Moses part 10 of 15

Exodus 15 to 16

re-told by Debbie Dunn

Story Highlights:

* God’s character all good but humans have good & bad traits

* God gave Moses an easy fix for bitter desert pond so Israelites could safely drink

* God provided Moses and Israelites with manna all 40 years

Bible role-play begins:

Narrator #1: A list of good character traits could include being patient, respectful, kind, and having good manners.

Narrator #2: But sometimes, good people mess up. They might be disrespectful, yell, hit, gossip, bully, or be mean in some manner.

Narrator #1: Thank goodness that God only demonstrates good character traits!

Narrator #2: Let's learn more about God's character as we act out this skit about Moses. We will have a CHANT LEADER give us words to repeat about God.

Narrator #1: Right after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, the people might have said:

CHANT LEADER: God is good!

(Group Repeats)

God is our protector!

(Group Repeats)

Narrator #2: Then, they walked through the desert for 3 days. It was hot. They were tired. They were really thirsty.

Narrator #1: Oh, joy! They looked ahead and saw a pool of water. They were so excited and relieved.

Narrator #2: One of the ringleaders, a loud, noisy troublemaker, ran ahead, reached out his hands, cupped some water, and gulped it down.

RINGLEADER: Yuk! Spit! Gag! Cough! This water is bitter! Moses, you'd better give us something safe to drink, and do it fast!

MOSES: Dear God, I am grateful you will listen to my prayer. I know that you are good! I know that you are our protector. Just like You parted the Red Sea, I know You can create a way for us to satisfy our thirst. Please tell me what you wish me to do! Amen!

Father God: Take that log you see over there and throw it into the water. Wait a few seconds for the water to clear. After that, the water will sweeten up and be safe to drink.

Narrator #1: Sure enough, the water became sweet and pure. All the thousands of people drank. They also gave this water to their herds and livestock.

Narrator #2: The CHANT LEADER will give us some additional words to repeat about God.

CHANT LEADER: God is creative!

(Group Repeats)

God is good!

(Group Repeats)

God is our protector!

(Group Repeats)

Narrator #1: Moses' big brother, named Aaron, joyfully said these words.

AARON: That is right! Just like God created the earth in 6 days, He also created a way to make bitter water become sweet. Our Creator God is endlessly creative.

Narrator #2: By day, the pillar of clouds led them. By night, the pillar of fire directed their path.

Narrator #1: One day, God led them to a lovely oasis filled with 12 springs of clean water and 70 palm trees.

Narrator #2: But now, there was a new problem to be solved. The people were hungry. Not only that, many of them were hangry.

Narrator #1: In other words, they craved food in a grouchy, grumbly kind of way. The Ringleader said words that some of them repeated.

RINGLEADER: We are hungry!

(Group Repeats)

We need food!

(Group Repeats)

Don’t let us starve to death?!!

(Group Repeats)

MOSES: Dear God, please heed my prayer. God, you have shown us over and over how good you are! You have protected us. You created a way for us to cross the Red Sea on dry land. You created a way for us to drink that water. Please show the people that You are our provider of food, as well! Amen!

Father God: Look! I am going to rain down food from Heaven for each of you. Each day, people should go out and gather enough food for themselves and their families. The only day you should gather enough food for 2 days is the day before the Sabbath. For as I have told you, no one should work on the Sabbath day. That is the day for all of you to rest.

Narrator #2: The next morning, God covered the ground with dew that was actually a sweet-tasting bread. They named it Manna, which means, "What is it?"

Narrator #1: The people happily gathered enough Manna for their families.

Narrator #2: The Ringleader and his pals disobeyed God by gathering extra Manna because they did not trust God's promise to provide this food daily.

Narrator #1: The next morning, the people either giggled, shook their heads in shocked surprise, or sighed when they heard the Ringleader loudly complain.

RINGLEADER: Yuk! That extra Manna stinks!

(Group Repeats)

It is covered with Maggot-bugs! Ew!

(Group Repeats)