2.10. God Is Sovereign. February 3, Bible Passage: 2 Samuel 2; 5 7. (King David) SCHEDULE CONNECT GATHER RESPOND BLESS

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1 February 3, 2019 Bible Passage: 2 Samuel 2; 5 7 (King David) God Is Sovereign REMEMBER VERSE How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. Psalm 31:19 SCHEDULE CONNECT GATHER RESPOND BLESS 1

2 Leader Prep Each week you ll find a list of resources along with encouraging articles that help you prepare your heart to present the lesson. Further Resources A Small Group Enhancement is available for this lesson. Download the following resources to help you plan and lead TruStory lessons: Customizable copy of Lesson Scope and Sequence TruStory How It Works document HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 10 is provided for this lesson. The weekly for the next lesson to be sent home for preteaching by parents is found in BLESS. If you have questions about Tru curriculum or are looking for great training, blogs, and other support resources, visit truministry.com. Inspire Shares personal stories from fellow ministry leaders about how God has worked in their lives It was 4:20 p.m. on a Friday, and I was on my way to my wedding rehearsal when my phone rang. Drive to the courthouse, my dad said. You need a marriage license. What? How could I have forgotten this detail? The courthouse was at least half an hour away and closed at 5 p.m. I burst into tears. Our family and friends arrived at the church for the rehearsal and went through the motions of the ceremony without us. Everyone except my dad, who was outside pacing and praying we would make it to the courthouse on time. As he prayed, we drove frantically toward the courthouse. I was crying, my fiancé was speeding, and my maid of honor was trying to bribe a courthouse staffer to keep it open. The courthouse was actually to close at 4:30 p.m., no exceptions. That was half an hour earlier than we had thought! It was 4:40 p.m. when we finally arrived. Fortunately, my dad s assistant was there already. She had filled out the paperwork and begged the county recorder to stay open and let us in. At 4:44 p.m. (a minute before the computers shut down), we raised our hands, took our oaths, and signed the marriage license. When we arrived at the church, everyone cheered and hugged us. My dad said it was a miracle the courthouse stayed open. In the 30 years he had been an attorney, it had never stayed open past closing time. It was also a miracle that his secretary just happened to be in the area of the courthouse and was able to help. In this situation, God was in control of the traffic, the courthouse, the whereabouts of my dad s secretary, and the recorder s computers. God was completely sovereign, and it was only through His power, over everything, that we obtained the license. In the grand scheme of things, this was very small but it was important to me. I will never fully understand, but I will praise Him for His love again and again. Tori Funkhouser TruStory Team 2

3 Equip Offers perspective and context to the lesson's Bible passage In 2 Samuel 7:2, David said, Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent. David was so overcome with love and respect for the God who had given him and his people rest from their enemies that he wanted to give God a gift of gratitude: a house for Him to dwell in. Though God approved of David s intentions, He did not allow David to build a house for Him. Instead, God promised something amazing: Christ, the Savior, would come through David s family line! 2 Samuel 7 describes God s covenant with David. Although the word covenant doesn t appear in this passage, David uses it many times in the psalms to describe the experience in 2 Samuel. For instance, in Psalm 89:3 4, David says: You said, I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations. This passage also uses the word house multiple times to describe many different concepts, including dynasty, bloodline, kingdom, an actual house, and a temple. God fulfilled this promise to David. His son Solomon built a temple (or a house) for the Lord for Him to dwell in. Also, David s house, or kingdom, continued even when the kingdom of Israel split and the kingdom of Judah remained. Most importantly, Christ came from David s family line through Joseph. David s descendant, Jesus Christ, will one day establish His kingdom on earth. Through God s covenant with David, we see God s plan was far-reaching, masterfully crafted, and motivated by love. We know this because Christ s life, death, and resurrection fulfilled God s covenant with David. Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God's Word As you think about God s covenants, what comes to mind? The covenants can be somewhat confusing to us, but they re such important, beautiful parts of The Big God Story. Spend time reading 2 Samuel 7 and think for a moment about what this covenant means to you personally. How does it make you feel to know God gave David this covenant with the knowledge that Jesus would fulfill it? How does it make you feel to know Jesus isn t just the fulfillment of this covenant but also your personal Savior your personal Good Shepherd? After you ve spent some time meditating on God s use of covenants in Scripture, spend time praying for your children. Pray they will begin to comprehend God s sovereign plan how masterful, beautiful, and loving it is and how they are a part of it. Pray they see God as the Shepherd King, the One who controls everything in the universe and loves them like a nurturing caretaker. CONNECT// 10 min. Children develop relationships with their leaders and one another through simple activities and conversation starters. 3

4 Crowned King David was first anointed king when he was a young boy, but he had to wait many years until God s promise came to pass. Today, children will play a game allowing them to share how they would act as king or queen. Crown (toy or paper) Upbeat music (suggestion: Celebrate, TruWorship Sincerely Yours) CONNECT QUESTION: Welcome and greet children. Open your time by asking this question: What kind of person would make a good king or queen? Kings and queens usually have a lot of power over the countries they rule. Let s play a game to get us thinking about what we would do if we ruled our own countries. Have the children sit in a circle. While the music is playing, have them pass the crown around the circle to the right. When you hit pause on the music, whoever is holding the crown gets to answer this question: What would you do if you were king or queen for a day? Continue playing until all of the children have had a chance to answer the question. GATHER// 30 min. Children experience and learn more about God through memorizing Scripture, storytelling from The Big God Story, prayer, and discussion. Remember Verse Each week children will spend time memorizing a portion of Scripture together. The Remember Verse focuses on a character trait of God that s highlighted in today s portion of The Big God Story. How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. Psalm 31:19 Game: Mirror, Mirror Backward Remember Verse template (see Resources) Mirror (medium-sized) PREPARE AHEAD Print the Backward Remember Verse template. Have the children join you in a circle. Pass out the Backward Remember Verse pages, keeping them in order 4

5 as you pass them around the circle. Each page has a few words from the Remember Verse on it written backward. See if the children can figure out what is written on their pages. Then pass the mirror around so they can check their answers. Next, have each child hold his page in front of him for the rest of the group to see. Recite the verse again, using the Backward Remember Verse pages as clues. Practice the verse several times, speeding up faster as you go along. Storytelling Bible Passage: 2 Samuel 2; 5 7 Storytelling Technique: Cutouts on a Wall God Is Sovereign David and Jesus cutouts (see Resources) Bethlehem, Hebron, and Jerusalem signs (see Resources) Ark of the Covenant image (see Resources) Bibles Scissors Double-sided tape Optional: whiteboard PREPARE AHEAD Print and cut out the David and Jesus cutouts. Also print the Bethlehem, Hebron, and Jerusalem signs and the Ark of the Covenant image. SET UP Clear a wall in your room, or set up a whiteboard in your Storytelling area. Tape the three signs equal distances apart on your Storytelling wall or board in this order: Bethlehem, Hebron, Jerusalem. Leave room underneath each sign for the David cutout to be taped there during different portions of the narrative. Attach double-sided tape to the back of the David cutout so he can easily be moved from place to place. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. What do you think of when you hear the word royalty? Allow responses. Yes, when we talk about royalty, we re talking about kings and queens, princes and princesses people who rule over a kingdom. Do you know what the word sovereign means? Allow responses. Sovereign means higher than all others, supreme, or in control. Often people use the word sovereign to talk about a king or queen because they have the highest power in that land. God is sovereign, or in control, of the whole earth and all of its people. He is higher than any king or ruler. To help me tell today s part of The Big God Story, shout, Sovereign! every time I pretend to place a crown on my head. Practice this a few times with the kids. Last week we talked about a young shepherd boy. Does anyone remember his name? Allow responses. That s right, David! Pull out the David cutout. We heard how God told Samuel, the prophet and judge, to go to David s hometown and anoint David as king. Place the David cutout on the wall underneath the Bethlehem sign. To anoint someone means to put oil on his head. This represented God s Spirit coming upon that person. 5

6 But even though God had chosen David to be king, David didn t become king right away. He went back to the fields and continued tending his sheep. Saul was still the king of Israel. But God is (act out the crown motion) sovereign. He is always in control. Many years later, Saul died, but David still wasn t able to be king yet. One of Saul s sons thought he should be king. That s what usually happens when a king dies, right? And only Samuel and David s family members had seen David be anointed by God as king over Israel. David may have been disappointed, but he knew that God was (act out the crown motion) sovereign. God was in charge, and David didn t want to run ahead of God s plans. David kept trusting God to lead him. Have the kids turn in their Bibles to 2 Samuel 2:1 4 and follow along as you read. David looked to God for guidance, and God told him to go to Hebron. Place the David cutout on the wall underneath the Hebron sign. In Hebron, David was anointed king for a second time. But David would have to wait seven more years to be the ruler of Israel while war broke out over who would be king. But God is (act out the crown motion) sovereign. God is always in charge, and He promised that David would be king. Let s see what happened after seven years. Have the kids turn in their Bibles to 2 Samuel 5:1 5 and follow along as you read. Finally, David was anointed king over all of Israel! He went to live in Jerusalem. Move David underneath the Jerusalem sign. One of the first things David did to honor God was to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. Show the Ark of the Covenant image. The ark of the covenant was a wooden chest that held the Ten Commandments. As David and his men traveled home with the ark, they would walk only six steps (act out taking six steps) and then stop to worship God! Let s see what else David did as they brought back the ark. Have the kids follow along as you read 2 Samuel 6: A linen ephod was a kind of apron men wore outside their clothes. David modeled to the people what it looked like to praise God with all his might. Later, when David was living in the palace, God promised David that someone in his family would be king forever. We heard about this back around Christmastime, when we heard the story of Joseph. Do you remember who this special king would be? Allow responses. That s right, Jesus! God kept His promise to David by sending Jesus to earth through David s family line many years later. Place the Jesus cutout to the right of David, at the end of your wall or board. By keeping this special promise, God showed that He is truly (act out the crown motion) yes, sovereign! After David heard this promise from God about a kingdom that would last forever, he sat before the Lord and prayed a prayer. Let s count the number of times he used the word sovereign in his prayer. Have the kids follow along as you read 2 Samuel 7: Count along on your fingers as David uses sovereign five times. As David waited until he was 30 years old to become king, he saw that God is in control, leading him from (point at the place signs as you speak) Bethlehem to Hebron to Jerusalem and many places in between. David modeled trust in God to the people in the kingdom. God was sovereign over David s life, and God is sovereign over yours, too. Share a personal story of a time you were especially aware of God s sovereignty over your life. Discussion Questions What does sovereign mean? 6

7 When was David first anointed king? 1 Samuel 16:13 How was God sovereign in David s life? 2 Samuel 5:12 How did David model praise to the people? 2 Samuel 6:14 15 What was God s covenant to David about his family? 2 Samuel 7:16 How can you praise God for being sovereign? Developmentally Speaking Asking questions is a key process for third and fourth graders to understand and draw conclusions about what they are learning. As you ask them questions, don t forget to stop and allow them to ask you questions as well. RESPOND// 15 min. Children reflect on what the Holy Spirit is teaching them and respond to God through creative activities and games. The King s Scepter God is King over all the earth. Children will create a scepter to praise God for being sovereign. Wrapping paper (gold or silver; matte, not shiny, so the kids can write on it) Ball (small) Markers Masking tape Glue sticks (1 for every 2 3 children) PREPARE AHEAD Remove all of the wrapping paper from the cardboard roll and cut up the paper into two- by two-inch squares, making several squares for each child. Tape the ball to the end of the roll. God has power over everything! He controls the sun rising each day, the ocean tide going in and out, and the stars hanging in the sky. God also had the power to make David king in His timing and in His way. How does it make you feel to know that God has power over everything? Allow responses. Something that kings carry as a symbol of their sovereignty is a scepter. A scepter is a rod that is usually decorated beautifully. Let s work together today to create a large scepter that praises God for the things He is King over. Give each child a few wrapping paper squares and invite them to write on the squares different things God has power over (examples: places, things in nature, or circumstances with people). Then encourage the kids to ponder how they have seen God s power in their own lives. What is something God has helped or blessed them with? Have they seen God s power in their family? Give the children a few additional squares and invite them to write down these as well. Also, if the children have areas in their lives where they need God s power right now, invite them to write those down on squares, asking God to be King over those situations. After the children have finished writing, they can glue the squares to the cardboard roll and the ball until the entire scepter is completely covered in the royal-wrapping-paper praises. 7

8 After the scepter is finished, invite the children to share about what they added. Then close in prayer by inviting the kids to praise God out loud for being King over the different areas represented on the scepter. For example, if you wrote the ocean, you may start by saying, God, I praise You for being King over the ocean. Encourage the kids to join in the time of praise using this format. Examples: God I praise You for being sovereign over Africa, where my aunt lives or God, I praise you for being King over my school. (Optional) Royal Relay Race David went from being a shepherd boy to being king over all of Israel. In this activity, children race to put on a royal wardrobe. Plastic bins (2, large) Royal dressing items (1 clothing article or accessory per child: sashes, crowns, costume necklaces, rings, etc.) SET UP Place half of the royal dressing items in each of the bins. Set the bins a few feet apart from each other at the far end of your room. Make two equal teams and have the teams line up at the opposite end of the room from the bins. On your signal, the first child on each team should race down to her team s dressing bin, choose an article of clothing or an accessory, and put it on. Then she should race back and tag the hand of the next person on her team so that child can take a turn. The first team to have all members of their team dressed in royal items and back at the starting point wins. After the game is over, ask: If you had been David, what would have been hard about going from being a shepherd to being a king? If you were a king or queen, what would you be most excited to wear? BLESS// 5 min. Children receive a blessing from their leaders and sometimes one another. A blessing may be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words to encourage and guide. Remember Verse cards (see Resources) HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 11 (see Resources) Bible Before you bless the children in your group, pray about the blessing that God would have you give to them. 8

9 Invite the children to kneel in a circle with you to symbolize being before our sovereign God, the King of all the earth. Encourage the children to cup their hands in front of them, palms facing up to receive all God has for them, as you read today s blessing from Psalm 103:19: The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. May you know God as your all-powerful King the One who is seated in the heavenly realms, far above all earthly rulers. Then personally bless each child by laying a gentle hand on her head and saying, (Child s name), God is sovereign over your (family, schoolwork, sports team, feelings, home, school). Allow the Holy Spirit to guide your blessing for each child. Send home Remember Verse cards and the HomeFront Weekly with your kids. Invite children and parents to arrive a few minutes early next week to help hand out treats to the first- and second-grade class. 9