meekness : : : lesson 2

meekness : : : lesson 2 BEATITUDE Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 (NIV) COMPASSION Having the power to prove your point but choosing not to do so. November 14 15 Episode 2 David Defeats Goliath 1 Samuel 17:1 51 MEMORY VERSE I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 1 Samuel 17:45 KEY POINT When you are meek God will make you strong. Lesson 2 page 14

Let's Create : : : lesson 2 EARLY ARRIVAL (before service) Have some upbeat music playing. Welcome children warmly. Have some simple toys available to make the environment welcoming. Teachers should take this time to engage in conversation with children as they sit to play with them. Ask them about their week, school, and home. Begin to establish relationships. BEGIN CLASS (service time) Introduce yourself and your assistants. Before the discussion questions, PRAY that the Lord will bless your time together. Have a set of supplies for yourself to demonstrate as you explain. November 14 15 Supplies per child Verse print-out Craft sticks (3 per child) Small pompoms (a few per child) Fabric rectangle (Felt or construction paper will work.) Supplies to share Crayons Yarn Scissors Tape and stapler Glue CREATE it : : : instructions 1 Have 2 Cut 3 Arrange 4 Place children color the David papers. a small length of yarn (8 ) for each child. the craft sticks into a capital Y shape. This is the body of the slingshot. Glue or tape it together. the yarn along the center of the rectangular piece of felt fabric (or construction paper), then fold over and staple or glue the end. This creates the pocket for the slingshot. 5 With the yarn threaded through the pocket, glue the two ends of the yarn to the tops of the Y shape. lesson 2 Kindergarten 1 st grade page 15

ASSEMBLE it : : : instructions 1 Glue or tape the completed slingshot onto the paper where indicated. 2 Scatter and glue the stones (pom-poms) on the page. CONNECTIT CONNECT it : : : say Today, we are going to learn about the most amazing victory anyone has ever had a young shepherd boy defeats a giant, mighty warrior. This boy could have boasted about this story forever and taken all the credit for himself. But that is not what he did, and that is not why he did it. David s story is a great example of meekness in the midst of what could have become the proudest moment of this boy s life. Let s watch Virtuality now and learn what happened and why he was so humble. WATCH it : : : Go to large group to see the Virtuality DVD, Beatitude Series DVD (volume 3, episode 2) lesson 2 Kindergarten 1 st grade page 16

Bible Story BIBLE STORY : : : David Defeats Goliath 1 Samuel 17:1 51 BEFORE YOU BEGIN As you read the story (from the International Children s Bible) encourage children to act out their roles. Instruct them to do their best to portray what you are reading. Be animated as you read, if you are excited they will be also. Throughout the story there will be hand motions, instruct the children to make these motions with you. BACKGROUND INFORMATION : : : say it in your own words Read and study the background information at home. Before you begin reading today s Bible story give children the background information your own words. Before we read the story of David and Goliath, let s learn a bit more about David. David was the great-grandson of Ruth and Boaz. David was born in Bethlehem, where he grew up along with his father Jesse and his seven older brothers. The Bible doesn t give his exact age at the time of this true story, but he was probably in his very early teens. One day, God sent His prophet Samuel to Jesse s house to anoint one of his sons as the next king of Israel. Saul was still the rightful king, but he had disappointed God with his disobedience. God searched all of Israel for a man with the right heart who would lead His people to victory over their enemies. When Samuel arrived in Jesse s house, his seven sons were lined up for inspection. Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, Surely this is the Lord s anointed! But the LORD said to Samuel, Don t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:6 7 NLT). One by one, God rejected all seven of Jesse s sons. By this time, I m sure they were all scratching their heads thinking, You sure you got the right house, Samuel? Then Samuel asked, Are these all the sons you have? There is still the youngest, Jesse replied. But he s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats. Send for him at once, Samuel said (1 Samuel 16:11 NLT). When Samuel first arrived at Jesse s house, David wasn t called in; he wasn t even considered as a possibility. But God knew the heart of David. God knew that David would not be proud like Saul. David would serve the Lord with meekness. David had to wait many years before he would actually take the crown as the king of Israel, but not long after he was anointed, he went to serve King Saul. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers (1 Samuel 16:21). David joined Saul s staff and also played the harp for Saul whenever he was depressed. One day, a war broke out between the Israelites and the Philistines. David s three eldest lesson 2 Kindergarten 1 st grade page 17

Bible Story continue brothers were part of Saul s army. David s father Jesse wanted to know how his sons were doing; so, since David was part of Saul s staff, Jesse was able to send him to the front lines to bring his brothers food and check on them and bring a report back. This was when David first met this giant. Let s go to the Bible and read what happened. PREP for Bible Story : : : props and characters 1. The story of David and Goliath will be presented in a paraphrase for brevity. It is written from the perspective of two children witnessing the event. They are going to take us with them on this exciting day in Israel, when a young boy defeated a giant because he loved and trusted God. 2. Read the story with enthusiasm to engage the children. READ Bible Story : : : begin story That s the biggest guy I ve ever seen, Christina says, tucking her head back behind the tent. Zach is busy trying on heavy body armor that belongs to one of the Israelite soldiers. Suddenly, a voice from the Philistine side thunders through the valley: Today I stand and dare the army of Israel! Send one of your men to fight me! (1 Samuel 17:10 ICB) Who is that? Zach asks. That s the big guy, Christina replies. The soldiers said his name is Goliath. He s been wanting to fight someone for forty days, but everyone in the Israelite army is afraid of him. I am too, says Zach. He must be over nine feet tall! And look at all that bronze armor he s wearing. As Zach peeks from behind the tent, a familiar face enters the Israelite camp. Look, it s David! he exclaims. David is carrying a sack full of food. What s he doing here? Christina wonders. The last time they d seen David, he had just come from the fields where he tended sheep. Samuel had anointed him with oil, declaring him to be the next king of Israel. lesson 2 Kindergarten 1 st grade page 18

Bible Story continue Zach and Christina run toward David. They near a group of soldiers that have surrounded the boy. David is asking questions about Goliath. Zach pushes his way closer. He reports to Christina, David is saying that his father sent him to check up on his brothers. He brought the food for their commander. What else? Christina asks. Creeping closer to the group, Zach kneels between two soldiers, just a few steps away from David. The soldiers are saying that Saul has promised a prize to the man who kills Goliath, Zach says. This man who kills Goliath will receive money, his family won t have to pay taxes, and he will be able to marry Saul s daughter! Zach overhears that Saul wants to see David. The two sneak up behind Saul s tent to hear what he is saying. Would he be angry that a young boy has come to the battlefield? Would he send a message to David s father? To Zach and Christina s surprise, David quickly speaks up. He says to Saul, Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this... Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine (1 Samuel 17:36 37). When Saul says that David cannot fight Goliath because he is just a boy, Zach and Christina nod their heads in agreement. But David keeps saying that he can. Zach and Christina can see through a crack in the tent as Saul offers David his own armor. David puts it on, but he can hardly stand up under the weight of it. Zach says, Look he s not going to wear it! Nope, Christina agrees. He s only taking a staff, stones, a pouch, and a sling. I guess he really is trusting the Lord to save him. Zach covers his eyes as David runs toward Goliath. He can t believe that the one God has chosen to be Israel s next king is about to die fighting a giant! Then Zach and Christina hear David say, You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven s Armies the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you... and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! (1 Samuel 17:45 46 NLT) lesson 2 Kindergarten 1 st grade page 19

Bible Story continue David doesn t waste any time. He chooses one stone from his pouch, shoots it, and hits Goliath on his forehead. The giant falls facedown on the ground! Zach and Christina jump to their feet, cheering and clapping. The entire army of Israelite soldiers cannot believe their eyes! Christina says, Wait till I tell my friends about this! They ll never believe that a young shepherd boy killed a nine-foot giant! My friends won t believe it either, Zach says. I guess when you trust God and stand up for His ways, He does pretty amazing things, even if you are just a kid! Just a courageous kid like David. CONNECTIT KEYPOINT CONNECT it : : : say Almost everyone knows the story of David and Goliath, even people who aren t Christians. It is one of the great, true stories in the Bible, but we must never forget its real meaning. This story is not about how great and brave David was not at all. In fact, thinking that would make David really sad. You see, David was a humble servant of God. David did not take the credit for his victory; he gave the credit for the victory to God, where it belongs. David knew without a doubt that he didn t win that battle God won the battle. David knew one thing for sure... When you are meek, God will make you strong. We need to remember this whenever we find ourselves in tough situations, especially situations that attack our faith. When we face our giants whatever that happens to be quote the words of David and believe them in your heart. MEMORYVERSE PRAYER I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 1 Samuel 17:45 LET S PRAY : : : say Thank you, Lord, for fighting for us. Help us to have faith like David s and not to be scared in hard times but to trust You instead and march forth in victory. We want to be on Your side of the battle. Help us to be meek and seek Your face always. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. lesson 2 Kindergarten 1 st grade page 20

Review for Lesson 2 BEATITUDE Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 (NIV) MEEKNESS Having the power to prove your point but choosing not to do so. Today s lesson Bible Story David Defeats Goliath Location 1 Samuel 17:1 51 Memory Verse I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 1 Samuel 17:45 Key Point When you are meek God will make you strong. Time fillers Ask if anyone would like to play the teacher and review today s lesson with the class. Play games to help children memorize today s Bible memory verse. Take HOME VIRTUE Quest is the take-home sheet designed for children to do with their parents. The sheet contains information about today s lesson. The goal is to partner with parents to continue and to reiterate the lesson. Be sure to hand all parents a sheet as they pick up their children. lesson 2 page 21