Intermediate Level, Block 6—Establishing Kingdom
Week 55
David—Entering into Saul’s Service
Point to Emphasize: What we learn growing up will result in how we will carry out our life as adults.
Reference Reading: 1 Samuel 16:12-23
Memory Verse: Train up a child according to the way he should go; / Even when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
Story Sample
Last week we found out that David was anointed by Samuel to be king. What do you think he should do now? Saul was still ruling as king over the children of Israel. Should David go to the king and demand that Saul leave the throne? Should he go to the people of Israel and stir them up against King Saul? Well, David did not do either. He figured that since God had selected him to be king, God would be the one to bring him to the throne. So David kept tending his father’s flock. He did not do anything to change his situation. He did not try to work out how he was going to be king. He depended on God to do something to bring him into the kingship.
Let me give you an example. Let’s say that you know that when you grow up you will take over your dad’s big company. But now, you are still 9 or 10 and living at home. You still need to take out the trash, clean up your room, play with your younger brother or sister and obey your folks. David was about fifteen years old when he found out that he would be king. But he still needed to stay at home, look after the sheep and take care of off the menial tasks (like take out the trash) he was expected to do. And we might scratch our heads and asked, “Why did David still have to live like this?” Well, David was really doing something that would be so important when he later began to rule over the children of Israel. He was learning to be humble. He was learning that he was like everyone else and needed to learn to take care of so many things. He was learning that he needed to take care of others. He was learning not to be so proud of himself. He was learning not to be careless. We, like David, also can learn these things as we are growing up doing all the things we need to do in our family and for school.
Now, David was very skillful at playing the lyre. [Storyteller, show picture of lyre.] How did he become skilled at playing a lyre? To play in a skilled way is different from a beginner player who is just learning. Is there anyone here who plays an instrument in a skilled way? [Pick an older one.] Tell us how you are becoming skilled at playing the ____ [piano, guitar, etc.] To be skilled we must take lessons, and then we have to practice every day. David was taught to play the lyre, and then he practiced while tending the flock. Did you know that large herds of animals like sheep or cows are calmed down by gentle music or singing? Well, they are. David must have done a lot of practicing.
Because David could play the lyre so well, Saul sent a messenger to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is among the sheep.” So David came to Saul and entered into his service. He became one who served the king. He stood before the king and whenever Saul wanted, David took his lyre and played it, and Saul was refreshed.
Because David’s playing helped him so much, the king loved David and made him his armor bearer. An armor bearer carried all the equipment the king would need to use during the battle. This was a very dangerous job!
Now when the king’s army went out to battle, David went along to keep the king’s extra armor, the spears and swords, that he would use during battle. And don’t think that David stayed behind in the tent. NO! He was there in the midst of the battle alongside the king. So maybe you thought that David was a little soft, maybe weak, since he played the lyre so well. But you were wrong! To stand there in battle, loaded down with the spears and swords that the king would use, meant that you were as brave as the king.
Then, when the battle was over at the end of the day, did David get a few days off? No, the army was camped for battle. They might be in battle for weeks and months, and there were thousands of men. The camp was a huge array of tents. How would the tents be put up? Who would be in which tent? How would they all be fed? There was a lot to take care of. If you did not have bright capable men running the camp, it could be chaos. There were no cell phones, so you could not instantly dial a number and find out where your best warriors were. There was a lot of planning and detailed work needed to set up a battle camp. David was chosen to care for these things.
[Storyteller, give an example about how you were given some responsibility as a child and how important it was for you to do the job well. Then relate how doing that as a child has made you responsible for many things now as an adult—at your job, or taking care of your family, household, etc. Have the children help to make a list of activities they can learn now that will impact who they will be in the future (i.e. learning an instrument, learning to sew, learning to cook, learning to be organized, learning to bake…)]
In his younger years, David tended sheep. Now as a young man, he tends the army of the king! In the same way, as you are growing you should learn to always do your best and put the best effort in everything you do, whether it is learning to play an instrument, studying for a spelling test, making your bed, taking out the trash, or even doing homework. This will give you the best training to help you in the future. Doing your best now in what you are asked to do will help you to be useful in the future.