“Unhappy Campers”
Click below to download the Cornerstone Connections leader’s guide and student lesson. This week’s resources also include two lesson plans and a discussion starter video which offer different ways of looking at the topic. Each lesson plan includes opening activities, scripture passages, discussion questions, and real-life applications.
Beginning of the End (Patriarchs and Prophets), ch. 26
Israel Meets With Difficulties
The Israelites, like modern-day Christians, complained of discontent and boredom even in the face of supernatural outpourings of God’s grace.
SCRIPTURE PASSAGES
OVERVIEW
A few years ago, a family went into the wilderness on horseback to go camping for a week. Unfortunately, the adults in the group forgot to bring a convenient way to purify water. During the week in the mountains, they boiled water to drink and had a good supply, but when they started to pack up to leave for the trailhead, they realized that they had no way to carry water and the day was hot. After traveling for several hours without water, the family arrived at their truck where they discovered the only drink available was a hot soda. Carefully, each family took one small sip before it was all gone. The regret was almost instant. Hot soda isn’t a good thirst quencher. There was lots of complaining while the horse trailer was loaded and during the two-hour trip to the nearest store to buy water, but when cool water was finally provided—complaining turned to joy.
Our lesson this week is like the above story with the main difference being it affected hundreds of thousands of people. How would you feel to be in the desert with no water or prospect of finding water? You would probably complain too! Let’s check out the story and find out the real reason for the complaining.
OPENING ACTIVITY:
WATER BOTTLE RELAY
SUPPLIES NEEDED: 1 small bottle of water for each team of six.
INSTRUCTIONS
DISCUSSION
TRANSITION
Water covers most of the earth, but that doesn’t mean that everyone has access to clean drinking water. Currently, the states of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and California are having a water crisis. Even with all the rain California has had, their long-term forecast doesn’t look exceptional because some of the rivers and lakes they rely on aren’t receiving enough rain and snow to fill them. Water has always been a touchy subject, so it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that the Israelites were having water problems in the middle of a desert. However, they had one big advantage. Let’s check out what advantage they had.
BIBLE STUDY GUIDE
Read Exodus 15:22-27.
22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
25 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.
There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. 26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.
DISCUSSION
Read Exodus 16:1-3.
1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”
Read Exodus 16:9-16.
9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’ ”
10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.
11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”
13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’ ”
DISCUSSION
Read Exodus 16:31.
31 The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’ ”
DISCUSSION
Read Exodus 17:1-7.
1 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”
Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”
3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the place Massah s and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
DISCUSSION
Check out the following article about Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development: https://www.britannica.com/science/Lawrence-Kohlbergs-stages-of-moral-development
Some suggest that this is why the people of Israel acted the way they did in the desert because of the stage of moral development due to their many years of slavery. Little children act differently than their slightly older siblings and adults act differently (one would hope) than little children. Moral development provides one plausible explanation to some of the way the children of Israel behaved during their wanderings in the desert.
APPLICATION
It’s easy to look back at a group of people and analyze their actions and make determinations about them, but what if someone was looking at your life? How similar are your actions to those the God’s people who wandered in the desert. Are you any different? All of us have baggage and issues, but how we related and react to those issues has a direct correlation to how we relate to God. This lesson is a great reminder that God is our Protector, Redeemer, and Savior. Next time a problem crops up in your life remember that God’s got it and has a plan to help you flourish and thrive in spite of it.
FOLLOW UP
SCRIPTURE PASSAGE
LEADER’S NOTE
For a Relational Bible Study (RBS) you’ll want to get into the Scripture passage and encourage the youth to imagine participating in the story while it’s happening. Then you will be able to better apply it to your own situation today.
You will need to ask God for the Holy Spirit to be present as your small group discusses the questions (no more than 3-6 people in a group is recommended). Start with the opening question. It is a personal question and the answer is unique for each individual. There is no right answer and nobody is an expert here, so don’t be surprised when you hear different responses. You are depending on the Holy Spirit to be present and to speak through your group. Say what God prompts you to say, and listen to what others share.
Take turns reading the chapter out loud. Follow that with giving the students some time to individually mark their responses to the questions (a PDF version of the handout is available as a download). This gives each person a starting point for responding when you start to share as a group. Next, begin the discussion by asking the students to share what they marked and why on each question as you work your way through. Feel free to take more time on some questions than others as discussion warrants.
Encourage each person in the group to apply what is discussed to their personal lives and to share with the group what they believe God wants them to do. Then ask them to pray that God will help each of them to follow through in doing so. Remind them to expect that God will show them ways to live out the message of this passage in the coming week, and that they are free to ask others in the group to help hold them accountable.
OVERVIEW
You wake up. It’s is finally here. This is the day you’ve been waiting for all year long; but much to your surprise you greet it with a fever. Whether it’s Covid, the chicken pox, or the swine flu, you’re not going anywhere any time soon. Looks like today’s festivities will be going on without you. You want to yell, but the truth is, you’re simply too weak to do so.
You might be asking yourself, “What happened to the promise given by God in Exodus 15:26 where He said, “I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you”? Last time I checked, Covid and chicken pox were definitely diseases.
If you find yourself complaining when things don’t seem to be going your way, you have something in common with the children of Israel after they crossed the Red Sea. Perhaps you should take a closer look at Exodus 15, more specifically verses 9-13 and 19-27. In so doing, you might be amazed at what you find!
You Tried It. But Not Today, Buddy!
Name two things that make you feel better when you are sick.
Read Exodus 15:9-13.
9 The enemy boasted, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.’ 10 But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. 11 Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?
12 “You stretch out your right hand, and the earth swallows your enemies. 13 In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.
Read Exodus 15:19-27.
19 When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. 20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. 21 Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.”
The Waters of Marah and Elim
22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
25 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.
There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. 26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.
1. Why did the children of Israel complain so quickly?
2. Like the children of Israel, when things don’t go as planned, I…
3. If you were part of the Israelite group, what role would you have played?
4. Why do you think God gave the children of Israel this test?
5. What does it take to develop trust in God?
6. When you’re having a bad day, how do you encourage yourself?
7. Have you ever blamed God when things did not go as expected?
8. Knowing yourself, if you were in God’s shoes and the children of Israel had complained against you, how might you have reacted?
SUMMARY
As you focused your attention on Exodus 15:9-13 and Exodus 15:19-27 you discovered that although the people of God were met with challenges and attacks, God had the final say. At the end of the day, He has the power to conquer and deliver. At the end of the day, He has the power to provide.
Being Christian does not make you are immune to the challenges that life brings your way. Following God does not mean that Covid, chicken pox, broken bones, hunger, and thirst won’t make their way to your front door. What following God does provide is the promise found in the latter part of Exodus 15:26, “I am the Lord who heals you.”
Trouble may find you, but God can defeat your problems. Sickness my stand in your path, but God knows how to take care of that as well. Nothing is too complicated that God cannot handle. The next time you find yourself facing insurmountable odds, be it sickness, attack, or lack, revisit Exodus 15 to remind yourself of the God you serve, then boldly proclaim to the enemy, “You tried it! But not today, buddy!”
APPLICATION
ENTER THE WILDERNESS OF SURE.
In this week’s story we saw how God made provision for the children of Israel, even in the midst of their complaining.
YOU JUST GOT SERVED.
GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART.
Thank you is always in order when someone does something nice for you, especially when they did not have to do it.
BITTER WATERS MADE SWEET.
Throw yourself into the story to get an idea of what the children of Israel must have felt.
