Sessions 19-20: King David: A man after God's own heart
- Teresa
- Aug 7, 2019
- 3 min read
In the last session, we met Saul, the first king of Israel. Over time, Saul became disobedient and proud and lost the kingdom as a result. Although he continued to rule until his death, the kingdom would not be ruled by his descendants. God chooses a new king, David, upon whom God would build his kingdom. David is an important person in the Old Testament, and we'll spend the next 2 sessions learning more about him.
Session 19: God chooses David to be king
God sent Samuel to Bethlehem, to choose a new king for Israel.
Read or watch a story on 1 Samuel 16
Video 1: Samuel anoints David
Source: Teaching Kids about Jesus on YouTube
David was still a boy when he was annointed. He was also not as tall and handsome as his brothers. Why do you think God chooses David to be king?
God does not look at appearances - he does not see as man sees. God looks at the heart. David loved God dearly, trusted him and was obedient to him. God doesn't call those who appear 'qualified' - he works through those who are obedient to him, and enables them to do his work.
Would you be scared if you had to fight a giant like Goliath? The rest of the Israelite soldiers were scared of Goliath too. Why do you think David was not afraid?
David was confident that God was with him, so he wasn't afraid. He knew that with God, everything is possible. David had experienced God's help against wild animals, and he was confident that God would help him in his fight against Goliath. The soldiers were relying on their own strength, and were worried about their ability to defeat Goliath.
With the battles he won, David became very popular in Israel and Saul became jealous of him. Many times, he tried to kill David. Let's read or watch a video on 1 Samuel 18-24
Video 2: David and Saul
Source: Saddleback kids on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41vnmcocZ1A
How does David respond when he's given a chance to kill Saul? Why?
David continues to respect Saul as king, even though Saul had been threatening his life for many years. David would not kill someone anointed by God. He does not take things into his own hands, but leaves the situation to God. He knows that God has anointed him as king, and trusts that this will happen according to God's time.
David spent many years running away from Saul's men and hiding. Finally, during a battle with the Philistines, Saul's sons were killed while fighting and Saul was injured. When he saw that his sons had been killed, he was so upset that he killed himself. When David found out about their deaths, he and all of Israel mourned the death of their first king.
Session 20: David: King of Israel
2 Samuel
After King Saul died, David was anointed as king of Israel when he was thirty years old. David made Jerusalem the capital of his kingdom and built a palace there. He brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. David loved God dearly and was obedient to God. He was always praising God and thanking him for everything - in fact, many of the psalms in the Bible are written by David.
God promised David that he and his descendants would be king forever. Read or watch a video on 2 Samuel 7:
Video 3: God makes a promise to David
Source: SCC Children on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/169583022
What did God promise David?
God promised David that the throne of his kingdom would be established in David's house - he and his descendants would always be king.
God kept his promise to David. Our heavenly king, Jesus, would also come from the House of David many years later. Joseph, Jesus' earthly father, was a descendant of David, 28 generations later.
Even though David was a good man, he was not perfect. He also sinned and did wrong. Read or watch a video on 2 Samuel 11-12
Video 4: David sins and repents
Source: SCC Children on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/169583023
David was not perfect. Like many of us, he sinned. What did David do after he realised he had sinned, and how did God respond?
David repented and was sorry with all his heart. One of the psalms he wrote showed how sorry he was. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10).
God forgave him. However, David's sins was not without consequence. His first son with Bathsheba became sick and died.
Despite his sin, God forgave him and kept his promise. His second son with Bathsheba, Solomon, would eventually become king. We will meet Solomon in the next session.
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