Lesson Learned: David the shepherd boy is chosen as Israel’s king.
Materials Needed: none
Bible Verse:
1 Samuel 16:1-12
1 The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”
The LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”
4 Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?”
5 Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.”
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” 9 Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the LORD chosen this one.” 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”
Talking Points: A long time ago before Jesus was even born, there was a man named Jesse who had eight sons. God told His servant, Samuel, to go find Jesse and to tell Jesse that one of his sons had been chosen as Israel’s next king. God told Samuel not to consider how the sons looked or how tall they were before choosing the king. Samuel, guided by God, then chose the youngest son, David, to be the next king. David was only a small boy when Samuel told him that he would be the next king of Israel.
Questions: Who did Samuel choose as king? How did Samuel choose him? Was David young or old? Do you think you would want to be a king or queen right now?
Activity:
This game is played like duck, duck, goose except you say shepherd, shepherd, king.
In this game, kids sit down in a circle facing each other (if you only have one child, you can use stuffed animals as the other participants.) One person is “it” and walks around the circle. As they walk around, they tap people’s heads and say whether they are a “shepherd” or a “king”. Once someone is the “king” they get up and try to chase the person who is “it” around the circle.
The goal is to tap that person before they are able sit down in the “king’s” spot. If the king is not able to do this, they become “it” for the next round and play continues. If they do tap the “it” person, that person has to “it” again.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You so much for choosing all of us for a special task. We can’t wait to see what job You have for us to do. Amen!