David trusts in God
key words
biblical reference
1 Samuel 17
memory verse
“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7b, NIV*).
lesson objective
To teach children that God is powerful and he is the only one we should fully trust.
prepare yourself to teach
This chapter (1 Samuel 17) references a type of war that sometimes occurred in biblical times. Despite the fact that armies were preparing to fight each other, each one chose an opponent for a duel that would determine victory for their people. The army of the winning competitor also won the battle, eliminating the need to fight each other.
When this happened, the Philistines had a very strong giant named Goliath as a warrior. He threatened and provoked Israel, daring them to send a warrior to confront him.
In ancestral cultures, for the most part, the king was the strongest. Popular leaders almost always became kings for the simple reason that they succeeded on the battlefield, or because they won a duel that led them to victory and freed them from a bloody battle.
King Saul was very important to Israel, as he was the tallest man in the country; many expected him to fight Goliath in Israel’s name. But instead of accepting the challenge and fighting the giant, he offered his daughter, riches, and the cancellation of taxes to whoever would fight Goliath.
Many were tempted by this offer, but none was brave enough to face the giant as it would mean a certain death.
David had gone to the battlefield to complete a task his father had assigned him: to feed his brothers and make sure they were safe. While he was there, he heard that Goliath was challenging God’s people and decided to confront him. Until then, no one had accepted the king’s offer and David was the first to accept this challenge.
Saul met with David and, surprised by his weak appearance, rejected the possibility of sending him into battle, because if he lost, all of Israel would become slaves to the Philistines. But David, anointed by the power of God, convinced Saul, who finally accepted his offer.
Although the king offered his sword and royal armor, David was not prepared with any weaponry. His weapons were very simple in the eyes of the army: he had his faith and trust in God, his slingshot, and five smooth stones. Of all of them, his most powerful weapon was that all of his hope was in God, which he learned as a child. This is apparent in what he said to Saul, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (v. 37).
Young David was very aware that the battle was not his, but God’s, as Goliath had not only challenged Israel, but God himself, and he would be the one in charge of defending his people.
adaptation
In this stage of development, children are faced with problems that we, as teachers, often ignore.
Depending on their social, familial, and economic status, their conflicts may vary, and are frequently generated by adults or different circumstances that they cannot control, such as divorce, separations, lack of protection and care, abuse, mistreatment, etc. These problems are usually the cause of psychological, emotional, and physical limitations which reveal themselves in shyness, attention deficits, rejection of expressions of love, fear of the dark, etc.
Maybe not all of your children face problems such as these, but they may have some minor circumstances that can affect their healthy development.
It is important that you as a teacher understand the personality and demeanor of each of your children to better meet their needs - spiritual, emotional, and even physical.
Through these lessons, children can strengthen their trust in God to find possible solutions to their problems. The conflicts in which they are involved can be too great for their level of comprehension. It is your task to guide them to focus on placing their faith and trust in God, knowing that He is the great one that all of their problems must face.
introduce the lesson
Welcome your children and tell them to prepare to hear the story of a young boy who fought a giant. Ask them to imagine the size of a giant.
To help children understand Goliath’s size, obtain a measuring stick or tape, three pieces of paper, tape, and markers.
With the help of measuring tape, measure 2.74 meters on the wall, and attach a piece of paper to the top that reads: “Goliath was this tall.” If you wish, consider allowing children to lay down on the floor in a line and see how many of them fit within 2.74 meters. Then, measure an adult from your congregation and attach a piece of paper that says: “Many adults grow to be this tall.”
Compare with your group Goliath’s height to that of a normal person, and explain to them that the giant wore armor weighing more than 125 pounds (57 kg), which is about the weight of two small children. On the third piece of paper write: “Goliath’s armor weighed about two of you combined.” Place this piece of paper near where Goliath’s chest would be.
When they finish the activity, seat your children and ask them how they would feel if a person of Goliath’s size and strength were to fight them. Allow children to give their answers and tell them, “Today we will discover what gave David the courage to fight this dangerous giant.”
teach the lesson
Prior to the session carefully study 1 Samuel 17 so you can say the story in your own words. Give your children Student Activity Sheet #142-A entitled “David trusts in God” that corresponds to this lesson, and ask them, “If you were to compare David’s physical appearance with Goliath’s, what would you say? (David was smaller, thinner, weaker, etc.) Based on physical appearance alone, who do you think would win the battle?” (Goliath)
Now they should pay close attention to the story to discover who won the battle and why.
Allow the children to discuss what made David strong.
connect the lesson
Strength
Provide colored pencils to your children and tell them to write on the top half of Student Activity Sheet #142-B what makes Goliath strong and what makes David strong. If you wish, you can review the Bible story as your children work to reinforce learning and address questions or doubts. (If you make copies, let them color the picture.)
God is bigger
When they finish their descriptions of David and Goliath, your children should continue with the next activity at the bottom of Student Activity Sheet #142-B. They will need pencils and crayons.
Read together the affirmation that says “God is bigger than any person or problem.” Then ask your children to write their names on the line. If time and space allow, they can also decorate the paper and draw something that shows them how to trust in God.
practice the memory verse
Write the words of the memory verse on different note cards and hide them in the classroom. Tell the children to look for them and as they find them, they will need to put the words of the verse in order and repeat it together out loud. Reward them with time to play their favorite game.
wrap-up
Pray
Ask for their prayer requests. Then pray with them before dismissing them.
Encourage
During this class, children learned that God does not care about the size or appearance of people. Encourage them to feel safe and loved by the Lord and to trust in his loving protection.
Invite
Remind the children about the next session and encourage them to attend. Challenge them to invite friends.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™