Lesson 3: David faces opposition.
Passage: 1 Samuel 18 - After defeating Goliath, David becomes close friends with Jonathan, King Saul’s son. Jonathan makes a covenant with David and gives him his robe and weapons as a sign of loyalty. David gains popularity with the people and continued success in battle, which makes Saul increasingly jealous and fearful. In his envy, Sault attempts to kill David by sending him on dangerous military assignments and offering his daughter Michal in marriage in exchange for David fighting the Philistines. However, David continues to succeed, and both Jonathan and Michal remain loyal to him.
Big Idea: Doing what's right, even when its hard.
For Teachers:
Lesson plan.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Animal Match — Activity Leader
Kids will be seated in a wide circle. The Activity Leader passes out animal cards and reminds the kids not to show their cards to others. Going around the circle, ask one kid at a time to make their animal sound. Ask: “Does anyone recognize this animal?” The rest of the kids can try to name what animal they think it is. Then ask: “Is this animal’s match here?” The children who think they have the matching card will make the animal sound back. The Activity Leader will check to see if the animals are a match. Continue around the circle until all the matches are found. If time allows, shuffle the cards and begin again.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we are learning more about the story of David from the Bible. He was the youngest of all his brothers but God chose him to be king. God also helped him to be brave so that he could fight against a big giant named Goliath.
Let’s watch our video to find out more about David’s story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Who was feeling jealous of David in the story? Why do you think he felt jealous?
How do you think David felt about that when Saul was treating him unfairly, even though he didn’t do anything wrong?
What can you do when someone is not being kind to you?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
Dear God, thank you for the story we learned today about David, and how he always did what was right, even when he wasn’t being treated fairly. Thank you that we can follow his example and always try to be kind to others, even when they are not kind to us. That way we can show them how big God’s love is. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Activity: Mixed Media Hearts — Activity Leader
Kids can decorate their hearts with the different materials provided (markers, paint, stickers, etc.).
If a child is not interested in the activity, allow them to move to free play.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Animal Match — Activity Leader
Cards will be passed out to the kids that have pictures of animals on them. Each one has an “animal match”. The kids will spread out around the room and not show their cards to each other. When the Activity Leader says go, kids will start making the sound of the animal on their card and try to find its match.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we are continuing our series all about David from the Bible.
First we learned that God chose David to be the next king after Saul. Then we learned about how he fought bravely against the giant Goliath.
Let’s watch our video to find out more about his story…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Why do you think King Saul started feeling jealous of David?
How did David respond when Saul tried to hurt him?
Can you think of a time when someone was unfair to you? How did you response?
Do you think it’s easy or hard to be kind to those who are not kind to you? What do you think can help you in those situations?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
Dear God, thank you for the story we learned about David and how he always did the right thing even when he was being treated unfairly. Even though it’s not always easy, please help us to be kind to others even when they are not kind to us. That way we can show them how big God’s love is. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Activity: Mixed Media Hearts — Activity Leader
Kids can decorate their hearts with the different materials provided (markers, paint, stickers, etc.).
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Wink Murder — Activity Leader
A player is secretly selected to be the “murderer.” The murderer winks at other players to “kill” them. Other players try to identify the murderer by watching for winks. Players can accuse someone of being the murderer, but if they’re wrong, they’re eliminated. The game ends when the murderer is correctly identified or manages to eliminate all players except one without being caught.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today is the third week of our series on David from the Old Testament.
Can anyone remember anything we learned about David so far?
Read: 1 Samuel 18:6-16
Now let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
What do you think made Saul’s jealous of David grow stronger over time?
How did David show self-control and faith when Saul treated him badly?
Why do you think it can be hard to keep doing the right thing even when others don’t?
What can we learn from David’s example about how to handle difficult situations?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about David and how he always did the right thing, even when he was being treated unfairly. Please help us to follow David’s example by take the high road in every situation, doing what’s right even when others do not. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Activity: Origami Hearts — Activity Leader
Print out with instructions will be provided. You can also use the following instruction video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-sFsBGntagDismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
For Parents:
Follow-up questions.
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
How did David act when someone was being mean to him?
What can you do when someone is not treating you nicely?
Can you think of someone who was kind to you this week?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Why was King Saul so jealous of David?
How did David choose to act when Saul tried to hurt him?
What are some ways we can choose to do the right thing, even when it’s hard?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
How did David’s faith in God help him respond when King Saul treated him unfairly?
Why do you think it’s important to respond with kindness instead of revenge when others wrong us?
What are some challenges you face when trying to do what’s right at school or with friends?
