SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON Kings and Prophets DAVID S MIGHTY MEN Elementary Lesson Year One, Quarter Four, Lesson Nine AIM: to use the stories of David s Mighty Men to teach my students that there is great power in submitting to authority. OBJECTS TO HAVE: Any logo to represent a special group, club, or team that you have ever belonged to (for example, I would use the logo of Hyles-Anderson College) Something to represent the Special Forces of the United States Army A picture of a spear A picture of a sword A picture of a vegetable garden A picture of a well A picture of a lion A picture of a stick Your Bible POINT OF CONTACT: Have any of you ever belonged to a special club, or played on a team? Well, for one thing, unless this is your very first Sunday, you are a member of this Sunday School class. It is a very exciting thing to belong to a team or a group, especially when you are proud of what that group stands for. This book that I m holding is a yearbook from the college where I attended. I am very proud of my college Hyles-Anderson College and I am always pleased to tell people that I am a graduate of this college. As you get older you will have more opportunities to belong to different clubs, teams, and groups. Did you know that the United States Military has very special groups inside of it? Now, it is a very special thing just to belong to the United States Army. I m talking about the Army, the Navy, the Marines, and the Air Force. These are the people who put their lives on the line to defend your freedom and my freedom. These are the people who are fighting for us right now, because of the awful attacks that were made on our country on September 11. We ought to thank God for the United States Military, and pray for God to watch over them and help them. But did you know that inside the United States Military there are some very special groups? These groups are called Special Forces. The Special Forces are men who train extra, extra hard to be able to do some very difficult jobs to defend our freedom. Can you imagine how proud these men are to tell people, I belong to the Special Forces of the United States Military! Did you know that the Bible tells us about some men who were part of the Special Forces? These were the toughest, most highly trained men in the world. Let me tell you about them. STORY: The Bible tells us about a group of men who were known as David s Mighty Men. David s Mighty Men were feared all over the world. Every king and every army knew that you didn t mess with David s Mighty Men. David had a whole army of men who were very tough and very strong. But inside of David s army was a small group of men who were the toughest of the tough and the strongest of the strong. They got up earlier than everyone else did. They worked harder than everyone else did. While others played, these men trained. While others ate, these men exercised. While others partied, these men prepared. These men were always ready, in case they were called upon to fight for their King, whom they loved. They were David s Mighty Men. When boys and girls walked down the street and they saw one of these men, they would stop and look, and say, Wow! He s one of David s Mighty Men! When people passed their special training ground, they would stop and look and say, This is a special place. This is where David s Mighty Men are trained. David s Mighty Men were very strong, very famous, and very well respected.
Why were David s Mighty Men so powerful? The answer is simple: because they followed their leader. You see, most people think that being powerful means bossing people around and being in charge. But the way to really be powerful is to follow the right kind of leader. One of David s Mighty Men was named Adino. Adino was doing his job one day as a soldier in David s army, when he was attacked by a group of 800 soldiers. Adino was all by himself, and he had nothing but his spear in his hand. What could he do? He had no choice. He knew he had to fight those soldiers all by himself, one at a time. By the time it was over, Adino had killed those 800 men, but he was still standing. Adino was a powerful soldier. What made him such a powerful man? He followed David, his leader. Another one of David s Mighty Men was named Eleazar. The Bible says that David s army was fighting the Philistines. Eleazar fought with his sword against the Philistines all day long. Eleazar killed every opponent that he faced. When the day was finished, Eleazar s hand was stuck to his sword. He had been gripping his sword with all of his might, and he could not get it loose. The Lord gave a great victory, and the people of Israel praised Eleazar s bravery. Why was he so powerful? Because he followed his leader. David s Mighty Men were powerful, not because they bossed everybody, or did their own thing. They were powerful because they followed a powerful leader. A third of David s Mighty Men was named Shammah. Shammah was working in a large vegetable garden one day when that garden was attacked by Philistines. All of the other people working there got up and ran away, but Shammah stayed and fought. All by himself, Shammah defeated that whole army of Philistines, and saved all of that food that belonged to the Israelites. Why was Shammah such a powerful man? Because he followed his leader. Another day David and his army were in a battle against the Philistines. As David stood at the top of the hill and watched the battle, he looked down into the valley in Bethlehem. He remembered that at that very sight where the Philistines were camped, he used to play as a boy. He remembered that at that spot there was a well where he used to draw ice-cold water. And as he was thinking he said out loud, I wish I could drink from that well again. Three of David s Mighty Men were standing there next to David. When David said, I wish I could drink from that well again, these three mighty men snuck down the hill, broke through the enemy lines, and while two of them fought the Philistines off, the other filled a pitcher up with water for their King. Then they fought their way back through the lines, and went up the hill to where David was standing. They knelt before their King and handed him the water from that well. David was so honored by their bravery for him that he poured the water on the ground and said, I couldn t drink this water after you men risked your lives to bring it to me. These were three, big, strong, powerful men. Why were they so powerful? Because they followed their leader. There were other Mighty Men, too. One of them was named Abishai. The Bible says that one day Abishai used a spear to kill 300 of the enemy. He was a powerful man. Another of the Mighty Men was named Benaiah. One day in a snow storm, Benaiah came across a lion that tried to kill him. Benaiah killed that lion with his bear hands. Another day, Benaiah was attacked by an Egyptian who had a spear. All Benaiah had was a stick, but he used that stick to defeat that Egyptian. Why were all of these men so great? Because they followed their leader. You see, kids, one of the great mysteries of life is that being a boss does not make you powerful. The most powerful people are those who find out what the rules are, and learn how to keep them better than anyone else. The most famous football player is not the one who disobeys his coach. The most famous football player is the one who does everything that his coach tells him to do, and obeys his coach the best. The greatest soldier is not the one who rebels against his orders. The greatest soldier is the one who follows his orders the best. You do not succeed by breaking the rules; you succeed by keeping the rules. You do not win by rebelling against the coach; you win by following the coach. You do not excel by ignoring responsibility; you excel by fulfilling your responsibilities. Do you want to have the best life that you can have? Do you want people everywhere to hear about your success in life? Then find out what God says the rules are, and follow them with all your might. David had some Mighty Men. They were mighty because they followed their leader, and kept his rules. Let s learn our memory verse Ephesians 6:10 - Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON Kings and Prophets DAVID S MIGHTY MEN Teen and Adult Lesson Year One, Quarter Four, Lesson Nine Teacher, choose one of the following truths to expand upon in teaching this portion of Scripture to your teen/adult class. Teach and apply the truth that you choose using statements and illustrations that are most helpful and applicable to your students. I. GOD SURROUNDS HIS SERVANTS WITH PEOPLE OF GREAT STRENGTH. David was himself a strong man, called of God to do a great work. God brought to David the people that He knew David would need to get where God was taking him. God knows where you are going as well, and He knows what it will take to get you there. As you follow Him, He will surround you with the people He knows you need. II. WHEN YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY STRONG PEOPLE, IT WILL MAKE YOU STRONGER. When David first made his escape from Saul, God brought men to David to be with him. 2 Samuel 22:1-2. Scholars believe that among these men were some of the men who became David s mighty men, which is not a difficult inference to make from Scripture. When they came to David, they were a ragtag bunch; but over the years they became strong. David made them stronger, and they made David stronger. You will be made stronger or weaker depending upon the people you choose to surround yourself with. III. GOD BLESSES STRENGTH AND PREPARATION. 23:9-10, 12. It says that the LORD wrought a great victory. Clearly He did things that were impossible for a man to do. That would seem to negate the importance of the strength and skill of these men; it does not, however, diminish them in any way. God can use our weakness as well as our strength. When He uses our strengths, He will sometimes do even greater things than with our weaknesses, as He does things great enough to demonstrate that it was He who did it. IV. WE MUST NEVER TAKE LIGHTLY THE TRUST AND LOYALTY THAT PEOPLE SHOW TO US. 23:13-17. David poured out the water that these men retrieved for him, to demonstrate that he did not take lightly the price they paid to obtain it. When people show their love and loyalty to us, we must be sure never to take it for granted, or cause us to become arrogant. We must not indulge ourselves on other people s sacrifice. V. THERE IS GREAT POWER IN SUBMISSION. The might of these men was no less mighty because they submitted their might to David s authority. In fact, their might would have served little or no purpose had they not served in David s army. Their submission to David led to their eternal fame. People are not as familiar with their individual names as they are with their collective identity David s Mighty Men. Their willingness to submit their strength to David s authority brought them legendary status.
David s Mighty Men A Legacy of Strong Leadership I. 2 SAMUEL 23:1-7 Principles of David s Leadership 23:1-2 Strong leadership originates with God. 23:3 Strong leadership leads under God s direction and supervision. 23:4 Strong leadership is a continuous source of hope and strength. 23:5 Strong leadership is based in God s calling, not our qualifications. 23:6-7 Strong leadership is victorious over the enemy. II. 2 SAMUEL 23:8-12 Courage of David s Leaders 23:8-12 The First Three. 23:13-17 The Mission of love. 23:18-23 Two Valiant Captains. III. 2 SAMUEL 23:24-39 List of David s Men A strong leader sets a strong example. A strong leader provides stability and security. A strong leader builds strong leaders. A strong leader honors the loyalty of those who follow him. Adult Bible Class
DAVID S MIGHTY MEN David s Mighty Men was the name of a band of warriors who were great soldiers, not just because they were strong, but also because they were submitted to the authority of their king. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Ephesians 6:10
1. David was the king of what nation? DAVID S MIGHTY MEN Circle the letter next to the correct answer to each question from the Scripture passage and from today s Bible story. a. Idaho b. Israel c. Iowa 2. What was the name of the special army forces that fought for David? a. David s Mighty Men b. The Great Warriors c. The Really Strong Guys 3. What made David s Mighty Men so powerful? a. secret powers b. they were born that way c. they followed their leader 4. How many men did Adino defeat all by himself with just a spear? a. 1 b. 8 c. 800 5. What happened to Eleazar after he had fought the Philistines all day? a. he got sick b. his hand stuck to his sword c. he cried 6. Shammah fought the Philistines by himself in order to protect what? a. the people s food suppply b. money c. gold 7. Three of David s Mighty Men broke through enemy lines to get what for David? a. a horse b. a harp c. a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem 8. Abishai defeated 300 enemy soldiers by himself with what? a. a tank b. a spear c. an airplane 9. What did Benaiah do when a lion tried to kill him? a. he ran away b. he called for help c. he killed the lion with his bare hands 10. The Bible says, Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of what? a. His might b. your mind c. your money Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Ephesians 6:10
DAVID S MIGHTY MEN The answers to this week s puzzle 1. David was the king of what nation? a. Idaho b. Israel c. Iowa 2. What was the name of the special army forces that fought for David? a. David s Mighty Men b. The Great Warriors c. The Really Strong Guys 3. What made David s Mighty Men so powerful? a. secret powers b. they were born that way c. they followed their leader 4. How many men did Adino defeat all by himself with just a spear? a. 1 b. 8 c. 800 5. What happened to Eleazar after he had fought the Philistines all day? a. he got sick b. his hand stuck to his sword c. he cried 6. Shammah fought the Philistines by himself in order to protect what? a. the people s food suppply b. money c. gold 7. Three of David s Mighty Men broke through enemy lines to get what for David? a. a horse b. a harp c. a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem 8. Abishai defeated 300 enemy soldiers by himself with what? a. a tank b. a spear c. an airplane 9. What did Benaiah do when a lion tried to kill him? a. he ran away b. he called for help c. he killed the lion with his bare hands 10. The Bible says, Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of what? a. His might b. your mind c. your money