencil (similar to Moses wrapping the bronze snake around his staff).
SNACK TIME AND BIBLE STORY VIDEO 7:10-7:25
Pass out snacks and allow kids time to eat while they watch the Bible Story video.
BONUS ACTIVITY | Copper vs. Bronze Color Experiment
Items Needed:
- Pennies (dull and dirty ones work best)
- Small bowls
- White vinegar
- Salt
- Paper towels
- A shiny golden or bronze colored object for comparison
Leaders explain that the snake Moses made was bronze, which is a shiny golden-brown metal. Children place a dull penny into a small bowl of vinegar and salt and watch it begin to shine and brighten within a few minutes. Connect the lesson by explaining that Moses had to craft something out of shiny metal and lift it up so all the people could see it clearly. Just like the penny became bright and visible, God wants us to look clearly to Him when we need help. Leaders and children observe the change together and talk about what they notice.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
Numbers 21:4-9, ESV
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
PARENT TAKE HOME SHEET
Today’s Key Takeaway: Look to God
What I Learned Today: Today we learned that the Israelites complained against God even though He was providing food and water for them in the desert. Because of their complaining, God sent snakes into the camp, but when the people said they were sorry, God gave Moses a way to heal them. God told Moses to put a bronze snake on a pole, and anyone who looked at it was healed, teaching us that God is always the one we should look to for help.
Questions to Ask Me:
Theological Questions:
- Who is the only one who can truly provide for us and heal us? (God is the only one who can truly provide and heal us.)
- Why did God send snakes to the Israelites? (Because they complained and spoke against God and Moses instead of being thankful for what He gave them.)
- How were the people healed from the snake bites? (They looked at the bronze snake that Moses put on a pole, and God healed them.)
- What does it mean to be content? (Being happy and thankful for what God has given you without always wanting more.)
- How does this story point us to Jesus? (Just like the bronze snake was lifted up on a pole so people could look at it and be healed, Jesus was lifted up on a cross so that anyone who looks to Him in faith can be saved.)
Life Application Questions:
- What is something God has given you that you can thank Him for today? (Answers will vary.)
- Have you ever complained about something and later realized it was actually a good gift? What was it? (Answers will vary.)
- When something is hard or scary, what is one thing you can do instead of complaining? (Pray and trust God to help me.)
- How can you show God that you are thankful this week? (Answers will vary, such as saying thank you in prayer, sharing with others, noticing blessings.)
- If a friend was sad or scared, what would you tell them about God based on today’s story? (Answers will vary, such as that God hears us when we pray and He takes care of us.)
Memory Verse: “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” – Philippians 4:11, ESV