PREPARATION IN ADVANCE

Big Idea: God chooses David to be King over God’s people, who serves as a type of the true King to come.

Today marks our last week focused entirely on the historical books of the Old Testament. After learning about the prophet/priest Samuel, we turn our attention to the greatest earthly king of Israel - David. David is a fascinating character for Biblical study. Not only do we have the historical accounts of his anointing and reign, but we also have a great deal of insight into David’s inner life and personal relationship with God through the many Psalms attributed to him.

When God chose David to be king, he had never led people, only flocks of sheep. Recall the story of Moses and the years he spent in the same wilderness vocation. Think forward to the parables and teachings of Jesus where he claims the title “The Good Shepherd.” Clearly the heart of a shepherd is like unto the heart of Jesus. The image of the shepherd helps us understand God’s compassionate care for the lowly and the vulnerable - and that God desires our hearts to be molded after that ideal.

Next week, we will celebrate the feast day of Christ the King. Today functions as a sort of precursor to next week’s celebration. While David is not the true king that we look to celebrate, Old Testament characters like David, Moses, and Samuel all give us a glimmer of what Jesus’ reign is like. They all point to the true and perfect rule of Christ our King.

Read 2 Samuel 5-7

• What do you know about King David? What comes to mind when you think about his kingship?
• What are the characteristics of a faithful king?

Pray for the children in your class by name, that their hearts will be formed in likeness to God’s own heart for them.

WELCOME/TRANSITION

Once worship is over, gather children back to their seats on the rug, inviting them to grab a pillow.

Once all the children are settled quickly begin:

Teacher : The Lord be with you!

All: And also with you!

Teacher: Lift up your hearts.

All: We lift them up to the Lord.

Teacher: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

All: It is right to give him thanks and praise.

HEAR GOD’S WORD

Big Idea: God chooses David to be King over God’s people, who serves as a type of the true King to come.  

REVIEW: The Bible is one big book full of different books. There are two big sections of the Bible (the Old & New Testaments), with the Old Testament being about God’s promises to God’s people and the New Testament being about how God fulfills those promises in Jesus and how God’s people grow to become God’s Church. The first five books are called the Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). The next few books are called the books of history (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther). They are called the historical books because they record Israel’s history in the Promised Land. In the book of Judges, we read about a judge named Deborah who listened carefully for God’s voice and helped lead the people. Last week, we learned about the new priest of Israel named Samuel and his mother Hannah. This week, we learn about one of the jobs of the priest - to anoint Israel’s new king.

SAY: After the book of Judges, the people of Israel wanted a king. They wanted a ruler who would lead them in times of trouble and in times of peace. They went to Samuel, the priest, and asked him to find them a king. First, the people wanted a man named Saul to be king. Saul looked like the kings of the other nations. He was tall and intimidating - he looked like a warrior who would help Israel win their battles.

ASK: What do you think a good leader looks like? What sort of things do you think a good leader does?

SAY: After Saul was king for a while, God spoke to Samuel saying that God had chosen another king to rule Israel - one whose heart was like God’s own.

ASK: What do you think it means to have a heart like God’s?

SAY: Let’s read out story to see what sort of things this new King - David - does and how David’s heart might look like God’s.

READ: “The King of Heart” from The Book of Belonging (pg. 126). Pause for questions and engagement while reading.

ASK: What sort of things did David do in this story? What do these actions tell you about David’s heart?

SAY: When we talk about someone’s heart, we often mean the things they desire and care about. Sort of like how we might say a veterinarian has a “heart” for pets. We might also say that God has a “heart” for you and me. Not only does God care deeply about us, but God wants our hearts to look more like God’s every day.

ASK: What might be a way of knowing that your heart looks like God’s?

SAY: David was called a man after God’s own heart, and he was a really good king in many ways. He listened to God, cared for his people, and wanted to worship God with all his heart. We even get to see some of David’s worship in the Psalms that he wrote! But David wasn’t a perfect king. Sometimes he made big mistakes. Sometimes he didn’t listen to God. Even though David was a good king, God’s people still needed someone even better - a king who would never stop loving, forgiving, and leading people back to God’s heart.

ASK: Who do you think that king might be?

SAY: It’s Jesus! Jesus is called the Son of David because he came from David’s family, but Jesus is even greater than David. Jesus shows us what God’s heart really looks like - full of love, mercy and truth.

WONDER:

• What are some ways Jesus is different from other kings?
• What kinds of things might a person do if Jesus is their King?

PRAYER

Ask for prayer requests and pray over students specifically.

PRAY: Dear God, thank you for the example of King David. Help us to follow you as our true king. We love you, amen.

End with the Lord’s Prayer if you did not do Prayers of the People.