The Bronze Snake
Numbers 21:4-9 Old Testament PrincipleFaith
On the way through the desert, God's people grumbled against God and Moses. Snakes came into the camp, and many people were bitten. When the people said, "We have sinned," God told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. Anyone who looked at it lived. Jesus said He would be lifted up like that snake, so that everyone who believes in Him has life.
Faith means looking to what God has given to save us, not to ourselves. God gave the bronze snake for anyone who would look, and He gave Jesus, lifted up on the cross, for everyone who believes.
- CreationGod made it
- FallWe broke it
- RedemptionJesus fixes it (this lesson)
- RestorationJesus makes it new
Memory verse
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.”
John 3:14-15 BSB
Christ Connection · Picture
Jesus Himself said, "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up" (John 3:14). The bitten Israelites couldn't heal themselves; they could only look to what God provided. We can't save ourselves from sin either. Everyone who looks to Jesus, lifted up on the cross, in faith has eternal life.
John 3:14-15; John 12:32; 2 Corinthians 5:21
The Big Story · Redemption
Sin brings death, and we can't heal ourselves. God promised a rescue, and the bronze snake was a picture of it. Jesus was lifted up on the cross so that everyone who believes in Him has eternal life.
Teacher Guide
This version includes:
- Background and context for the passage
- Hidden in Plain Sight: the detail most people miss
- The Christ Connection: how this story points to Jesus
- A 45-minute class plan and prep checklist
- A map of where it happened
- Object lesson: Eyes up!
- Ellie’s Lab (science experiment): Make it shine
- A skit to act out the story
- Review game: Look and live
- Pronunciation help, tips for every age, song ideas and a note for parents
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
Preschool (ages 3–5)
Look to God and live!
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 4-minute Bible story written for this age
- 3 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Look up!, Color the snake on the pole
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: at home, with friends
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
Free preview · Kindergarten – 2nd grade
God's people grumbled in the desert, and snakes came into the camp. When the people said, "We have sinned," God told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. Anyone who looked at it lived. Jesus said He would be lifted up like that, so everyone who believes in Him can live.
Memory verse
“So the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.”
Adapted from John 3:14-15
Start here
Ask, "If you got hurt, what would you do to get better?" (Go to a doctor, get a bandage, take medicine.) Say, "Today God's people got very sick. God's cure was really surprising!"
Bible story 6 min
God's people were on a long walk in the desert. They had to go the long way around. They got hot and tired.
The people grumbled. "Why did you bring us out here? There is no water! We hate this food!" But God gave them bread from heaven every day.
Then snakes came into the camp. The snakes bit people. Many people got very, very sick.
The rest of the story, discussion questions, songs, Live It and prayer are for members.
Try an activity
Act it out 10 min
You’ll need: A yardstick or broom handle, Brown or gold pipe cleaners
- Choose Moses and two grumblers. Everyone else is the people.
- Act out the skit.
- Switch so more kids get a turn.
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
3rd – 4th grade
Near the end of the forty years in the wilderness, God's people grumbled against God and Moses and called His bread "miserable food." God sent snakes, and many died. When the people confessed their sin, God didn't take the snakes away. He told Moses to lift up a bronze snake on a pole, and everyone who looked at it lived. Jesus said this was a picture of Him on the cross.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 8-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 5 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Snake and cross, Look and live
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: at home, at school, with friends
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
5th – 6th grade
Israel grumbled against God and despised His manna, and God sent fiery serpents. When the people confessed, God didn't remove the serpents. He provided a bronze serpent on a pole, and anyone who looked at it lived. Jesus said this was a picture of His cross. Like the bitten Israelites, we can't heal ourselves from sin. We look to Jesus in faith, and we live.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 10-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 6 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Lifted up, From grumbling to thanks
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: at school, with friends, online and on screens
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
More lessons on Faith
The same principle in other Bible stories.
In the BeginningThe PassoverExodus 11:1-12:42God protected every home marked by the lamb's blood, and Jesus is our Passover Lamb whose death keeps us safe.Old TestamentFaith
The Twelve SpiesNumbers 13:1–14:38Moses sent twelve spies into the land God promised. They all saw the same good land and the same giants. Ten spies said, "We can't!" Joshua and Caleb said, "The LORD is with us!" The people listened to fear instead of God. Faith means trusting what God says more than what we see.Old TestamentFaith
Nicodemus Comes to Jesus at NightJohn 3:1-21; John 7:45-52; John 19:38-42Nicodemus was an important teacher of God's law. He came to talk with Jesus at night. Jesus told him that to see God's kingdom, a person must be born again, given a brand-new life by God's Spirit. Then Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." Later, Nicodemus stood up for Jesus and helped bury Him. Faith in Jesus brings new life.New TestamentFaith
God Opened Her Heart: Lydia BelievesActs 16:6-15God gave Paul a vision of a man from Macedonia begging, "Come over and help us!" So Paul and his friends sailed across the sea to the city of Philippi. On the Sabbath, they went to the river outside the city to find a place of prayer. There they met some women, and one was Lydia, a businesswoman who sold expensive purple cloth. As Paul talked about Jesus, the Lord opened Lydia's heart, and she believed. She and her household were baptized, and she opened her home to Paul's team. Faith in Jesus is a gift from God.New TestamentFaith
Rahab and the SpiesJoshua 2:1-24; Joshua 6:22-25; Hebrews 11:31Rahab lived in Jericho, a city that didn't follow God. But she heard what the LORD had done and believed He was the true God. She hid two of Israel's spies, and God saved her and her whole family. God welcomes anyone who trusts Him.Old TestamentFaith
Thomas BelievesJohn 20:19-31Jesus rose from the dead and visited His disciples, but Thomas wasn't there. Thomas said, "Unless I see the nail marks, I will never believe." A week later Jesus came back and showed Thomas His hands. Thomas said, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus is truly alive, and we can believe in Him even though we haven't seen Him.New TestamentFaith