David keeps his promises
key words
biblical reference
2 Samuel 9
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 enable children to learn that they should keep their promises to God, as David did.
prepare yourself to teach
In spite of the conflicts with King Saul and his descendants, King David never forgot the promise of friendship that he shared with Jonathan, even though Jonathan had already died.
King David was searching for someone in the royal family to whom he could favor, and thus fulfill the promise he had made with his friend Jonathan. Ziba, a man who had been a servant in the house of Saul, told David that Jonathan still had a living son named Mephibosheth who had lame feet.
Mephibosheth was five years old when his father died (2 Samuel 4:4). When his nurse heard that Jonathan had died, she took the child and fled to keep him safe; but because she was in such a hurry, she dropped the child and he had lame feet from then on. When Mephibosheth learned that the king was looking for him, he feared for his life. In those times, new kings generally assured their ascendancy to the throne by killing all descendants of the previous king. It was not simple for David to take the throne of Israel, as he was confronted by Ish-bosheth, one of Jonathan’s younger brothers (2 Samuel 1-4).
Nevertheless, King David fulfilled the promise he had made to Jonathan and mercifully gave Mephibosheth all of the land that had belonged to his grandfather Saul.
David not only gave Mephibosheth all of his family’s land, but invited him to be a part of his own family, asking him to eat at his table “like one of the king’s sons.”
adaptation
In our society, promises are easily broken. Political leaders, television characters, and even members of our own families do not fulfill their promises. Maybe this is not a relevant theme for many people. Actually, many of our children, or we ourselves, have been confronted with a broken promise.
But promises were not meant to be broken, because to do so has consequences: we can lose the trust of others, as well as our integrity.
The children of God make promises as well. The difference is that when we fulfill them, we are obeying his laws. Fulfilling our word implies compassion and integrity. Help your children see David as an example of integrity in fulfilling his promise.
introduce the lesson
Ask your children if they remember the promise you made them last week. Express how important it is for people to keep their promises.
Hand out the small gifts you have brought and ask how they would have felt if you had broken your promise.
Based on their responses, talk about the importance of doing what we promise. Today’s story tells us of an important promise that David made to Jonathan, one he kept even when Jonathan was dead.
teach the lesson
Prior to the session carefully read 2 Samuel 9. Be prepared to tell the story in your own words.
Remind your children of the lesson they learned about David and Jonathan’s friendship. Emphasize the promise they made before they parted.
As you tell the story, allow your children to share their experiences concerning the topic and use them as examples.
As a visual aid, you can use figures to represent David and Mephibosheth, or make the booklet found on Student Activity Sheet #145-A and #145-B ahead of time to illustrate the story.
connect the lesson
The promise of a friend
You will need to print Student Activity Sheet #145-A and #145-B back to back, making sure the pictures are aligned. You will also need scissors and a stapler or glue.
Help the children to cut out, fold, and put together the booklet, “The Promise of a Friend” as the instructions in the book indicate. Before stapling or gluing the book, make sure that the pages are in the correct order.
After you have finished, ask the following questions:
What was your favorite part of today’s story?
What do you think God wants us to learn through this story? (Listen to their responses and lead the discussion.)
To conclude the activity, allow children to write their name on their booklets and take them home so they can tell others the story of David and Mephibosheth.
review game
Ask the following questions to review this unit is lessons about David. Divide your class into two groups. Each group should choose a captain who will share their answers on behalf of the group. Each correct answer will be worth five points. If a group does not know the answer, the other group will have a chance to answer the question to earn points.
1. What was David’s job when he lived in Bethlehem?
2. What was the name of the servant of God who anointed David as king?
3. Who did David confront with his slingshot and five stones?
4. How did King Saul feel about David?
5. What was the name of David’s best friend, and who was his dad?
6. Where did David and his men hide?
7. When King Saul entered the cave, what did David’s men want to do to him?
8. What did David do instead of killing Saul?
9. What was the name of Jonathan’s son, who David helped?
10. Repeat this unit is memory verse.
practice the memory verse
Since this is the last class of the unit, prepare some prizes for those children who have learned the memory verse. You can give them crowns or paper hearts with the verse written on them. Allow time for all who wish to recite the verse to do so and to share with the class what they have learned.
wrap-up
Pray
Before dismissing the group, pray with them.
Encourage
Encourage the children to place their trust in God and to obey his Word.
Invite
Tell the group that this is the last lesson in this unit, and invite them to the next session to begin the new unit of lessons. Tell them their friends are also welcome. Briefly review the lessons from this unit and leave some time for them to share which stories impacted them the most. Emphasize the importance of following David’s example in their daily life. Like them, David was young when God chose him to be the king of his people. Nevertheless, this simple shepherd became a powerful and respectable king. They too can do great things in the hands of God.
* 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.™