TEACHER BIBLE STUDY 4 th -6 th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Samuel had anointed Saul as king over Israel, but it wasn t long before Saul s disobedience led God to reject him as king. God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to meet Jesse and his sons. God had chosen one of Jesse s sons to be Israel s king. Jesse had many sons. Eliab was Jesse s oldest son. When Samuel saw Eliab, he thought, This must be the one God has chosen! Eliab was likely tall and good-looking. Why wouldn t God choose someone like that? But God doesn t make decisions like people do. Read what God said to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7. Jesse s sons took turns passing before Samuel, one by one. Samuel was probably eager to hear which son God had chosen to be Israel s next king! Abinadab? No, not him. Shammah? No. The Lord hasn t chosen this one either. Jesse had one more son; his youngest, David, was out tending the sheep. David came in and God said, This is he. Samuel anointed David, and the Spirit of the Lord took control of David. David was still a youth and was not yet king when he found himself at the battle where the Philistines had gathered to fight the Israelites. The story of David and Goliath is one of the most well-known accounts in the Old Testament. When the Israelites cowered in fear, David stepped up and defeated the enemy with just a sling and a stone. As you teach this week, help the kids relate to the Israelites. Apart from Christ, we are powerless before our enemies of sin and death. David reminds us of Jesus, the greatest hero, who came to save us. When we look to Jesus, He gives us salvation and eternal life. LESSON OVERVIEW/SCHEDULE Session Title: David Was Anointed and Fought Goliath Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 16 17 Big Picture Question: Who gave David power to defeat Goliath? God gave David power to defeat Goliath. Key Passage: Psalm 51:10 Unit Christ Connection: God provided the first kings to rule His people Israel; Christ, the final King, rules over all people as Savior. Through David s family, God sent Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Transition Time Welcome time Activity Sheet/Table Centers Session starter (10 minutes) 1
Lesson Countdown Introduce the session (2 minutes) Timeline map (2 minutes) Tell the Bible Story (10 minutes) Big picture question (1 minute) The Gospel: God s Plan for Me (optional) Sing (5 minutes) Discussion starter video (3 minutes) Key passage (5 minutes) Prayer (2 minutes) Table Time Bible story review & Bible skills (10 minutes) Key passage activity (5 minutes) Activity choice (10 minutes) Prayer (5 minutes) THE BIBLE STORY/OVERVIEW David Was Anointed and Fought Goliath 1 Samuel 16 17 Saul was not going to be king of Israel anymore. He had disobeyed God. Israel needed a new king, a better king. God told Samuel to visit a man in Bethlehem named Jesse. Jesse had eight sons, and one of them would be Israel s king. Samuel did what God told him to do. He went to Bethlehem to meet with Jesse and his sons. Jesse s oldest son, Eliab, was tall and handsome. This must be the one God chose to be king, Samuel thought. Samuel, he s not the one, God said. Do not pay attention to what he looks like. You look at what you can see on the outside, but I see the heart. One by one, Jesse s sons approached Samuel, but God had not chosen any of them. Do you have any more sons? Samuel asked. Yes, Jesse said. My youngest son, David, is in the field taking care of the sheep. Jesse sent for David. When David arrived, God told Samuel, He s the one! Samuel poured oil on David s head and the Spirit of the Lord was with David. Then Samuel went back home. The Spirit of the Lord was not with Saul anymore. In fact, Saul was bothered by an evil spirit. Saul s servants suggested Saul find someone who could play the harp. Hearing beautiful music might 2
make Saul feel better when the evil spirit bothered him. One of Saul s officials knew just the person to play the harp David, son of Jesse. David came to Saul and whenever Saul felt troubled, David played his harp and Saul felt better. At this time, Israel s enemies, the Philistines, got ready for war. They were going to attack a town in Judah. King Saul got his army ready to fight. The Israelites camped on one hill while the Philistines camped on another. There was a valley between them. The Philistines had a great warrior named Goliath. At 9 feet 9 inches tall, Goliath was their hero. Goliath shouted at the Israelites, Why are you lined up, ready for battle? Send me your best man, and we ll fight one-on-one. But none of the Israelites wanted to fight Goliath. They were afraid of him. Jesse s three oldest sons were part of the Israelite army camped on a hill. Jesse sent David to check on his brothers and to give them something to eat. David saw Goliath and watched the Israelites run away in fear. David heard that Saul had offered a great reward to the man who killed Goliath, and David volunteered to fight. You don t stand a chance against Goliath, Saul argued. I have killed wild animals, David explained. God will keep me safe. Saul allowed David to fight Goliath. He offered his armor to David, but David could hardly move. He took off the armor and chose five smooth stones from a nearby stream. David was armed only with the stones and a slingshot. Goliath saw David and made fun of him because he was just a boy. You come to fight with a spear and sword, David replied, but I come to fight in the name of God! You have insulted Him, and God always wins His battles! David ran toward Goliath. He slung a rock at Goliath, and the rock hit Goliath in the forehead. Goliath fell facedown, and David killed him without even having a sword. Christ Connection: The Israelites were up against their toughest enemies, the Philistines. They didn t stand a chance against Goliath, the mighty Philistine warrior. God gave David power to defeat Goliath. David reminds us of Jesus, who came to save us from our greatest enemies: sin and death. Jesus, the ultimate hero, gives us salvation and eternal life. 3
TRANSITION TIME Session Title: David Was Anointed and Fought Goliath Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 16 17 Big Picture Question: Who gave David power to defeat Goliath? God gave David power to defeat Goliath. Key Passage: Psalm 51:10 Unit Christ Connection: God provided the first kings to rule His people Israel; Christ, the final King, rules over all people as Savior. Through David s family, God sent Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Welcome time tape tape measure Greet each kid as he or she arrives. Use this time to collect the offering, fill out attendance sheets, and help new kids connect to your group. Challenge kids to place two pieces of tape on the floor 9 feet 9 inches apart. After everyone places their tape pieces, measure to see who came the closest. Say Nine feet nine inches is an important number in today s Bible story. Activity page Table Centers (Miscellaneous Activities) Target Toss / David or Jesus activity page, 1 per kid Bibles pencils markers beans, 1 per kid Guide each kid to color a target and create his own point amounts for each section of the target on the activity page Target Toss. As kids work, discuss the question on the activity page. Allow boys and girls to take turns tossing a dry bean onto their targets. Kids may wish to place their targets farther away to increase the challenge. Guide kids to count the number of times they hit the bull seye. Say In today s Bible story, someone had to hit a specific target to win a battle. But God sent the right person at the right time to save Israel. As time allows, lead kids to complete the activity page David or Jesus. 4
Session starter (10 minutes) Option 1: Eraser Tag erasers, 1 per kid key passage poster Tip: For sanitary reasons, provide each kid his or her own eraser since erasers will be placed on their heads. Lead boys and girls to each balance an eraser on their heads and, without using their hands to touch the eraser, walk a complete circle around the room. Guide kids to cheer each other on. Say Was it hard to balance the eraser? What does an eraser do? Right! An eraser removes pencil marks. Will an eraser remove sin from our hearts? What does our key passage say about a clean heart? The psalmist wanted God to create a clean heart in him. Only Jesus can redeem us from our sin. Only He can give us clean hearts. Option 2: Hula Hoop Toss hula hoop pool noodle, 12-inch piece tape Option: Substitute an empty paper towel tube for the pool noodle. Tape a line on the floor. Place a hula hoop on the floor 9 feet 9 inches from the taped line. Guide kids to take turns tossing a 12-inch pool noodle into the hula hoop circle. Say Was the game hard? Has God ever told you to do something that you thought was hard? What did you do? Did God help you? How? If God wants you to do something, do you think He will help you do it? Why or why not? Transition to large group LESSON Session Title: David Was Anointed and Fought Goliath Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 16 17 Big Picture Question: Who gave David power to defeat Goliath? God gave David power to defeat Goliath. Key Passage: Psalm 51:10 Unit Christ Connection: God provided the first kings to rule His people Israel; Christ, the final King, rules over all people as Savior. Through David s family, God sent Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Countdown countdown video (insert provided DVD with lesson videos and worship) Show the countdown video as you clean-up table centers, set up classroom chairs for lesson and set it to end as large group time begins. 5
Introduce the session (2 minutes) small stones, 5 [Large Group Leader enters with five small stones. Sit down on the throne.] Leader Welcome back to our beautiful castle! I have something in my hand connected to today s story. What s in my hand? I have five stones. Today s story is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. It is so cool. Everything that people would think should happen, doesn t. God once again showed that His plans are different from our plans, but His plans are perfect. Before we look at today s Bible story, let s review what we ve learned the last two weeks. Timeline map (2 minutes) Timeline Map small group visual pack (Additional copies provided for Table Time Review) Indicate each Bible story on the timeline as you review the last few stories. Leader The last two weeks, we studied about King Saul. The Israelites demanded to have a king like the other nations around them, so God chose Saul to lead His people. But last week we heard how Saul chose to sin by disobeying God. The consequence was that God would not allow Saul s son to be the next king of Israel. Today, we are going to find out who the next king of Israel would be. Now, God chose the next king of Israel years before the man actually became king. Listen closely to today s Bible story, and I ll tell you the big picture question after we finish hearing the story. Tell the Bible story (10 minutes) David Was Anointed and Fought Goliath video Bibles, 1 per kid Big Picture Question: Who gave David power to defeat Goliath? - 11x17 poster provided Bible Story Picture 11x17 poster provided Open your Bible to 1 Samuel 16 and tell the Bible story in your own words, or show the Bible story video David Was Anointed and Fought Goliath. Leader So who s going to be the next king of Israel? David. Did Samuel think David would be the next king? No. Samuel thought David s oldest brother might be the next king, but God told Samuel something very important. God told Samuel that He sees the heart of a person, not only what he looks like on the outside. God wanted the next king to follow God and obey Him. God told Samuel that the next king of Israel would be David. Samuel anointed David, but David didn t become the king right away. God prepared David to be king first. First David played music for King Saul. The Bible says that David became King Saul s armor-bearer. Next, the army of Israel faced a battle with the Philistines. The Philistines had a very big warrior on their side. Goliath was 9 feet 9 inches tall. The Bible says the armor he wore weighed 125 pounds. Can you imagine how strong Goliath must have been? Would you have wanted to fight Goliath? Or would you have been scared like the Israelites? David s dad sent him to the battlefield to take food to his older brothers and find out the latest news. 6
David couldn t believe what he saw. David knew that Goliath was insulting God. David also knew that God was going to help the Israelites defeat this enemy. David agreed to fight Goliath. And who won? Shout it out! David is right! That leads me to our big picture question today. Big picture question (1 minute) 11x17 poster provided Leader Our big picture question today is, Who gave David power to defeat Goliath? What do you think the answer is? Good! The big picture answer is, God gave David power to defeat Goliath. Let s say our big picture question and answer together. Who gave David power to defeat Goliath? God gave David power to defeat Goliath. Although David saved Israel from Goliath, Jesus saved people from something much worse. He saved us from sin and death. The Gospel: God s Plan for Me (optional) Bible Tip: Anytime you share how to become a Christian in a large group environment, try to have teachers available to meet oneon-one with kids. Make sure kids know who they can talk to and when they can talk. Leader Jesus is our ultimate hero who gives us salvation. Jesus rescued us from our sin. Using Scripture and the guide provided, explain to boys and girls how to become a Christian. Encourage boys and girls to ask their parents, small group leaders, or other adults any questions they may have about becoming a Christian. Sing (5 minutes) Worship Song: Generous King (on provided DVD) Leader God is all-powerful. He gives His people power when He wants them to do something. Our theme song talks about the power of God. It mentions how life began when God spoke. That is powerful! Sing with me now. Lead boys and girls to sing Generous King. Discussion starter video (3 minutes) Unit 11, Session 3 discussion starter video (on provided DVD) Leader What power would you want if you could have any power in the world? Why would you want that power? Select a few kids to respond. Leader Cool answers! Think about your power as you watch this video. Show the Unit 11 Session 3 discussion starter video. Leader Having a super power would be cool, but we don t get to have super powers. Who is allpowerful? God is all-powerful. Who can help us anytime we need help? God can. Who gave David power to defeat Goliath? God gave David power to defeat Goliath. 7
Key passage (5 minutes) Key Passage Poster: Psalm 51:10 (11x17 poster, provided) Worship Song: A Clean Heart (on provided DVD) Leader Our key passage this unit was written by David. We will hear in a couple of weeks why David wrote this passage. Do I have any volunteers who can say the key passage for us? Select a couple of kids to say the key passage from memory. If they hesitate, help them out. Praise their effort. Leader Great work! I know everyone can memorize this passage before the end of our unit. Read the key passage with me. Lead kids to read the key passage. Sing A Clean Heart. Prayer (2 minutes) Leader What an amazing Bible story we had today! David was anointed to be the next king. God told Samuel that He looks at someone s heart, while people only see the outside appearances. David defeated Goliath. Who gave David power to defeat Goliath? God gave David power to defeat Goliath. I am thankful that God sent Jesus to save me from my greatest enemies: sin and death. Jesus is our hero, the only One who can save us. He is the ultimate hero who gives us salvation and eternal life with Him when we repent and trust in Him as our Savior and Lord. I am going to close our time together by praying. After I pray, watch your small group leader for the signal to head to your small group. Close in prayer. Dismiss to small groups for Table Time The Gospel: God s Plan for Me Ask kids if they have ever heard the word gospel. Clarify that the word gospel means good news. It is the message about Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation. Use the following guide to share the gospel with kids. God rules. Explain to kids that the Bible tells us God created everything, and He is in charge of everything. Invite a volunteer to read Genesis 1:1 from the Bible. Read Revelation 4:11 or Colossians 1:16-17 aloud and explain what these verses mean. We sinned. Tell kids that since the time of Adam and Eve, everyone has chosen to disobey God. (Romans 3:23) The Bible calls this sin. Because God is holy, God cannot be around sin. Sin separates us from God and deserves God s punishment of death. (Romans 6:23) God provided. Choose a child to read John 3:16 aloud. Say that God sent His Son, Jesus, the perfect solution to our sin problem, to rescue us from the punishment we deserve. It s something we, as sinners, could never earn on our own. Jesus alone saves us. Read and explain Ephesians 2:8-9. 8
Jesus gives. Share with kids that Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again. Because Jesus gave up His life for us, we can be welcomed into God s family for eternity. This is the best gift ever! Read Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; or 1 Peter 3:18. We respond. Tell kids that they can respond to Jesus. Read Romans 10:9-10,13. Review these aspects of our response: Believe in your heart that Jesus alone saves you through what He s already done on the cross. Repent, turning from self and sin to Jesus. Tell God and others that your faith is in Jesus. Offer to talk with any child who is interested in responding to Jesus. TABLE TIME LEADER Session Title: David Was Anointed and Fought Goliath Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 16 17 Big Picture Question: Who gave David power to defeat Goliath? God gave David power to defeat Goliath. Key Passage: Psalm 51:10 Unit Christ Connection: God provided the first kings to rule His people Israel; Christ, the final King, rules over all people as Savior. Through David s family, God sent Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Bible story review & Bible skills (10 minutes) Bibles, 1 per kid Timeline small group visual pack crayons or markers paper Tip: You may need to help kids locate the verses. Invite kids to locate today s Bible story in their Bibles. Distribute paper, crayons, and markers. Tell kids to find their favorite two or three verses of today s Bible story and read them silently. Ask kids to draw pictures about their verses. If a kid does not want to draw, ask her to write the verses in her own words. Briefly retell the Bible story, pausing to allow kids to share their drawings or writings. Say Who gave David power to defeat Goliath? God gave David power to defeat Goliath. Who saves us from our greatest enemies: sin and death? (Jesus came to save us from our greatest enemies: sin and death.) Why is Jesus the ultimate hero? (Jesus, the ultimate hero, gives us salvation and eternal life.) If you choose to review with boys and girls how to become a Christian, explain that kids are welcome to speak with you, another teacher, or a parent if they have questions. God rules. God created and is in charge of everything. (Genesis 1:1; Revelation 4:11; Colossians 1:16-17) We sinned. Since Adam and Eve, everyone has chosen to disobey God. (Romans 3:23; 6:23) God provided. God sent His Son, Jesus, to rescue us from the punishment we deserve. (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9) 9
Jesus gives. Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again so we can be welcomed into God s family. (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18) We respond. Believe that Jesus alone saves you. Repent. Tell God that your faith is in Jesus. (Romans 10:9-10,13) Key passage activity (5 minutes) Scrambled Stones Instructions Key Passage Poster (provided) stone-shaped cards with segments of the key passage (3 sets per classroom) Say Our key passage asks God for what kind of spirit? What does that mean? Say David was not chosen to be the next king because he looked the part. There was something about who David was that God was looking for. However, David knew he needed God to give him the kind of heart that wanted to please God. A stone card has been provided for every word of the key passage. Mix up the stones and ask the kids to work as a group to put them in the right order. If you have several kids, form groups and use an extra set of stones. Three sets of stone cards have been provided in your classroom. Activity choice (10 minutes) Option 1: A Lion, A Bear, Goliath, Oh My! Game chairs for kids Assign each kid to either be a lion, a bear, or a Goliath. Form a circle with kids sitting in chairs. Place one less chair in the circle than the number of kids playing. Play a version of Fruit Basket Turnover. The person standing in the middle calls one of the three groups. Everyone in that group must find a new chair. The person in the middle will try to steal one of the empty chairs. The person who does not find a chair must be in the middle. The person in the middle will call a new group and play continues. The person in the middle also has the choice of announcing a lion, a bear, Goliath, oh my and all three groups must find new chairs. Say David told Saul he had defended his family s sheep from wild animals like lions and bears. Then David defended the Israelites from Goliath and the Philistines. Who gave David power to defeat Goliath? God gave David power to defeat Goliath. Who saves us from our greatest enemies: sin and death? (Jesus came to save us from our greatest enemies: sin and death. Jesus, the ultimate hero, gives us salvation and eternal life.) Option 2: Slingshot Snack Wrap paper plates napkins tortillas sandwich meat mayo, mustard, and ketchup squeeze bottles cheese cubes cut in half post an allergy alerty prior to small group Help kids create a slingshot snack wrap by following these steps: Place a tortilla on a paper plate. 10
Roll one or two pieces of sandwich meat and place it on one half of the tortilla. This represents the portion of the slingshot that held the rocks. Using the squeeze bottle condiment of their choice, guide kids to draw the string or rope of the sling shot from one side of the sandwich meat, across the empty side of the tortilla to the other side of the sandwich meat. Place 1 5 cheese cubes on the sandwich meat to represent David s five stones. Roll up the wrap and eat. Say Why do you think the Israelite soldiers didn t fight Goliath? Why did David fight Goliath? Who gave David power to defeat Goliath? God gave David power to defeat Goliath. Prayer (5 minutes) Read 1 Samuel 17:37 to the boys and girls. Say David believed God would rescue him and the Israelites from Goliath. If you were David, would you have been afraid to fight Goliath? Say What are our greatest enemies? (sin and death) Who came to save us from our biggest enemies: sin and death? (Jesus came to save us from our biggest enemies: sin and death.) Close in prayer, praising and thanking God for being more powerful than anything we are afraid of. Ask God to give each kid the power to overcome fear by trusting in God s power and wisdom. Clean-up room. 11
Instructions: Color the target. Play a game with a partner. Place your paper on the floor or table. Take turns dropping a bean at the bull s-eye. Count the number of times it hit the bull s-eye and stayed. LifeWay List a time you hit your target by achieving a goal. How did you feel? Who helped you achieve your goal? UNIT 11 Session 3 Older Kids Activity Pages 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources. Saul and David
Instructions: Draw a line to connect the statement to the person it describes. Statements: saved Israel from Goliath is the Good Shepherd saved people from sin LifeWay was a shepherd of sheep from the tribe of Judah the youngest son in his family the oldest in His family is the King of kings loved God was anointed by Samuel UNIT 11 Session 3 Older Kids Activity Pages 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources. Saul and David
Family Journal Page Saul and David, ral easy games (limbo ve se se oo Ch. ics pm oly a family can Plan a game night for p, and so forth). You m ju g lon e, us ho e th around thumb wrestling, race kid friendly. e sure the games are ak m t bu, es m ga d ar also use card or bo me that ber to talk about a ga em m ily m fa ch ea ow All r Keep score below. how sin is impossible fo t ou ab lk Ta in. w to possible seemed hard or even im h r us through His deat fo it ed at fe de s su Je us to defeat, but and resurrection. Session Title: %BWJE 8BT "OPJOUFE BOE 'PVHIU (PMJBUI Bible Passage: 4BNVFM m Preschool Key Passage: 1TBMN Big Picture Question: 8IP HBWF %BWJE QPXFS UP EFGFBU (PMJBUI (PE HBWF %BWJE QPXFS UP EFGFBU (PMJBUI Christ Connection: The men in Israel s army were afraid of Goliath, the mighty Philistine warrior. Nobody would fight him. But God gave David power to beat Goliath. David reminds us of Jesus. Jesus came to save us from our biggest enemies: sin and death. Jesus is the hero who saves us so we can live with Him forever in heaven. Kids Key Passage: 1TBMN Big Picture Question: 8IP HBWF %BWJE QPXFS UP EFGFBU (PMJBUI (PE HBWF %BWJE QPXFS UP EFGFBU (PMJBUI Christ Connection: The Israelites were up against their toughest enemies, the Philistines. They didn t stand a chance against Goliath, the mighty Philistine warrior. God gave David power to defeat Goliath. David reminds us of Jesus, who came to save us from our greatest enemies: sin and death. Jesus, the ultimate hero, gives us salvation and eternal life. 6/*5 r 4FTTJPO -JGF8BZ $ISJTUJBO 3FTPVSDFT OK TO PRINT
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 OK TO PRINT Saul and David