Intermediate Level, Block 6—Establishing Kingdom
Week 56
David—Defeating Goliath
Point to Emphasize: We can be those who stand for God’s people, trusting that God will be with us.
Reference Reading: 1 Samuel 17
Memory Verse: …Jehovah, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. (1 Samuel 17:37a)
Story Sample
Today we have a story about being brave and trusting in God—and this story takes place on a battlefield! This is the story of a battle between Israel and their enemy, the Philistines. While Saul was king and David was still young, the armies of the Philistines set themselves to fight against Israel. They assembled on a mountain on one side of the valley, and King Saul set up his armies on a mountain on the other side.
The two armies were facing each other, ready for a fight, when the Philistine champion came forward. His name was Goliath, and he was HUGE. He was more than nine feet tall, and he had impressive armor and carried a giant shield. He came forward and challenged Israel, saying that he would fight any man they chose to send out. “If he is able to fight with me and strike me down,” Goliath said, “we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and strike him down, you will be our servants and serve us.”
Oh, when King Saul and his army heard this, they were so afraid. No one wanted to fight this giant warrior! No one accepted the challenge. So Goliath kept challenging them. For forty days, he made the same offer.
Now, among the people in King Saul’s army were three of David’s brothers. They were at the battlefield, and so their father decided to send David to see how they were doing. When David got to the battlefield, he was just in time to hear Goliath make his daily challenge. The Israelites told David what had been going on, and David got very bothered. “Who is this Philistine that he should defy the ranks of the living God?” he asked. He did not like that someone was mocking the people of God.
But David’s older brother heard David, and he got angry. He made fun of David and said he should have stayed back to take care of the sheep. But David answered and told him that there was a reason he had come. David realized that he had been sent there by God to defeat Goliath.
This reminds me of a school day when during recess, I walked into a group of my classmates. I realized one of them was making fun of a girl who instead of saying “Hi,” she said “Amen” to them. They were mocking her for being a Christian. Immediately, I knew I had a choice to make. Would I just let them mock the girl or would I stand for God’s people? I decided to stand for her. I knew God would be with me. And so it was. I was able to show the other classmates that they should not make fun of anyone, and even more, I was able to show them that I was a person who would stand for God and for God’s people. [Storyteller, insert your own story of having to do the right thing or speak up in a bold way against someone, knowing that the Lord was with you.]
Well, King Saul heard what David had said, and David was brought to see him. David told the king that he would go and fight Goliath, but Saul wasn’t convinced that David could do it. David was a young man, after all, and Goliath had been a warrior for a long time. But David was confident. He had fought with the lion and bear that threatened his sheep, and he had defeated them. He knew that God had helped him then, and he knew that God would help him now. David said, “Jehovah, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
When Saul heard that, he said, “Go, and may Jehovah be with you.” He gave David his armor, but David wasn’t used to wearing it, so he took it off. His trust was not in the armor, anyway. It was in God. Instead of heavy armor and a sword, David took five smooth stones from the brook and put them into the shepherd’s bag that he had, that is, in his pouch; and his sling was in his hand. Then he drew near to the Philistine.
When Goliath saw David coming, he was scornful. He mocked David and Israel again, but David was not afraid. Goliath came forward, and David rushed forward to meet him. David took a stone from his bag, put it in his sling, slung the stone into the air, and—BAM! The stone hit Goliath’s forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground! Young David and his little stone had defeated the giant enemy of Israel!
When the Philistines realized their champion was dead, they ran away in fear. God had saved Israel from its enemy again! He had used someone young who trusted in Him, and He gave him the victory. If you find yourself in a similar situation or when you notice someone is mocking God’s people, remember David’s story and be like him—be one who stands for God’s people and trust that God will be with you.