Moses and the Brazen Serpent 

Children's Church Activity

[Bible Text: Numbers 21:1-9, John 3:14]

I am teaching Moses and the brazen (bronze) serpent in children's church and decided to make snakes for questions and answers for the review. I made a snake for each two kids and will give one of the question ends to one child and the answer end to another. They will have to get together to answer the questions. If time permits, we might do it two or three times. 

As a lead in to this lesson, I chose a small child around three and asked him to come up and read the Bible to me. When he couldn't read, I asked why. (Because he had not yet learned to read.)

Then a 3rd grader was asked to tell me the answer to "If x=10 and if x divided by Y is 2, what is Y?" (Answer, I have not learned that yet) 

A 5th grader I knew took piano lessons was asked to come play "the Messiah" on the piano. She said she had not learned that much yet in music.

Then I pointed out how we have to learn as we walk with the Lord, step by step, and used this later to show why Israel did not take Canaan all at once and how important it is that we study God's Word so we will grow in our walk with him.

What you do:
Cut snakes from red card stock, add eyes, mouths and using a different shade of red or orange, make spots on them. On the back, put a review question on the head end and the answer to it on the tail end. Cut the snakes in two and put heads in one envelope, tails in another. Make one snake for every two children in class.

How to play:
Give each child a part of a snake and have them try to find the other child with the right answer. If smaller children cannot read well, give the questions to the older children. When all have been put together have them share with the rest of the class or you scramble the pieces and do it again a few times depending on time.

Questions and answers:
What did King Arad do to the Israelites? (Attack them and took some prisoners.)

After King Arad's attack, what did the Israelites do? (Asked the Lord to give them victory in fighting him.)

When the people were discouraged what did they do? (They complained, just as their fathers had done.)

What kind of food had the Lord been giving the Israelites for over 40 years? (A bread called manna that tasted good.)

When the people complained against God and Moses, what happened? (Fiery snakes went all over the camp, biting and killing some of them.)

How did God make a way for the people bitten by the snakes to get well? (He had Moses make a brass snake and put it up on a pole.)

What happened if the people bitten by a snake would not look at the snake on the pole? (They would die.)

What would happen to a person bitten by a snake if he looked at the snake on the pole? (He would live.)

How is believing in Jesus like looking at a brass snake on a pole? (The Lord Jesus was lifted up on the cross to die in our place.)

Why must sin be punished? (God is holy and hates sin, but He loves us.)

What happens when people today hear about Jesus and will not believe in Him? (They will be lost forever away from God.)

If more questions are needed:
Why didn't the Lord let Israel go in and take all the land of Canaan at once? (They were not trained for fighting yet and needed time to learn.)

When God gave them water at a well. what did the people do? (They sang a song of praise to Him.)

(If several children cannot read at all, make extra snakes and just put matching symbols on heads and tails for them so they won't feel left out.)

Copyright 2010 Helen Setser
hsetser13@att.net

Return to the Sermon's page.

You can make a difference!
Your purchases and donations to the site help to distribute our children's ministry resources to churches across the world.

Subscribe to our Newsletter - Learn More

Site Map