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Forty years had passed since the Israelites left Egypt to go to the land the Lord had promised them. After camping in an area called Kadesh, they ran out of water. When the people complained to Moses and Aaron, the Lord commanded Moses to speak to a rock so that water would miraculously gush from it. Instead of obeying the Lord, Moses chose to speak angrily to the people and then strike the rock twice with his staff. The rock produced water, but Moses paid a high price for refusing to honour the Lord. He would not live to enter the promised land.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Numbers 20:1-13

Outline:

1. The people complain and argue (Numbers 20:1-5)
2. God instructs, but Moses and Aaron disobey (Numbers 20:6-11)
3. God proclaims the punishment for Moses and Aaron (Numbers 20:12-13)

Tips for teaching children:

• Gather rocks and paints and guide the children in painting them as if water is flowing from them.
• Guide children to create a model. They can then use it to tell today’s Bible story to the class. Provide rocks, water bottles, spray bottles, straws, tubing, waterwheels or any other water-related items.
• Discuss Ephesians 4:26-27.
  • Uncontrolled anger allows the Devil to tempt us to act in ways we otherwise would not:
    We might hurt someone, say hurtful things, swear, or make bad decisions that we will regret later.
  • Following this discussion, point out ways we might control our anger:
    We could pause and count to ten, take deep breaths, remove ourselves from the situation, or take a walk. We can pray alone or with someone. 

Tips for teaching adults:

• Our story today is only 13 verses long so that it can be easily read during class time.  Choose three readers to read the different sections or choose four people to read the different characters in this story: the narrator, the people, God and Moses.
• Leaders are held to a higher standard than the average person.  Think of the leaders in your congregation.  What kind of expectations does the congregation have of a leader that they wouldn’t have for the average person in the congregation? Are these expectations fair?  What would be fair expectations?  Pray for your leaders.
• Leaders do carry a lot of responsibility in the church.  And they are often not appreciated or thanked.  As a class, do something good for your leaders and their families to show your appreciation and show that you are thankful for them.  Here are a few ideas: take them out to dinner, buy a gift, buy a gift card, or publicly thank them in the worship assembly for their leadership. You could create coupons that they could redeem, such as “one free dinner brought to your house” or “one free lawn-mowing”, etc.  

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Moses Does Not Honour God

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: [email protected]