Teaching

Today, we are going to talk about how David relied on God. How many brothers did David have? Seven.

The Prophet Samuel received a word from the Lord to go to Bethlehem and anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the new king. Everyone assumed it would be one of the older boys, so nobody even bothered to invite the youngest brother, David, who was out in the fields with the sheep! But God did not want Samuel to look at people’s outward appearance. In 1 Samuel 16:7b, God told Samuel,

“The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

When we look at people, we may be tempted to judge them by how they look, but God sees us from the inside out! So let’s remember that people’s hearts are more important than their looks!

How did Samuel know which son was to be the new king? The Lord told Samuel.

How do you think the brothers felt when they learned that their little brother, David, was to be the new king? Hurt, jealous, angry.

How do you think the brothers felt when they saw David at the battle site of the Israelites and the Philistines? Angry and maybe baffled.

How do you think the brothers felt when they saw David defeat Goliath? Probably proud, embarrassed that they hadn’t trusted God, maybe a little scared because of the way they had spoken to him.

How do you think David felt standing in front of Goliath? Perhaps a little scared, yet confident of God’s power. Excited to trust and be used by God!

God had a reason for selecting David to be king. Perhaps one of his brothers looked like a better choice to be king, but God sees inside. He knew David’s heart. Why didn’t any of David’s brothers stand up to Goliath? They were afraid.

Even though David was the youngest brother, he had courage and relied on God when facing the giant alone. Do you think it would have been wise for David to trust his brothers over trusting God, and why? No, his brothers didn’t think David could defeat Goliath.

Our SuperTruth for today is: “I may seem small; but in God’s eyes, I can do great things.”

David seemed small to many people: Samuel, Saul, his brothers, and most of all, Goliath! But God saw things differently. God could see that David trusted in God; and as Jesus tells us in Matthew 19:26 (nkjv),

“With God all things are possible.”

Stand at a table and display the eight paper squares with the words face-up.

We are going to have some fun with these eight squares. Seven squares say BROTHER, and one says DAVID.

Turn the squares over so the words are not visible, then shuffle them. Have eight children come to the table. Keeping the squares face-down, place one in front of each child. If you have fewer than eight children, some will have two. As you pass out the squares, make a mental note of which child receives “DAVID” by the rectangle’s four torn edges. Tell the children they may peek under their squares to read them, then place a hand on top to be sure no one else can see. Take your time before revealing which child has the paper that says “DAVID.”

God chose David from among all His brothers, as I did—except I had a little help!

Reveal the trick to the children and suggest they can teach their families about David and his brothers using the same demonstration.

I saw what no one else saw with the square that had David written on it! God also sees things that no one else can see! He looks inside and sees our hearts!

Let’s shout our SuperVerse together: “People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Have you been working on your Invisible Armor challenge? Have extra copies of the Invisible Armor Booklet available for those who were not here last lesson. Can anyone list all the pieces of the armor of God? Allow children to try to name all the parts. Keep trying to memorize all the parts of our invisible armor. Remember to look up and write in the booklet the verses that describe each piece.