Elementary Level, Block 6—Samuel to David
Week 57
David—His Conduct
Point to Emphasize: We can be those who behave wisely.
Reference Reading: 1 Samuel 18
Memory Verse: And David acted prudently in all his campaigns, and Jehovah was with him.
(1 Samuel 18:14)
Story Sample
From last week’s story, do you remember that David was at the battlefield bringing food to his brothers? Well while David was at the camp, a very BIG Philistine named Goliath challenged anyone from the children of Israel to fight him. All of the Israelite soldiers were afraid to fight him, but not David. As a young boy, David was a shepherd who had to fight off wild animals to protect his father’s flocks. Even as a young person, all of his responsibilities as a shepherd were training, preparing, and equipping him for many other things. When Goliath made his challenge to the Israelites, David stood tall and struck Goliath down. Wow! The Israelites were all so encouraged by what they saw. Not only the people but also King Saul were so impressed with what David did! Because David had the right training and character, he was able to defeat such a big, strong Philistine warrior.
Saul saw David’s wisdom and character and set him over the men of battle, and all the people and the servants of Saul approved of David. Without trying to, David became a leader among the people. David was successful in every mission that King Saul sent him on. He carried out Saul’s missions using sound judgment and managing matters carefully. David was not rash or hurried; rather he was so wise in how he carried things out.
Now anyone in this position is bound to become well-known. Once you have a high position it is easy for everyone to see what you do and hear what you say. This is how things were for David. Once Saul sent him on missions and set him over the men of battle, it was easy for all to observe how he behaved himself. How do you think David conducted himself? The verse says that David acted prudently. Prudently is not a word that we hear very often. It means to act in a way that uses good judgment and common sense. The opposite of being prudent is being rash, reckless, hasty, and careless.
Here are some real situations that I have seen. You tell me if you see good judgment and common sense being used; or if you see careless, hasty and reckless behavior. [Storyteller, discuss how each one’s conduct could be changed to become the opposite. The examples you use should depend on age group.]
- A 3rd grade girl lets her little brother walk across the street without holding on to his hand.
- A 1st grade girl’s dog runs into the street; she stops at the curb to make sure no cars are coming before she chases the dog.
- A girl in kindergarten puts a marble into her mouth while playing.
- A 2nd grade boy races into a group of children without slowing down.
- A 1st grade boy works on his math assignment; even though he thinks he can whiz through it in 3 minutes, he decides to carefully check his answers after he is done.
[Storyteller, insert your own story about being prudent or rash and the consequences of being this way.]
Because of the long war with the Philistines, David had many opportunities to act wisely. Just like David, the shepherd boy who became so important to King Saul and to all the Israelites, we can act wisely and prudently in all the things we do.