Unit 9: King David and King Solomon OT9.3 David and ... · OT9.3 David and Jonathan ©Beverly...

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OT9.3 David and Jonathan ©Beverly Wilson 2019

Unit 9: King David and King Solomon OT9.3 David and Jonathan Lesson

Scripture: I Samuel 18-20

Lesson Goal: God had chosen the shepherd boy David to become the next King of Israel. As a young man David went to live in the palace and there he met King Saul's son Jonathan. In this lesson we will find out how David and Jonathan made a promise with each other to be loyal friends.

Introduction: This lesson is found in the book of 1 Samuel. 1 Samuel is in the second group of books in the Old Testament called the historical books. These books begin with Joshua and go through Esther. Let's say these books--Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther.

Attention Getter: “Loyal Friend” Who is your best friend? Why is he or she a good friend? What makes a person a good friend? When we make friends with others we often share the same interests or the same neighborhood or the same school. But one thing we all want in our friends is for them to be loyal!

What does the word loyal mean? It is a person who is always your friend no matter what! A loyal friend is someone who is reliable and dependable. They are always trustworthy and faithful. If you want a friend like that what kind of a friend should you be? Yes you have to be loyal too!

God had chosen the shepherd boy David to become the next King of Israel. In this lesson we will see how David and King Saul’s son Jonathan made a promise with each other to be loyal friends.

Opening Prayer: Let's pray. Dear Father in heaven, Thank you for loving us and wanting to be our best friend. You loved us so much that you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross so we could be your friend. Forgive us our sins and help us to love you completely. Thank You for giving us friends. We want to always be true and faithful to our friends and love them with the kind of love that Jesus has for us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Memory Verse: The memory verse is Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times."

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/UsGxhBkEtnM God wanted Israel to have a king who would follow His ways. He wanted someone whom He could trust to lead the nation of Israel to love and trust Him so God could bless them richly. Saul who was Israel’s first king started out a very humble man but soon he became proud and arrogant. He began to do things his own way instead of God's way. Because King Saul was disobedient, God rejected him as king. Israel needed a new king, a better king.

God sent his prophet Samuel to Bethlehem to meet a man named Jesse and his eight sons. God had chosen David one of Jesse’s sons to be Israel’s new king. David was a young shepherd boy who had a heart that loved God. Samuel anointed David by pouring oil over his head. The Spirit of the Lord was with David. God had a plan for David to become king but it would be many years later before he would assume the throne.

As a shepherd boy David learned great courage and faith in caring for the flock. He trusted God to help him protect the sheep by killing lions and bears with his sling shot. David also learned to sing and play

https://youtu.be/UsGxhBkEtnM

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songs of thanksgiving to God on his harp. Because David loved the Lord and the Spirit of God was with him, whatever he did, he always did it as unto the Lord.

When Israel’s enemies, the Philistines came to attack Israel God used David to conquer them. Courageously David used a sling shot and a single stone to hit the giant Goliath right between the eyes! God gave him a great victory that day! After David’s victory over Goliath, King Saul asked David to come and line in the palace with him and his family. In the king’s palace David met Jonathan King Saul’s son. They became best friends! Jonathan and David began to love each other very much!

They loved each other so much that they made a covenant with each other. A covenant is a promise to be true and faithful to each other no matter what! Jonathan knew that David had been anointed to be king yet he loved him so much that he was willing to give up his place as the future king for his friend. To show his love Jonathan gave David his prince's robe and tunic, his sword, his bow and his belt. It was a way of saying, "You are my best friend. I will always protect you." Jonathan knew that God had chosen David to be the next king and he loved him so much he did not want anything to separate their friendship.

Wherever David went he made a good impression because God was with him! At first even King Saul liked him because he gave David a very high position as a military commander. Whatever King Saul sent him to do, David did it very successfully! This pleased all the people and the army officers as well!

One time when Saul and David returned from a battle with the Philistines, the women came out from all the land with their tambourines and lutes and sang and danced. All the women made up songs about what a great hero David was. As they danced they sang, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. They praised David more than King Saul!

This national praise for David made King Saul very angry. He said, “The people have credited David with killing more of the Philistines than I did. What more can he get but the kingdom itself!” Saul thought they were saying that David was greater than he was and this made him very jealous of David. Because God had rejected Saul as King, the Spirit of God had left him and he was often tormented by an evil spirit. Once again the evil spirits returned and King Saul was greatly distressed. He became a very jealous angry man.

Because David had often played for King Saul before killing Goliath he was brought once again to play the harp to comfort the King. His beautiful harp music was supposed to make King Saul feel much better but now King Saul was full of jealousy and anger. This time, as David was playing his harp, Saul had a spear in his hand. He hurled it toward David and said, “I’ll pin him to the wall.” But David escaped his spear two different times.

Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with David but had left Saul. King Saul planned to get David killed in battle so he made him commander over a thousand men. However the Lord was with David and he was victorious in battles. This made David even more popular with the people of Israel.

While living in the palace David had met King Saul’s daughter Michal. Saul’s daughter Michal fell in love with David and when they told King Saul about it, he was pleased. King Saul planned to use her as a way to take revenge on the Philistines and get David killed in the process.

King Saul offered his daughter Michal in marriage to David if he killed 200 Philistines. David did not think that he was worthy to become the King’s son-in-law but took up the challenge. David was not killed by the Philistines as King Saul had hoped but returned in triumph and took Michal as his wife. King Saul became even more afraid of David and he became an enemy of David for the rest of his life.

Then King Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. Instead of attacking David Jonathan warned him that his life was in danger. Jonathan said, “My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning, go into hiding and stay there. I will speak to my father.”

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Jonathan convinced his father King Saul not to harm David. He said, “Don’t kill David because he has not wronged you. He has only brought great victory for Israel! David is innocent of wrong.” He finally got his father King Saul to promise not to harm David. Things were better for a while.

Once more war broke out and David went out to fight the Philistines and won a great battle. But an evil spirit came once again on King Saul. While David was playing his harp for King Saul, he attempted to kill David himself with a spear!

That night David made an escape from the palace. David ran to his house where Michal was. King Saul sent some men to David’s house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” Michal knew she must help David so she let David down through a window and he fled and escaped.

Michal knew that her father King Saul would be searching for David so she made the bed look like David was in it. Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goat’s hair at the head. When her father's soldiers came to the door, she said, "David is ill and in bed." The men came on in the house anyway and found the empty bed. This made King Saul very angry at her!

David fled to Ramah to see the prophet Samuel. He told him all that Saul had done to him. There God protected David from King Saul. He enabled David to prophesy. When King Saul and his men arrived to arrest David, they too began to prophesy. God’s protection was clearly on David!

Then David left Ramah and the prophet Samuel and arranged a secret meeting with his good friend Jonathan. David told Jonathan that his father King Saul was trying to kill him. At first Jonathan did not believe that these threats were true but he promised to help David however he could. They once again promised to show kindness to each other and their families.

The two friends decided to set up a secret plan. The next day was the New Moon feast and David was supposed to dine with the King but he was going to hide in the field instead. Jonathan agreed to let David know if Saul was angry and still planning to kill him. They arranged a secret signal, involving an arrow being shot, to let David know whether it was safe or if he needed to flee.

So David hid in the field. When the New Moon feast came, the king sat down to eat. David’s place was empty. King Saul did not comment or ask why David was missing. But the next day when David’s place at the table was still empty, King Saul asked, “Why isn’t David here? He wasn’t here yesterday or today.”

Jonathan gave the excuse that he and David had agreed that David could be gone. Jonathan told his father that David was in Bethlehem with his family making a sacrifice. When King Saul heard that his anger flared at Jonathan. “You have sided with David to your own shame. As long as he lives you will not become king. Send David to me so I can kill him.”

“Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Jonathan asked. King Saul got so angry that he hurled his spear at his own son Jonathan. Now Jonathan knew that there was no doubt the David’s life was in danger. Jonathan was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David.

The next morning Jonathan went out to the field where David was hiding. He told the small boy with him, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” As the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond where the boy was. When the boy came to the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out the secret signal he had made to warn David. “Isn’t the arrow beyond you? Hurry! Go quickly! Don’t stop!”

The boy picked up the arrow and returned it to his master. The boy did not know that this was part of David and Jonathan’s secret plan. Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, “Go, carry them back to town.” After the boy had gone, David got up from his hiding place and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground,

They kissed each other and wept together but David wept the most. Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord. God is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.

The two friends departed. David left to go into hiding and would run for his life for many years to come. Jonathan returned home to the palace to live with his family. They had promised each other that they

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would always be loyal to each other no matter what and that they would take care of each other's families. Later when David became king, he would have an opportunity to keep that promise.

In this lesson David and Jonathan were great friends. They trusted each other and depended on each other to be true no matter what anyone else did. Everyone would like to have great friends like that, but we also need to be that kind of friend.

Our memory verse is Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times." We have a choice to either be jealous or to show God’s love for others. With God’s help, we can be a good friend, just like Jonathan and David. Let's say our verse again. Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times."

Even though Jonathan loved his friend David, his father King Saul was just the opposite. He was jealous and hateful toward David. He was controlled by jealousy. Jealousy is an angry feeling against someone who has something that you want for yourself. It can consume you and cause you to act in revenge toward someone. That is exactly what happened to King Saul!

King Saul was jealous that David received more praise than he did in the battle against the Philistines. He became so angry at David that his jealousy grew and grew. Before long he was so controlled by his jealousy that he planned to murder David.

There are times when all of us have feelings of jealousy. Do you know anyone that always seems to get new clothes or new toys or special treats, while you never seem to get anything? Do you have a friend or a brother or sister that always gets better grades than you? Is there a new baby in your home who seems to get more attention than you? These are all situation that can make you jealous. Have you ever felt jealous?

Jealousy is a terrible thing. It puts murder in your heart. There are times when all of us have feelings of jealousy. But we need to make sure it doesn’t grow in our hearts. You can stop the sin of jealousy with God’s help. It is by using the ABC's of Salvation. When you realize that you are even a little jealous of your friend, what do you think you should do? A--admit that you are jealous. B--Believe that Jesus can help you. and C--Confess it to God; Ask God to help you to stop being jealous.

Do you know the very best way to stop being jealous of someone else? Stop comparing yourself to that other person. Stop wanting “things” others have. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. And begin to pray for the good of others. Look for good in other people. Compliment him or her for those good traits you see in them. God will give you power to stop being jealous. We can ask Him to help us choose to show His love to our friends.

If we have the Lord Jesus as our Savior, He will be our best Friend. We can walk with Him—and talk with Him—tell Him our secrets, our problems, our troubles, and know that He understands. He can also protect us when no one else can. He will comfort us in sorrow, guide us, and counsel us, and He promises to never leave us nor forsake us, so we don't have to feel lonely.

Jesus is truly a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Is He your best friend? He wants to be! Let's talk to Him right now and ask Him to help us make Him our best friend.

Dear Father in heaven, Thank you for loving us and wanting to be our best friend. You loved us so much that you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross so we could be your friend. Forgive us our sins and help us to love you completely. Thank You for giving us friends. We want to always be true and faithful to our friends and love them with the kind of love that Jesus has for us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Remember--Be a loyal friend!

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Review Questions: “Alphabet” Cards Preparation: You will need at least one letter per child in your class. Print the set of letters below—one for the class and one set for yourself. Cut apart the letters placing 1 set of letters in a container for the teacher or leader. Procedure: Distribute the letters to the children. If you have extra letters in the alphabet left continue to distribute the letters. Be sure to give each student an equal number of letters. Say: “I will pull a letter from my container. If you have the matching letter, stand up and answer the review question.” You can keep score of the number of correct answers that each student gives, if desired.

1. In what book of the Bible is this lesson? (The story of David and Jonathan is in 1 Samuel.) 2. What quality did David have that God was pleased with to choose him to be king? (He had a

heart that loved God and was totally devoted to Him.) 3. What did Samuel do that showed David was the chosen one to be king? (He anointed David’s

head with oil.) 4. How did being shepherd help train David to be a good king? (He learned to care for others by

caring for the flock. He learned to protect the flock. He would have to fight many battles as a king for the nation of Israel to protect them. He would have to care for them. In protecting the flock David learned to rely or trust of God’s strength. David played on his harp and sang songs of thanksgiving to the Lord. He knew that God had protected him and helped him!)

5. Why was David chosen to play his harp for King Saul? (King Saul was bothered by an evil spirit. His spirit would be soothed while listening to beautiful harp music.)

6. What did David use to fight Goliath? (David took his shepherd’s staff in his hand and then picked up five smooth stones from the stream and put them in his bag. With his sling ready, he went out to meet Goliath.)

7. Why was David known as a hero of Israel? (He defeated Goliath and won victories for Israel’s army.)

8. What did Jonathan and David do to show their love for each other? (They loved each other so much that they made a covenant with each other. A covenant is a promise to be true and faithful to each other no matter what!)

9. What did Jonathan do to show that David had been anointed king and that he was willing to give up his place as the future king? (To show his love Jonathan gave David his prince's robe and tunic, his sword, his bow and his belt.)

10. What made Saul so jealous of David? (After winning a great battle against the Philistines David was returning with his men and the women sang and danced a song with the words, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. They praised David more than King Saul!)

11. How did King Saul first try to kill David? (David was playing his harp, Saul had a spear in his hand. He hurled it toward David and said, “I’ll pin him to the wall.” But David escaped his spear two different times. Then King Saul sent David into battle commanding an army of 1,000 soldiers.)

12. How did Michal David’s wife help him escape from King Saul? (Michal helped him escape by climbing out of a window at night. Then she took an idol and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goat’s hair at the head. When her father's soldiers came to the door, she said, "David is ill and in bed." The men came on in the house anyway and found the empty bed. This made King Saul very angry at her!)

13. What city did David escape to when he was running from King Saul? (David fled to Ramah to see the prophet Samuel. He told him all that Saul had done to him.)

14. How was David protected by God when he was visiting Samuel? (God protected David from King Saul. He enabled David to prophesy. God also made King Saul and his soldiers to prophesy when they came to capture David.)

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15. How did Jonathan find out if his father was planning to kill his friend David? (David did not come to the feast and Jonathan told his father that he had given permission for David to go to his family. His father got so angry that he tried to kill his own son Jonathan!)

16. How did a small boy help Jonathan in the field where David was hiding? (The boy ran and got Jonathan’s arrows and brought them back to him. He also took Jonathan’s arrows back to the palace.)

17. What secret plan did Jonathan use to warn David about his father King Saul? (The next morning Jonathan went out to the field where David was hiding. He told the small boy with him, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” As the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond where the boy was. When the boy came to the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out the secret signal he had made to warn David. “Isn’t the arrow beyond you? Hurry! Go quickly! Don’t stop!”)

18. After warning David to flee, where did Jonathan go? (Jonathan returned home to the palace to live with his family.)

19. What happened to David for the next few years while Saul was still on the throne? (David left to go into hiding and would run for his life for many years to come.)

20. What special promised did the two friends make to each other? (They had promised each other that they would always be loyal to each other no matter what and that they would take care of each other's families.)

21. Why is jealousy a sin? (Jealousy is a envious feeling that destroys and controls a person and can cause them to do very mean and vindictive things. Jealousy can even lead to the desire to kill someone!)

22. What are some ways that we can be jealous? (When we see someone who always seems to get new clothes or new toys or special treats, while you never seem to get anything; when we have a friend or a brother or sister that always gets better grades than we do; when we have a new baby brother or sister in your home who seems to get more attention than we do.)

23. How can a person overcome jealousy? (A--admit that you are jealous. B--Believe that Jesus can help you. and C--Confess it to God; Ask God to help you to stop being jealous. Stop comparing yourself to that other person. Stop wanting “things” others have. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. And begin to pray for the good of others. Look for good in other people. Compliment him or her for those good traits you see in them. God will give you power to stop being jealous.)

24. Who is the best friend we can ever have? (Jesus because he is a friend that is closer than a brother.)

25. What is the memory verse? (Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times.")

Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Buddy Relay” Our memory verse is Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times." Help students locate the verse in scripture and read the verse together orally several times. Say: “We have a choice to either be jealous or to show God’s love for others. With God’s help, we can be a good friend, just like Jonathan and David. Today we are going to play a game with the words in our memory verse called “Buddy Relay.”

Preparation: Write each word of the memory verse on separate index cards, making two sets of verse cards using two different colors of cards. Use masking tape to make a start and finish line on the floor on opposite sides of the room.

Procedure: Mix up the cards keeping the two sets of cards separate by color. Divide the class into two teams. The teams are to line up behind the start line. Place a mixed set of cards at the front of each line. Call out the name of a body part (elbow, shoulder, head, and hand.) The first two children in each line are to carry one of the word cards between them, using the named body part to the finish line. Children leave the card at the finish line and walk quickly back to start of line. Play continues in this manner until all the cards are brought to the finish line. Children work as a team to put the cards in the correct verse order and then say the verse out loud.

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Group Learning Activity: “Charades” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need a basket for each group of children and a set of paper slips with pantomime actions. On each slip of paper write the following actions from the story that children can pantomime such as: play a harp, shoot a bow and arrow, put on a coat; give a belt; eat at the feast; climb out the window; sling a stone in a sling shot; throw a spear; hid behind a rock; etc. Say: “This lesson was about two friends David and Jonathan. How were they kind? (David played the harp for King Saul. Jonathan gave gifts to David. Jonathan warned his friend David of danger.) Let’s play a game where we act out some of the things in our lesson that David and Jonathan did. “ Procedure: Divide the children into small groups of 4 or 5 students each. Each group will need an adult leader. Lead the children to play a game like Charades. A volunteer from the group will go to the basket and draw a slip of paper. They will read the action that they are to act out. (Adult leader will read the action and whisper the action to younger students.) Children are to pantomime the action while the other children guess the action. Repeat the game as time permits, repeating actions in order for every child to have an opportunity to pantomime an action.

Group Learning Activity: Object Lesson: “Being a Best Friend” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need two pole magnets that are long rectangular in shape. One magnet should be stronger than the other. You will also need a stack of sticky notes. Hold up the magnets for the class to see as you talk. Say: “What can you tell me about magnets? [Accept answers.] Magnets are neat because they stick to objects. {Have the two magnets stick to each other.} The magnetic field is interesting because if the magnets are one way, they stick to each other. But if you turn one around, they repel from each other.” (Show how the magnets will not stick, no matter what you do.) Say: “I wonder how strong these magnets are. Magnetic fields can go through objects. Let’s take these sticky notes and see how many we can stack on top of each other until the magnetic field is too weak to hold the magnet to the board. (Do the weak magnet first.) Have the children predict the number of sticky notes. Then add them one at a time until the magnet will not stick anymore. “It took me 5 sticky notes for the weak magnet.” Then have them predict for the strong magnet. Then add the sticky notes one at a time. Then add five sticky notes at a time. “My magnet still stuck even through my entire stack of sticky notes!” Say: “Sometimes people can be like two magnets that will never stick to each other. They aren’t mean to each other, but maybe they don’t have anything in common and don’t really care to hang out with each other. These are people who are acquaintances. Say: “You stick with your friends though. But even then, you can have friends for a short time, or friendships that last your entire life. There will be many times we will mess up and treat our friends poorly, or we might be treated poorly by our friends. Even though King Saul had told Jonathan he wanted David killed, he could not believe that the king really would do it. Jonathan did not believe David.” Say: “Sometimes we are like the weak magnet. Perhaps you get into an argument with a friend, or a friend wrongs you in some way. (Put the sticky notes up again to show how the weak magnet does not stick.) And your friendship is not strong. Neither of you apologize or ask for forgiveness. What will happen to that friendship? It will disappear.” (Have the magnet slide off the sticky notes.)

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Say: “Jonathan and David were like the strong magnet. Even though Jonathan did not believe David, their friendship was tight. (Make the sticky note stack thicker.) Once Jonathan knew the truth, he was willing to die to save his innocent friend and let him flee to freedom. He was almost killed by his father because of his friendship with David. (Put the strong magnet on the stack of sticky notes.) Say: “Do you think Jonathan would have died trying to save David? (Yes!) You are like David. You need to be saved. You need to be saved from your sin. You cannot be with God the Father because of your sin. Wages of sin is death. But you have a friend who laid down his life for you so you can go free. Jesus died so that you can stand sinless before God. His friendship is the strongest one we will ever have. Say: “Think about the friends you have. Do you want to have a weak magnet friendship or a strong magnet friendship? (Accept answers, hopefully they want to be a strong friend to others.) The most loyal friends tell their friends about Jesus. They tell the truth. They accept apologies. They ask forgiveness. They don’t give up on each other. They walk the road of life with each other and with Jesus. What can we learn from Jonathan and David? If we want to be godly, then we must be a good, loyal friend to others. Even though friends are great, Jesus is the closest, best friend we can ever have!

Group Learning Activity: “Hand Clapping Games” (Grades 2-5) Preparation: No supplies are needed. Each child needs a friend to play the game. Say: “In this lesson God teaches us that we should love one another just like He loves us. One way to show love to one another is to work with someone or help someone. Today we are going to learn some fun games that you can play with your friends. These are hand clapping games.” Procedure: Help students to find a partner. Have partners line up facing each other. Have students see if they can follow these instructions.

Hold your hands with your palms facing your friend and then clap your hands.

Clap your friend’s right hand with your right hand, then clap your hands.

Clap your friend’s left hand with your left hand, then clap your hands.

Clap the backs of your hands to the backs of your friend’s hands, turn your hands over, and clap each other’s palms, then clap your hands. Repeat gaining speed each time.

Have children make up rhymes and a clapping sequence. A fun rhyming sequence is “Say, Say, Oh Playmate.” Go to https://youtu.be/VehhDKHe5Ko for clapping demonstration. Here are the words:

Say, say, oh playmate. Come out and play with me. Bring out your dollies three. Climb up my apple tree. Slide down my rainbow, Into my cellar door. And we’ll be jolly friends, Forevermore, one, two, three, four! (Clap both hands straight across with partner when counting.)

https://youtu.be/VehhDKHe5Ko

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Group Learning Activity: “Godly Friends” (Grades 4-5) Purpose: To help students learn to be a godly friend. Godly friends are united and committed to each other. Say: “David and Jonathan can teach us how to be godly friends. We are going to read the scripture telling the story of their friendship and learn some godly principles about friendship.” Preparation: You will need Bibles, spiritual journal page, pencils or pens, and printed pictures of the gifts that Jonathan gave to David. Procedure: Help students locate the following verses of scripture. Read verses aloud. Highlight the Biblical principles being taught.

1 Samuel 18:1-3. Jonathan was the son and heir of King Saul, the crown prince for the throne; David was God's anointed new king of Israel. (See 1 Samuel 16:1-13.) These two men could have been natural enemies, rivals to lead the people of Israel. Instead, Jonathan chose to build a lasting friendship by making a covenant. A covenant was a binding agreement; these friends established a continuing and binding commitment of friendship to each other. What binds you and your friends together?

1 Samuel 18:4 Name the gifts Jonathan gave to David as part of his covenant. Jonathan's robe was a symbol of his princely authority. His belt and tunic (or armor) and the weapons were symbols of military authority. Through this act of friendship, God began to transfer the kingdom from Saul's house to David. How do you show your friends that you love and appreciate them? God provides you with friends who help during difficult times, make you laugh, cry with you, and who love you. (Display the pictures of the gifts that Jonathan gave to David.)

1 Samuel 19:1-8 Being a godly friend means that sometimes we will have to stick up for our friends through difficult times. Jonathan was willing to stick up for his friend David even when it was his own father who wanted to kill him. Jonathan was a loyal friend. He understood that David had been chosen by God to be the next King of Israel. He saw that his father King Saul was acting through jealousy and anger. Jonathan was willing to speak up for David to his father.

1 Samuel 20:10-17. Jonathan and David remained friends through tough times. Even though they loved being together they were forced to live separately from each other for many years. Jonathan lived in the palace with his father and David was on the run from King Saul. Do you have friends whom you have loved and cherished for years or decades? Have they moved away from you? Can you maintain a friendship with them despite the distance between you?

Proverbs 18:24 Do you realize God wants a friendship with you, one that lasts eternally? He wants to be your best friend. He longs to talk with you, help you, give you directions, comfort you, and so much more. How are you developing your friendship with God? How can you teach and encourage your friends to develop their friendships with God?

1 John 4:11 “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” God wants us to love others in the same way that He loved us. God loves us unconditionally. God loves everyone. We can pray and ask Him to help us become that kind of godly friend.

Have students record the principles they have learned from this lesson in their spiritual journal. Close in prayer asking God to help us to be a godly friend and have godly friends.

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Group Learning Activity: “Friendships at Stake” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Photocopy and cut apart the Situation Cards from the "Friendship at Stake" template below. You will need four pencils. You will also need a wooden ruler for each child and marking pens. Procedure: Form four groups. A group can be one person. Give each group a different situation from the "Friendship at Stake" handout and a pencil. Have groups each write suggestions for the characters in their situation. When groups are ready, have them each read aloud their situation and tell what suggestions they made. Have other groups add any other ideas. Commend kids' efforts. These situation cards are meant to be discussion starters for applying the principles of being a godly friend. Say: All of these situations help us understand what it means to be a true friend. The Bible gives us a rule for friendship that can always help us be true friends to others. Let's read it. Read aloud Luke 6:31. Say: *What would you want a friend to do if you got sick? flunked a test? lost a pet? didn't make the basketball team or marching band? Say: Whenever you're trying to decide how to treat a friend in a certain situation, ask yourself, "How would I want someone to treat me in this situation?"

Give kids each a golden ruler and a marker. Have kids each write "The Golden Rule" on one side of the ruler and "Luke 6:31" on the other side. These golden rule rulers can be purchased from craft stores or Christian Bible book stores if desired. Say: Take your ruler home and hang it on your bedroom wall. Every time you look at it, ask yourself whether you're being a true friend to others.

Craft Learning Activity: “Best Friends” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need a sheet of white construction paper or white drawing paper for each student, pencils, colored markers, and a pair of scissors. Make several cardboard patterns as shown in sketch a. Procedure: Give each child a sheet of white paper, colored markers, pencil, and scissors. Have children fold the paper in half and half again. (See sketch b.) Children are to place the pattern on the folded paper so the straight edge of the pattern is on the folded side of paper and the other edge of the pattern touches the other side of the paper. Children are to trace, cut, and open their paper to discover the string of two people (best friends). Children are to color and decorate the paper people to be themselves and a friend. Suggest that the children make the facial features and hair color like themselves and a friend. As the children are working on their best friends, you can talk to them about friendship. Say: “How did Jonathan show his love? (He gave David his prince's robe and tunic, his sword, his bow and his belt. He warned David about danger.) How do you know when others are your friends? (They smile at you. They play with you. They help you. They share with you.) What do you do to let them know you want to be his or her friend? (You talk to the

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person. You invited him or her to play. You share your belongings with the person. You eat lunch with them.) What can you do to show God’s love to a friend? (Be forgiving. Pray for them. Invite them to read the Bible with you. Talk about how God is working in your lives. You only say kind things about others.) When are times kids might need a good friend? (When they are sad; when they need help with homework; when they are in a new class; when other people make fun of them.) When are times it is difficult to be a good friend? (When I want first choice; when my friends don’t play fair; when I have a bad day.)”

Craft Learning Activity: “Friendship Frame” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need a photograph of each child in the class with a friend. Take these pictures in advance and have the photos printed. You will also need 4 X 6 acrylic frames from a craft store and foam stickers or regular stickers. You can use hand drawn pictures and a cardboard frame if desired. Procedure: Give each child the printed photo of themselves and one 4 X 6 acrylic frame. Have students place the picture or drawing in the frame. Decorate the frame with stickers. While students are working review the Bible lesson. Focus on the loyal friendship that David and Jonathan had. Review the memory verse Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times." Say: “What do you like to do with your friends? How can you be kind to your friends when you are playing with them? (Don’t get angry. Take turns. Be interested in what they want to play. Let your friend choose first which toys to play with. Help your friend clean up the toys.) When you are playing with one of your special toys, how can you be kind? (Share the toy.)”

Craft Learning Activity: “Friendship Necklace” (Grades K-2) Preparation: You will need cardstock in any color; colored markers or pens, yarn in any color, scissors, a hole puncher, and small colored pony beads. You can use a cereal that has a hole in the middle such as Fruit Loops if desired. Make a sample necklace from directions below to show to class. Say: “Our memory verse is Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times." We can show God’s love to our friends by being kind to them. Today we are going to make friendship necklaces to give to our friends. Who would you like to give your necklace to?” Procedure: Give each child the supplies needed for the necklace. Have students draw a heart onto the cardboard and cut it out. Write on the heart “You are a good friend” (or any other message) to give to a friend. Punch a hole at the top of the heart. Cut a piece of yarn for a long necklace. String the heart onto the yarn. Place the heart in the middle of the piece of yarn. String the pony beads or cereal onto the necklace one side at a time. If the yarn starts to fray, tape around the ends. When the necklace is full tie the ends into a bow. Give the necklace to a friend. Optional: You can cut straws into 1 inch pieces and thread those on the yarn. You can use chenille wire instead of the yarn for a sturdier necklace. You can also change the length to make a bracelet, if desired. Say: “What do you like to do with your friends? How can you be kind to your friends when you are playing with them? (Don’t get angry. Take turns. Be interested in what they want to play. Let your friend choose first which toys to play with. Help your friend clean up the toys.) When you are playing with one of your special toys, how can you be kind? (Share the toy.) What can you do to show God’s love to a friend? (Be forgiving. Pray for them. Invite them to read the Bible with you. Talk about how God is working in your

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lives. You only say kind things about others.) When are times kids might need a good friend? (When they are sad; when they need help with homework; when they are in a new class; when other people make fun of them.) When are times it is difficult to be a good friend? (When I want first choice; when my friends don’t play fair; when I have a bad day.)”

Craft Learning Activity: “Arrow Bags and Bow and Arrows” (Grades K-4) Preparation: You will need an empty wrapping paper roll or paper towel roll for each child, colored markers, cotton cord, ribbons, and bamboo sticks for arrows. (Bamboo sticks may be purchased from Amazon or Oriental trading or other craft stores.) Say: “In this lesson Jonathan was a loyal friend to David. He warned him about his father King Saul’s anger and determination to kill him. Jonathan and his friend David planned a secret way to communicate with one another. Jonathan would take a boy with him to the field when David was hiding behind a rock. Jonathan would shoot an arrow past David if he should run and escape from King Saul. He would shoot an arrow close if he could come back to the palace safely. Today we are going to make a craft of an arrow bag and some bow and arrows to help us remember this great friendship.” Procedure: Give each child an empty paper towel roll, bamboo sticks, cotton cord, ribbons, scissors, and colored markers. Directions for making the Arrow Bag: Have the children squeeze one end of the roll flat and tape it shut. Have students use the colored markers to decorate their arrow bag. Encourage them to use Indian designs such as in picture. Cut a cotton cord approximated 24” long. Punch two holes along one side of the paper towel tube. Pull one end of the cord through each hole and out the end of the tube. Tie a knot in each end of the cord to prevent it from pulling back through the holes in the tube. Pull loop of cord to secure the knots against the inside of the tube making the bag handle. Directions for making Bow and Arrows: Use a long bamboo stick or branch stick approximately 24” long for the bow. Tie a small cord tightly around each end of the stick causing the stick to form a bow. See picture. Cut the bamboo sticks in lengths approximately 18-20” long. Tie small ribbons or ties to the end of each stick for the feathers. Place the stick arrows in the arrow bag. Be sure to remind children not to shoot their arrows at other children or inside. Adult supervision is needed.

Craft Learning Activity: “Spinner Toy” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need 2 plastic lids (yogurt, butter or margarine lids work well.) per child. You will also need masking tape, string or strong small cord, pencils, crayons, scissors, stickers, and hole puncher. You can use strips of colored masking tape for students to put on lids instead of using crayons. Say: “In this lesson we learned about the friendship of David and Jonathan. We learned that God wants us to love others like he loves us. We are going to make some spinner toys for ourselves and others. We want to share these toys with a friend.”

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Procedure: Distribute the lids, string, crayons, and stickers. Have the children cover both sides of the lids with masking tape for reinforcement. Use crayons or colored markers to decorate the lid or use brightly colored masking tape. Measure and cut string in 48 inch lengths. Each child will need 1 length of string per toy. Demonstrate how to punch 2 holes about ¼ inch apart in the center of each lid. (You can punch the holes in advance if you wish.) Guide the children to thread the string through the holes and tie the ends. This will make one long loop through the lid. Say: “Put your lids in the middle of your loop of string. Pull the string on each end. Holding the strings in both hands, you can swing the lid in one direction to wind the string. Swing the string like you a swing a jump rope. Let the spinner unwind and watch the colors on your lids.” Let the children play with their spinners for a few minutes. Have students make a second spinner for a friend. Say: “David and Jonathan were friends. The friends showed love to each other. God wants us to show love to everyone. Give one of your spinners to a friend and play together.”

Craft Learning Activity: “Friends Are a Gift from God” (Grades K-5) Purpose: To help children get to know someone in class and make a new friend. Preparation: You will need a gift box, wrapping paper, gift ribbon, and cellophane tape for each child. You will also need a half sheet of construction paper, scissors, and marking pens for each child. Procedure: Have the children team up with someone at the beginning of class using the “buddy system.” Have the children do everything throughout class with their “buddy.” This should be someone that they are not already close friends with. They can sit together, sing at praise and worship time together, work together on their crafts and worksheets and work together in serving and cleaning up. At the end of the class (especially with the older children) have them all sit in a circle and share what they learned about or from their buddy. Examples include hobbies, sports, music, favorite color, pets, collections, etc. Ask why it is important to be a faithful friend. Say: “God wants us to love each other like He loves us. He wants us to show love to others and have many friends. Friends are a gift from the Lord. In order for us to have good friends, we ourselves need to be a good friend to others. Today we are going to make a craft that will help us remember to be a good friend.” Distribute to each child a gift box, wrapping paper, scissors, tape and half sheet of construction paper. Have students write “God want us to be faithful friends” signed with their name on the half sheet of construction paper. Fold the construction paper and place inside the gift box. Let the students work as pairs on their friendship gifts by wrapping the gift in paper and using scissors and tape to secure the package. Help students make a bow and place it on their gift. They can decorate the gift with stickers if desired. Have them exchange the wrapped gift with someone else in class or take them home to give to a friend.

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Craft Learning Activity: “Braided Belts” (Grades 3-5) Purpose: To teach children the value of working together with a friend. Preparation: You will need three strips of cloth or thick yarn approximately 1” wide and 2 yards long for each student. You can use three colors of yarn with multiple strands of yarn to braid. Procedure: Have the children form pairs. Give children each three strips of fabric. Have one child hold the ends of three of the strips. Show the other child how to braid the strips and then tie each end. Then have partners switch roles. When both partners have completed their braids, show the children how to tie the belts around their waists. Read Proverbs 17:17 as a class. To braid the belts: tie the strings together and then tape the knot to a flat surface. Gather the ends of your strings together. Treat them as a single know, coil them into a loop, and then pull the ends through the loop. Tape the string above the knot to a flat surface such as a table. Separate your string into 3 strands or groups. You will need 1 strand on the left, 1 strand in the middle, and 1 strand on the right. If you used multiple strands of each color, group the strands by color instead. For example, put all of the pink strings on the left, all of the purple strings in the middle, and all of the magenta strings on the right. Cross the left and right strings over the middle string. Take the left string and cross it over the middle string. Take the right string and cross it over the new middle string. Again, if you have multiple strings of each color, treat that color group as a single string. For example, if you have 3 pink, 3 purple, and 3 magenta strings, cross all of the pink strings over all of the purple strings. Tighten the strings and repeat the process until you reach the end. Give the strings a gentle tug, then cross the left and right strings over the middle one. Keep crossing and tightening the strings until you get the length you want, or until you have 2 to 3 inches. Tie the end of the braid into a knot, then cut the rest off. Coil the end of the braid into a loop, then pull the tails through the loop. Tug on the tails to tighten the knot, then trim off whatever is left over. Remove the tape from the beginning of the braid. You can now use the braid for whatever craft project you created it for. Wrap the braid around your waist, then tie the ends together into a double-knot. Say: “Friends are people who become part of our lives, just like these separate pieces of cloth became part of our belts. God can “knit” our hearts together with other Christians. Tell your partner one thing you’ll do to be a good friend this week. God wants us to be faithful friends.”

Craft Learning Activity: “Tambourines” (Grades K-4) Preparation: You will need paper plates, pinto beans, stapler, crepe paper streamers or bits of colored yarn, crayons, colored markers, colored pencils, glue, and stickers (optional). Procedure: Pass out two paper plates to each student. Have students glue pieces of crepe paper streamers to the inside edge of one of the plates. Pour a small handful of beans onto the plate with the streamers glued to it. Staple the other plate on top. Have students decorate the outside with crayons, markers, or colored pencils. Decorate the tambourines with stickers, if desired. As students are working on their tambourines, remind them that the Lord was with David. While Saul loved the success that David achieved, he was filled with

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envy. Saul sought to put an end to David’s life by having him fight against the Philistines for his daughter’s hand in marriage. As David returned, the women danced, played tambourines and lutes, and sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” David’s success was of the Lord. He put God first, and all these things were given to him. Help students see that when the Lord is their focus, God will bless them in ways they cannot even imagine. They will not allow jealousy to overcome their thoughts.

Life Application Challenge: “Share a Candy Bar” Preparation: For each person, you'll need an Almond Joy or Mounds or other candy bar. Procedure: Have kids form a circle and join hands to represent friendship. Lead the children in a prayer of commitment to be a faithful friend. Have the children ask the Lord to help them to choose their friends wisely and be a good friend to those whom the Lord brings into their lives. If there are any children who have not yet responded to the Gospel, give them opportunity. Close with prayer: Dear God, thank you for giving us friends. Help us learn to be true friends to others by applying the golden rule to what we do. After the prayer, serve Almond Joy or Mounds bars. Have kids each eat one half of their candy bar and give the other half to a friend.

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David and Jonathan

Proverbs 17:17

"A friend loves at all times.”

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Saul and David Become Enemies

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David and Jonathan Skit (1 Samuel 18:3; 20:1-42)

JONATHAN: David, I promise I'll always be your friend. To prove it, I'm giving you my robe. (Gives robe to David.) DAVID: Thanks, Jonathan. You’ll always be my friend too. I only wish your father didn't hate me so much. JONATHAN: Oh, I think I got that straightened out. He was jealous of you and even wanted to kill you. But I talked to him and told him how loyal you've been. He agreed with me and promised me he wouldn't kill you. DAVID: He told you that only because he knows you and I are friends. But I tell you, my life is in danger from your father. JONATHAN: Whatever I can do, I'll be glad to do it. DAVID: I'm supposed to have dinner with your father tomorrow, but I'm not going to. Make an excuse for me and see how he reacts. If he's angry, he may tell you how he feels about me. Then you can let me know. JONATHAN: I'll do as you say and get back with you. (David and Jonathan walk to opposite sides of the room, then return to meet in the center.) JONATHAN: You were right, David. My father is out to kill you. Go hide to protect yourself, and always remember that my friendship goes with you. DAVID: It's wonderful of you, Jonathan, to side with me against your own father. JONATHAN: You are right and he is wrong. I always want to be on the right side.

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“Friendships at Stake” Cards

Situation 1

Sixth-grader Roberta has moved to a new school where

she doesn't fit in at all. With her short, plain hairstyle, she looks

like a boy. That was fine in cowboy country where she lived before. But in the city, the girls

have longer hair and dress more daintily. Some of the boys have even begun to tease her.

Roberta has always been a good student, but now she feels

so bad about herself that her grades are slipping.

How could you be a true friend to Roberta?

Situation 2

Freddy, a guy in your class is in the

hospital with cancer. Freddy's best friend won't go to the

hospital because it'd be embarrassing not knowing what to

do or say. You aren't close friends with

Freddy, but you know who he is.

What can you do to be a true friend to Freddy?

Situation 3

Over the summer, you become

friends with Cindy, a girl your age who's confined to a wheelchair.

When school starts, you want to

help Cindy become a part of your group. But every time you try to

include Cindy in a conversation or game, your friends find something

else to do.

One day your friends tell you to stop hanging around Cindy or they'll stop

being your friends.

How can you be a true friend to your old friends and to Cindy?

Situation 4

Working together doing lawns, you and James become good friends.

Although James doesn't go to church, he seems nice.

One day James says to you, "Would you still be my friend if you knew my

dad was in prison?" You can tell James is really

concerned about how you'll respond, so you try to make him feel better. "Sure. It's no problem," you say. When your sister begins to date

James' older brother, you wonder whether you should tell your sister what you know about James' dad.

How can you be a true friend to James and to your sister?

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Unit 9: King David and King Solomon OT9.3 David and ... · OT9.3 David and Jonathan ©Beverly...

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Transcript of Unit 9: King David and King Solomon OT9.3 David and ... · OT9.3 David and Jonathan ©Beverly...