Advanced Level, Block 6—Struggling with a Kingdom
Week 56
David is Prepared to be King
Point to Emphasize: We show who we really are in carrying out all the small things.
Reference Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-14, footnotes 11, 111; 17:12-18, 20
Memory Verse: He who is faithful in the least is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in the least is unrighteous also in much. (Luke 16:10)
Story Sample
Saul had failed at being a king and God had rejected him. So, God spoke to Samuel and told him that he must go to anoint another king, one whom God had been preparing. What kind of person do you think you would look for it you were told to select a new king? [Let the children discuss this.] Our thought is that it should be someone well known or strong or really smart, right? But God did not want someone who was famous or strong. God wanted a king who was humble and obedient. God had chosen a young boy to be king one day. Do you remember who this was? Yes, David. He was God’s choice to be king.
God had planned for David to be king. He placed him in the right family, the family line of Boaz and Ruth, where he was the youngest of eight brothers. He was only about 14 or 15 years-old when Samuel came to anoint him. David was the right one to be king, but he needed to be prepared first. He didn’t become king for another 15 years. During this time, he continued to be prepared, trained and approved by God.
Being chosen by God at such a young age, how was David trained? As the youngest of eight brothers, he learned to be humble. He was given the lowliest of jobs. One of his jobs was to tend sheep. By taking such a lowly and ordinary job with seriousness and in a careful way, David was being trained so that he could be a good king. Most of us don’t like to be given ordinary tasks and we usually do not pay careful attention in doing them. We just like to rush through and get them done. When I was growing up I shared a room with two of my sisters. When mom told us to clean our room, we would do it in the fastest way possible so that we could go back outside to play. So, I would stuff my toys under the bed, and my sisters would stuff their things in the closet or a drawer. Our room would look clean, but really it wasn’t clean at all. [Storyteller, use your own personal example.]
But this is not how David was. He took great care in completing his ordinary tasks. Once he was sent on an errand by his father. Since some of his brothers were away fighting the Philistines, the father sent David to bring them supplies. He was tasked to return with a report of how they were doing. His father trusted him to do this job. Before he left home for the journey, he made sure that the sheep under his care were with another keeper. He was very responsible about his job. As he grew older, he was enlisted to serve King Saul. During the time he was serving Saul, he was constantly troubled and bothered by Saul, yet he never reacted. He was obedient to the king at all times. Eventually, he was ready to become king.
In some way, we and David have something in common. Even though none of us will be a king like David, I do believe that when we grow up, we will serve God in one way or another. Even right now we are being prepared and trained in the most ordinary ways and in the smallest things. Think of some of the things you are asked to do during the day. [Lead the children in a discussion about the small things they are asked to do. How do they keep their drawers? Do they just throw things in, knowing that no one will see how messy it is? When they put their shoes away, do they just throw them in the closet or do they line them up? When making their bed, do they just pull the covers up or do they pull the blankets tight and carefully?] You may not think any of these is important, right? But things we do now have a lot to do with how we turn out as adults. If you are sloppy with your small jobs now, how do you think you will be when you grow up and get a job? Our sloppiness will then be also seen by others. Do you want to be known as a sloppy person? If you do a sloppy job, there’s a good chance you won’t have a job for long!
All the small things we do or are asked to do eventually have an outcome. It may not seem like it right now, but every time we are responsible, detail-minded, obedient, or have a good attitude when asked to do something, we are being trained to be those who will one day serve God, just as David did.