THEME: Moses & the Snakes In the Desert
PROMPTS: Military, medical, or EMS clothing and or patches of the "Staff of Life," medical emblem. May have a plastic or toy snake if age appropriate. BIBLE VERSE: "And Moses made a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived." |
PRESENTATION:
How many of you have been to a doctors office or watched EMS workers with an ambulance and they were wearing a blue emblem with a snake around a rod?
Have you ever wondered why a doctor or a nurse or an ambulance worker would have a sign or emblem of a snake?
How many of you have been to a doctors office or watched EMS workers with an ambulance and they were wearing a blue emblem with a snake around a rod?
Have you ever wondered why a doctor or a nurse or an ambulance worker would have a sign or emblem of a snake?
It is kind of strange, what does a snake have to do with healing someone or making a sick person better? Well so we can figure this all out, let us go way back into Bible times, back to the time when a prophet named Moses was alive. Now Moses was leading the Israelites away from Egypt where they had been held as slaves. This large group of people were going across the desert and things were kind of rough for everyone.
Instead of being thankful to God for freeing them from slavery, they were grumbling and complaining about not enough water and food. "Why have you brought us to die in the wilderness? for there is no food or water." Finally all this complaining angered God.
God sent fiery serpents (snakes) that attacked the Israelites and many died. The Isralites then went to the prophet Moses with an appeal to God and repenting for their sins and asking for forgiveness. Moses prayed and God spoke to Moses telling him to make a bronze serpent or snake and set it on a pole. God told Moses that anyone who was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake on the pole would be healed and saved.
Instead of being thankful to God for freeing them from slavery, they were grumbling and complaining about not enough water and food. "Why have you brought us to die in the wilderness? for there is no food or water." Finally all this complaining angered God.
God sent fiery serpents (snakes) that attacked the Israelites and many died. The Isralites then went to the prophet Moses with an appeal to God and repenting for their sins and asking for forgiveness. Moses prayed and God spoke to Moses telling him to make a bronze serpent or snake and set it on a pole. God told Moses that anyone who was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake on the pole would be healed and saved.
So some people believe that doctors and medical people decided to use the bronze snake on a pole just like what Moses had as a symbol for healing people as a symbol of healing today.
It is also important to remember that God wanted the Israelites to have faith that he would take care of them when things were hard. Imagine, if you got bitten by a snake whould you have enough faith to look at a bronze snake on a pole and know you would be saved? So I want you all to remember this special emblem of a snake around a pole the next time you see an ambulance or are at a doctors office and remember, "God provides healing to us, with a little help from our doctors." |