BIG IDEA: We must trust God to lead us.
This free Bible lesson, The Wilderness Wanderings, will teach preschool and elementary students about the true story of Moses and the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for 40 years after The Exodus because of their disobedience to God when He brought them to the Promised Land. Caleb and Joshua were the only people who trusted God to lead the people into the land, but the others were afraid of giants in the land. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we can have a relationship with God and trust Him to lead us.
FOCUS BIBLE PASSAGE: Numbers 13-14
All of the printable activities and digital slides needed for the lesson, as well as a full printable lesson plan for both elementary and preschool are available.
Below is the outline of the free elementary Bible lesson.
PREP & SUPPLIES
- printed and trimmed “tent”
- printed and trimmed “cloud”
- printed and trimmed “fire”
- 3 craft sticks
- glue
- student Bibles OR printed “Hebrews 3:7-19 Passage”
- printed “Hebrews 3:7-19 Reflection” for each student
- pencils
LESSON HOOK ACTIVITY
(SLIDE) Cloud and Fire
You will need the “Tent Stick”, the “Cloud Stick”, and the “Fire Stick” for this activity.
This activity is designed to get students moving and to help them understand how God led the Israelites during their time in the wilderness.
This activity will work best if you have a large open space for students to move around.
Choose a student “leader” to be Moses.
Today we are going to follow some guidance. When it is time to move, you will get in a line and follow your leader, Moses (point to the student leader), as he leads you through the “wilderness”.
Anytime the “cloud” is covering the tent, you will find a spot and sit down.
Anytime the “fire” is covering the tent, you will lay down and pretend to sleep.
Anytime the “tent” is not being covered by the “cloud” or the “fire”, Moses will lead you around in a line.
When the “cloud” comes back down onto the tent, you will find a new spot and sit down.
Alternate commands and let students follow the guidance as long as interest remains, allowing them enough time to realize and understand the pattern that the Israelites followed.
[When the cloud was resting over the tent, the people camped. At night time, the cloud looked like fire. Whenever the cloud lifted from the tent, the people moved to a new place. Where the cloud settled, that is where the people would set up camp.]
After students have been given plenty of time to follow your commands with the “cloud” and “fire”, instruct them to sit down and get ready for the lesson.
Does anyone know why we have been following the commands of the “cloud” and “fire” covering and lifting off of the “tent”? (allow responses)
After God led the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt, they lived in the desert for many years before He led them to the Promised Land. During this time, God told Moses to set up a “holy tent” where the priests would meet with God.
The Bible says:
(SLIDE) Exodus 40:34-35 NIrV
[Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting. The glory of the LORD filled the holy tent. Moses couldn’t enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it. The glory of the LORD filled the holy tent.]
The “glory” of the LORD filled the holy tent. What do you think that means? (allow responses)
The glory of the LORD means that God’s presence was actually filling the tent. The tent was God’s dwelling place, or where He lived during this time while His people were in the wilderness.
(SLIDE) Exodus 40:36-38 NIrV
[The Israelites continued their travels. Whenever the cloud lifted from above the holy tent, they started out. But if the cloud didn’t lift, they did not start out. They stayed until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the LORD was above the holy tent during the day. Fire was in the cloud at night. All the Israelites could see the cloud during all their travels.]
God’s presence was in the holy tent. The visible sign of God’s presence was the cloud.
When the cloud lifted, that was the signal from God to the people that it was time to travel further in their journey toward the Promised Land.
When the cloud settled, that was the signal from God to the people that it was time to stop and set up a new camp.
BIBLE LESSON
God was leading the Israelites to the land that He had promised to Abraham over 400 years earlier.
(SLIDE) Genesis 12:1-3 NIrV
[“The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s family. Go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. And I will bless you. I will make your name great. You will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you. I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. All nations on earth will be blessed because of you.’”]
God always keeps His promises. This promise had been made to Abraham for all of his family, and now after many years in slavery in Egypt, God was leading the Israelites to the land He had promised to give them.
During some of the time that the Israelites were in the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land, they obeyed God, but other times they did not obey God.
There were times when the people complained about their situation, but God always took care of their needs.
Does anyone know how long the Israelites lived in the wilderness before God brought them to the Promised Land? (allow responses)
(SLIDE) The Israelites lived in the wilderness for 40 years before God brought them into the Promised Land!
Do you think they lived in the wilderness that long because it took them that long to travel from Egypt to the Promised Land? (allow responses)
LEADER NOTE: You may want to consider searching for some maps to illustrate where the Israelites were at this time in Biblical history.
They were traveling on foot, and there were a lot of people and animals, so it would have taken a long time to reach the Promised Land from Egypt. But it wouldn’t take 40 years!
Something happened, and they disobeyed God.
The Bible tells us in the Book of Numbers:
(SLIDE) Numbers 13:1-3 NIrV
[The LORD said to Moses, “Send some men to check out the land of Canaan. I am giving it to the Israelites. Send one leader from each of Israel’s tribes.” So Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. He sent them as the LORD had commanded. All of them were leaders of the Israelites.]
SLIDE) Remember, the Twelve Tribes of Israel were all of Jacob’s sons. Jacob’s name was changed to “Israel”, so his sons became the “Twelve Tribes of Israel”. Who remembers who Jacob’s father was? (allow responses)
Jacob’s father was Isaac, and who was Isaac’s father? (Abraham)
God told Moses to send out one man from each of the tribes. Would those men have been Jacob’s sons that are pictured here? (no)
No, the Israelites had been living in Egypt for 400+ years, so Jacob’s sons would have all been passed away at this time.
The 12 men that Moses sent out from each tribe were leaders in those tribes.
So, if Moses was sending these men to check out the land that God had promised to them, what do you know about their location to the land? Were they far away from it or close to it? (close to it)
They were close to it, but they didn’t get to enter into it for another 38 years. At this point, the Israelites had already been living in the wilderness for over a year since they had left Egypt.
Why do you think they had to wait so long to enter into the land? (allow responses)
The Bible tells us exactly why they had to wait.
Moses sent the 12 leaders to check out the land of Canaan. He told them exactly where to go. He told them to see what the land was like, what the people were like, how many people were living there, what the towns were like, what the soil was like. He even told them to bring back some of the fruit of the land.
The 12 leaders stayed in the land of Canaan checking it out for 40 days.
When they came back, they reported to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel:
(SLIDE) Numbers 13:27-29 NIrV
[They said, “We went into the land you sent us to. It really does have plenty of milk and honey! Here’s some fruit from the land. But the people who live there are powerful. Their cities have high walls around them and are very large. We even saw members of the family line of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev Desert. The Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the central hill country. The Canaanites live near the Mediterranean Sea. They also live along the Jordan River.”]
What were the Israelite men afraid of? (allow responses)
They were afraid of the people there. Anak’s family was a family of giants who were living in the land. The men who reported back to the Israelites were afraid that the people living in the land were too strong for them to conquer and take over the land.
But Caleb, one of the 12 leaders who went to check out the land said:
(SLIDE) Numbers 13:30 NIrV
[“We should go up and take the land. We can certainly do it.”]
But the other men said:
LEADER NOTE: The word “giant” has been substituted for the word “Nephilim” to reduce confusion.
(SLIDE) Numbers 13:31-33 NIrV
[“We can’t attack those people. They are stronger than we are.” The men spread a bad report about the land among the Israelites. They said, “The land we checked out destroys those who live in it. All the people we saw there are very big and tall. We saw the (giants) there. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes. And that’s also how we seemed to them”. The family line of Anak came from the (giants).]
These men were telling the Israelite people that they shouldn’t try to take the land that God was giving them. They caused fear among the people and showed that they didn’t believe that God could protect them.
Why do you think Caleb was so confident that the Israelites could take the land from a tribe of giants? (allow responses)
Caleb knew that God was with them!
Caleb and Joshua, who was another one of the 12 men who checked out the land, were both confident that they could take the land from the giants. They spoke to the whole community of Israel and told them:
(SLIDE) Numbers 14:7-9 NIrV
[“We passed through the land and checked it out. It’s very good. If the LORD is pleased with us, he’ll lead us into that land. It’s a land that has plenty of milk and honey. He’ll give it to us. But don’t refuse to obey him. And don’t be afraid of the people of the land. We will swallow them up. The LORD is with us. So nothing can save them. Don’t be afraid of them.”]
Caleb and Joshua knew that God was with them and that God would lead the Israelites into the land He had promised them.
But the other 10 men had put so much fear into the hearts of the Israelites that they rebelled against God and refused to enter the land.
So God told Moses:
(SLIDE) Numbers 14:22-23 NIrV
[“Not one of these people will see the land I promised to give them. They have seen my glory. They have seen the signs I did in Egypt. And they have seen what I did in the desert. But they did not obey me. And they have tested me ten times. So not even one of them will ever see the land I promised to give to their people of long ago. The person who has not respected me will never see it.”]
God was saying that the people who have chosen to disobey Him and not go into the Promised Land will be punished by never getting to enter the land. They will live the rest of their lives, and then die in the desert.
So, God told Moses and Aaron to lead the Israelites back toward the desert. Then God told them to tell the people:
(SLIDE) Numbers 14:29-34 NIrV (paraphrased)
[“You will die in this desert. Every one of you 20 years old or more will die…Every one of you who has spoken out against me will be wiped out. I lifted up my hand and promised to make this land your home. But now not all of you will enter the land. Caleb will enter it. So will Joshua. They are the only ones who will enter the land…Your children will be shepherds here for 40 years. They will suffer because you were not faithful…For 40 years you will suffer for your sins. That is one year for each of the 40 days you checked out the land…”]
Does this mean that God broke His promise to give the Israelites the land? (allow responses)
God always keeps His promises. He still gave the land to the Israelites as a nation after this generation of people died in the desert.
The Israelites lived in the wilderness for a total of 40 years after they were led out of Egypt.
God was still with them and He took care of them, but He did not allow any of the people who were 20 years old or more to enter into the Promised Land except for Caleb and Joshua. All of those people died in the desert as God said they would.
The Israelites should have trusted that God could and would lead them into the Promised Land.
(SLIDE) We also must trust God to lead us. (Big Idea)
We are not being led into a new land, but we do have challenges that we face and times of trouble. Through everything in our lives, both good and bad, God must be in charge of our decisions and the path that we choose to take.
Sin separates us from God, but when we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, we can have a relationship with God. We can talk to God anytime we want to. We can ask Him for guidance in the decisions that we make, and we can trust God to lead us.
Dear God,
Thank You for the true story of the Israelites in the wilderness, and the lesson that we can learn about trusting You to lead us. Thank You that You made a way for us to have a relationship with You through Jesus. We thank You that Jesus lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose back to life so that we can have eternal life with You someday. Please help us to trust You and help us to be bold enough to ask questions when we don’t understand.
We love you and we pray all of these things in Jesus’ sweet name, Amen.
LARGE GROUP ACTIVITY
(SLIDE) We are going to connect today’s story from The Book of Numbers in The Old Testament of The Bible to a passage in The Book of Hebrews in The New Testament of The Bible.
Choose a partner or a small group to work with.
You should plan to place all non-readers with an adult leader for this activity.
Each group will need a Bible (or a print out of the passage).
Each person will need a reflection paper and a pencil.
If your church has enough Bibles for each student to have their own that is even better, OR you can print enough passages for each student to have their own.
HANDOUT: Bibles/passage printouts, “Hebrews 3:7-19 Reflection” papers, and pencils to each group/student.
Allow students to spread out around the classroom, look up the passage, read it, and discuss using their reflection papers as a guide.
Today’s small group activity is a discussion of the Truths learned through this reflection.
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY
Today’s small group activity is a discussion of the Truths learned through the reflection of the passage in Hebrews 3:7-19.
BREAK INTO SMALL GROUPS TO COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY.
Hebrews 3:7-19 Reflection Discussion Prompts for Leaders:
- You may want to begin by allowing students to share the reflections that they wrote on their paper and discussed with their peers.
- Who is The Holy Spirit? (The Third Person of The Trinity – Jesus sends The Holy Spirit to live inside of people who believe in Him to comfort and guide them)
- The Holy Spirit is speaking to this Hebrew (Jewish) audience through The New Testament human author (probably Paul), warning them about their unbelief in the early church times.
- They are being warned not to be stubborn and refuse to listen to God’s voice like their ancestors in the wilderness did so many years before.
- The people wandered in the desert wilderness for 40 years and were tested by God during that time.
- Psalm 95:7-11 is quoted in Hebrews 3:8-11.
- Hebrews 3:11 reminds the people that when God was angry with the Israelites in the wilderness, he did not allow them to enter into the Promised Land to enjoy the “rest” and peace that would come with living securely in the land they could call their home.
- Any believer in Jesus is an audience of the Truths in this passage. The Israelites in the wilderness made God angry because they did not obey Him. He does not want us to do the same things they did.
- The passage teaches believers in Jesus to not have a sinful heart, to not turn away from God, and to build each other up.
- For people who believe in Jesus, He gives “rest” and peace through salvation like He promised the Israelites “rest” in a new land.
- Believers never have to worry about having to work toward perfection to be able to have a relationship with God.
- When we believe in and accept Jesus as our Savior, He takes away the sin that separates us from God.
- It is true “rest” to know that we are in a relationship with God.
- Does anyone have any questions about this passage?
You may use these prompts to discuss the lesson after you have discussed the Hebrews 3:7-19 reflection.
Discussion Prompts for Leaders:
- How long did the Israelites spend in the wilderness? (40 years)
- What was the cloud a sign for? (God’s presence filling the tent)
- How did the Israelites know when God wanted them to move their camp? (the cloud would lift from the holy tent)
- What happened to the cloud at night? (it would become fire)
- How did the Israelites know when God wanted them to stop and set up a new camp? (the cloud would settle)
- Why was God leading the Israelites toward the Promised Land? (He had made a promise to Abraham that Abraham’s family would be blessed and would be given a new land)
- Why did God not allow some of the Israelites to enter into the Promised Land? (they did not trust God to lead them into the land safely)
- Why were the people afraid to try to take the land? (10 of the leaders reported that there were giants in the land – they spread fear among the rest of the Israelites)
- What were the names of the two men who wanted to take the land? (Caleb and Joshua)
- Why did God choose “40” as the number of years that the Israelites would wander in the wilderness? (the people wandered in the wilderness 1 year for every day the 12 leaders spent checking out the land)
- What do we learn from the story of the Israelites in the wilderness? (that we should trust God to lead us)
- Why do we need Jesus to be able to have a relationship with God? (sin separates us from God – Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins – when we accept Jesus as our Savior we can have a relationship with God)
- What challenge(s) have you faced and you know God led you in the way you were supposed to go?
- Does anyone have any questions about today’s lesson?
- Use any extra time to discuss the lesson and/or the memory verse.
CLOSING REFLECTION
We learned that the Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness after being led out of Egypt. Many of them died and were not allowed into the Promised Land because of their disobedience to God. The people did not trust that God could and would lead them safely into the land and allow them to defeat the giants in the land, so God punished them by not allowing that generation of people to enter into the land. We are not being led into a new land, but we do have challenges that we face and times of trouble. Through everything in our lives, both good and bad, God must be in charge of our decisions and the path that we choose to take. Sin separates us from God, but when we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, we can have a relationship with God. We can talk to God anytime we want to. We can ask Him for guidance in the decisions that we make, and we can trust God to lead us.
Reflection Questions:
- What do we learn from the story of the Israelites in the wilderness? (that we should trust God to lead us)
- Why do we need Jesus to be able to have a relationship with God? (sin separates us from God – Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins – when we accept Jesus as our Savior we can have a relationship with God)
- Does anyone have any questions about today’s lesson?
Find other free Bible lessons for kids:
