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God told Samuel that he had chosen a new king for Israel, and the new king was to be one of Jesse’s seven sons. When Samuel saw the sons, he assumed the Lord would choose Jesse’s oldest son. Instead, to everyone’s surprise, the Lord chose the youngest son, David. Samuel anointed David as the new king, but it would be many years before the time was right for David to take Saul’s place. The Lord chose David even though he did not look as big and handsome as his older brothers. The Lord does not judge by outward appearance but by the heart.
Bible verses used in this episode:
1 Samuel 16:1-13
Outline:
- God sends Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a new king, (1 Samuel 16:1-5)
- Samuel anoints David. (1 Samuel 16:6-13)
Tips for teaching children:
- Before the session, ice and decorate plain cookies but add salt to a few of them. Show the iced ookies to the children and ask them to judge which would taste the best (without tasting). Finally, allow the children to taste the cookies and talk about how what looks good on the outside does not show what the inside is really like .
- Make a craft involving hearts.
- Anoint each of the children to show them what it was like for David. Use water as it is less messy than oil.
- Talk to the children about what is in their hearts.
Tips for teaching adults:
- Read the text or choose another person to read this story. Follow up the reading with the question: What does it mean that God was looking for a man after God’s own heart? What kind of heart would this be?
- Use the rest of class time to set up a date and time for your class to go “people watching.” The idea is to watch people and try to see them with the eyes of God, seeing them as God sees them.
- Meet at a public space where there are people who are out and about. This could be a mall, the downtown area or any place where there are people walking about. Pair up and spread out. Each pair should find a spot to sit and watch people walk by. As you watch people walk by, think about what God may see in these people. Ask yourself the questions: “What does God see?” “What is their heart like?” “What is their story?” “What would God want to say to them?”
- Do this for about ½ hour or so and then gather for a coffee and sit and reflect on this experience. Here are some further questions to ask: “What was this experience like?” Did you see people in a different way? How so? Was there anyone you saw that stood out to you? Why? What would you say to them? How would we interact with others if we saw them as God sees them?
Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:
Bible Lesson: Samuel Anoints David
Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.
Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.
Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com
For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org
