Moses Gets Water From a Rock

How many of you have ever played the game Rock, Paper, Scissors? Here’s how to play Rock, Paper, Scissors. Follow along. Demonstrate the motions as you explain. 

Players all hold one hand out as a platform and hit it with their other fist while saying, “Rock, Paper, Scissors…go!” On the fourth hit and the word “go,” players form either a rock, paper, or scissors. Demonstrate each item as you say the words. 

This is how you know who wins: rock smashes scissors, paper covers a rock, and scissors cut paper.

Let's play! You can all play against me and you can keep track of how many times you win. Ready? One, two, three, go. For the first round, choose a rock. 

I made a rock. If you made paper, you win. If you made scissors, I win. If you made a rock, we tied. Play several rounds.

The great thing about Rock, Paper, Scissors is that you can be a winner no matter what you choose from game to game. Today, I have a real rock, paper, and scissors with me. These items are all useful in their own way. Hold up each item as you talk about it. If you wanted to write a letter, a rock or scissors wouldn't be much help, but a piece of paper would be, wouldn't it? If you wanted to cut a piece of paper, a rock or paper wouldn't help, but a pair of scissors would. If you were really thirsty and needed a drink of water, a piece of paper or a pair of scissors wouldn't be much help, but a rock might be exactly what you need.

Wait—what?

Some of you are looking at me like I'm crazy! Don't you think a rock would be helpful if you needed a drink of water? Let’s vote. Have kids raise their hand if they think a rock would help or not if a person needed water.

Well, in our Bible lesson today, that’s exactly what happened: A rock helped when people were thirsty. 

What’s it like when you feel very, very thirsty? Let a few kids respond. Being thirsty is uncomfortable. It can give you a headache and make you dizzy. In fact, the human body has to have water every day, multiple times a day to stay alive. 

Moses had led the Israelites out of slavery into the desert. The Israelites were more and more thirsty, the situation was getting very serious, and they complained to Moses. So Moses went to his tent and fell on his knees before God.

God answered and Moses did exactly what God told him to do. After he struck the rock, water began rushing from it—enough to quench the thirst of all the people and all their animals!

We can learn a lot from Moses. When you and I face an impossible situation, we can go to God and ask for His help. God can do impossible things. 

Dear God, when we face impossible situations, help us remember Moses and know that we serve a God who can get water from a rock. In Jesus’ name, amen.