unit 9: king david and king solomon ot9.1 a …...1 ot9.1 a shepherd anointed king ©beverly wilson...

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OT9.1 A Shepherd Anointed King ©Beverly Wilson 2019

Unit 9: King David and King Solomon OT9.1 A Shepherd Anointed King Lesson

Scripture: I Samuel 16:1-23

Lesson Goal: King Saul had ruled over Israel for many years. Samuel the prophet had told him that because of his continued disobedience that God had taken the throne from him. David was a shepherd boy who had learned to love and trust God. In this lesson we will learn how God chose David the shepherd boy to be king of Israel and how we too can learn to love God with all our heart.

Introduction: The story of the Shepherd Anointed KIng is found in 1 Samuel which is the ninth book in the Old Testament. 1 Samuel is in the second group of books in the Old Testament called the historical books. These books begin with Joshua and go through Esther. Let's say these books--Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther.

Attention Getter: “Leader of the Country” If you had to choose someone to be the leader of our country, what kind of person would you choose? Would it be a woman? Would it be someone who is very handsome? Or would it be someone who is very smart? Would it be someone who is very strong? Maybe it would be someone who is very popular. In our lesson today we will find out who God chose to be the new king of Israel and why God chose him. His name was David and he had a heart that loved God. Optional: Read the story of the boy and his dog below.

Opening Prayer: “Dear Father in heaven, teach us never to judge a person by what we see on the outside. Help us to learn to see people the way you see them, from the inside out. We want to learn to love people the way you do. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Memory Verse: The memory verse is 1 Samuel 16: 7 "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart."

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/c2M8AIjZjHk

God wanted Israel to have a king who would follow His ways. He wanted someone whom He could trust to lead the nation of Israel to love and trust Him so God could bless them richly. Saul who was Israel’s first king started out a very humble man but soon he became proud and arrogant. He had become very proud of all the battles he had fought and he loved having all the people praise him. He began to do things his own way instead of God's way. King Saul had disobeyed God. Saul even lied to the prophet Samuel and insisted that he had done as God had asked. Saul was NOT sorry and was totally unrepentant. So the prophet Samuel told King Saul, "Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord has rejected you from being king." Samuel went away and never saw King Saul again. When King Saul disobeyed God’s instructions, the Lord told the prophet Samuel that He was sorry that He had made Saul King. God had told Samuel that King Saul would not be king for much longer. This made Samuel very sad. He grieved a very long time.

https://youtu.be/c2M8AIjZjHk

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God then told Samuel his plan for the future. He said to Samuel, "It's time to stop being sad about Saul. Take a little bottle of oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse. I have chosen one of his sons to be king." Samuel said, "Lord, how can I do that? Saul will kill me if he hears I am going to find a new king!" God replied, "Go to Bethlehem and take a calf with you and say that you are there to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Invite Jesse and his sons to a time of sacrifice and worship. Then I will show you what to do. I'll tell you the man I have chosen to be the next king.” Samuel obeyed God and packed up and went to Bethlehem. When he arrived in Bethlehem, the rulers of the city, trembling with fear, came to meet him saying, "What is wrong? Why have you come?" They thought the prophet Samuel had come to judge them for some wrong they had done. Samuel replied, "All is well. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Get yourselves ready and come with me to the sacrifice." Samuel found Jesse who was a shepherd. He had eight sons who helped him with his flock. Samuel invited him and his sons to worship God with him. They all cleansed themselves to worship with Samuel. At the sacrifice Samuel asked Jesse to introduce his sons to him. Jesse brought his oldest son, Eliab to Samuel. Eliab must have been tall and good-looking, because Samuel thought to himself, "Surely this is the man God wants to choose for the king!" But God said to Samuel, "Don't pay attention to how he looks or how tall he is. He's not the one I want. People can only see how someone looks on the outside, but I am looking to see what is in a person's heart." God meant that how a person thinks and feels is more important than how a person looks. Samuel said to Jesse, "Let me see your other sons." So Jesse called his next oldest son Abinadab but Samuel said, “No, the Lord hasn’t chosen him either.” Jesse then brought his third son Shammah. “No, the Lord hasn’t chosen him either!” said Samuel. One by one, Jesse brought seven of his sons to Samuel. But Samuel said to him, “No the Lord hasn’t chosen any of these.” Here were all these seven sons, and not one of them was the one God wanted! God had told Samuel to come visit Jesse. These were the right sons. But where was the son God had chosen to be the next king? The prophet Samuel asked Jesse, “Do you have any more sons?” Samuel hoped that maybe, just maybe, there was someone else!" Jesse answered, “I do have one more son. There is the youngest named David but he is out taking care of the sheep.” “Tell him to come here,” Samuel said. “We won't sit down to eat the feast until he gets here." So Jesse sent someone to bring his youngest son back home. Jesse and Samuel and all those seven sons waited. Finally, David, the youngest son, came up to his father. He was a handsome, healthy young man, and his eyes sparkled. The Lord said to Samuel, “This is the one I have chosen—anoint him!” Samuel took the olive oil and anointed David in front of his brothers. This was a sign that David would be the next king of Israel. Immediately the Spirit of the Lord took control of David and was with him from that day on. God had chosen a little shepherd boy to be king! After the feast, the prophet Samuel returned to his home in Ramah, and David returned to the sheepfolds, rejoicing in the Lord. God knew how much David loved Him. God had a great destiny for David, but there would be many trials and lessons to learn before he would become king.

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As a shepherd David was responsible for caring for his father’s sheep. When a sheep or lamb strayed out of his sight, David would climb on a high rock and begin calling the sheep by name. The sheep knew his voice and obeyed him. Each evening David examined the sheep as they went under his rod through the entrance to the sheepfold. If a sheep was bruised or cut, he poured soothing oil over the sore spot to help it heal. David also carried a shepherd's staff. The crook on the end of the staff was used to pull in the wandering sheep. Sometimes the staff was used as a rod to kill snakes. David always kept his slingshot nearby, too. He practiced hurling stones with his sling until he became expert with it. Asking for God’s help David even learned to kill hungry lions and huge growling bears. Sometimes he would grab these beasts with his own bare hands and kill the enemies of the sheep. The Spirit of God gave David the courage and power to defend his sheep from the bear and the lion. David was learning to trust God in the face of danger. David sang songs of thanksgiving to the Lord after such experiences, because he knew that it was God who had protected him and helped him! In fact, David sang so well that when others heard him, they called him "the sweet singer of Israel." He sang and played on his harp day after day, while taking care of his sheep. He soon became a very skilled harp player as well as a good singer. David was a good shepherd to his flock of sheep. God seemed very close to him ever since he was anointed by the prophet Samuel. Because David loved the Lord, whatever he did, he always did it as unto the Lord. Although God had chosen David to be the next king, it would be many years later before David would actually rule. But David never forgot that God had chosen him to be the next ruler of Israel. After Samuel put the oil on David's head God's Spirit was with David in a powerful way. Meanwhile God's Spirit was no longer with King Saul. He was being tormented by an evil and bad mood. He began to have pain like a headache and he became very depressed. His only relief was when someone played the harp. King Saul asked his servants to find someone in the land that played the harp well. One of King Saul's servants said, "I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a good musician. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine looking man. And the Lord is with Him." Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” So Jesse took a donkey and loaded it with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul! So David was chosen to go to the palace. King Saul liked David very much and enjoyed his harp playing. When Saul listened to the music the evil spirit would leave him and his pain would go away. King Saul liked David so much that he had him stay near the palace and carry the armor for the warriors. David was careful not to tell Saul that he would be the next king because he knew that his life would be in danger. God allowed David to be in the palace and learn what it meant to be king as a teenager. Even though God had chosen him to be the king, he would not assume the throne until he was 30 years old. David had to wait patiently for God's timing because he knew God had a plan. We can learn some important lessons from this story of “A Shepherd Anointed King.” When Samuel anointed David, it was done in secret. David was not publicly anointed King until fifteen years later. Saul was still legally the king but God was preparing David for his future responsibility. The anointing oil poured over David’s head stood for holiness. Anointing with oil was used to set people or objects apart for God’s service. David understood that he needed to wait for God’s timing and plans.

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God also has a plan for us. He has an important job for each of us to do. We need to be willing to wait on God’s direction for our life. Being patient will help us to prepare for what God has for us to do! In the mean time we need to be living holy lives that bring glory to God. At first Samuel did not know who God wanted to be the next king. Samuel thought God would choose someone who was tall and strong. Instead God looked at the heart. He saw how much David loved him. We can have hearts that love God, too. Our memory verse is 1 Samuel 16: 7 "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart." This verse says that when we judge people by their physical appearance we are overlooking what people are really like or what their true value is. God looks into our heart and knows our motives. He judges us by our faith and character and that is the only accurate way of knowing who we really are. Let’s say our memory verse again together. 1 Samuel 16: 7 "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart." David was the one God had chosen to be the next king over Israel. God chose David because only He could see inside his heart. God saw that David had a heart that was right toward Him. David loved God with all his heart. He trusted God with his whole life. David desired to please God with everything that he thought, said, and did. David had a heart completely committed to God. Just like God looked at David's heart, He looks at our hearts too. He wants our hearts to be clean and pure. Unfortunately when we do wrong, it darkens our hearts. God knew that this sin would separate us from Him so He made a way for us to have clean hearts! God loved us so much that He gave His Son, Jesus to help us. Jesus died on the cross for all the wrong things we have done. He was our substitute. Although Jesus paid the price for our wrongs by dying on the cross, He came back to life three days later. If we believe in Him and ask Him to forgive us, He will clean out our hearts! He promises to give us the gift of eternal life so that someday we can go to be with Him in heaven. Would you like to have a clean heart? Then you can. Just pray this prayer with me. Make it your very own. Dear Jesus, I have done wrong things and disobeyed you. Forgive me of my sins. I believe that you are the Son of God and that you came from heaven to die on the cross for me. I believe that you died and rose again for me. I ask you to give me a clean heart so I can go to heaven some day and be with you. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Remember have a heart that loves God! Review Questions: “Sheepfold Toss” Preparation: You will need painters’ tape and a bean bag. Make a square approximately 2 X 2 feet on the floor. Divide the square into four quadrants using tape to form a cross in the center of the square. Place sheep shapes in each of the squares (sheep folds) according to the value of the square. For example 2 sheep in the sheepfold marked 2, four sheep in the sheepfold marked 4, etc. Print and cut out the sheep shape template below to use in each sheepfold square. Procedure: Have the students sit in a circle around the sheepfolds. Each child will take a turn tossing the bean bag into the sheepfold square. Then they will answer one of the following review questions. If they answer the question correctly they will earn the number of points that was assigned to that square. The child with the most points is the winner.

1. In what book of the Bible is this lesson? (The story of David being anointed as King is in 1 Samuel 16.)

2. Why was King Saul rejected by God as being the King of Israel? (He was not obedient to God. He was proud and arrogant and wanted to do things his own way. He lied to Samuel the prophet and was unrepentant.)

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3. Why did Samuel go to Bethlehem? (God told him to go. God said, "It's time to stop being sad about Saul. Take a little bottle of oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse. I have chosen one of his sons to be king." )

4. What did God tell Samuel not to look for when choosing the new king? (What the person looks like or how tall a person is.)

5. How many sons did Jesse have that Samuel the prophet looked at before he anointed David? (Jesse had eight sons so Jesse looked at seven of the sons before he met David.)

6. What quality did David have that God was pleased with to choose him to be king? (He had a heart that loved God and was totally devoted to Him.)

7. What did Samuel do that showed David was the chosen one to be king? (He anointed David’s head with oil.)

8. What did the oil symbolize? (The oil was a way to show that the person had been dedicated or separated from others to serve a holy purpose for God’s service. The oil symbolized holiness.)

9. What things did David have to do to protect the flock of sheep? (He had to lead them to green grass. He had to keep them from danger. He had to heal their bruises and get them out of difficult places. He had to fight their enemies with the staff and slingshot as he killed the lions, bears, and snakes.)

10. How did being a good shepherd help train David to be a good king? (He learned to care for others by caring for the flock. He learned to protect the flock. He would have to fight many battles as a king for the nation of Israel to protect them. He would have to care for them. In protecting the flock David learned to rely or trust of God’s strength.)

11. How did David show his thankfulness to God? (David played on his harp and sang songs of thanksgiving to the Lord. He knew that God had protected him and helped him!)

12. What problem did King Saul have that he needed music? (The Spirit of God had left him and he was very troubled by an evil spirit that caused him to be depressed.)

13. What reputation did David gain by playing the harp and singing while he was tending the sheep? (David sang so well that when others heard him, they called him "the sweet singer of Israel.")

14. Why did David have to wait so long before he actually assumed the throne of Israel? (King Saul was still alive. God wanted to use this time to prepare and teach David some important lessons so he would be a good king.)

15. What important lessons can we learn from this Bible story? (Learn to wait on God’s timing and plan because it is best. Man should be judged by looking at their hearts not on their outward appearance. God is more concerned with our attitude and character than how we look.)

16. How can we have a clean heart? (Believe in Jesus as our Savior. Repent of our sin. Ask Jesus to be our Savior and give us the gift of eternal life.)

17. What is the memory verse? (1 Samuel 16: 7 "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.")

Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Crown Me”

Our memory verse is 1 Samuel 16: 7 "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart." Have students look up memory verse in scripture and read it aloud together. Repeat several times.

Say: “This verse says that when we judge people by their physical appearance we are overlooking what people are really like or what their true value is. God looks into our heart and knows our motives. He judges us by our faith and character and that is the only accurate way of knowing who we really are.”

Preparation: You will need a toy crown or a paper crown for each group or circle of students.

Procedure: Have students sit in circles of no more than 4 or 5 students. Ask leaders to give a crown to one of the students in each circle. Direct the students in the groups to pass the crown around the circle as they say one word of the memory verse. The student who is holding the crown when it is time to say

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the verse reference is out of the game. After each group of students repeats the verse they are to scramble to another location in the circle and then continue until there is only one player left in the game. Repeat as time allows.

Group Learning Activity: “Eraser Tag” (Grades K-4) Preparation: You will need one chalkboard felt eraser per child. Be sure the erasers are clean since they will be placed on the students’ heads. OR you can use a wooden block to represent the eraser. Write the memory verse on a poster. Procedure: Demonstrate to the students how to balance an eraser on their heads and without using their hand to walk a complete circle around the room. Encourage the students to cheer each other on. You can divide the class into teams for a race, if desired. Say: “Was it hard to balance the eraser on your head? What does an eraser do? (It erases chalk on a board.) Will an eraser remove sin from our hearts? (No, only God can do that through the power of His Son Jesus.) Have students locate the verse Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” in scripture and read aloud the verse. Read the memory verse 1 Samuel 16: 7 "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart" aloud. Say: “How does this verse relate to our memory verse? God judges us by looking at our hearts. He wants our hearts to be clean and pure. He is concerned about our attitude and character. The verse in Psalm 52 tells us how to have 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.”

Group Learning Activity: “Play Your Harp” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need various widths of long rubber bands and child size chairs. You will also need a video or CD of music to play while students strum on their harps. The traditional song “Little David Play on Your Harp” works well with this activity. You can also use a CD of recorded harp music if desired. Print a picture of the harp David used from the template below. Say: “In this lesson we learned that a boy named David was a shepherd who cared for his father’s sheep. While caring for the sheep, David learned to play the harp and sing praises to God. The harp he used was a U-shaped musical instrument with strings. It makes beautiful sounds when someone strums the strings. (Display a picture of the harp.) Later he used his harp playing to calm the evil spirit of King Saul. Today we are going to make our own harps and play them to accompany a song about David.” Procedure: Assist students with making harps by stretching rubber bands around the chair legs. Caution children not to pluck the bands too hard. You can prepare the chairs for the children ahead of time. Lead the students to use the harps to play music. Optional: You can use string or yarn instead of rubber bands. Expect the sound to not be as loud or have as strong pitch. Additional activity: After students have played their chair harps you can have students play a musical chair game with a twist. Have student walk around a circle of chair harps while the background music is playing. Designate a person to remove one of the chairs from the circle. When the music stops have the children sit down quickly and start playing their chair harps. You can also have the children recite the memory verse. Repeat the activity removing the chairs until you have only one student remaining.

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Say: “Playing instruments and singing songs of praise to God are ways that we can show our love for God. What are some other things that kids your age can do to show that they love God? (Pray to God. Obey His commands. Memorize a Bible verse.) Another great way to show love for God is to become a member of God’s family! (Talk with interested children about becoming a member of God’s family.)

Group Learning Activity: Bible Study: “Respect not Judge” (Grades 4-5) Purpose: To understand that God wants us to show respect and love to Him and others. Preparation: Students will need Bibles, pens or pencils, and spiritual journal. Say: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Have you ever experienced that familiar saying first hand? Either on the receiving side or the judging side? We have a tendency to size up people too quickly. We make decisions about who someone is based on what we see. Sadly, we sometimes let those snap judgments affect how we treat people. In the Bible story today, the prophet Samuel made assumptions based on what he saw and judged inaccurately. The Bible tells us that God looks at the heart. He requires us to show respect to others no matter what they may look like. We are going to see what the scripture says about honoring or respecting one another.” Procedure: Help students locate the following verses of scripture. Read verses aloud. Discuss the examples of disobedience and what God says about it. Highlight the Biblical principles being taught.

Romans 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” We are to show respect to everyone.

Exodus 20:12 ““Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” We are instructed to honor our parents.

Leviticus 19:32 “‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.” We are to honor older people like our grandparents or leaders in the church.

1 Timothy 5:3 “Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need.” We are to be considerate of widows or others who are poor.

Romans 13:7 “7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” We are to respect and obey government officials and pay our taxes.

1 Peter 2:17 “17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.” We are to show respect to others members of the church.

Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” God deserves our utmost honor and respect. He is worthy! But most importantly we are to show honor and respect to God.

Have students record the principles they have learned from this lesson in their spiritual journal. Close in prayer asking God to help us show respect and love to others and not judge them on their outward appearance.

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Group Learning Activity: “Anointing a King” (Grades K-5) Preparation: Before class add a drop or rose or lavender essential oil to two tablespoons of olive oil. Shake well and store in a small jar or vial. You will need chart paper or a dry erase board to record responses. Say: “In our lesson God told Samuel to go to Bethlehem and anoint the son of Jesse who would become the next king of Israel. God told him to anoint the son by pouring oil on his head. When Samuel talked to Jesse he thought at first the chosen son would be his oldest boy but it was not. Jesse brought seven of his eight sons before Samuel and none were the one God had chosen. When Samuel asked if Jesse had another son, a messenger was sent to get David the shepherd boy. Samuel pour oil on David’s head as a sign of holiness and dedication to the Lord. Today we are going to see what this might have been like for David.” Procedure: Apply a small dab of oil to the wrist or forehead of each child. Say: “Samuel anointed David because God told him to. God chose David to be the next king of Israel because he had a heart of love toward God. You will probably not be asked to become a king but what might God ask you to do?” (Let students share their ideas. Ex. Read the Bible, Pray, Obey, Love, Sing Praises, Share with others, Help others, etc. You can record these words on chart paper or a dry erase board.) Give each child a piece of drawing paper and have the students trace their hand print. Say: “Let’s read the words on our chart. Now write words on the handprint that you drew to tell what you think God wants you to do. You can use words from the chart or other words that you choose. Color the hand to match yours.” Say: “How can you show love to God and others this week? Can you do the things you think God wants you to do?” Close in prayer asking for God’s help to show love to others.

Group Learning Activity: “God Sees” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need a small mirror, cotton swab and a dry erase marker for each child. You will also need a roll of ribbon to cut 6” loops for each child. Hot glue gun for teacher use only. Say: “We look in the mirrors every day and judge our appearance. God does not judge us that way though. God does not judge us that way though. Let’s read our memory verse together. 1 Samuel 16: 7 "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart." We are going to make a craft that will help us remember our verse.” Procedure: Give each child a small mirror, cotton swab, and dry erase marker. Let them pick a piece of ribbon and help them by gluing and fastening the ribbon in a loop on the back of the mirror. Instruct them to color the entire mirror with a dry erase marker. Say: “Now that you have your mirror completely covered, take your cotton swab and draw a big heart in the center of the mirror, leaving the center colored in. Now write the reference 1 Samuel 16:7 in the middle of the heart with the cotton swab. Say: “Let this mirror be a reminder to you that God is not looking at how you appear on the outside but what He sees on the inside. Remember that God knows our hearts and He wants us to seek Him.”

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Say: “David wasn’t chosen because he was handsome, although he was. He was chosen because of his heart. His own father didn’t believe in him and didn’t even bring him before Samuel to be picked (1 Samuel 16:11) yet God knew about David all along. God knew that David was the boy for the job. He was only a shepherd boy, but when God looked at him, He saw a king. Perhaps you have been left or overlooked by someone. Remember your Heavenly Father God knows who you are, He knows your name and He has chosen you. He loves you so much! You are loved by the Creator of the Universe! All He is interested in is how your heart is towards others and towards Him. It doesn’t matter what you look like or how old you are, it’s all about your heart. So, how is your heart?”

Group Learning Activity: Object Lesson: “Inside Your Heart” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need a candy box. Use a box similar to a Whitman’s Sampler box filled with yucky treats such as onions, stinky socks, banana peels. The box should conceal its contents. You will also need another clear candy or cookie jar filled with yummy candy treats. Say: “The people of Israel told Samuel that they wanted a king so they could be like “all of the other nations.” Saul, who was literally a head taller than everyone else, had been given the keys to a kingdom. He had the opportunity to lead the people of God and help Israel become a great nation. Instead he would have the kingdom ripped from his grasp. He made selfish, disobedient decisions, and Samuel told Saul that God had rejected him as king. His life was like this candy box.” Show the candy box with the yucky stuff hidden. Keep the clear candy jar filled with yummy treats hidden. Say: “What is this? (Allow for answers.) What comes inside a box like this? (Yummy candy comes in these boxes). What is your favorite kind of candy that comes from boxes like this? (Be sure to discuss the many different types of candy and react in such a way that shows you LOVE eating this candy.) “This box looks brand new. I bet the candy is brand new. Let’s open the box!” Show the stinky, yucky stuff and make an awful face when you smell the trash. Say: “Ugh! What is this? (Allow for answers.) But the box looked so nice and new! Are you surprised by what we found inside? (Allow for answers.) Can you always trust that you will find the correct thing inside a labeled box? (Most of the time we see what is real but not this time.) “Everything about the outside of the box tells me the inside should be good…but it wasn’t.” “This box is like the heart of Saul. Saul looked tall and handsome on the outside but he became proud and arrogant. God could see inside his heart and knew that he was rebellious and disobedient. That is why God rejected him from being king.” Show the candy box of trash. Say: “The outside of this box looked perfect for its job. It was supposed to hold yummy chocolates. But it failed

because the outside hid the trash that was on the inside. What type of yucky stuff do people hide inside themselves? (Sin} What is sin? (Anything that we think, say, or do that does not please God.} What types of sin can go on inside of you that people looking at you would never know about? (Allow for answers, lead the children to list sins such as jealousy, envy, hate, selfishness, pride, and other sins that might exist, but never be acted upon.} Does God know your sins that happen inside of you? (Yes}” Show the clear jar of candy. Say: “God sees straight into your heart. He knows what you think and why you choose to do certain actions. He knows if you want to please Him or if you want to please just yourself. Every person is clear to God. He sees what is inside you. When you ask Jesus to clean your heart, He takes all the sin and darkness away. He forgives us or our sins. And Jesus fills you with the Holy Spirit. And if we ask, He will continue to fill us with the Holy Spirit.”

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Say: “David was known to have a whole heart for God, to be a “Man after God’s Own Heart.” If you study David’s life, you know he made a LOT of mistakes. So we know he wasn’t perfect. So what did God see in David? He say a repentant heart. What is repentance? [Knowing you did wrong and choosing to not do that wrong thing again.] Whenever David sinned against God whether in only his heart or outwards toward others, he always accepted the fact he had wronged God. He agreed with God he had done wrong and then repented of it. David truly desired to please God with his whole heart. He was completely committed to God and repentant when wrong.”

Say: “What can we learn from the anointing of King David? People see the outside, but God sees our hearts. We can either fill our hearts with trash and sin, or we can try to stay clean with the help of the Holy Spirit and please God.” Optional object: Use the same dialogue above but use a rock called a geode. It is a great object lesson for looking on the inside instead of the outside. It looks like an ordinary rock on the surface. However, if a person cuts it open, you can see beautiful crystals inside. Share how God looks at our inside heart, not what we look like on the outside. Optional Object: Another object you can use for this lesson is an x-ray. Say: “Some of you have probably seen an x-ray. Many times when we go to the doctor, he cannot tell if we have something wrong just by looking at us. We may look just fine on the outside, but there might be something wrong on the inside. To see what is on the inside, the doctor takes an x-ray. By looking at the x-ray, he can see what's on the inside and helps us to get well. You can't always tell by looking at the outside. God does the same thing. He looks at our inside and wants us to have a clean heart.”

Group Learning Activity: Object Lesson “Fruit Tray” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need a tray of different raw unpeeled fruits, a knife, and some paper towels. Include fruits on the tray that children like to eat such as apples, oranges, bananas but also ones that are not so attractive on the outside like pineapple or kiwi fruit. Use fruit that has not been cut and has the raw outside skin. Say: “What fruit is this? Who likes to eat (show one of the fruits)? What’s your favorite fruit?” Procedure: Talk with the children about fruits—their taste, their fragrance, their differences, and how they grow from just one small seed. Show a kiwi fruit or some other fruit that isn’t attractive on the outside. Talk about its appearance. Cut the fruit and show the inside, have the children taste the fruit. Talk about how nice it looks inside, even though it isn’t especially nice on the outside. Say: Which fruit do you like best? Are all fruits good for us? We need to eat fruit because it is good for our bodies. All fruits are important. All are valuable. Some don’t look good on the outside, but they are good inside and good to eat. It’s the same with people. We are all different. We can’t always tell what a person is like by just looking at them. We have to get to know them. God looks at people’s hearts. He knows what they are like inside. He loves every one of us. And how do we treat other people if God thinks they are important? Right! We show love. We treat others as important people because they are important to Jesus.” Review the memory verse: 1 Samuel 16: 7 "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart."

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Group Learning Activity: “Story Cartoon” (Grades K-4) Preparation: You will need Bibles, a large sheet or roll of butcher paper, and colored markers. Divide the butcher paper into four to six sections. Label each section with a main Bible story event. (Ex. Samuel goes to Bethlehem.” “Samuel sees Jesse’s seven sons.” “David comes to the sacrifice and sees Samuel and his family.” “Samuel anoints David’s head with oil.” ”David goes home and cares for the sheep.” “David plays his harp for King Saul.”) Say: “In this lesson we will learned how God chose David the shepherd boy to be king of Israel and how we too can learn to love God with all our heart. We are going to make a cartoon mural to retell this story. It will help us to remember all the parts of the lesson.” Procedure: Divide the class into groups of two or three. Assign groups to a section of the mural. Each group works together to draw a picture that illustrates its section’s heading. When finished hang the mural on the classroom wall. Use the cartoon script to review the story. Say: “In this lesson what did God tell Samuel not to look for when choosing the new king? (God told him not to look on the outward appearance but on the heart.) Why did God choose David to be the king? (God could see the attitude and character of his heart and knew that he loved God more than anything else in life.) What do you think David did to show love for God? (He had faith in God to give him strength to fight the enemies of the sheep. He showed his love for God by playing his harp and singing praises to Him.) How can you show that you love God?”

Craft Learning Activity: “Heart of Love” (Grades K-5) Preparation: Print the heart shape below on construction paper or tag board. Each student will need construction paper heart, scissors, and colored markers. Procedure: Have children locate the following verse in scripture and read aloud together. Deuteronomy 6:5 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Read the memory verse 1 Samuel 16: 7 "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart" aloud. Say: “How does this verse relate to our memory verse? God judges us by looking at our hearts. He wants our hearts to be clean and pure. He is concerned about our attitude and character. The verse in Deuteronomy 6:5 commands to love the Lord with our heart, mind, soul, and all our strength. Loving God completely with our whole being is honored by God. If we love God we will obey Him by reading His Word and praying. He loves us and wants us to have a heart of love toward him and others. Distribute the construction paper or tag board hearts. Have children cut out the hearts. Have the children use colored markers to draw a picture of a way to show love for God. Encourage them to draw a picture of a way they can show love to a person they love (mom, friend, or grandparent). To help the children think of what to draw ask some of these questions: “Who is someone you love? How do you show that person you love him or her? What are some ways we can show that we love God?” Optional: You can precut plain hearts from construction paper and have students write Deuteronomy 6:5 on it if desired.

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Craft Learning Activity: “What’s Inside Your Heart?” Preparation: You will need red construction paper, white paper strips, scissors, and colored markers. Procedure: With your red construction paper in landscape view, fold the sides of your page into the cent of the page creating three parts. Fold the whole page in half lightly so that the crease is not too deep. From the center of the page, measure and mark 1” inch from the top of the page. Cut the two edge edges of the heart to meet into the middle where your mark was made. At the bottom of the page, use scissors to cut the point of the heart to meet into the middle of the bottom edge. Cut four slips of white paper and stick them with glue to the front of your heart as pictured. Open up your heart and draw all the good things that you have in your heart or that you would want God to see. These might include: family, love, joy, hope, peace, faith, and friends. Write the word Jesus across the heart and its flaps. See photo for clues.

Say: “God looks at your heart, not your outward appearance. He notices the things that we do that show that we love Him and that we love others. How can you show that you love God and that you love your friends and family?” Let each child share something that they can do to show love. Examples would be, praying for others, giving hugs, and helping others. Once each child has said something that they can do to show love close in prayer.

Craft Learning Activity: “Secret Treasures” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need a little toy or item like a ring for each student. You will also need aluminum foil, plaster of Paris, water, and paper towels. Procedure: Distribute a toy to each student. Have students securely wrap the toy in aluminum foil. Mix the Plaster of Paris according to the directions on the package. Dip the aluminum foil ball into the plaster so that it is completely covered in plaster. Let dry. When dry, the children can “crack” them open for a fun surprise. Say: “Inside these foil wrapped packages are a surprise! We cannot see what is inside unless we crack open the hard outside. The surprises are like our hearts. We tend to judge a person by their outward appearances. God however can see into the hearts of people and he is concerned about their attitudes and character. These are more important qualities that really tell the value of an individual. What is your heart like?” Say: “David is often referred to as “a man after God’s own heart.” God did not choose David to be a king because he looked like a king or even acted “kingly.” David was a lowly sheepherder. God chose David because of his heart--a heart that longed for God and desired to serve Him. God looks at our hearts, not our outward appearance. Let’s say our memory verse together. 1 Samuel 16: 7 "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart."”

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Craft Learning Activity: “Sheep” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need a printed copy of the sheep pattern below one for each student. Print template on white cardstock. You will also need colored markers, scissors, glue or paper fasteners or metal brads. Procedure: Distribute one copy of the sheep pattern below to each student along with other supplies. Have students color the pieces and cut them all out. Have students assemble the craft as pictured. You can glue the pieces or use the paper fasteners. You can also use cotton balls to decorate the body and head of sheep if desired. Say: “In this lesson we learned that David cared for his family’s sheep. David would lead the sheep to find water and grass. He would take them to find the rivers and streams for water. He would take them to the mountainsides for green grass to eat. David also cared for his sheep by putting oil on the bruises and cuts of the sheep. He protected the sheep by pulling them out of thorny bushes or rocks. He would kill the enemies of the sheep. He learned to use his sling shot to kill the lion and the bear that would attack the sheep. David killed the snakes who wanted to bite the sheep. David was a good shepherd to the sheep.” Say: “Shepherds also named their sheep and would make sure they were safely in the fold at night. Let’s name our sheep. If you were a shepherd how would you care for your sheep.” (Allow students to name their sheep and tell how they would care for sheep.)

Say: “Just like David was a shepherd, Jesus is our Good Shepherd. He loves and cares for us too. He loves us so much that He came to earth to be our Savior. He has provided for us the gift of salvation. We must believe and trust in Him just like the sheep trust their shepherd to care for them.”

Craft Learning Activity: “Harp” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need a Bible, scissors, drinking straw, a 5 inch cardboard square, and six rubber bands for each child. You will also need colored markers. Cut the straws into 5 inch lengths. Say: “In our lesson a boy named David played an instrument called a harp. While the sheep rested, David often played his harp and sang songs to praise God. He used the harp to praise God for helping him protect his father’s sheep. He also used it to play comforting music for King Saul. We are going to make harps that we can play to praise God.” Procedure: Have children color the cardboard squares. Show children how to stretch the rubber bands around the squares and then inserting the straws between the rubber bands and the cardboard. Children can play the harps by plucking the rubber bands. Optional harp craft: Preparation: You will need craft sticks, glue, small rubber bands, and paper. Procedure: Pass out four craft sticks to each child. Have students glue the four sticks together (corner to corner) in the shape of a square on a piece of paper. Have the students let the sticks dry overnight. Give each student several rubber bands to stretch over the craft stick frame to serve as strings. Tip: If you have access to an autoharp or other stringed instrument, bring the instrument and invite the children to play it. Have children play their harps and sing the Bible verse or play their harps to other recorded music.

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Craft Learning Activity: ‘God Searches the Heart” (Grades K-3) Preparation: Print the magnifying glass templates below on cardstock one copy for each student. You will need colored marking pens and scissors. Procedure: Distribute the printed copies of the magnifying glasses, colored markers, and scissors to students. Have students color and cut out the magnifying glasses. Cut out the magnifying glass from the cardstock. Cut out the heart and circle template. Glue the handles of the magnifying glasses together. Not the rim around the glass. Trace the heart onto a sheet of red construction paper and cut it out. Trace the circle twice onto contact paper. Cut out the circles. Take the back off of one of the circles and in the center of the circle place the heart. Remove the back of the other circle and place it on top of the heart/circle. This makes the “glass” of the magnifying glass. Place the “glass” in between the rims of the magnifying glass templates, centering it. Add glue to the templates to hold the “glass” in place. Say: “We live in a world that is obsessed with outwardly appearances. Kids are made to feel like they won’t fit in if they don’t have the same clothes as all of their friends. Even adults are bombarded with commercials telling them they need this or that to make themselves more attractive and happier. But what does God look at? What does He care about? God looks at our hearts. “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 Since God looks at our hearts, shouldn’t we be more concerned with our souls than our bodies? This is what we want our kids to learn. “Look deep into my heart, God, and find out everything I am thinking. Don’t let me follow evil ways, but lead me in the way that time has proven true.” Psalm 139:23-24”

Life Application Challenge: “What’s in Your Heart?” Say: “God told Samuel to choose David even though he was the youngest and seemed less kingly than his brothers. But God knew that David was the right person to be king. God knows what is in our hearts. What does God see in your heart? Does He see love, obedience, and kindness? Or does He see anger, lying, and rebellion?” Say: “God still chooses people today to do His work. God may want to choose you to do something special for Him. Your love and obedience to God is more important than what other people think about you. Keep asking God to teach you what you need to know and to lead you in the right path.” Have the children make a line. Go down the line and pray for each child placing your hand on his or her head. Pray that God will bless each child and teach that child what he or she needs to know to love and follow Him. Thank God for what each child is going to do with his or her life.

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A Shepherd Anointed King

1 Samuel 16: 7 "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward

appearance but the Lord looks at the heart."

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David’s Harp

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“David Plays Harp” Folding Paper Craft

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unit 9: king david and king solomon ot9.1 a …...1 ot9.1 a shepherd anointed king ©beverly wilson...

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