David and Jonathan Bible Verse The Lord sees into the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7) Did You Know? As friendships go, the relationship between David and Jonathan was particularly complex. Jonathan is the son of Saul, the current king of Israel. As Saul s son, Jonathan is the potential heir of the throne. However, David, the shepherd boy, has been anointed by Samuel as the next king of Israel at God s instruction. This could have been a cause of rivalry between David and Jonathan, but instead they became friends. At one point, Jonathan gives David his robe, his military clothes, his sword, his bow and arrows, and his belt. This gesture symbolizes a personal commitment to David, but can also be interpreted as Jonathan s acknowledgement that David will be the future king. The Bible tells us David and Jonathan were the best of friends. When King Saul first meets David, he is impressed with him and brings him to live in his own house. Later, Saul becomes jealous of David as David meets with one success after another and many people love him. Saul is enraged to the point of wanting to have David killed. Jonathan s loyalty to David is so strong, he goes against his father and helps David run away. Friendship is a concept that is important to elementary-age children. The ups and downs of friendship are a real part of their lives as they navigate relationships and figure out who their true friends are. Children can appreciate that David and Jonathan were loyal to each other and promised to always be friends. Remind the children that being a good friend is one way to love and serve God. SESSION 7 Bible Story 1 Samuel 18:1-5; 20:1-42 Anchor Point We can love and serve God. Your Lesson q Welcome q Worry Dolls q Coat Relay q Hidden Arrows q After You Game q Learn & Serve With the Deep Blue Kids q Deep Blue Bible Adventure q David and Jonathan q Three-Part Bible Verse q Worship q Younger Elementary Small Group q Older Elementary Small Group Requires preparation. Fall 2017 Session 7 deepbluekids.com 67
JUMP IN! The following activities are planned to introduce today s theme. Be sure there is a leader to welcome and direct the kids to the interest groups of their choice. An adult will be needed at each group to lead the activity with the children. WELCOME Supplies: CD-ROM, CD player, mission offering box Greet each parent and child as they arrive. Play music (CD-ROM) to make your room cheerful. Invite the children to place their offering for the mission project in the box. WORRY DOLLS (ART AND MISSION ACTIVITY) Supplies: flat wooden clothespins (non-spring type), craft sticks, embroidery thread or yarn, double-sided tape, scissors, fine-tip markers Cut the craft sticks into thirds, discarding the middle section. You will need two craft stick thirds for each worry doll. SAY: We have been learning about Guatemala as the Deep Blue Kids travel there. Today we are going to make Guatemalan worry dolls. NOTE If time permits, let the children make a second worry doll to give to a friend. Give each child a clothespin. Have each child put a small piece of double-sided tape on each curved side of the clothespin, just below the head. Encourage each child to attach a cut craft stick to each side of the clothespin. The rounded end of the craft stick should point downward. These are the doll s arms. Have each child put a small piece of double-sided tape on one of the flat sides of the clothespin, between the craft stick arms. Using thread, have each child place the loose end of the yarn on the double-sided tape and wrap the yarn around the clothespin and craft sticks beginning just below the head of the clothespin. The loose end of the yarn will be covered. After wrapping over part of the arms, they should wrap under the arms to leave part of the craft stick showing. They may choose to change colors at the doll s waist. The children may wrap each leg of the clothespin separately to make pants. When about an inch of the bottom of the clothespin is showing, have each child place a small piece of double-sided tape on one of the curved edges of the clothespin, approximately one-quarter of an inch from the end. Have each child finish wrapping the clothespin, pressing the yarn onto the tape and leaving a quarter of an inch of clothespin showing. Cut off excess yarn. Invite each child place a piece of double-sided tape on the top of the clothespin and attach small pieces of yarn for hair. Have each child use a pen or marker to draw a face on his or her doll. 68 Deep Blue Large Group/Small Group Leader Guide Session 7
SAY: In Guatemala, children tell their worries to these small dolls and then place them underneath their pillows at night. The legend is that the dolls take the children s worries so the children can sleep. COAT RELAY (MOVEMENT ACTIVITY) Supplies: large jackets or coats Divide the children into teams of four to six children each. Have each team spread out in a line across the room. SAY: Today we will hear a Bible story about David and Jonathan. As a symbol of their friendship, Jonathan gave David his robe, or coat. We are going to play a game to see which team can pass the coat fastest. When the coat is given to you, put it on, fasten it, and then run to the next person on your team. When you reach your team member, take off the coat and give it to that person. When the last person on your team is wearing the coat, you have succeeded. HIDDEN ARROWS (LOGICAL ACTIVITY) Supplies: paper (fifty sheets), marker Count out fifty sheets of paper. Use a marker to draw a large arrow on two of the sheets of paper. Make sure the writing does not show through the other side of the paper. Lay the sheets of paper on the floor, leaving space between the sheets for the children to walk. The pages with the arrows should be facedown and placed randomly among the blank sheets. SAY: Our Bible story for today includes an arrow. Two of these pieces of paper have an arrow drawn on them. Your goal is to find them both. You will need to pay attention to remember what pieces of paper have already been checked. Have the children take turns choosing two sheets of paper to turn over, leaving them in place on the floor. If only one arrow is found during a child s turn, turn that arrow back over and continue the game. When one child succeeds in turning over both arrows in the same turn, congratulate that child for being a good arrow-finder. Shuffle the pieces of paper and lay them out to begin the game again. AFTER YOU GAME (COOPERATIVE ACTIVITY) Supplies: strips of fabric three to four feet long (one per pair) Have each child find a partner. Have the pairs of children all stand on one side of the room. Give each pair of children a strip of fabric. SAY: We are going to play a game. The object of the game is for you and your partner to reach the other side of the room. You and your partner must each be holding on to an end of this fabric at all times. The only way for either of you to move forward is to step over the fabric. Once you have stepped over the fabric, you must stay where you are until you step over the fabric again. You will need to work together to figure out the best way to move forward. Fall 2017 Session 7 deepbluekids.com 69
DIVE DEEPER Bring the children together to experience the Bible story and worship. Use a bell to alert the children it is Large Group Time. LEARN & SERVE WITH THE DEEP BLUE KIDS Supplies: CD-ROM, computer, printer, globe or world map, tape Print the Guatemala Poster (CD-ROM). Hang the poster where the children can see it. SAY: The Deep Blue Kids are now in Guatemala. Remind the children where Guatemala is on the globe or map. SAY: Today Caleb, Kat, Edgar, and Asia meet a new friend in Guatemala. Their new friend speaks English, but he also speaks Spanish, the official language of Guatemala. Let s learn to say a few words in Spanish. Show the children the Guatemala Poster. Show them the words on the poster. Teach the children the following Spanish words and their meanings: Buenos días Good day Hola Hello Mucho gusto Nice to meet you Amigos Friends SAY: It s fun to learn about people of other countries. DEEP BLUE BIBLE ADVENTURE GUATEMALA Supplies: Adventure DVD, DVD player, television or projector and screen SAY: Today the Deep Blue Kids arrive in Guatemala and meet a new friend, Carlos. This reminds Kat of a Bible story about David and his friend, Jonathan. Let s watch and see what happens. GUATEMALA G Watch today s episode from the Adventure DVD. GUATEMALA ASK: What was the name of David s friend? What is the name of Caleb, Asia, Edgar, and Kat s new friend? DAVID AND JONATHAN Supplies: Leader Guide p. 74 Photocopy David and Jonathan (p. 74) for each child. ASK: What have we learned about David so far? SAY: Saul was the first king of Israel. David was anointed to be the second king of Israel, but in the stories we ve heard, he hasn t become king yet. Today s Bible story is about David and his best friend. 70 Deep Blue Large Group/Small Group Leader Guide Session 7
Invite two readers to read the Bible story from David and Jonathan. Have one child read the words in regular print and one child read the words in bold print. SAY: Jonathan was King Saul s son. He could have been angry that David would be the next king instead of him. But Jonathan wasn t angry because he and David were best friends. THREE-PART BIBLE VERSE Supplies: CD-ROM, computer, projector and screen Review the sign language for the Bible verse (Graphic 5b CD-ROM). Show the Bible verse (Graphic 5a CD-ROM). SAY: Our Bible verse reminds us that God knows what is inside our hearts. Encourage the children to read the verse together with you. Show the children the signs for the Bible verse from American Sign Language. Encourage the children to sign and say the Bible verse with you. SAY: We are going to divide our Bible verse into three parts to sign and say. Each part of the verse will have two words and one sign. The first part of the verse will be The Lord. The second part of the verse is sees into. And the final part of the verse is the heart. Divide the children into three groups. Assign each group a letter: A, B, or C. SAY: To begin with, group A will say part one, group B will say part two, and group C will say part three. Encourage the children to sign and say the Bible verse as directed. SAY: Now let s make it more challenging. I will give you an order of letters. Pay attention so you know what part of the verse your group will say. Give the children the following letter combinations, encouraging them to sign and say the verse after you give each combination: CBA, BAC, ACB, BCA, CAB. WORSHIP Supplies: Adventure DVD, DVD player, television or projector and screen, mission offering box Place the mission offering collection box on the worship center. Play this month s song, Dance Like Crazy (Adventure DVD), and encourage the children to sing and move along with the music. Hold up the mission offering collection box. SAY: Thank you to those who have brought an offering for our special mission project for Guatemala. We will continue to collect money for six more weeks. ASK: What two friends have we learned about this week? Fall 2017 Session 7 deepbluekids.com 71
SAY: David and Jonathan were best friends. God wants us to be friends and to care for each other. Being a good friend is one way we can love and serve God. Today we are going to pray and thank God for our friends. I am going to start our prayer. There will be a time during the prayer for you to share the names of your friends. You may say your friend s name out loud. You can say as many friends names as you d like. If you d rather pray silently for your friends, that s okay too. After the sharing time, I will finish up our prayer. PRAY: God, thank you for loving us and caring for us. Thank you for giving us friends who love and care for us too. Today we especially thank you for the friends we name out loud and in our hearts now. (Allow time for the children to share.) God, we ask you to be with our friends and to help us be good friends to them. Amen. Dismiss the children to their small groups. GROW STRONGER Divide the children into small groups based on age levels. Keep the groups small, with a maximum of ten children in each group. You may need to have more than one of each group. YOUNGER ELEMENTARY SMALL GROUP Supplies: Leader Guide p. 75, pencils Photocopy Follow the Arrows (p. 75) for each child. SAY: Today we heard the story of two good friends, David and Jonathan. The Deep Blue Kids also made a new friend today. Being a good friend is one way we love and serve God. ASK: What makes a person a good friend? What does a good friend act like? SAY: I can tell you know how to be a good friend. Let s find out something the Bible tells us about friends. Give each child a copy of Follow the Arrows and a pencil. Encourage each child to complete the puzzle. (Answer: Friends love all the time.) Divide the children into four groups. SAY: Talk with the people in your group and find one thing that all of you have in common and one thing that is different among all of you. Have each small group report the similarities and differences they have found to the entire group. Have each group combine with another group so there are now two groups. 72 Deep Blue Large Group/Small Group Leader Guide Session 7
SAY: Now your group is a little bigger. Talk together as a group and find one thing that all of you have in common and one thing that is different among all of you. Have each small group report the similarities and differences they have found to the entire group. Have the children come back together as one group. SAY: Now let s see if we can find something all of us have in common and something that is different among all of us. SAY: God has made each one of us unique, and yet there are many things we have in common. Regardless of our similarities or differences, we can still all be friends. Today we thank God for all of our friends. PRAY: Loving God, thank you for the gift of friendship. Help us to be good, loyal friends. Amen. OLDER ELEMENTARY SMALL GROUP Supplies: Leader Guide p. 76, pencils Photocopy Friendship Poems (p. 76) for each child. SAY: Today we heard the story of two good friends, David and Jonathan. The Deep Blue Kids also made a new friend today. Being a good friend is one way we love and serve God. I know that each of you knows a lot about friendship. You have friends, and you are a friend. Today you are going to write some poems about friendship. Give each child a copy of Friendship Poems. SAY: This page shows three different types of poems. You may choose which kind of poem you want to write. Describe the poem types to the children. To write an acrostic poem, you write a word or phrase vertically down the side of a piece of paper. Then you think of words or phrases beginning with each letter that have to do with the phrase. A shadorma is a six-line poem written from a specific formula. Each line of the poem has a certain number of syllables. The instructions for each line of the poem are on your paper. There are no rules to writing a free verse poem. You just take a piece of paper and start writing! The lines don t even have to rhyme. Have each child choose which kind of poem he or she would like to write. Encourage each child to write one or more poems. Invite the children to share their poems with the group. PRAY: God, thank you for giving us friends. Help us to serve you by being good friends. Amen. Fall 2017 Session 7 deepbluekids.com 73
David and Jonathan The story of David and Jonathan is found in the Bible. David and Jonathan were best friends. David was the youngest son of a man named Jesse. Jonathan was the son of King Saul. David was a shepherd boy who played the harp. Jonathan fought in the king s army with his father. David was anointed by Samuel to be the next king. As the king s son, Jonathan might have become king. Even though David and Jonathan were different, they became friends. Jonathan thought as much of David as he did of himself. David and Jonathan made a promise to each other to always be loyal friends. As part of their promise, Jonathan gave David his robe, his bow and arrows, and his belt. It was not always easy for David and Jonathan to remain friends. One day David came to Jonathan and told him King Saul, Jonathan s father, was trying to have him killed. This was difficult for Jonathan to believe. Jonathan and David came up with a plan to keep David safe. David hid while Jonathan talked to his father to find out if David was really in danger. He discovered David had been telling the truth. Jonathan went out near where David was hiding and shot an arrow. As Jonathan s servant ran to fetch the arrow, Jonathan yelled out, I think the arrow is past you! This was a code Jonathan and David had agreed on to let David know he was in danger. David was able to escape from King Saul, thanks to Jonathan s help. David and Jonathan were loyal to each other and encouraged each other during difficult times because that s what friends do. (Based on 1 Samuel 18:1-5; 20:1-42.) 74 Deep Blue Large Group/Small Group Leader Guide Session 7
Follow the Arrows One way to love and serve God is to be a good friend. Use the following code to discover something the Bible says about friends. A = D = E = F = H = I = L = M = N = O = R = S = T = V = Fall 2017 Session 7 deepbluekids.com 75
Friendship Poems Acrostic Poem Choose a word or phrase that begins with each letter below and has something to do with being a friend. F R I E N D S Shadorma Compose a shadorma poem about being a friend using the format below. A shadorma poem has six lines. The structure is ruled by syllables. Line 1: 3 syllables Line 2: 5 syllables Line 3: 3 syllables Line 4: 3 syllables Line 5: 7 syllables Line 6: 5 syllables Free Verse 76 Deep Blue Large Group/Small Group Leader Guide Session 7