Elementary

Teacher’s Guide
September – November 2017
Good and Bad Choices I Taking a Stand for God I Following Wisdom
 in
Lifee
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Unit 25: Good and Bad Choices

contents
Unit Value: Humility
Lesson 1 God’s Direction �������������������������������������� 8
Sept. 3 1 Samuel 3:1-20
Lesson 2 Godly Choices ������������������������������������� 15
Sept. 10 1 Samuel 8—10
Lesson 3 Giant-Size Problems ����������������������������� 22
Sept. 17 1 Samuel 17
Lesson 4 Jealousy & Trust ���������������������������������� 29
Sept. 24 1 Samuel 15—16; 18:5—19:18
Lesson 5 Unselfish Friendships ��������������������������� 36
Oct. 1 1 Samuel 20

Unit 26: Taking a Stand for God

Unit Value: Integrity
Lesson 6 Don’t Get Even! ����������������������������������� 43
Oct. 8 1 Samuel 26
Lesson 7 When Life Gets Tough �������������������������� 50
Oct. 15 1 Samuel 30:1-20
Lesson 8 Give God Credit � ���������������������������������� 57
Oct. 22 1 Samuel 31; 2 Samuel 2:1-7, 11; 5:1—6:19; Psalm 21
Lesson 9 Showing Kindness ������������������������������� 64
Oct. 29 2 Samuel 4:4; 9:1-13

Unit 27: Following Wisdom

Unit Value: Wisdom
Lesson 10 God’s Wisdom � ����������������������������������� 71
Nov. 5 1 Kings 3:5-15; 4:29-34
Lesson 11 Wisdom for Problems ������������������������� 78
Nov. 12 1 Kings 3:16-28
Lesson 12 The Way to God ��������������������������������� 85
Nov. 19 1 Kings 5:1—9:9; Hebrews 9; Matthew 27:51
Lesson 13 Keep Going God’s Way ������������������������ 92
Nov. 26 1 Kings 11—12

Teaching Resources �������������������������������������������� 4-5

Bring the Bible to Life ������������������������������������������ 4-5
Supplies � � � � � � ������������������������������������������������������� 6
Prayers & Notes ���������������������������������������������������� 7
 For Your Elementary Class
resources Elementary Teacher’s Guide
Each of the 13 lessons contains step-by-step instructions
to help you prepare and teach, with Bible background,
tips for teaching 2nd and 3rd graders, and a variety of
activities to help your students learn and apply the Bible
lesson. Need one per class.

Elementary Creative Teaching Aids

This packet contains a variety of posters, games, 3D
models, puzzles, an attendance chart, PraisePac CD, and
more. Each PraisePac CD contains three original worship
songs that correlate with each unit. Also included on
your PraisePac CD are downloadable song sheets, lyric
sheets, postcards, and graphic novel coloring pages
which correlate with the Bible Overview Chart. Need one
per class.

Bible Discoveries
This student book contains four pages for each lesson
including Bible study pages and activities. As a bonus,
the cover includes the quarter’s memory verses and a
unique poster or activity. Need one per student.

Bring the Bible to Life for Kids

1 2
Step 1:
Bible
Readiness
Scripture makes it clear that God is relational (1
John 3:1; 4:9-10). Our goal is to help students see
this part of God’s nature by interacting with you
and one another. Your goal in Step 1 is to help
the children build relationships with you and one
another. This step gives students a chance to share
about themselves and their lives, and be active
participants in your classroom. You’ll be able to
guide students to see the connection between their
lives and what happens at Sunday school. These
conversations will flow naturally into Step 2, your
Bible lesson.
Step 2:
Bible Study
God teaches us through His written Word how to
live and relate with Him and one another (Hebrews
4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16). Through Step 2, your
class will dive into a portion of God’s Word and
then review it together. You’ll lead the class with
relevant questions that guide children to not only
understand what they’ve just read, but begin to
connect it to their lives. Your class will also have an
opportunity to learn the memory verse for the day.
Through this step, you’ll be able to make sure your
students engage in a fruitful discussion about the
Bible at their age level.

4
 For the Noah’s Park Children’s Church that Online Teacher Training! To learn more
correlates with Bible-in-Life, visit our website about teaching and using the resources in a
at www.DavidCCook.com. lesson, visit DavidCCook.com/BILtraining

Discovery Pack
Use this craft book to create a unique and colorful craft
or game each lesson. Need one per student.

Friends
Send the four-page paper home each week with the Bible
story, a contemporary story applying the Lesson Focus,
activities, and a Family Faith Fun section. As a bonus,
send the cover home to equip families to disciple their
children. Need one per student.

3 4
Step 3:
Bible Activity
Choices
God asks us to internalize His Word so we can
grow in relationship with Him (Psalm 1:2;
119:97). Step 3 turns your class into a laboratory,
giving you a chance to coach students to a deeper
understanding of the Bible passage you’ve just
studied. Activity options provided help students
explore the Bible story at their levels and with
their interests, so they can truly comprehend and
implement God’s Word into their day-to-day lives.
Children can actively work through the Bible
story, finding the tangible treasure in the text for
themselves.
Step 4:
Bible
Response
The Bible makes it clear that our faith is much
more than a list of beliefs. It’s also what we do—
how we live out what we say we believe. Step 4 is
a way for you to encourage life application with
your students. Together you’ll go over what you’ve
learned and help students carry the Sunday school
lesson into the rest of their week. You’ll be able to
provide them with practical suggestions for ways
to live out their faith in real life so that they can be
doers of the Word, not just hearers (Luke 11:28;
James 1:22-25).

5
 Standard Supplies Game markers and coin

supplies
□ Elementary Creative Teaching Aids
□ Bible Discoveries (student books)
□ Discovery Pack (craft books)
□ Friends (take-home papers)
□ Bibles
□ Balloons
□ Beanbags or balls
□ Bible-time clothes
□ Butcher paper
□ CD player
□ Clear tape, masking tape
□ Construction paper, scrap paper
□ Craft sticks
□ Crayons and colored markers
□
□ Glue or glue sticks
□ Hole punch
□ Index cards
□ Newsprint or chart paper
□ Paper clips
□ Paper fasteners
□ Pencils with erasers
□ Poster board
□ Rhythm instruments
□ Scissors
□ Song Sheets from PraisePac
□ Spinner and game markers
□ Stapler
□ Whiteboard, markers, and erasers
□ Yarn, glitter, confetti

Extra Supplies
Lesson 1 □ Egg carton Lesson 9
OPTIONAL □ Fine-tipped marker OPTIONAL
□ Blankets or mats □ New pencils □ Hole punch
□ Small treats □ Self-stick notes □ Video recording device
OPTIONAL
Lesson 2 □ Magnifying glass Lesson 10
□ Cardstock □ Trench coat □ Several objects
□ Cube-shaped box important to children
□ Self-stick magnetic Lesson 6
strip □ Self-stick notes or glue- Lesson 11
bound books □ Doll
Lesson 3 □ Soft foam balls □ Prop to use as sword
□ Two long socks
OPTIONAL Lesson 7 Lesson 12
□ Play microphone □ Flashlights □ Candy

□ Video recording device □ Floor pillows □ Fabric scraps

□ Stationary and fun pens □ Jar with tight-fitting lid

Lesson 4 □ Prepared index cards
□ Empty trash container
□ Prepared slips of paper Lesson 8
□ Self-adhesive foam
Lesson 5 dots
□ Button

6
Prayers & Notes
Use this page to write down prayer requests, notes, or
your students’ birthday list. You can reference these
notes to follow up on your students and record how
their prayers were answered.

7
LESSON 1

God’s Direction
Four Step Lesson Path
Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 3:1-20
Lesson Focus: Pay attention to God’s direction.
Bible Readiness Memory Verse: I will instruct you and teach you
To connect children’s experiences with the Bible
in the way you should go. Psalm 32:8
story of Samuel paying attention to God’s direction,
they will talk about their need for direction.
-- Butcher paper, marker, beanbags

Lesson Video
for Steps 2 & 4!
Available @
Bible Study: BibleInLife.com/video
1 Samuel 3:1-20
Children will study how Samuel pays attention to
God’s direction.
-- Bible Story: Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3,
Bibles, Teaching Aid 2, pencils
▫▫ Bible Review: Optional: blankets or mats
-- Memory Verse Practice: No materials needed
Bible Activity Choices
Children will explore ways to pay attention to God’s
direction.
▫▫ Treasure Hunt: Index cards—prepared before
class, tape; Optional: small treats
-- Bible Study Locks: Discovery Pack, Project
A, Bible Discoveries, p. 1, paper fasteners,
Bibles
-- Scripture Search: Bible Discoveries, pp. 1, 4,
Bibles, pencils
Bible Response
Children will apply the Bible story of Samuel paying
attention to God’s direction by planning ways that they
also can pay attention to God’s direction this week.
-- PraisePac CD and downloadable PDF song
sheets (from Elementary Creative Teaching Aids),
CD player, Friends, Lesson 1 and Family Faith
Fun
Understanding the Bible
During the time of the judges, Israel was a loose
confederation of tribes without a king. The primary
authorities were usually the priests and prophets.
At special times, God raised up other leaders called
judges. Samuel is generally considered to be the last
effective judge (see 1 Sam. 8:1-3). He was also a priest
and a prophet.
Samuel’s mother, Hannah, had been unable to
have children for many years—a terrible stigma for a
woman in her culture. After fervent prayer, the Lord
granted Hannah’s request for a son, whom she vowed
to dedicate to the Lord’s service. When Samuel was
weaned, somewhere between ages three and five, he
was taken to live at the tabernacle and underwent
training for Levitical service.
Scripture does not state Samuel’s age at the time
of the Lord’s visitation, but scholars place his age
somewhere between six and twelve years old. During
the period of the judges, revelations and visions from
the Lord were rare (1 Sam. 3:1). This time of silence
ended with Samuel.
Eli, the high priest, was judged by God because of
his failure to discipline his sinful sons, who were also
priests. God’s judgment on Eli and his priesthood
was not fulfilled immediately. Eli lived for a long
time following the prophecy, and his priestly line
continued on until the fourth generation (14:3).

▫▫This symbol will appear whenever preparation takes more than five minutes or whenever supplies are
8 needed that are not included on the list of standard materials (on page 6).
 LESSON 1

When Teaching the Bible to

Elementary Students . . .
Teacher Devotional

For children this age to be able to pay attention to God’s
direction, as this week’s Bible story from 1 Samuel 3 teaches,
they need to know how to find their way around in the
Bible. Second and third graders can learn how to look up
a Scripture using book, chapter, and verse. They have the
ability to pull simple information from a verse. They can
offer conclusions based on what they read. Build on the
children’s abilities with these ideas:
• Use a children’s Bible translation, or select simply worded
verses from an adult translation.
• Ask simple fact questions about Bible verses to check
comprehension before asking “why” and “how” questions.
• Encourage the children to ask their own questions about
what they’re reading in the Bible so that you know what
they are having a hard time grasping.
• Check for understanding by having the students say verses,
especially memory verses, in their own words.
E
ach day we receive directions of
some kind: “Stop, go.” “Sign at the
bottom.” “Finish that project today.”
Directions from bosses, parents,
friends, pastors, and others often compete for
our attention.
Like Samuel, we can find value in taking
time out to listen for God’s direction. His
direction can come in many ways—prayer,
Bible study, the counsel of believers, a
message in church, the Holy Spirit’s prompting.
But listening to God requires that we “tune
out” our surroundings and “tune in” during
our moments of quiet with God. It can involve
making a special effort to eliminate or diminish
distractions and interruptions.
Start by meditating on Psalm 32:8—“I will
instruct you and teach you in the way you
should go.” God promises to direct us.
Reflect on how these words are a comfort
to you.
Consider ways you can more carefully pay
attention to God’s direction this week.

Early Bird Options

Free yourself up to greet children as they arrive by letting early arrivers fill their pre-class time
with these independent activities.
Attendance—Before class, fill in the calendar dates and your students’
names. Hang the attendance chart (Teaching Aid 1) at students’ eye level. As
children arrive, let the children mark their attendance.
Simon Says—Since the Bible story from 1 Samuel 3 focuses on following
God’s direction, give the children fun practice in paying close attention to
directions by letting them play “Simon Says.” For a bigger challenge, play
“Reverse Simon Says.” To play this version, players don’t do what “Simon
Says” or they’re out. When “Simon” says to do an action, the players do the
opposite to stay in the game. For example, if the direction is “Simon Says to
Attendance Chart sit down,” all the players stand up.

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 3:1-20

9
 LESSON FOCUS: Pay attention to God’s direction.
L1

Bible
Readiness

To connect children’s
experiences with the Bible story
of Samuel paying attention to
God’s direction, they will talk
about their need for direction.
Materials:
-- Butcher paper
-- Marker
-- Beanbags
To prepare the children to understand the
story of Samuel paying attention to God’s
direction (1 Sam. 3:1-20), begin with an
activity and discussion about times when the
children need direction.
Begin class by drawing five large circles
on a length of butcher paper. Label the
circles: God, Parent, Teacher, Friend, Other
Person. As you print each name, have the
class read it aloud to help all the children
recognize the words. Place the butcher paper
on the floor.
Every day we each need some kind of
direction. We need advice and help and
ideas for many things that we do. We get
direction from parents and family, from
teachers and coaches, from friends, and
from God. I’m going to name some kinds
of direction that you might need. After
each one, toss your beanbag to the circle
that has the name of the person that you
would ask for this kind of direction.
Give each child a beanbag. Have the
children take several giant steps back from
the butcher paper. They may stand on all
sides. Read each of the following statements,
pausing after each to let the children toss
their beanbags. After tossing each time, let
volunteers tell why they chose as they did.
(There are no right and wrong answers.)
Then have the children retrieve their
beanbags and toss again after you read the
next statement.
When you want help with a math
problem
When you need directions to a friend’s
home
When you want to know how to make a
good decision
When you want direction on how to put
a toy together
When you face a problem that feels too
big for you
After the game, have the children set
aside the beanbags, sit down with you in a
circle, and join in discussion.
..What other kinds of things
do you need direction for? (Let
volunteers tell their ideas. For cooking, for
knowing how to get to a friend’s party, for
figuring out a problem, etc.)
..What kinds of things would
you need God’s direction for? (This
may be a tough question for some children.
Allow them to talk through their ideas and
make suggestions. The children’s thoughts
might include needing God’s direction with
friends, how to forgive a hurt, how to deal
with a hard problem, and so on.)
..What are ways that we find
God’s direction? (Through the Bible,
prayer, Sunday school teachers, parents,
etc. The children will explore more answers
to this question later in the lesson. This
question will get them thinking about it
now.)
Tie to the Bible
In today’s Bible story, a boy about your
age was willing to pay attention to God’s
direction. Let’s see what happened when he
listened to God.

10

Bible Study:
1 Samuel 3:1-20
Children will study how Samuel
pays attention to God’s direction.
Materials:
Bible Study
-- Bible Discoveries, pp.
2-3
-- Teaching Aid 2
-- Bibles
-- Pencils
Bible Review Activity
▫▫ Optional: blankets or
mats
Memory Verse Practice
-- No materials needed
With the children seated at a table, give out
pencils, Bibles, and Bible Discoveries for
Lesson 1. Have the children turn to pages
2-3 in Bible Discoveries.
Point out, using the Bible Overview
Chart (Teaching Aid 2), that 1 Samuel is in
the Old Testament. Talk about how 1 Samuel
tells about how Israel was ruled by kings
and some of the problems they encountered.
Have the children open their Bibles to
1 Samuel 3. If any children are unfamiliar
with how to find a Bible verse, direct them
to the table of contents in their Bibles. They
should find the page number for the Book of
1 Samuel and turn to that page. Then show
them how to look for the large number 3,
which designates the chapter.
the Lord
L1
Let the students take turns reading
paragraphs of the Bible story from Bible
Discoveries. When a reader reaches the
blank line and the Bible reference, have
the class pause and find verse 8. Let a
volunteer read aloud the verse. (The answer
is in the second part of the verse.) Have
the class talk together to decide on the
answer and write it in the blank. (For your
convenience, the correct answer appears on
the Bible Discoveries pages shown below.)
After writing the answer, have the students
continue reading. Have the class read the
memory verse in unison at the end.
Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3
Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 3:1-20
11
 LESSON FOCUS: Pay attention to God’s direction.
L1

Bible Review Questions ..How does God speak to us

..What did Samuel hear? Who
did he think it was? (Samuel heard a
voice call his name; he thought it was Eli.)
..How did Samuel show he was
eager to pay attention? (He got up
out of bed three times and ran to find out
what Eli wanted.)
..How did Samuel show that he
paid attention when God spoke?
(Samuel listened carefully for God to call
him. Then Samuel said that he was God’s
servant and that he was listening.)
..What kind of direction did God
give Samuel about Eli? (God told
Samuel that He would punish Eli’s family
because his sons were being bad leaders and
Eli didn’t correct them.)
..Would Samuel have heard
God’s direction if he hadn’t been
paying attention? (No.)
Some children may have questions
about God audibly speaking to Samuel. If
so, explain God is God and this means He
is able to come to people in any form He
wants to tell them what He wants to say.
He can speak in any way, every language,
and any time He chooses. He can speak
aloud Himself, through a person, or a thing
because He made everything.
today to direct us? (Through the Bible;
prayer or His Spirit; other Christians such
as parents, Sunday school teachers, the
minister; etc.)
..According to the memory
verse, what kind of direction does
God give us? (He tells us the way we
should go, or how to follow Him and do
what’s right.)
Bible Review Activity
To reinforce Samuel’s willingness to pay
attention to God’s direction, let the class
reenact the Bible story. Divide the children
into pairs. One child in each pair is Samuel
and lies on a blanket (or just on the floor).
The other child in each pair is Eli and sits
off to the side. When you call out, “Samuel!”
the children lying down get up and run to
their partner, “Eli.” The children playing Eli
say that they didn’t call, and the Samuels go
back to bed. Do this three times. The fourth
time you call out “Samuel!” the children
lying down call out, “Speak, Lord. I’m your
servant, and I’m listening.”
If time permits, have the students switch
roles.

Memory Verse Practice

Whisper one or two words of the verse to each child, depending on the size
of your class, so that the whole verse is divided up among the children. At
your signal, the children start looking for the children who have the words
on either side of theirs. For example, a child assigned “instruct you” will look
for the children with “I will” and “and teach.” Once the children have found
the others with neighboring words, they link arms. Soon the
children will form one line in the correct order. Then have Memory Verse
them say their assigned portion of the verse in order, down
the line.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you
should go.
Psalm 32:8

12
 L1
Bible Children will explore ways to pay attention to God’s direction.

Activity To help the children explore ways they can pay attention to God’s
direction, as taught in the Bible story from 1 Samuel 3, use as many of
Choices these choices as possible. Set them up to be done at the same time,
and let the children choose from among them.

Treasure Hunt Bible Study Locks Scripture Search

-- Index cards—prepared before
class
-- Tape
▫▫ Optional: small treats such as
stickers or candy*
Samuel was careful to pay attention
to God’s direction. Children practice
paying attention when looking for
God’s direction in this treasure hunt.
Before students arrive, print short
and clear directions on index cards to
different spots in your room leading
from one to another, numbering
them in order. For example, put this
card on the bulletin board: “1—Look
under the table.” Then tape this card
on the bottom of the table: “2—Look
behind the door.” Tape this card to
the back of the door: “3—Look on
the bookshelf.” Continue with as
many spots as you have convenient
in your room. In the final location,
place an index card with the memory
verse. You might also provide a small
treat (such as stickers or individually
wrapped candies*) as an extra reward
for paying close attention.
The children may play this game
individually, beginning whenever
they wish and taking the time they
need. Tell the children to leave the
clue cards where you put them so
others following them have the clues
in place. Also, ask them not to reveal
the final destination to each other.
-- Discovery Pack, Project A
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 1
-- Paper fasteners
-- Bibles
By assembling and using this craft,
the children will practice finding
God’s direction from the Bible for
everyday situations they might face.
Complete directions for assembling
and using the Bible Study Locks
(Discovery Pack, Project A) are on
page 4 of Discovery Pack. You may
need to demonstrate to the students
how to push a paper fastener
through the craft and bend it open
on the back.
After assembling their Bible
Study Locks, the children will look
up the six Bible verses and match
them to the pictures. The answers
are on the handle portion of the
lock. If children need help looking
up Bible verses, direct them to Bible
Discoveries, page 1.
-- Bible Discoveries, pp. 1, 4
-- Bibles
-- Pencils
In order to pay attention to God’s
direction, as taught in the Bible
story from 1 Samuel 3, children
need to know how to find their way
around in the Bible. Page 1 of Bible
Discoveries teaches the children
how to look up a Scripture by book,
chapter, and verse. If the children
want more practice in finding
verses, they may look up some of
the memory verses for the quarter,
listed on the back cover of Bible
Discoveries.
When finished with page 1 in
Bible Discoveries, the children may
work on page 4. As the children
unscramble the words, they will
discover six ways to learn God’s
direction. The correct answers are:
1. God, Bible; 2. worship;
3. parents; 4. pray; 5. teachers;
6. friends; God’s directions are
best.

*Check with parents for any food allergies

students may have.

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 3:1-20

13
 LESSON FOCUS: Pay attention to God’s direction.
L1

Bible
Response

Children will apply the
Bible story of Samuel paying
attention to God’s direction
by planning ways that they
also can pay attention to God’s
direction this week.
Materials:
-- PraisePac CD and
downloadable PDF song
sheets
-- CD player
Use this time to help your students plan ways
to pay attention to God’s direction this week.
We’ve seen that Samuel paid attention
to God’s direction, and that we can pay
attention to God’s direction too. Let’s talk
about ways we can do that during the week.
..What would help you
remember to pay attention to
God’s direction? (Encourage children to
name a wide variety of ideas. Some children
may have a hard time getting going on this
brainstorming. If so, refer back to things
like Samuel’s eagerness to pay attention, the
Bible helps on the Discovery Pack Bible Study
Locks, and the ideas on Bible Discoveries
page 4. Answers might include: reading the
Bible or praying each day, practicing the
memory verse each day, asking a friend to
remind me during the week to pay attention
to God’s direction, making myself a sign
about paying attention to hang in my room,
and so on.)
To really follow Samuel’s example this
week, let’s each pick one idea and plan to
do it.
..What is one way you will pay
attention to God’s direction?
(Encourage each child to chose a way to pay
attention to God’s direction.)
Let’s talk to God right now about
our plans. Have a prayer time where all
the children can pray as they please. If the
children need help in knowing what to pray,
suggest they pray this sentence, finishing
it with the plan they chose: “Dear God, I
want to pay attention to Your direction, so
please help me to __________ .” Close the
prayer time by thanking God that He wants
us to know His direction. Ask Him to help
the children pay attention to His direction.
Prayer Time
Finish your prayer time by introducing the
Unit 25 song from the PraisePac CD in the
Creative Teaching Aids packet. This song
expresses a commitment to
follow God’s direction.
You may want to have the
children listen to it one
time through before singing
along with it.
Before dismissing the children, have
each child say to several other children, “Pay
attention to God’s direction!”

TAKE–HOMES

Seeing God throughout the Week 55 Friends, Lesson 1 and

Encourage students to follow through on their Family Faith Fun
plan to remember to pay attention to God’s 55 Bible Discoveries,
direction. Invite children to read their memory Lesson 1
verse each day this week and to ask God for
55 Discovery Pack, Bible
help in paying attention to His direction the way Study Locks
Samuel did.

14
LESSON 2

Godly Choices
Four Step Lesson Path
Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 8—10
Lesson Focus: Let your choices show that you
Bible Readiness follow God.
To connect with the Israelites’ choice in 1 Samuel
Memory Verse: “Choose for yourselves this day
8—10, children will talk about what their choices
whom you will serve.” Joshua 24:15
show about them.
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 1, pencils

Lesson Video
for Steps 2 & 4!
Available @
Bible Study: BibleInLife.com/video
Understanding the Bible
1 Samuel 8—10 With Samuel, the period of the judges was nearly at
Children will study how the Israelites choose to have
a close. At the time of the events in this week’s story,
a king.
Samuel was advancing in age—he was probably 65 to
-- Bible Story: Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3, 70 years old. The people feared that Samuel’s sons—
Bibles, Teaching Aid 2 (from Elementary Creative
Joel and Abijah—would take over after Samuel’s
Teaching Aids), pencils
death. Samuel had appointed his sons as judges in the
-- Bible Review: Bible-time clothes, Bible
Discoveries, pp. 2-3 town of Beersheba. But those sons were corrupt and
-- Memory Verse Practice: Beanbags (one for accepted bribes, which was forbidden in Mosaic law
every two children) (Exod. 23:8; Deut. 16:19).
Moses had made provision for the Israelites when
they would say they wanted a king (Deut. 17:14-20).
Bible Activity Choices These verses describe the qualifications of a king
Children will discover godly choices they can make. over Israel: The king was to be appointed by God.
The king had to be an Israelite. The king was not to
▫▫ Cube Toss: Cube-shaped box or paper accumulate many horses. The king was not to compel
cube, marker
any Hebrew to return to Egypt. The king was not to
▫▫ Flying Choices: Discovery Pack, Project B,
prepared index cards take many wives, because they would distract his
▫▫ Memory Verse Bookmark: Cardstock, attention from God. The king was to copy, study, and
scissors, self-stick magnetic strip meditate on Scripture. The king was to revere God
and obey His commands. No king of Israel fully kept
these requirements.
The Deuteronomy passage indicates the Israelites’
Bible Response request for a king was not abnormal. It was their
Children will apply the Bible story by pledging to make rejection of the Lord as their ultimate King that was
choices that show they follow God. sinful (1 Sam. 12:12).
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 4, pencils, PraisePac
CD and downloadable PDF song sheets (from
Elementary Creative Teaching Aids), CD player,
Friends, Lesson 2

▫▫This symbol will appear whenever preparation takes more than five minutes or whenever supplies are
needed that are not included on the list of standard materials (on page 6). 15
LESSON 2

When Teaching the Bible to

Elementary Students . . .
Teacher Devotional

Second and third graders have a limited number of choices
they are allowed to make. Yet as they grow in their ability
to reason, they take on bigger decisions—which friends to
spend time with, what activities to take part in, and steps
toward spiritual growth. You can help your students grow in
their ability to make God-honoring choices with these ideas:
• Work together as a class to set up class rules. Then the
children will know what choices they have. Let children
offer ideas as to good rules and appropriate consequences.
• When there’s a discipline problem, rather than just
enforcing a consequence, take time to talk through with the
child why his or her behavior was not a good choice.
• During Bible Activity Choices in each lesson, give the
children as many options as you can, and allow children to
choose which activity they think they need most.
B
e careful what you pray for—you
might get it!” Christians sometimes
joke about this. But this statement
could have been made by Samuel to
the Israelites.
The Israelites’ request for a king seemed
reasonable. Surely it would not honor God
if Samuel’s godless sons took over the
leadership. And having a human king was a
common, workable plan. How often do we go
to God with a reasonable request that honors
Him? Probably quite often. It’s not that our
requests are necessarily bad. It’s that we need
to be willing to hear and accept God’s answer.
That’s what will differentiate us from that group
of Israelites.
Verses like Proverbs 16:1, 9 remind us that
God may have something else in mind. Think
about some things you’ve prayed for that God
has answered in a different way than what you
asked.
What’s something you’re praying for now
that might need an openness to God’s answer?

Early Bird Options

Here are suggestions for ways to keep children meaningfully occupied while you get
ready for class and greet more children as they arrive.
Fun Choices Votes—Since this week’s lesson deals with choices, let early arrivers
make some fun choices. On the board, draw a line to form two columns. Title the
columns “chocolate chip ice cream” and “strawberry ice cream.” As space permits,
draw more sets of columns, labeled with choices such as bike riding/skate boarding,
reading a book/watching TV. Children initial in the columns that show which choice in
each category they would choose.
Favorites Sharing—Let children talk about their preferences by telling each other
about their favorite food, color, game, and so on.

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 8—10

16
 LESSON FOCUS: Let your choices show that you follow God.
Bible
Readiness
To connect with the Israelites’
choice in 1 Samuel 8—10,
children will talk about what
their choices show about them.
Materials:
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 1
-- Pencils
In 1 Samuel 8—10, the Israelites made a
choice that showed that they were not really
willing to follow God. To help the children
understand what their choices show about
them, begin with an activity about choices.
Give out pencils and Bible Discoveries.
Read aloud the instructions on page 1. Let
two volunteers read the first two blocks in
the maze. After that, children need to make
choices. Have them trace which choice they
would make. Most children will choose
the “right” path—whether or not it’s what
they would really do—but it’s fine if some
children want to choose an unwise path to
see what happens. Let volunteers tell why
they chose as they did. Then have individuals
read aloud the blocks leading up to the
roadblocks (choices 2 and 3). Whenever a
roadblock is reached, let the class call out,
“Roadblock!”
Continue reading the “good choice” path,
which goes down the left side of the page.
Stop whenever there’s a choice to make and
let the children mark their pages and read the
results.
When finished with the maze, discuss
some of the choices. Whenever we make a
choice, it shows something about us. Let’s
use this page as an example.
..If a kid chose to give a dog a
bath in laundry detergent, what
would it show about him? (Help
your class realize this would show the child
doesn’t care about the dog’s health, he doesn’t
know any better, or he needs to learn how to
take care of dogs, etc.)
..If a kid chooses to ignore what
his mom tells him, what does that
show about him? (Let your children
think and suggest ideas. Some might be that
he thinks he knows better than his mom; he
doesn’t think he’ll get in trouble, etc.)
L2
Continue discussing along these lines,
using the other examples on the page. Then
read the question at the bottom of the page:
..Have any of your real-life
choices ever landed you where
you didn’t want to be? (Children
might share things like ignoring or talking
back to a teacher or parent, choosing to take
part in a sport or activity that didn’t turn out
to be fun, spending birthday money on junk
instead of on something good, and so on.)
..What did your choices show
you about yourself? (Some students
may not have thought about what choices
show. Help them consider how bad choices
show their own anger, lack of information or
patience, or wrong thinking.)
..What are some good choices
you’ve made, and what do they
show about you? (Let the children
tell about times when they chose to obey
parents or teachers, thought through a
choice carefully before making it, took good
advice, and so on. These choices may show
that they’re willing to listen to good advice,
that they’re patient enough to think about an
important choice before making it, etc.)
Tie to the Bible
Our choices show what we’re like. They
show if we trust God and follow Him.
The Israelites in today’s Bible story had a
big choice to make. Their choice showed
whether or not they were really following
God. Let’s see what their choice shows us
about them—and about our own choices.
17
 Bible Study:
1 Samuel 8—10
L2

Children will study how the
Israelites choose to have a king.
Materials:
Bible Study
-- Bible Discoveries, pp.
2-3
-- Bibles
-- Teaching Aid 2
-- Pencils
Bible Review Activity
-- Bible-time clothes
-- Bible Discoveries, pp.
2-3
Memory Verse Practice
-- Beanbags (one for every
two children)
Let a volunteer briefly tell what happened in
last week’s Bible story. (God chose the boy
Samuel to be a prophet; Samuel paid close
attention to God’s direction.) Explain that
many years have passed since last week’s
Bible story. Samuel grew up, became a leader
of the Israelites, and is now an old man. He
still loves God and leads the Israelites.
Ask for a volunteer to find the Old
Testament on the Bible Overview Chart
(Teaching Aid 2). Have another student find
1 Samuel on the chart. Mention that both
Samuel and Saul’s stories are in 1 Samuel.
Saul is the first picture on the teaching aid.
Have students find 1 Samuel in the table
of contents of their Bibles, and then turn
to 1 Samuel 8 in their Bibles. Also have
them turn to pages 2-3 in Bible Discoveries.
Assign the parts of Man 1, Man 2, Woman 1,
Woman 2, Samuel, and God. The whole class
may read the part of the Israelites. Allow a
few minutes for the children to silently read
through their parts. Then have the class read
the skit aloud.
When you reach the Bible symbol, have
the whole class find 1 Samuel 8:22 in their
Bibles. Let a volunteer read it aloud. Have
the class decide on the answer and write it in
the blank. (For your convenience, the correct
answer appears on the Bible Discoveries
pages shown below.) Then continue reading
the skit. At the end, have the whole class
read the memory verse in unison.

Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3

give you a king

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 8—10

18
 LESSON FOCUS: Let your choices show that you follow God.

Bible Review Questions Israelites should not have had a king because
it wasn’t God’s timing and because the people
..Who had been the leader of were following their own way.

the Israelites? (Samuel.)
Explain that at that time, the Israelites
were led by special leaders called judges,
not by kings or presidents. The judges were
chosen by God. This allowed God to still
be their real leader. The judges helped the
people follow God’s law, and the Israelites
thought of God as their King.
..Why did the people ask for a
king? (Because Samuel would die soon, the
people were afraid they would be left without
a good leader; also because all the countries
around them had kings and they wanted to
be like the countries around them.)
..According to what God told
Samuel, why did the people really
want a king? (Because they wanted to
choose their way; they didn’t trust that God
would find another good leader for them;
because they wanted to be like everyone else
around them, etc.)
..Why did God not want the
people to have a king? (God warned
the people that they would have lots of
problems if they had a king.)
L2
..Who did God choose to serve
as king? (Saul.)
..Did the Israelites’ choice show
that they followed God? (No, because
they chose what they wanted not what God
wanted.)
..According to the memory
verse, what do we need to
choose? (Who we will serve or follow.)
Bible Review Activity
To review this week’s Bible story, divide your
class into groups of six or seven for a roleplay
drama. You can combine parts or add more
Israelites if needed. Give each student a role
and let them reenact the story. Children
may wear Bible-time clothes. While you
can have students just read the drama from
Bible Discoveries you used earlier, encourage
students to do the drama in their own words.
This will help students remember the story
and the principles taught, and also help you
assess how well students have grasped the
lesson.

Be sure the children understand that

having a king or a national leader in and
of itself is not a bad thing. In this case, the

Memory Verse Practice

Divide the class in half. Arrange the halves in two lines facing each
other. The children in line should be about five giant steps away from
the opposite line. Give all the children on one side a beanbag. The
children with the beanbags call out the first word of the memory verse
and toss their beanbag to the child across from them.
The children on the other side say the second word of
the verse and toss the beanbags back to their partners.
Memory Verse
Continue tossing the beanbags back and forth and saying
one word of the verse until the whole verse has been said. “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will
Repeat as time permits. serve.”
Joshua 24:15

19
 Bible Children will discover godly choices they can make.

Activity Now the children have an opportunity to practice making

choices that show that they follow God, to reinforce the Bible
L2

Choices story from 1 Samuel 8—10. Set up as many of these choices as

you have room for.

Cube Toss Flying Choices Memory Verse

▫▫ Cube-shaped box or paper cube
-- Marker
The Bible story from 1 Samuel 8—10
taught that the Israelites’ choice
showed they didn’t follow God. With
this game, the children will have
practice making choices that do
follow God. Before class find a small,
square box or make a cube from
sturdy paper. Write one of these
phrases on each side of the cube:
at home; at school; at church; when
playing; alone; with a friend.
The children sit or stand in a
circle and take turns tossing the
cube. For whichever side lands up,
the tosser names a choice that could
be made at that place that shows a
way to follow God. For example,
when at home, a child could choose
to obey parents; when at school, a
child could choose to work well with
other classmates; when at church,
a child could choose to be a helper;
when playing, a child could choose
to share; when with a friend, a child
could choose to take turns.
-- Discovery Pack, Project B
▫▫ Prepared index cards
Before class, write several places
students in your class might go
(church, school, home, park, soccer
practice) on separate index cards.
You may also want to provide
a sample of the Discovery Pack
project. As students are following
the directions on Discovery Pack,
Project B to make their flyers, lay
the cards around the room. Students
will throw the flyer, see which place
it lands closest too, and tell one way
a choice they make at that place
can show they follow God. For
example, if the flyer lands closest to
the “soccer practice” card, a student
might say that choosing not to get
mad at another player who made
him step out of bounds would show
he follows God.
Bookmark
▫▫ Card stock
-- Scissors
▫▫ Self-stick magnetic strips
To help your students remember
the memory verse and carry it
with them wherever they go, have
them make bookmarks featuring
today’s memory verse. Before class,
cut 11 by 3 inch rectangles out of
card stock. In class, have students
fold the rectangle in half across the
width. Decorate the outside with
the memory verse. Stick matching
magnetic strips to each inside end.
To use the marker, fold it over the
page, and the magnets hold it in
place.

20
 LESSON FOCUS: Let your choices show that you follow God.

Bible
Response

Children will apply the Bible story
by pledging to make choices that
show they follow God.
Materials:
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 4
-- Pencils
-- PraisePac CD and
downloadable PDF song
sheets
-- CD player
-- Friends, Lesson 2
Help students apply the Bible story by
writing their own individual pledges about
their choices this week.
The choices we make show a lot about
us. In our Bible story, the Israelites made
a choice that showed they were not really
willing to follow God. What about us? Do
our choices show we follow God? Let’s look
at the choices you might make this week.
Have the children turn to page 4 in Bible
Discoveries, and give out pencils. Have them
use the calendar on the page to jot down
several choices they will make this week.
Some children will face bigger choices;
others may only be able to think of the
usual daily choices. Children may not write
something on every day of the week.
If you want to make choices that show
you follow God, you can make a promise
or pledge to do that. There’s a spot on this
page to write your own pledge. You can
word your pledge any way you want. You
could pick one choice you’re facing this
week and pledge to follow God’s way in
that choice. Or you could pledge you will
make choices all week long that show you
follow God. If the children need examples
of ways to finish the sentence “This Week I
Choose,” you could suggest things like “to do
my homework before watching TV,” “to ask
L2
for advice on which team to join this fall,” or
“to think about my choices before making
them.”
Allow time for the
children to think about
what they would like to
pledge. In the background
play the Unit 25 song
from the PraisePac CD in
Elementary Creative Teaching Aids. When
finished, affirm the children for their
willingness to make choices—whether big or
small—that show they follow God.
Prayer Time
Have a time for the children to talk to God
about their pledges. Let children who are
comfortable doing so pray aloud and ask
God’s help in keeping it. Remind children
who don’t want to pray aloud they can talk
to God silently.
To help the children affirm their pledges,
sing together the Unit 25
song. Close by having your
students encourage each
other to make choices that
show they follow God.

Seeing God throughout the Week

Encourage children to follow through on their
pledge. Invite them to ask God each day to help
TAKE–HOMES
them choose to follow Him. Ask children to read
their memory verse, Joshua 24:15, throughout 55 Friends, Lesson 2
the week.
55 Bible Discoveries, Lesson 2
55 Discovery Pack, Flying Choices
55 Memory Verse Bookmark

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 8—10

21
LESSON 3

Giant-Size Problems
Four Step Lesson Path
Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 17
Lesson Focus: God’s power is greater than our
Bible Readiness biggest problems.
To help children connect to the Bible story of the
Israelites facing Goliath, children will identify big
Memory Verse: Be strong in the Lord and in his
mighty power. Ephesians 6:10
problems they face.
-- Bible Discoveries,
p. 1, pencils Lesson Video
for Steps 2 & 4!
Available @
Bible Study: BibleInLife.com/video

1 Samuel 17 Understanding the Bible

Children will study how David trusts God as he faces
Goliath.
-- Bible Story: Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3,
Teaching Aid 2 (from Elementary Creative
Teaching Aids), Bibles, pencils
▫▫ Bible Review: Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3,
Teaching Aids 2 and 3 (from Elementary Creative
Teaching Aids), Bibles; Optional: Bible-time
clothes, video recording device, play microphone
-- Memory Verse Practice: No materials needed
Bible Activity Choices
Children will discover God’s power to face problems.
▫▫ Sizing Up Goliath: Discovery Pack, Project
C (complete sample before class), glue or tape,
Bibles
-- Molly and the Giants: Bible Discoveries, p. 4,
pencils
▫▫ Sock-It-to-Problems Game: Two long socks,
Bible Discoveries, p. 1, scissors, masking tape,
index card, marker
Bible Response
Children will apply the Bible story by choosing to trust
God with a giant problem.
-- Whiteboard and marker, PraisePac CD and
downloadable PDF song sheets (from Elementary
Creative Teaching Aids), CD player, Friends,
Lesson 3
After Saul was anointed king (1 Sam. 8—10), he
reigned for about 40 years (Acts 13:21). From the
beginning, Saul refused to wholeheartedly obey the
Lord. The Israelites had wanted a king to deal with
their enemies, so Saul’s reign consisted of constant
battles with hostile neighbors like the Philistines and
Amalekites. Though Saul was successful in battle, he
proved to be unfaithful in following God.
A few years before this week’s Bible story took
place, God instructed Samuel to anoint a young
shepherd named David as the next king. David was a
man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14), and God
sent His Spirit to David after the anointing (1 Sam.
16:13). When King Saul became tormented by an
evil spirit, David was brought to the palace to play
soothing harp music for him. It appears that David’s
early service in Saul’s court was only temporary and
that he had returned to his hometown of Bethlehem
before the encounter with Goliath. Because of
David’s success in battle, Saul continued to promote
David through the army ranks.
Goliath was a Philistine soldier. The Philistines
lived along the Mediterranean coast just west
of Israel. They worshiped several false gods and
continually raided Israelite territory.

▫▫This symbol will appear whenever preparation takes more than five minutes or whenever supplies are
22 needed that are not included on the list of standard materials (on page 6).
 LESSON 3

When Teaching the Bible to

Elementary Students . . .
Teacher Devotional

When facing problems, second and third graders seem to
be a mixture of blaming others and taking on false guilt.
Because children don’t want to get punished, they’ll usually
explain why it “wasn’t their fault.” On the other hand, the
same children will feel responsible and even guilty for
problems that are beyond their control such as parents
separating or a family member dying. Try these ideas to
help your students through the problems they face:
• Listen caringly whenever a child shares a problem with
you—whether or not the problem was caused by the child.
• Gently guide the child to see what responsibility he or she
might have in the problem. Encourage the child to confess
any wrongdoing to God and to accept His forgiveness.
• Explain that even when other people’s problems hurt
us, they’re not always our fault. Jesus loves helping them
through problems and is committed to the children.
• Pray with the child for their specific problem. Encourage
the child to pray at home with their family.
H
ow long have you been in a
trusting relationship with God?
How has your confidence in God
built up over that time?
One of the striking things about the story of
David and Goliath is David’s utter confidence in
God. Before that battle, David had apparently
been trusting God for a number of years and
had come through many hard times. Goliath
seemed to be just one more chance to trust
God in a long series of incidents.
We are certain to encounter problems—
some huge, some small—as we go through
each month. When a new problem or fear
arises, how do you approach it—with the fear
of the Israelites or with the trust of David?
What problems are you facing right now?
Ask God to help you trust that He is greater
than your biggest problems.

Early
Early Bird
Bird Options
Options
To help children who arrive early to have something meaningful to do, try one of these
activities.
Barbell Problems—Provide paper, pencils, and scissors. Let early arrivers draw and
cut out barbells (or any kind of weight they are familiar with). On each barbell the children
write a problem they have faced. Children may tape the barbells to a wall or bulletin
board.
Giant Riddle—Write this riddle on the board: “Who is stronger than Superman, more
powerful than a tornado, and mightier than the best sports star in the world?” Before you
begin class, reveal that the answer is God.

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 17

23
 LESSON FOCUS: God’s power is greater than our biggest problems.

Bible
Readiness
L3

To help children connect to the
Bible story of the Israelites facing
Goliath, children will identify
big problems they face.
Materials:
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 1
-- Pencils
In this week’s Bible story from 1 Samuel
17, David and the Israelites face a huge
problem—Goliath. To prepare the children
to understand and apply the Bible story,
begin with a discussion of problems children
face.
Pass out Bible Discoveries for Lesson
3. Have the class turn to page 1. Read
the introduction aloud. Then allow a few
minutes for the children to jot down their
ideas on the six blanks.
There are a variety of possible answers
for each number. On some, the children may
be more specific than others, depending
on the types of problems they have gone
through. For example, for number 1, answers
could range from constant bickering with a
sibling to parents divorcing to any problem
that happens at home. Possible answers
for the other numbers include: 2. a family
member, friend, or pet dying; 3. a problem
with a friend, classmate, sibling, or possibly
an adult; 4. problems with schoolwork, fears
about school, or problems getting along
with a teacher; 5. moving away or a friend
moving; 6. illness on the part of the student
or someone he or she cares about.
When the children have had time to
think about the page, let volunteers tell what
answers they wrote. If your students are
hesitant to share, brainstorm together some
problems children their age might face.
Or, they might feel more comfortable
discussing more personal problems in small
groups. Divide the class into groups of three
or four students. Read the first question
below; then allow time for the children to
share their responses with their small group.
Next, ask the class the second question;
again allow time for children to share within
their small groups. Though most children
this age are still pretty comfortable talking
about personal topics, some children may
prefer not to tell anything that they consider
embarrassing. As the groups discuss, visit
each to listen for types of problems your
students face.
..What is the biggest problem
you have faced? (This is an excellent
opportunity for you to connect with your
students on a more personal level. Try to
share an appropriate problem you have
faced, especially from your own childhood.
Students will feel more comfortable sharing
when they realize others in the group have
also faced big problems.)
..Who or what helped you
through it? (You might hear parents,
brothers or sisters, friends, teachers, etc.
Other things that might come up are
hugging a teddy bear, finding an outlet,
working it out by myself, etc.)
..What problems are you facing
right now that feel giant? (Different
problems will feel “giant” to different
children. Their answers may range from
wanting a new pet not allowed by a parent
to being picked on at school to serious
family problems. Not all children will feel
comfortable sharing.)
When finished sharing, gather the groups
back together.
Tie to the Bible
God’s power is greater than our biggest
problems. Today’s Bible story tells about
a giant problem. Some people didn’t trust
God with the problem, but one boy did.
Let’s see how God’s power was greater than
the giant problem.

24
 Bible Study:
1 Samuel 17
Children will study how David
trusts God as he faces Goliath.
Materials:
Bible Study
-- Bible Discoveries, pp.
2-3
-- Bibles
-- Teaching Aid 2
-- Pencils
Bible Review Activity
-- Bible Discoveries, pp.
2-3
-- Teaching Aids 2 and 3
-- Bibles
▫▫ Optional: Bible-time
clothes, video recording
device, play microphone
the Lord
Since last week’s Bible story, many years
have passed. Saul is still king, but he
doesn’t always trust God and obey Him.
An enemy country keeps attacking Israel,
so King Saul’s army is often fighting. One
of the enemy soldiers is a giant, and the
Israelite soldiers are very afraid.
Have the students turn to pages 2-3 in
Bible Discoveries. Have a volunteer find
1 Samuel on the Bible Overview chart
(Teaching Aid 2). Talk about where 1 Samuel
is in the Bible. Point out David on Teaching
Aid 2. Talk about how all stories so far
this quarter have been in 1 Samuel. David,
Samuel, and Saul were all alive at the same
time, but were not the same age. Samuel
L3
is older than Saul, and Saul is older than
David. Ask the students to find 1 Samuel
17 in their Bibles. This week’s Bible story
is presented in the form of a newspaper
with articles detailing different parts of the
passage. Divide up the reading by letting less
confident readers read headlines, captions,
the Bible Times Quiz, and the memory
verse. Let four strong readers read each
article, or divide up the paragraph among
stronger readers. Whenever a reader reaches
a Bible reference, have the whole class find
the verse and write the answer on their Bible
Discoveries pages. (For your convenience,
the correct answers appear on the Bible
Discoveries pages shown below.)
Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3
eight
Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 17
25
 LESSON FOCUS: God’s power is greater than our biggest problems.

3 — Lesson 3
Copyrighted material; permission required to reproduce.
1-1041/5031
Bible Review Questions in Him or help us get to know Him better.)

..What big problem were the

Israelites facing? (Goliath, a soldier in Bible Review Activity
David Fights a Giant
the enemy army, was nine feet tall and very Hang Teaching Aid 3 near Teaching Aid 2.
Allow space after it to add posters in future
1 Samuel 17

strong. If an Israelite soldier lost the fight

A shepherd boy named David fought Goliath with only his slingshot and one
small stone. David knew God’s power is greater than our biggest problems.

lessons to make a visual timeline. A black

L3

against Goliath, all of Israel would become

slaves to the enemy.)
..How big did the problem feel
to the Israelites? (It felt too big for
them to overcome; they were very afraid; no
one wanted to fight Goliath.)
..How big did the same problem
seem to David? (David wasn’t afraid
because he saw God was even bigger than
Goliath. David trusted God to help him.)
..How did David fight Goliath?
(With the things he used to protect his
sheep—a slingshot and stones.)
..How was God’s power greater
than the Israelites’ big problem?
(God made David able to beat the giant,
even though David was young and small and
didn’t have a big weapon.)
If children ask how old or big David
was, explain the Bible doesn’t say but he was
probably a young teenager.
..Our memory verse says to be
strong in the Lord. How do we do
that? (We become strong in the Lord by
doing things that increase our faith and trust
and white reproducible is included on your
PraisePac CD (found in the Elementary
Creative Teaching Aids packet) for students to
make their own version.
To review this week’s Bible study, have
students make a news show telling about
events from the passage after Goliath is dead.
Get volunteers for an interviewer, David,
Saul, David’s brothers, Israelite soldiers, and
a runaway Philistine soldier. After a quick
review looking at Bible Discoveries and their
Bibles, have students act out a news program
broadcast live from the battle field.
Set the scene by having the interviewer
use Teaching Aid 3 as a backdrop, pointing
out the different people being interviewed.
The interviewer might ask questions of
David first. Then continue to interview
other characters for their perspectives on
the problem, God’s solution in David, and
personal thoughts about the events of the
day.
Encourage students to answer the
interviewer’s questions from the point of
view of the character they are portraying. If
you have the supplies, let students dress-up
in character and record the program.

Memory
MemoryVerse Practice
Verse Practice
Explain to the children that just as exercise makes our bodies strong,
-- MS-Material
MS-Body
trustingNoIndent
in God makes us “strong in the Lord,” as the memory verse
teaches. Have the class stand up. Lead them in saying the Bible verse
several times while doing a different exercise each time—deep knee
bends, jumping jacks, toe touches, sit-ups, and so on.

Memory
Memory
Verse
Verse

MS-Memory
Be strong in the
Verse
Lord
text
and in his mighty power.
Ephesians
MS-MV 6:10Ref
Scripture

26
 Bible Children will discover God’s power to face problems.

Activity In the Bible study from 1 Samuel 17, the children learned that
because David trusted God, he was able to defeat the giant
Choices problem of Goliath. These activities will reinforce the truth that
God is greater than our biggest problems. You may want to have
a volunteer supervise the Sock-It-to-Problems Game.

Sizing Up Goliath
▫▫ Discovery Pack, Project C—
completed sample of this craft
-- Glue or tape
-- Bibles
To give the children a visual of
Goliath being “cut down to size,”
as taught in the Bible story from 1
Samuel 17, help the children make
this pop-up craft. Have a completed
sample of this craft available as a
model. The children can follow the
directions on Discovery Pack, Project
C (page 7), to assemble their Sizing
Up Goliath craft. When finished, the
giant starts out big and slides down
to become small. On the back are
Bible verses the children can look up
to help them trust God as they face
their problems.
Molly and the Giants
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 4
-- Pencils
Page 4 of Bible Discoveries helps the
children recognize contemporary
equivalents to David’s slingshot in
overcoming giant problems—prayer,
faith, and God’s Word. The children
can read this page individually or in
pairs and use the three slingshots to
think of ways to fight the problems
on the three giants. If working in
pairs, the children should discuss
their ideas together. Then they match
the same slingshots to the blanks at
the bottom of the page. The correct
answers are: God’s Word, faith,
praying. Have students answer the
question on the bottom of the page.
L3
Sock-It-to-
Problems Game
▫▫ Two long socks
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 1
-- Scissors
-- Masking tape
-- Index card
-- Marker
This active game demonstrates God’s
power with as few as two children.
Before class, stuff a sock into the
toe of another long sock. Using one
copy of Bible Discoveries, p. 1, cut
apart the six problem pictures on the
page. Tape them around the room at
children’s eye level. On an index card,
print “How is God’s power bigger
than this problem?” Leave the index
card in the game area for reference.
One child begins by taking
several giant steps back from the
wall. He or she holds closed the open
end of the sock and swings the sock
around several times like David’s
slingshot. (The weight of the second
sock in the toe will make it swing.)
The child releases the sock so it hits
the wall. The children should note
which picture the sock hit closest to.
Then the child answers the question
about that picture. It’s okay to repeat
answers. Challenge students to tie
the memory
verse, Ephesians
6:10, into their
answers. Let the
children take
turns throwing
the sock at the
problems.

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 17

27
 LESSON FOCUS: God’s power is greater than our biggest problems.

Bible
Response
L3

Children will apply the Bible
story by choosing to trust God
with a giant problem.
Materials:
-- Whiteboard and marker
-- PraisePac CD and song
sheets
-- CD player
-- Friends, Lesson 3
Send home the cover wrap of
Bible Discoveries this week.
Lead students through the following
discussion to help them apply the Bible story
of David defeating Goliath with God’s power.
We’ve seen through our Bible story and
activities that God’s power is greater than
our biggest problems.
..How was God’s power greater
than the Israelites’ big problem?
(God made David able to beat the giant,
even though David was young and small and
didn’t have a big weapon.)
God doesn’t promise to take away our
problems. He doesn’t promise to make our
lives easy or promise things will work out
the way we want them to. Sometimes God
does choose to fix our problems, but other
times the problems stay and He helps us
get through them.
What does God promise? He promises
to always be with us. He promises to
listen to us and care about us and help
us. He promises to give us His peace and
His wisdom so we can face the problems
that come up. List these promises on the
board. Ask students to suggest additional
comforting things God promises, if they
are aware of any from the Bible, especially
promises that help them trust God.
Because God gives us these great
promises, we can trust Him. Earlier you
thought about problems you are facing.
Let’s pray about these problems now.
Prayer Time
Lead the children in a time of prayer to
talk to God about their problems. Let the
children find a prayer partner. Have the
partners talk about a problem and pray for
each other. When all the children have had
a chance to pray, close the prayer time by
thanking God that His power is greater than
our biggest problems.
Sing together the Unit 25
song on the PraisePac CD
from the Creative Teaching
Aids packet. To review this
song, you may want to have
the children listen to it once
before they try singing along with it.

Seeing God
Extra–Time throughout the Week
Activity TAKE–HOMES
55 MS-TakeHome text-
Remind children that they can trust God and His power
MS-LtoL week text bulleteds
with their problem. Encourage the students to pray for
55 Friends, Lesson 3
55 MS-TakeHome text-
their partner throughout the week.
bulleted
55 Bible Discoveries, Lesson 3
55 MS-TakeHome
55 Discovery Pack, Sizingtext-
Up
Goliathbulleted

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 17

28
LESSON 4

Jealousy & Trust

Four Step Lesson Path
Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 15—16; 18:5—19:18
Lesson Focus: Don’t be jealous—trust God
Bible Readiness instead.
To connect with King Saul’s jealousy of David,
children will share their experiences with jealousy.
Memory Verse: Let us not become conceited,
provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:26
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 3, pencils, whiteboard
and marker

Lesson Video
for Steps 2 & 4!
Bible Study: Available @
BibleInLife.com/video
1 Samuel 15—16; Understanding the Bible
18:5‑19:18 The Amalekites
MS-Body NoIndent
were a ruthless and cruel neighbor of
Children will study how King Saul is jealous of David. Israel.
MS-Body
They frequently raided Israel, beginning at the
-- Bible Story: Bible Discoveries, pp. 1-2, time of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. At the start
Bibles, Teaching Aid 2 (from Elementary Creative of this week’s Bible story, God intended to punish the
Teaching Aids), pencils Amalekites for their attacks (Exod. 17:8; 1 Sam. 15:2).
▫▫ Bible Review: Prepared slips of paper, pen Saul was to totally destroy the Amalekites. Nothing
-- Memory Verse Practice: Construction paper, was to be spared.
marker, PraisePac CD (from Elementary Creative Saul, however, kept alive the Amalekite king and
Teaching Aids), CD player
the best of the livestock. When Samuel confronted
him, Saul passed the blame on to his soldiers
Bible Activity Choices (1 Sam. 15:20-21). When Samuel announced God’s
Children will discover ways to trust God rather than punishment, Saul appeared to repent, but actually he
being jealous. feared what the people thought about him.
After Samuel anointed David as the next king,
▫▫ Marching Trust Game: Construction paper,
marker, PraisePac CD (from Elementary God’s Spirit came on David. The Holy Spirit departed
Creative Teaching Aids), CD player, slips of from Saul and was replaced by an evil spirit. Many
paper, pencils, empty trash container Bible scholars believe this was a fallen angel (demon)
-- FAN-tastic Posters: Discovery Pack, Project who was permitted by the Lord to torment the king
D, tape, pencils (1 Sam. 16:14-15; 18:10). Others believe it involved a
-- Name that Leader: Bible Discoveries, p. 4, psychological mood, a period of intense depression
Bibles, pencils and paranoia. In any case, Saul became deeply
troubled after David was anointed the next king of
Israel. Saul feared David and began plotting ways to
Bible Response kill him.
To apply the Bible story of David trusting God, children
will write their own prayer for help in trusting God
when jealous.
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 3, pencils, index cards,
Friends, Lesson 4

▫▫This symbol will appear whenever preparation takes more than five minutes or whenever supplies are
needed that are not included on the list of standard materials (on page 6). 29
LESSON 4

When Teaching the Bible to

Elementary Students . . .
Teacher Devotional

This week’s Bible story shows what a real problem Saul
had with jealousy. As second and third graders develop
their self-image, they begin comparing themselves with
others. This sometimes ends up causing jealousy. The
jealousy children this age experience is sometimes caused
simply because they don’t really know one another. If
they can learn to like each other, they will tend to be less
jealous. Try these ideas to help:
• Allow time each week for the children to have
conversations and interact with each other so they can get to
know each other better.
• Use each child’s name when you call on him or her. This
affirms each child and helps others in your class learn
names.
• Vary the seating arrangement and the division of small
groups so children can get to know the children they don’t
usually choose to be with.
J
ealousy is a common problem in
our society, and often in ourselves
as well. What do you think are some
of the causes of jealousy?
Feelings of jealousy do not necessarily
arise out of not having what we want. Saul
was powerful, rich, handsome, popular, and
successful. Yet he felt insecure and feared
someone who had less than he.
David, however, was in a good position
to feel jealous and resentful of Saul. After all,
God had promised him years before that he
would be king. Yet he still wasn’t the king, and
he was forced to hide in the desert to save
his life. David’s response was to cry out to
God continually (as shown in the psalms) and
humbly wait for God’s plan to unfold.
When you feel jealous this week, what
could you do to follow David’s example of trust
in God?

Early
Early
Bird
Bird
Options
Options
Try these suggestions to prepare early arrivers to hear the lesson about trusting God.
Memory Verses—For practice in using their Bibles, let the children look up the unit
memory verses. Print the references on the board: Psalm 32:8; Joshua 24:15; Ephesians
6:10; Galatians 5:26; Proverbs 18:24.
David’s Adventure Review—Let students make their own David poster to review
last week’s lesson. A black-and-white version of this poster is included
on your PraisePac CD. You could save these sheets throughout the
quarter, then put the pages together to create a graphic novel.

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 15—16; 18:5—19:18

30
 LESSON FOCUS: Don’t be jealous—trust God instead.

Bible
Readiness

To connect with King Saul’s Begin the lesson by helping the children Summarize the answer to the question
jealousy of David, children will understand the concept of jealousy and with a statement like this: Wishing can be
share their experiences with
recognize possible areas of jealousy in their good if it helps you aim for something

L4
jealousy.
own lives. This will prepare them to hear the better. For example, if you wish you did
Materials: Bible story about Saul’s jealousy of David better at school, that’s good, especially
from 1 Samuel 15—16; 18:5—19:18. Lead if you take steps to make it happen. But
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 3
-- Pencils into the Bible Discoveries page by discussing wishing can be bad if you start feeling bad
-- Whiteboard and marker this question: about who you are or who you’re with.

..Have you ever kept a “wish ..What does it mean to be

list”? What kinds of things go on a jealous? (Encourage the children to
wish list? (Some children will be familiar describe jealousy in their own words.
with making a written list of things they’ve Jealousy is wanting something more than we
wanted for Christmas or a birthday so that should: an opportunity, or an experience that
family members would know what kind of someone else has or has had. Jealousy often
gift ideas the children are interested in. Use causes us to look down on others or to say
whiteboard and a marker to make a wish list mean things about someone or do something
from your students’ responses.) wrong to get what we want, etc.)
A wish list usually has things on it that
we want. There are other kinds of things Tie to the Bible
we wish for too, such as having more
In our Bible story today, two men had
friends or to be better at something. Let’s
something that each other wanted. One
have a look at some of those. Hand out
man was jealous, but the other trusted
Bible Discoveries for Lesson 4 and have the
God. Let’s see what problem jealousy
class open to page 3. Read the introductory
caused.
paragraphs. Let a volunteer read the phrases
under the Wish List. Be sure the children
understand the directions. Then allow
several minutes for the children to draw
stars, arrows, and suns by the phrases of their
choosing. The children’s choices will be as
varied as their personalities, interests, and
backgrounds.
When students have finished the page,
discuss these questions:

..Is it bad to wish for things?

When is it right or wrong to wish
for something that someone else
has? (Encourage the children to talk
through their ideas. They will have varied
answers.)

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 15—16; 18:5—19:18

31
 Bible Study:
1 Samuel 15—16; 18:5—19:18

Children will study how King Introduce today’s Bible study with a “Find” in Bible Discoveries. Explain that Saul and
Saul is jealous of David. game. After giving a clue, have a student David did not keep journals that we have
point to the part of the Bible Overview Chart record of but that the facts in these journal
L4

Materials:
(Teaching Aid 2) that answers it. Challenge pages come from 1 Samuel.
Bible Study
children to find: The part of the Bible that Ask four children to read the four
-- Bible Discoveries, pp.
tells about Samuel, Saul, and David (Old journal entries for King Saul on page 1.
1-2
Testament); the book of the Bible that tells Pause for children to give their impressions
-- Bibles
-- Teaching Aid 2 about Samuel, Saul, and David (1 Samuel); and opinions about Saul.
-- Pencils the part of the Bible that tells about Jesus on Let four more children read the four
earth and the early church (New Testament); journal entries for David on page 2. Let
Bible Review Activity
the letter Paul wrote that begins with the students give their thoughts about David and
▫▫ Prepared slips of paper
-- Pen letter “G” (Galatians). compare the two men.
Let volunteers tell what has been Then have the whole class find the
Memory Verse Practice
happening in the Bible stories leading up to memory verse, Galatians 5:26, in their Bibles
-- Construction paper
-- Marker
this one. Have the children find 1 Samuel 15 and read it in unison.
-- PraisePac CD in their Bibles.
-- CD player Have the students turn to pages 1-2

Bible Discoveries, pp.1, 2

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 15—16; 18:5—19:18

32
 LESSON FOCUS: Don’t be jealous—trust God instead.
Bible Review Questions
..Who in the Bible story was
jealous? Why? (Saul was jealous of David
because Saul wanted to be as popular and
successful as David. He was afraid that the
people loved David more than him.)
..How much did Saul trust God?
How do you know? (Saul didn’t trust
God. Saul gave himself credit—instead of
God—for winning battles. He didn’t obey
God as he should have. He planned to have
David killed rather than trusting God’s plan.)
..What reason did David have to
be jealous? (The prophet Samuel told
David that God had chosen him to be the
next king. But it had to be kept secret, and it
didn’t happen for many years. David could
have resented that.)
..How did David show that he
trusted God? (David wasn’t jealous of
Saul and didn’t show bad feelings against
Saul. David trusted that God would make
him king when the time was right. David
gave credit to God for the battles he won.)
..What might have happened
if Saul had trusted God instead
of being jealous? (Saul would have
given God credit and helped the Israelites
have more faith in Him; Saul wouldn’t have
wasted time trying to kill David; Saul could
have helped David get prepared to become
the next king; etc.)
Memory Verse Practice
Print each word of the memory verse and the
reference on a separate piece of paper. Place the
papers in a large circle. Have the students walk in
a circle around the verse papers as you play the Unit
25 song from the PraisePac CD (found in the Creative
Teaching Aids packet). Randomly stop the music. Whoever Memory
Memory Verse
is standing next to the Scripture reference must close his
or her eyes and say the verse by memory. If someone says MS-Memory
Let us notVerse
the verse wrong, the entire group should recite the verse
envying each other.
together out loud to help him out. Continue to play and
randomly stop the music so that several children get a
chance to say the verse.
..How does trusting God keep
us from feeling jealous? (If we trust
that God made us who we are and is doing
what is best for His plan, then we don’t need
to be worried or selfish or jealous of what
others have or who they are. Trusting in God
gives us peace, etc.)
..The memory verse, from
Galatians 5:26, says not to
L4
become conceited and not to
provoke or envy each other. What
do those words mean? (Conceited
means stuck-up or thinking too much
of oneself. To provoke is to try to make
someone angry. To envy is to want what
someone else has or to be jealous.)
Bible Review Activity
On separate slips of paper, print these
sentences without the answers in parenthesis:
—I am a proud king. (Saul)
—I don’t obey God very well. (Saul)
—I get angry easily. (Saul)
—I feel jealous of a young soldier. (Saul)
—I love and obey God. (David)
—God gives me success in battle. (David)
—I play the harp for the king. (David)
—The king is trying to kill me. (David)
Mix up the papers and give them to eight
students to read aloud. Pause after each to
let the rest of the class vote on whether the
sentence sounds like Saul or David. After the
children vote, give the correct answer.
Verse
become
textconceited, provoking and
MS-MV Scripture Ref
Galatians 5:26
Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 15—16; 18:5—19:18 33
 Bible Children will discover ways to trust God rather than being jealous.

Activity Use these activity choices to reinforce the teaching from

the Bible story from 1 Samuel 15—16; 18:5—19:18. Plan on
Choices spending several minutes visiting each activity to answer
questions or help out if needed.
L4

Marching Trust Game FAN-tastic Posters Name that Leader

-- Construction paper -- Discovery Pack, Project D -- Bible Discoveries, p. 4
-- Marker -- Tape -- Bibles
-- Slips of paper -- Pencils -- Pencils
-- Pencils
To practice following David’s Use Bible Discoveries, page 4, to
▫▫ Empty trash container example of trusting God rather than
-- PraisePac CD
help the children review the three
-- CD player being jealous, the children may leaders of the Israelites who have
assemble the FAN-tastic Poster on been studied so far this quarter.
This musical marching game will pages 9 and 31 of Discovery Pack, This matching activity will help the
help students remember the memory Project D. children recognize which leaders
verse. Print each word of the First the children do the word trusted God and reinforce this week’s
memory verse on a separate sheet scramble on the fans on page 9. The lesson focus: Don’t be jealous—trust
of construction paper (or use the correct answers are: thank, best, God instead.
papers from Memory Verse Practice,
trust, fun, good. The students can follow the
p. 33). Place the papers in a large
Then the children follow the directions on page 4 of Bible
circle. Set a waste paper basket in
directions on page 9 to punch out Discoveries and draw lines to match
the center. Set a CD player with the
and accordion-fold the fans. When the sentences to the pictures of the
PraisePac CD nearby.
the children choose which fans to three leaders. Let them work in
Have the children spend a minute
attach to the poster on page 31, there pairs to find and discuss the answers
writing down on slips of paper things
are no right and wrong answers. found in the Bible verses. The correct
they tend to feel jealous about. They
The children may choose whichever answers are:
might write a word or name such as
solution they think best fits the 1—Samuel
sister, soccer, or video game.
jealousy problem to show trust in 2—Saul
Have one child play the Unit 25
God. 3—David
song. The students walk to the music
around the outside of the memory 4—David
verse circle with their jealousy papers 5—Samuel
in hand. The child working the CD 6—Saul
player randomly stops the music. The
children stop, say the memory verse
together, and crumple up one of their
jealousy papers, and toss them into
the waste paper basket. The students
may march and sing
for as long as they
like or until they
run out of jealousy
papers.

34
 LESSON FOCUS: Don’t be jealous—trust God instead.

Bible
Response

To apply the Bible story of David Spend this time helping the children apply ..How could trusting God help
trusting God, children will write the Bible story as they plan to fight jealousy you? (Let the children think and talk with
their own prayer for help in
through trusting God. one another. Trusting God always has a good

L4
trusting God when jealous.
We’ve been learning that jealousy isn’t result. It might be feeling better about who
Materials: good and that a good way to fight jealousy we are, what we have, or even becoming
is to trust God. When we trust God, we happy for others. We don’t know what God
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 3
-- Pencils don’t need to wish to be like someone else will do when we trust Him, but it will always
-- Index cards or wish to have what someone else has. We be good.)
-- Friends, Lesson 4 can trust that God made us who we are and
that He gives us what is best for us. Prayer Time
The things that we might feel jealous
Give each child an index card. Let’s ask God
about are different for everyone. Ask the
to help us trust Him when we feel jealous.
children to turn again to page 3 in Bible
You can keep the card with you and
Discoveries. Have the children look over the
pray your prayer when you feel jealous.
phrases that they marked with an arrow or
Encourage each child to write a simple,
a sun. If there’s something they feel jealous
one-sentence prayer to ask God’s help with
about that’s not on the list, they may add it in
an area of jealousy they struggle with. For
the blank spaces at the bottom.
example: “Help me trust You when I’m
jealous of ______________ .”
..Who are you jealous of or what Have a minute of prayer time for the
situation might make you jealous?
children to silently pray their written prayers
(Children might talk about feeling jealous of
to God. Then close by praising God for being
a sibling or friend because they get different
trustworthy and for making each child just
things; feeling jealous of a classmate for
the way he or she is.
getting to do a special task at school; feeling
jealous of someone they don’t even know
because they see that person on TV as
having better skills or more things. Accept
the children’s answers without criticism.)

Seeing God throughout the Week

Encourage children to pray this week when they feel
jealous, asking God for help to trust Him. Remind TAKE–HOMES
children that God can help them follow David’s
55 Friends, Lesson 4
example of trusting Him.
55 Bible Discoveries, Lesson 4
55 Discovery Pack, FAN-tastic Posters

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 15—16; 18:5—19:18

35
LESSON 5

Unselfish Friendships
Four Step Lesson Path
Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 20
Lesson Focus: The best friend is an unselfish
Bible Readiness friend.
To connect with the Bible story of Jonathan and
Memory Verse: There is a friend who sticks closer
David’s friendship, children will share about friends
than a brother. Proverbs 18:24
and perform a drama.
-- Bible Discoveries, page 1, whiteboard and
markers; Optional: trench coat,
magnifying glass
Lesson Video
for Steps 2 & 4!
Available @
Bible Study: BibleInLife.com/video Understanding the Bible
1 Samuel 20 Saul had been pursuing David with the intent to kill
Children will study how Jonathan helps his friend him. David had gone to Samuel at Naioth in Ramah
David. to tell the prophet what was going on. Saul pursued
David to Ramah, but was overcome by the Spirit of
-- Bible Story: Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3,
Teaching Aids 2, 4 (from Elementary Creative God. David made his escape and went to his close
Teaching Aids), Bibles, pencils friend Jonathan, Saul’s son, for help. David seems to
▫▫ Bible Review: Egg carton, button, fine-tipped have been genuinely mystified at the king’s hostility
marker toward him. Apparently David was not aware of
▫▫ Memory Verse Activity: Self-stick notes, pen the depth of Saul’s jealousy. David knew he would
never attempt to usurp the throne, but Saul was not
convinced. The king wanted his son Jonathan to
Bible Activity Choices succeed him, despite the prophecies spoken against
Children will discover ways to be an unselfish friend. this ever happening (1 Sam. 13:13-14; 15:26).
Jonathan was the oldest of Saul’s five children.
-- Story Tag: Chairs
David had already slipped through Saul’s hands
▫▫ Pencils Pals: Discovery Pack, Project E,
markers, new pencils previously with help from the king’s children.
-- Best Friends: Bible Discoveries, p. 4, pencils Jonathan had already pleaded David’s cause before
the king. The king’s daughter Michal had tricked Saul
on David’s behalf (19:4-7, 11-17).
The New Moon festival was observed on the first
Bible Response day of each lunar month with special sacrifices and
Children will apply the Bible story from 1 Samuel 20 by festivities. David would be expected to celebrate this
choosing ways to be an unselfish friend this week.
festival with the king’s family because he was married
-- “Extra-Special Friend” Teaching Aid 5 (from to the king’s daughter, Michal. Saul saw through
Elementary Creative Teaching Aids), pencils, David and Jonathan’s latest plan and became enraged
Friends, Lesson 5 that David had escaped him once more.

▫▫This symbol will appear whenever preparation takes more than five minutes or whenever supplies are
36 needed that are not included on the list of standard materials (on page 6).
 LESSON 5

When Teaching the Bible to

Elementary Students . . .
Teacher Devotional

This week NoIndent
MS-Body the children
SpaceAfter
will learn about unselfish friendships
through the example of David and Jonathan. Second and
• MS-Body
third gradersBulleted
tend to develop a small group of closer friends,
• MS-Body
though the Bulleted.
children in that group may change throughout
the school year. Within that group there’s usually a “best
friend,” who can also change from week to week. Children
this age are usually willing to make compromises with
friends and are also recognizing that their words and actions
affect their friends’ feelings. You can help your students
build unselfish friendships with these ideas:
• When children want to do different activities, encourage
them to compromise or take turns.
• If a squabble erupts, encourage the children to calmly talk
it through and really listen to each other’s point of view.
• Praise children when you catch them sharing, cooperating,
and taking turns.
W
hat makes a great friendship?
Jot down some of your ideas.
Is unselfishness on your list?
Did sacrifice, time, or effort make
it on your list?
Most people place a high value on
friendship. And yet we can easily get caught
up in our need to earn money, juggle our
schedules, build our collections, and take on
responsibilities.
Friendship requires sacrifice. Friendship
needs devotion. Friendship is nurtured when
we unselfishly share our time with others. Read
John 15:9-13. Jesus reminds us to remain in
His love by loving one another as He loved us.
After all, there is no greater love than laying
down your life for a friend!
That was the unselfish commitment that
Jesus gave to us. How will you reach out in
friendship to others?

Early
Early
Bird
Bird
Options
Options
Here are activities to engage children who arrive early while you are setting up and
greeting newcomers.
Friendship Pictures—To help the children begin thinking about friendships, let
them draw a picture of their best friend. They should list on their pictures all the reasons
why that person is their friend (for example, why the friend is special, what makes the
friendship important, and things they like to do with their friend). Provide paper and
colored markers.
Friendship Mural—To prepare the children to hear the lesson about Jonathan and
David’s friendship, let them make a mural of their friends. On a sheet of butcher paper,
let the children either write the names of as many friends as they can think of or draw
pictures of all of their friends.

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 20

37
 LESSON FOCUS: The best friend is an unselfish friend.

Bible
Readiness

To connect with the Bible
story of Jonathan and David’s
friendship, children will share
about friends and perform a
drama.
Materials:
L5
Because children this age love to have
friends, they will enjoy learning about
Jonathan and David’s friendship in the
Bible story from 1 Samuel 20. This opening
activity will help the children begin thinking
about the unique qualities of that biblical
..What suggestions did Zach’s
friends give him to solve his
problem? (Nicole and Hunter gave
solutions that were selfish. They cared about
themselves and not about Zach. Caleb gave
solutions that were unselfish. He cared about

-- Bible Discoveries, p. 1
-- Whiteboard and markers
▫▫ Optional: trench coat,
magnifying glass
friendship, especially David and Jonathan’s Zach and his friendship.)
unselfishness toward each other.
..How did those suggestions
show each friend was or wasn’t a
..What is a friend? (Encourage good friend? (Refer back to your class
students to tell you what a friend is in
definition of a friend.)
their own words. The children might end
up suggesting a definition like “A friend is ..When has someone been a
someone who really cares about you and good friend to you? (Children will
likes you and takes time for you” or “A real have a wide range of answers from sharing to
friend is someone who will not be selfish and helping to giving up something to making a
who is fun to be with.” You may wish to share special effort.)
a dictionary definition with them as well.)
After writing ideas on the board as Tie to the Bible
students suggest them, take time to create a The best friend is an unselfish friend. That
class definition of friend. Keep the definition means that we think more about our friend
on the board for the lesson. than we do about ourselves. Today’s story
is about a great friendship. Let’s see what
..What do you think makes a these friends did to be unselfish and help
good friend? (Suggestions might include each other.
sharing, having things in common, taking
time for each other, helping each other, being
patient, being caring, and so on.)
Let’s find out what K.C., our Bible
Investigator, finds out about friendship
today. Give a part to five volunteers. The
roles of K.C. and Zach will work well for
confident readers. If you want, give out
roles as students come in and then let them
read over the drama before class. Have your
volunteers perform the drama on page 1 of
Bible Discoveries. After finishing the drama,
lead your students in discussion.

38
 Bible Study:
1 Samuel 20
Children will study how Jonathan Use the Bible Overview Chart (Teaching
helps his friend David. Aid 2) to remind the children that you have
been studying about Saul and David. Point
Materials:
out that their stories are found in the Old
Bible Study
Testament in the Book of 1 Samuel.
-- Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3
Hand out Bible Discoveries for Lesson
-- Bibles
5. Have the students find page 1. Refresh
-- Teaching Aids 2, 4
-- Pencils the children’s memories of where last week’s
Bible story left off. (Saul was the king of
Bible Review Activity
Israel who disobeyed God. David was a
▫▫ Egg carton
shepherd who trusted God. David had
▫▫ Button
▫▫ Fine-tipped marker fought Goliath. Saul had brought David to
live at the palace and play music for him.
Memory Verse Practice
Saul was jealous of David.)
▫▫ Self-stick notes
-- Pen King Saul had several sons, and one
was named Jonathan. David and Jonathan
got to be friends while David was living
at the palace. Hang Teaching Aid 4 after
Teaching Aid 3 for your visual timeline in
your Bible study area. Leave a small space
between the posters to represent the time
that passed between last week’s story and
today’s story. Point out that giving a robe
showed friendship.
L5
Have the students open their Bibles to
1 Samuel 20. Let volunteers read different
paragraphs of the Bible story beginning on
page 2 of Bible Discoveries. When you reach
the reference for 1 Samuel 20:42, have the
whole class look it up and write the correct
answers on their Bible Discoveries pages.
(For your convenience, the correct answers
appear on the Bible Discoveries pages shown
below.) When finished with the story, have
the class read the memory verse in unison.
Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3
friendship
Lord
Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 20
39
 LESSON FOCUS: The best friend is an unselfish friend.
Bible Review Questions
..Did Saul want to kill David?
How do you know? (Saul got really
angry when David missed having a feast with
him; he yelled at Jonathan that David needed
to die; Saul got so angry about it that he
threw his spear at Jonathan.)
..Why hadn’t King Saul told his
son Jonathan that he wanted to
kill David? (Because Jonathan and David
were good friends; he probably was afraid
that Jonathan would tell David or help him.)
L5
Explain that in Old Testament times,
it was normal for kingship to pass from
father to son. Saul believed Jonathan should
become the next king. But if David was alive
and God had chosen David, then Jonathan
could not be king. Jonathan didn’t care as
much about being king as about trusting
God and being a good friend to David.
..What did Jonathan agree to
do for David? (Jonathan agreed to put
together a plan that would help him find out
if his father really wanted to kill David. He
also agreed to help David if his father did
want to kill him.)
..Why do you think David and
Jonathan made a secret plan?
(King Saul was trying to kill David; Jonathan
didn’t want to give away where David was
hiding or where he might go next.)
Memory Verse Practice
Write each word of the Bible memory verse, Proverbs 18:24, on a self-
stick note. Stick one note on the back of each child. If you have a small
class, stick two words (in order) on each child. If you have a large class,
write out more than one copy of the verse.
The children talk to each other to find out what word is
on their back. Then they line up so that the verse is in
the correct order. Memory
There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
40
..What unselfish friendship
promises did David and Jonathan
make? (David promised to always be kind
to Jonathan’s family, even though Jonathan’s
father was trying to hurt him; they promised
to always be friends in the name of the Lord.)
..Why do you think Jonathan
was so unselfish? (Jonathan loved
David as his best friend; Jonathan knew
that killing David would not please God;
probably Jonathan trusted God and His plan,
just as David did.)
..How does our Bible story and
Proverbs 18:24 help us know what
a friend is? (Jonathan and David helped
each other, cared for and protected each
other. They are examples of what a friend
does as our Bible verse says.)
Bible Review Activity
In the bottom of an egg carton, print these
12 words related to today’s Bible story: spear,
danger, friend, Jonathan, promise, arrows,
David, feast, Saul, anger, run away, God.
Place a button into the egg carton and
close the lid. Let a child shake it up, look
inside, and tell the group what word the
button landed on. Then that child tells what
that word had to do with the Bible story.
Let the rest of the group help when needed.
Let the children take turns shaking the egg
carton and telling about the story.
Verse
Proverbs 18:24
 Bible Children will discover ways to be an unselfish friend.

Activity Use these activities to give the children opportunities

to discover ways to be an unselfish friend, as taught
Choices in the Bible story from 1 Samuel 20.

Treasure Hunt
Story Tag Pencil
Bible Pals
Study Locks Best Friends
▫▫- Chairs
- MS-Material 2 ▫▫- Discovery
- Pack,
MS-Material 2 Project E -- Bible Discoveries, p. 4

L5
-- Markers -- Pencils
All the players stand in front of
chairs that have been placed in
▫▫ New pencils Have the children review content
MS-Body NoIndent.
a circle. One volunteer stands in These
MS-Bodypencil pals will let students
NoIndent. from the Bible story with the
MS-Body
the center of the circle and begins think about ways they can be matching activity on page 4 of Bible
to retell today’s Bible story about unselfish friends. Have students Discoveries.
Jonathan and David’s friendship. follow the directions on Discovery The correct answers are:
As soon as the rest of the players Pack, Project E and punch out the 1. David
hear the word friend, they quickly shapes. Have them write one way 2. Jonathan
sit down. This will require careful a friend is unselfish on the back 3. David
listening on the part of the other of each shape. Insert pencils into 4. David
players. shapes. Students can keep one to 5. Jonathan
Someone is sure to miss hearing remember to be an unselfish friend 6. Jonathan
the word friend. The storyteller tries and should give the rest to friends. Have students talk about why
to touch someone before they sit. If Encourage students to give the David and Jonathan were best
he or she is successful, the tagged pencils to friends not in your class friends.
player becomes the new storyteller. and to share the story of David and
Everyone stands again and the new Jonathan when they give out pencils.
storyteller says the class definition
of a friend (from Step 1), gives an
example of what a good friend is,
or continues telling the Bible story
from where it was left off. Everyone
stands again and listens for the
word friend. Students may become
quite creative in retelling the story
in order to get the word friend in
often and keep the game moving.

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 20

41
 LESSON FOCUS: The best friend is an unselfish friend.

Bible
Response

Children will apply the Bible
story from 1 Samuel 20 by
choosing ways to be an unselfish
friend this week.
Materials:
-- “Extra-Special Friend”
L5
Use this activity to help students apply the
Bible story about being an unselfish friend.
If you have more than eight students,
make copies of the cards from Teaching Aid
5, “Extra-Special Friend,” so each child has
one. Be sure to copy both front and back, or
show my friend I care, let my friend go first,
etc.
Allow time for the children to write down
three ideas they liked.
One of these ideas might really stand
out to you. Or maybe you like different

(Teaching Aid 5) copy the front and let the children write the
-- Pencils whole sentence on the back.
-- Friends, Lesson 5 We’ve learned from the Bible story of
Jonathan and David that the best friend
is an unselfish friend. We can make our
friendships better, more fun, and pleasing
to God by being unselfish. Let’s talk about
some ways to do that.
Give each child a pencil and an “Extra-
Special Friend” card (Teaching Aid 5). Tell
the children that as you brainstorm ideas
to the next question, they should listen for
three ideas they like and jot them down on
the back of their card. Each child will choose
different ideas.
..What are ways that you can be
an unselfish friend? (Let the children
talk. Encourage them to listen to each other,
and write ideas they like. Some good ideas
might be to think about what my friend
wants before what I want, don’t get angry
over little stuff, forgive, pick a special way to
ideas for different friends. How can you be
the best kind of friend this week? Choose
from the ideas that you wrote down. After
allowing a few moments for the children to
think, let volunteers tell what they chose and
which friend or friends they will use their
idea with.
Prayer Time
God wants us to remember that the best
friend is an unselfish friend! Let’s pray
for our friends right now. Let anyone who
wants pray for a friend or more than one
friend. The children could thank God for
their friends, ask God’s help in being an
unselfish friend, or pray for any needs their
friend might have.
Close by having students challenge each
other to be unselfish friends.

Seeing God throughout the Week

Encourage students to continue praying for their TAKE–HOMES
friends and to ask God to help them be unselfish
in their friendships. 55 Friends, Lesson 5
55 Bible Discoveries, Lesson 5
55 Discovery Pack, Pencil Pals
55 “Extra-Special Friend” cards

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 20

42
LESSON 6

Don’t Get Even!

Four Step Lesson Path
Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 26
Lesson Focus: God’s way is better than getting
Bible Readiness even.
To connect with the Bible story of David not getting
even with Saul, children will talk about times they Memory Verse: Hatred stirs up dissension, but
felt like getting even. love covers over all wrongs. Proverbs 10:12

-- Whiteboard, markers
Lesson Video
for Steps 2 & 4!
Available @
Bible Study: BibleInLife.com/video

1 Samuel 26 Understanding the Bible

Children will study how David doesn’t get even with
Saul.
-- Bible Story: Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3,
Bibles, Teaching Aid 2 (from Elementary Creative
Teaching Aids), Bibles, pencils
-- Bible Review: Whiteboard and marker
▫▫ Memory Verse Practice: Soft foam ball
Bible Activity Choices
Children will practice how to choose God’s way rather
than getting even.
▫▫ Balloon Volleyball: Two balloons or soft foam
balls, marker, yarn
-- Maze & Signs: Bible Discoveries, pp. 1, 4,
Bibles, pencils, markers
▫▫ Animated Flip Books: Bible Discoveries pp.
2-3, pads of self-stick notes or blank glue-
bound book, markers or colored pencils
Bible Response
Children will apply the Bible story by planning to
choose God’s way when they feel like getting even.
-- Discovery Pack, Project F, stapler, pencils,
paper clips, Friends, Lesson 6
After David
MS-Body NoIndent
left Jonathan, he became a fugitive.
Always
MS-Body
keeping a step or two ahead of Saul’s
murderous intentions, David fled from place to place.
David’s first place of refuge was Nob. There he was
fed and armed. Next, he fled to the Philistines at
Gath, where he feigned insanity to escape harm at
their hands. After Gath, David set up headquarters in
a cave at Adullam (uh-DULL-um), with a side trip to
Moab to ensure the protection of his parents with the
king there.
After an Edomite named Doeg told Saul that
David was at Nob, King Saul had all the priests and
people of Nob killed. Shortly thereafter, David saved
Keilah (key-EYE-luh) from the Philistines. He then
went to the desert of Ziph with his company of 600
men. When Ziphite informers told Saul where David
was, David fled to the Desert of Maon, and from
there to En Gedi (en-GHEE-dye). It was at En Gedi
that David could easily have killed Saul, but chose to
spare his life. David returned to the Desert of Ziph,
where for the second time he spared Saul’s life. Ziph
was a city in the desolate hill country of southern
Judah.
Abishai (uh-BISH-ay-eye), who volunteered to go
with David down to Saul’s camp, was David’s nephew.

▫▫This symbol will appear whenever preparation takes more than five minutes or whenever supplies are
needed that are not included on the list of standard materials (on page 6). 43
LESSON 6

When Teaching the Bible to Teacher Devotional

Elementary Students . . .
The idea of “fairness” is very important to second and third
graders. In this week’s Bible story, David refuses to do what
would seem to be “fair”—retaliate against Saul—in order to
do what is right—trust and obey God. This will be a hard
concept to most of your students. They may not understand
or agree with David’s decision to honor Saul. These ideas
may help your students.
• Be open to sharing examples from your own life of times
you chose to do what was right even though it didn’t feel fair
to you. Your examples might include forgiving, sharing, or
not following the crowd.
• When you hear children complain about a situation not
being “fair,” encourage them to look for the solution that
would most please God rather than what would make them
feel “equal.”
• You could try some roleplays with your class. Set up some
simple fairness situations. Let the students act out what they
would say or do.
B
loom where you’re planted.” This is
sort of what David did as he waited
years for God to fulfill His promise to
make him king. God “planted” David in
many different locations and with various jobs to
do. But no matter what was happening during
those years, David “bloomed” by trusting God at
every step.
Sometimes we feel like we’re not where
we’re supposed to be. We’re in transition; the
unexpected upsets our plans; we’re frustrated at
having to wait. Jot down some areas in your life
now that are causing you to wait or feel frustrated:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sometimes it seems like others have an
advantage over us—all the breaks seem to go
their way. These are the times when we can
become discontent or envious.
Like David, we can trust God in our waiting
times. We can trust God when we see others
getting ahead or getting what we think we
deserve. We can declare that God’s way is better.
His timing is perfect.
What are some ways you can trust God in
your particular situation? What is God developing
in your character and faith as you wait? Write
down some ways you can bloom right here where
God has planted you.

Early Bird Options

Review Sculptures—Have students review recent Bible stories
by looking through past lessons of Bible Discoveries. They can pick a
scene from one of the stories and then work together to sculpt it using
play dough. Teaching Aids 3 and 4 will also be helpful in sculpting.
Jigsaw Puzzle—To introduce the children to this week’s lesson, on
the board print the lesson focus: “God’s way is better than getting even.” Provide paper,
markers, and scissors. The children may copy the lesson focus onto paper and then cut
the paper into several pieces. The children can take turns putting each other’s puzzles
together.

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 26

44
 LESSON FOCUS: God’s way is better than getting even.
Bible
Readiness
To connect with the Bible story
of David not getting even with
Saul, children will talk about
times they felt like getting even.
Materials:
-- Whiteboard and markers
Gather the children together in a circle on
the floor. As a class, brainstorm times when
children feel like getting even. Write the
ideas on the board. Some ideas to start the
brainstorming process are telling a secret and
being made fun of because they act or say
things different from everyone else.
After a list is made, ask for volunteers to
act out different ideas from the list.
Discuss the following questions after
everyone has had an opportunity to act out
an idea from the list.
..How would you feel if a friend
told your secret? (Students might say
they would feel hurt, sad, like the friend had
broken our trust, angry, like getting even, etc.
Some children might want to tell their own
stories of when this has happened to them.)
..How would you feel if kids
made fun of you for not going
along with them? (Children could
mention being hurt, scared, angry, not
wanting to trust them, feeling like getting
even, etc. Again, let the children share
honestly. Some children might want to share
their own examples of this.)
When people we know or trust hurt us,
it makes us feel really bad. Sometimes we
feel like crying, sometimes we feel like not
trusting anyone again, sometimes we feel
like getting even.
.. When was a time that
someone you knew or trusted hurt
you? (Let volunteers give examples from
their own lives. Encourage the volunteers
to not name names as they share their
examples. Ask the children to tell how they
felt.)
We don’t like it when others hurt us,
but sometimes it happens. But how we feel
about it and what we do about it can be two
different things. For example, you might
feel like hitting someone, but what you
might do is tell the teacher instead.
..When are times that you
felt like getting even or hurting
L6
someone back, but you did what
was right instead? (Let the children
tell about times when they didn’t get even.
They might use the same examples they gave
earlier. Encourage the children to include
both how they felt and what they actually
did. Also ask them to tell why.)
..How hard was it to do what
was right instead of getting even?
(The children’s answers will vary, but most
will say that showing self-control is hard,
unless they’re sure the adult in charge will
be caring and will do something about the
problem.)
Tie to the Bible
We all feel from time to time that we’d
like to get even with someone. And it can
be hard not to! In today’s Bible story, we
see the problems between David and Saul
getting really bad. Let’s listen to find out
how David felt about Saul and what he did
about Saul when he had a chance to get
even.
Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 26
45
 Bible Study:
1 Samuel 26

Children will read 1 Samuel 26: With the children seated at a table, give out in skit form. Assign one child to be the
David doesn’t get even with Saul. pencils, Bibles, and Bible Discoveries. reporter, and let him or her hold a pencil
After a volunteer finds the Book of as a microphone. Assign the parts of David
Materials:
1 Samuel on the Bible Overview Chart and Abishai (uh-BISH-ay-eye) to two other
Bible Study
(Teaching Aid 2), let the students briefly tell children. Allow a minute for these children
-- Bible Discoveries, pp.
how last week’s Bible story ended. Point out to silently read over their parts. Meanwhile,
2-3
that Saul was jealous of David. Even Saul’s have the rest of the class find 1 Samuel 26.
-- Teaching Aid 2
-- Bibles own children were friends with David. Saul When ready, have the three volunteers
-- Pencils let his anger against David grow. read their parts with dramatic expression.
L6

Bible Study Review
-- Whiteboard and marker
Memory Verse Practice
▫▫ Soft foam ball
Ask the children to turn in their Bibles
to 1 Samuel 26:23 and bookmark it to read
later. Remind them to look in the table of
contents in the front of their Bibles if they
are not sure where to find the Book of
1 Samuel.
Have the students open Bible Discoveries
to pages 2-3. This Bible story is presented
When they reach the Bible verse, let a
volunteer read verse 23. Have the class
discuss the right answer and write it in the
blanks. (For your convenience, the correct
answer appears on the Bible Discoveries
pages shown below.) Then continue the skit.
At the end, let another volunteer read the
memory verse.

Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3

would not lay

a hand

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 26

46
 LESSON FOCUS: God’s way is better than getting even.

Bible Review Questions
..How had Saul hurt David? Do
you think that was fair? (Saul drove
David out of the city and forced him to hide
out in the wilderness. Saul kept chasing
David, trying to kill him, even though David
had done nothing wrong. This wasn’t fair.)
..What was David’s chance to
get even? (God allowed David to sneak
into Saul’s camp and not get caught. David or
Abishai could have easily killed Saul.)
..Do you think David had a good
reason for feeling like getting
even with Saul? (Probably, since Saul
..What was God’s way? (To not get
even; to wait and trust God.)
..How did Saul respond when
David didn’t get even? (Saul said he
wouldn’t try to kill David anymore, but he
kept changing his mind.)
..Our memory verse says
hatred stirs up dissension. What
is “dissension” and how does it
relate to our Bible story? (Dissension
is disagreements and anger. If David had
hated Saul, it would have made the problem
worse. Because David showed love, Saul
changed his mind about killing David.)

was trying to kill him, and chasing him
around when David hadn’t done wrong, and
refusing to recognize God had chosen David
as the next king.)
..Do you think David might have
had a good reason not to trust
God? (Possibly, since God had promised
David years beforehand he would be king,
but now he was running for his life; it looked
as though God wasn’t keeping His promise.)
..Why didn’t David get even with
Saul? (David wanted to follow God’s way;
God had promised to make him king and
David was willing to wait until God’s timing
was right. God already made Saul king, and
it was up to God how long that would last.
David would not hurt God’s chosen king.)
L6
Bible Review Activity
Let the children make up a title for the main
point of the story. First have the children
tell the basic facts of what happened and
what was learned from the story. Then have
the children offer book titles or newspaper
headlines. Write their suggestions on the
board. Their ideas might include things like:
David Doesn’t Get Even
David and Saul Go Head to Head—
David Gives In and Wins!
David Trusts God and Spares Saul
Wild Wilderness Chase Ends in Peace
Because David Trusts God

Memory Verse Practice

Practice saying the memory verse together a few times. Have the
children form a circle. Give one child the ball and have her say the first
word of the verse and then pass the ball on to the next child. That child
says the next word and passes the ball on. To make the game more
difficult, allow children to pass the ball to anyone in the
circle. After the children are comfortable with the verse,
have them speed up. You may need to make sure that
Memory Verse
everyone in the circle gets the ball. After you play a few
times, say the verse together as a class again. Then allow Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all
any child who wishes, to say the verse by himself. wrongs.
MS-MV
Proverbs
Scripture
10:12Ref

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 26 47

 Bible Children will practice how to choose God’s way rather than getting even.

Activity To help the children practice ways they can choose God’s way
rather than getting even, as taught in the Bible story from
Choices 1 Samuel 26, use as many of these choices as possible. Set them
up to be done at the same time, and let the children choose from
among them. Balloon Volleyball will need an open area.

Balloon Volleyball Maze & Signs Animated Flip Book

-- Two balloons or soft foam balls* -- Bible Discoveries, pp. 1, 4 -- Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3
-- Marker -- Bibles ▫▫ Pads of self-stick notes or blank
-- Yarn -- Pencils glue-bound book
-- Markers -- Markers or colored pencils
This game will help the children
L6

evaluate getting even and following
God’s way, as taught in the Bible
story from 1 Samuel 26. Inflate two
balloons. On one write “Get even.”
On the other write “God’s way.”
Stretch a piece of yarn across the
floor to serve as a boundary.
The children form two teams of
equal size, noting who is on their
team. The teams stand on either
side of the yarn. The teams bat
both balloons or balls back and
forth across the line to each other,
trying to keep the balloons in the
air. When a balloon touches the
ground (or goes too far off to the
side), all players stop. They should
read the balloon to see which one
fell. If it’s the “God’s way” balloon,
the player who hit it last tells about
a time when they or someone they
know followed God’s way. If it’s the
“Get even” balloon, the player tells of
a time when they or someone they
know got even with someone. After
giving their example, that player
goes over to the other side, and play
continues.
The goal is for a team to get their
whole team over to the other side
first.
* Use soft foam balls in place of balloons if there
is a child in the building with a latex allergy.
These two activity pages will help
the children understand the overall
biblical principles supporting this
week’s Bible story from 1 Samuel 26.
First have the children do the maze
and Scripture search activity on page
1 of Bible Discoveries. The correct
answers are: Don’t take revenge; Pray
for Saul; Trust God; Show love to
Saul; Spare Saul.
When finished, the children
may do page 4, which asks them to
color in signs to evaluate how best to
follow God’s way in situations where
they could choose to get even. Each
picture has an answer that clearly
shows getting even. The children
should not choose those signs. The
other choices will depend on the
child. Some children may wish to
write in their own ideas.
Have students review today’s story in
Bible Discoveries. Then, let students
make an “animated” storybook about
today’s story. To make the story
animated, draw the same illustration
on each page, but changing
something a little bit each time. To
make this work, it’s important to not
change the images dramatically from
page to page but just a little at a time.
Students can draw the elements that
won’t move (like a sleeping Saul) on
the back page first, and then trace
them on the other pages. David
can move toward Saul and take the
spear and jug with him as he leaves.
Encourage students to draw simple
stick figures as they are easier to
replicate from page to page. To make
the story come to life, flip the book
forward. Students may wish to color
each page to make the book more
fun.

48
 LESSON FOCUS: God’s way is better than getting even.

Bible
Response

Children will apply the Bible story
by planning to choose God’s way
when they feel like getting even.
Materials:
-- Discovery Pack, Project F
-- Stapler
-- Pencils
-- Paper clips
-- Friends, Lesson 6
We’ve been learning God’s way is better
than getting even. Each time someone
hurts us, we have a chance to follow God’s
way. We may not always feel like it, but it’s
something we can choose to do. Let’s plan
to avoid getting even this week.
Hand out Discovery Pack, Project F and
have the students follow the directions on
the page to put the booklet together. The
they don’t share with me, volunteer to do an
extra chore even when it’s not my turn, give
in when a younger sibling is still learning to
share and wants something.)
Ask the children to turn to page 7 in
their booklets.
..Where else will you be this
week? How could you follow God’s

children should hold their add-on figures off
to the side for now.
This week you can choose God’s way
at school, at home, and anywhere you go.
Have the children look at page 3 of their
God’s Way Booklet.
..What are some ways you might
be able to choose God’s way
instead of getting even at school?
(Don’t get angry if someone cuts in front
of me, don’t say bad things about someone
who has hurt me, forgive someone who says
something bad about me, etc.)
L6
way instead of getting even there?
(The children will probably name places
such as sports practice, church, a club group,
a friend’s house, and so on. The ways they
could follow God’s way will be varied. Accept
all positive suggestions.)
Have the children turn back to page 2 in
their booklets and read the directions again.
Be sure the children understand how to use
their booklets this week. You might want to
give each child a paper clip to attach their
add-on figures to their booklets so they don’t
get lost.

Have the children turn to page 5 in their

booklets.
..What are some ways you might
be able to choose God’s way
instead of getting even at home?
(Share with my brother or sister even when
Prayer Time
Have a short time of prayer for the children
to ask God’s help in following His way this
week.
Close by having the students say, “God’s
way is better than getting even.”

Seeing God throughout the Week

Encourage children to use their God’s Way
Booklet this week to help them choose to
follow His way, and not get even. Invite them TAKE–HOMES
to read their memory verse often this week.
55 Friends, Lesson 6
55 Bible Discoveries, Lesson 6
55 Discovery Pack, God’s Way Booklets

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 26

49
LESSON 7

When Life Gets Tough

Four Step Lesson Path
Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 30:1-20
Lesson Focus: Talk to God when life gets tough.
Bible Readiness Memory Verse: “Do not be afraid or discouraged,
To relate to the Bible story of David’s tough times,
for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not
children will talk about tough times they face.
fail you or forsake you.” 1 Chronicles 28:20
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 1, pencils

Lesson Video
for Steps 2 & 4!
Available @
BibleInLife.com/video
Bible Study:
1 Samuel 30:1-20
Children will study how David talks to God when life
gets tough.
-- Bible Story: Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3,
Teaching Aid 2, 6 (from Elementary Creative
Teaching Aids), Bibles, pencils
▫▫ Bible Review: Discovery Pack, Project G,
flashlights
-- Memory Verse Practice: Whiteboard, marker,
eraser
Bible Activity Choices
Children will explore the need to talk to God when
life gets tough.
▫▫ Prayer TIme: Stationary and fun pens, floor
pillows, Bibles, whiteboard, markers
▫▫ 3-D Board Game: “Rise to the Throne”
(Teaching Aids 7—9), coin, game markers
▫▫ Roleplays: Prepared index cards, pen
Bible Response
To apply the Bible story from 1 Samuel 30, children will
choose to pray when life gets tough.
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 4, pencils, PraisePac CD
and downloadable PDF song sheets, CD player,
Friends, Lesson 7
Understanding the Bible
After beingNoIndent
MS-Body pursued by Saul for years, David chose
MS-Body
to leave Israel and in desperation went to the land of
the hated Philistines (l Sam. 27). David and his men
would fight alongside the Philistines. As a reward
from the king’s son, David and his soldiers were
given the city of Ziklag. It was here that David, his
men, and all of their families would enjoy a brief
time of peace.
While David hid out among the Philistines, he
found himself in the awkward position of being
expected to fight against his own people. At the
same time, Philistine commanders feared that David
and his men would turn against them in battle.
This had happened previously to the Philistines (1
Sam. 14:21). Achish, the Philistine king, expressed
confidence in David, who for his part was willing to
stay and fight for the Philistines. But the Lord spared
David from this dilemma and put it in Achish’s heart
to send David and his men away.
When David and his men returned home to
Ziklag, they found their families and possessions
gone. They had been taken captive by the Amalekites,
who should have been completely destroyed by Saul,
but were not (1 Sam. 15).

▫▫This symbol will appear whenever preparation takes more than five minutes or whenever supplies are
50 needed that are not included on the list of standard materials (on page 6).
 LESSON 7

When Teaching the Bible to

Elementary Students . . .
Teacher Devotional

Second and
MS-Body NoIndent
third graders
SpaceAfter
tend to have high expectations of
themselves—and they experience frustration if they can’t
• MS-Body Bulleted
complete a task to their own satisfaction. Students this age
• MS-Body
are becoming Bulleted.
sensitive to the limits of their talents and
abilities. They might refuse to try a new project if they’re
not sure about it or if they’ve tried it before and failed. Use
these ideas to make your classroom an open and accepting
place where children feel free to try new things and make
mistakes.
• Look for ways to affirm children—not just for their
accomplishments, but for their efforts.
• Let the children know that you have confidence in them
and that you are always ready to help when they ask.
• Let your students know that it doesn’t matter if they
don’t always have the perfect project or the right answer.
Encourage them to feel comfortable with exploring and
seeking answers, rather than having to “know it all.”
L
ife was tough for David. This week’s
passage shows us one of the more
difficult experiences in David’s life:
his allies didn’t trust him so they sent
him away; his family was kidnapped; everything
he had was destroyed or stolen; his men
blamed him and wanted to stone him. David felt
desolate and cried his heart out. Yet he found
the strength to go on after he talked with God.
We all face tough times. Often they are
situations over which we have little or no
control. We always hope they will be few and
far between! But when life overwhelms us, we
have someone to go to. God will hear us and
strengthen us.
This promise is throughout Scripture. Look
in your Bible’s concordance and find some
verses that talk about praying. The sheer
number of verses illustrates that David wasn’t
the only person in the Bible who knew to talk
to God when things were tough.
What do you need God’s strength for this
week? How will you spend time seeking His
strength?

Early
Early
Bird
Bird
Options
Options
Charades—To help children relate to David’s and the Israelites’ feelings in the Bible
story, let them play this version of charades. On slips of paper, write different feelings—
sad, happy, angry, bored, lonely, surprised, and so on. Let children take turns choosing
a slip of paper and silently acting out the emotion while the others guess what it is.
Prayer Chain—Have children make a prayer chain. Have them cut construction
paper into strips the size of links in a paper chain. On each strip, children write a brief
prayer request. Each child may make as many links as he or she wants. Before joining
the links, let children either share their requests and pray for each other or take a
moment to silently talk to God about their concern. Then staple together all the links to
form a chain. Hang the chain in your classroom as a reminder to the children that they
can turn to God with anything that’s on their minds.

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 30:1-20

51
 LESSON FOCUS: Talk to God when life gets tough.

Bible
Readiness

To relate to the Bible story of
David’s tough times, children
will talk about tough times they
face.
Materials:
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 1
-- Pencils
L7
To prepare the children to understand the
Bible story of David’s response to his tough
time, lead the children through an activity
page and discussion about their own tough
times.
Life has its good times and tough times.
Sometimes the tough times go on for a long
time or they feel worse than anything we’ve
ever felt. Let’s look at some tough times
you might have struggled with.
Hand out Bible Discoveries for Lesson 7,
page 1. Have the class look at each picture
individually and ask this question about each
problems, similar to what David faced with
losing his home and family. Be sure to be
sensitive and caring to all the children as
they share what they struggle with. If the
children are to relate to and learn from the
Bible story, they need to feel it can be applied
to whatever situation they are facing and
how real it feels to them.
Everyone goes through tough times.
Some of our tough times seem harder than
others. These four pictures are just four
kinds of tough times.

of the four pictures: ..What other kinds of tough

..What do you think is
happening in this picture? (The
children will have a variety of ideas and will
include being made fun of, being left out, not
having enough money or wanting to spend
money on something else, and failing at
school.)
Now read the directions at the top of
the page. Allow a minute for the children
to write down their own tough times these
pictures remind them of. What they write
may be different from what is pictured. These
pictures are a starting point for helping them
relate today’s lesson to their own experiences.
For example, rather than failing at school,
some children might be reminded of failing
at something else.
When everyone has had a chance to
think about the pictures, let volunteers share
what they wrote down and tell a little about
their specific experiences. If you have a large
class, divide into smaller groups for this
sharing time.
Children this age go through a variety
of emotions as they face problems. Some
problems that upset children may seem
small to an adult. Yet these tough times
are still hard for the child to go through.
Other children may be facing very serious
52
times have you gone through?
(Allow the children to volunteer answers.
Help the children feel comfortable about
sharing with the group. You may want to
share an experience from your own life.)
..What are some words that
describe how you felt when life
was tough? (Sad, lonesome, afraid,
confused, not knowing who to trust, feeling
like it would never end, etc.)
..What did you do about the
tough things that happened to
you? (Talked to my parents or a friend
about it, got someone to help me, prayed to
God for help, cried, etc. Some children will
say they didn’t do anything or they didn’t
know what to do, which is normal for this
age.)
Tie to the Bible
Our Bible story today tells about a really
tough time that David went through—even
tougher than the other hard times we’ve
learned about. And the Bible story also
shows us a great way to respond to tough
times. We can do what David did. Let’s see
what he did with his tough time.
 Bible Study:
1 Samuel 30:1-20

Children will study how David Let volunteers summarize where last week’s
talks to God when life gets story left off. (David and his men were living
tough. in the wilderness; King Saul and his soldiers
kept chasing David, trying to kill him.)
Materials: Have the children turn in their Bibles to
Bible Study 1 Samuel 30 and in Bible Discoveries to pages
-- Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3. Some children may have trouble reading
2-3 the word tough. You may want to print the
-- Teaching Aid 2, 6 word on the board to introduce the children
-- Bibles to it.
-- Pencils Place Teaching Aid 6 after Teaching Aid 4
on your visual timeline. Ask a student to find,
Bible Review Activity
on the Bible Overview Chart (Teaching Aid
-- Discovery Pack, 2) the book of the Bible that contains all the
Let the students take turns reading
paragraphs of the Bible story from Bible
Discoveries.
Whenever a reader comes to blank
lines, have the whole class look up the
Bible reference in their Bibles and read the
Bible verse aloud together. Then have the
class discuss the answer and come to an
agreement. The children write the answer
on their Bible Discoveries pages. (For your
convenience, the correct answers appear on
the Bible Discoveries pages shown below.)
When finished with the story, let a
volunteer read aloud the memory verse. Use

L7
Project G stories studied so far this quarter. the questions and activity on the following
▫▫ Flashlights Have students bookmark 1 Samuel 30:4 page to check for understanding and
Memory Verse Practice in their Bibles. Remind them to use the table reinforce the Bible story content.
-- Whiteboard, marker, of contents in the front of their Bibles if they
eraser need help finding 1 Samuel.

Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3

the Lord

cried
strength

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 30:1-20

53
 LESSON FOCUS: Talk to God when life gets tough.

Bible Review Questions
..What was the tough time
David was going through? What
had happened? (The army they were
supposed to help didn’t trust them and sent
them away; they returned home to find their
homes burned down; their families had been
kidnapped; David’s men were angry at him
and blamed him.)
Some children may ask how David and
his men came to live in a town when they
had been hiding out in the wilderness. If so,
use the information in Understanding the
Bible on page 51 to answer their questions.
..How did David feel about his
tough time? (He cried until he had
no strength left to cry; he may have been
L7
killed him or deserted him; he might not have
gotten his family back; he might have kept on
feeling bad for a much longer time; etc.)
..According to the memory
verse, what can we remember
when life gets tough? (That God is
with us and won’t fail us.)
Read through the memory verse again.
Talk about how discouraged means feeling
uncertain or unhappy because of something
that happened.
Bible Review Activity
Punch out the
flashlight tags and
the item inside the
tag from Discovery
Pack, Project G. Have

worried that his men were turning against each student pick a
him; etc.) tag, place it in front
..What did David do about his of a flashlight and
tough time? (First he cried; then he say how that shape
talked to God and asked God what to do.) tells something about
David. See what happens when you move the
..How did that help? (Talking to
God gave David the strength to keep going tags closer to or farther away from the light.
during his tough time. He also received
direction from God on what to do next.)
..What might have happened if
David hadn’t talked to God when
life got tough? (He might have been too
depressed to do anything; his men might have

Memory Verse Practice

Divide the children into two groups. Assign a phrase of the memory
verse to each child. Have them stand in two lines facing each other.
Let the class practice the verse by calling out their
assigned phrases to each other. You may want to print the
phrases on the board (in two groups) until the children Memory Verse
remember which phrases to call out. Then erase them as
the children become confident practicing the verse. “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord
God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or
forsake you.”
1 Chronicles 28:20

54
 Bible
Activity
Choices
Prayer Time
▫▫ Stationary and fun pens
▫▫ Floor pillows
-- Bibles
-- Whiteboard and markers
Allow your students to have a
quiet time to pray about the tough
situations in their lives.
Before class, arrange the area
with large, comfy pillows to sit on,
paper and pencils, pens, or markers
to write or draw with (include
clipboards or large books for a hard
writing surface), Bibles, and a CD
playing quietly in the background.
Suggest they do this by praying
silently or quietly with each other.
Invite them to also write and
illustrate their prayers. List Psalms
of David’s prayers in tough times (3,
7, 22, 28, 57, and 59) for the children
to read as their prayer or talk about
quietly.
You may want to leave this area
set up throughout the quarter as a
space for students to spend quiet
time with God processing the lesson.
If possible, keep this activity
separate from the others or even
in another room with supervision.
Students may want to spend time
praying or reading together. As long
as they remain focused and don’t
disrupt the other students, allow
students to participate as they feel
led.
Children will explore the need to talk to God when life gets tough.
To help the children explore today’s Bible lesson from
1 Samuel 30, offer the children a choice of these activities.
3-D Board Game
▫▫ “Rise to the Throne” (Teaching
Aids 7—9)—assembled before class
-- Tape
-- Coin
-- Game markers
This board game reviews Bible
stories from the first two units and
helps children learn to turn to God
and trust Him.
Before class, assemble the game
board for “Rise to the Throne” using
the directions on Teaching Aid 9
(the small sheet). Provide game
markers (such as buttons or small
squares of paper) and a coin.
Have the children read the
directions under “To Play” on
the bottom of Teaching Aid 9.
Because this game reviews facts and
applications from Lessons 1-9, there
may be a few questions related to
Lessons 8 and 9 which the children
do not yet know. This game will be
played again in Lesson 9 to further
strengthen the review.
Roleplays
▫▫ Prepared index cards
-- Pen
These roleplays reinforce that
children can turn to God in both
good and tough times. On index
cards, write some happy times or
tough times that children might
L7
experience. For example: birthday
party, A+ on test, friend comes to
visit, parent lost a job, feel sick, best
friend is mad at you, moving away.
Children at this activity take
turns choosing a card to act out.
They may use words and make
sounds in addition to acting. The
others watching guess what is being
acted out and in return act out a
response that would please God. The
children might act out happy times
by cheering, giving a hug, or praying
to thank God. They might act out
tough times by praying, listening,
or offering to help. Encourage the
children to think about the Lesson
Focus, “Talk to God when life gets
tough,” as they decide appropriate
responses.
Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 30:1-20
55
 LESSON FOCUS: Talk to God when life gets tough.

Bible
Response

To apply the Bible story from
1 Samuel 30, children will
choose to pray when life gets
tough.
Materials:
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 4
-- Pencils
-- PraisePac CD and song
sheets
-- CD player
-- Friends, Lesson 7
L7
After the children have cleaned up their
activities and gathered back into one group,
help them apply the Bible story from
1 Samuel 30 with the following discussion.
We can talk to God when life
gets tough. And life really gets tough
sometimes! Maybe this week you will have
a tough time dealing with something.
..What are some tough things
you might be facing? (Students may
mention a test at school, someone moving
away, friends won’t play with me, getting in
and write it down. Encourage the children
not to be sidetracked by spelling concerns,
but to concentrate on what they would
honestly like to say to God including asking,
like David did, what God wants them to do.
You might want to let the children move
to different parts of the room to have some
quiet time as they think and write. When
finished, gather the group back together.
Have the children choose a friend or two
to pray with. Let these pairs or small groups
move to different parts of the room. The
children pray the prayers they wrote on their

trouble at home, my team has an important
game, etc.)
..How can talking to God about
your tough time help? (Let the
children take time to think through this
question. As they recognize God’s nearness
and willingness to listen, the children will
be more likely to talk to Him during their
tough times. Children might talk about the
strength God can give, help to know what to
do, or maybe just patience to hang in there.)
Pass out pencils and Bible Discoveries
and have the children turn to page 4. Read
the directions aloud. Then let a volunteer
read the prayer starter. Allow time for the
children to choose what they’d like to pray
Bible Discoveries page. The children may
also pray for other concerns that they are
comfortable sharing with each other. When
the groups have all finished, have them join
together.
Prayer Time
Reinforce the unit by
singing together the song
for Unit 26 found on the
PraisePac CD in the Creative
Teaching Aids packet.
Close class with a prayer praising God
that we can talk to Him when life gets tough.

Seeing God throughout the Week

Extra–Time Activity
Encourage children to talk to God this week when
MS-LtoL week
life gets text Remind them that He will not fail or
tough. TAKE–HOMES
forsake them. Invite them to read their memory verse,
1 Chronicles 28:20, each day. 55 Friends, Lesson 7
55 Bible Discoveries, Lesson 7
55 Discovery Pack, Flashlight Tags

Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 30:1-20

56
LESSON 8

Give God Credit

Four Step Lesson Path
Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 31; 2 Samuel 2:1-7, 11;
5:1—6:19; Psalm 21
Bible Readiness Lesson Focus: Give God credit for the good
Children will connect to the Bible story of David things that happen.
giving God credit by sharing about their own good
Memory Verse: Ascribe to the Lord the glory
times and what it means to give credit.
due his name. Psalm 29:2
-- Bible Discoveries,
Lesson Video
p. 1, pencils for Steps 2 & 4!
Available @
BibleInLife.com/video

Bible Study:
1 Samuel 31; 2 Samuel Understanding the Bible
2:1-7, 11; 5:1—6:19; When the NoIndent
MS-Body Philistines came to battle once again with
Israel,
MS-Body
three of Saul’s sons, including Jonathan, were
Psalm 21 killed. Saul himself was critically wounded. Fearful
Children will study how David becomes king.
of torture at the hands of the enemy, Saul took his
-- Bible Story: Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3, own life. Though the way was now clear for David to
Bibles, Teaching Aid 2 (from Elementary Creative become king, he mourned the death of Saul.
Teaching Aids), Bibles, pencils
David no longer needed to be in exile, so he
-- Bible Review Activity: Teaching Aid 10, strips
settled in the town of Hebron, 19 miles south of
of paper, marker
-- Memory Verse Practice: No materials needed
Jerusalem. The leaders of Judah anointed him king.
This public recognition ceremony was necessary for
the people to see, even though Samuel had already
Bible Activity Choices anointed David king years earlier.
Children will practice giving God credit for the good For the first seven and a half years, David—now
things that happen. 30 years old—ruled only over Judah, the southern
part of Israel. This was due to the fact that Saul had
▫▫ Give God Credit Flap Poster: Discovery
Pack, Project H, Bibles, self-adhesive foam dots one living son, Ish-Bosheth, who had not died in
or tape, pencils battle. Abner, the ex-commander of Saul’s army,
-- Posing Pictures: Teaching Aids 3, 4, 6, and proclaimed Ish-Bosheth the king of Israel.
10, Bibles A long battle took place between the two camps.
-- David the Psalm Writer Maze: Bible Following an argument with Ish-Bosheth, Abner
Discoveries, p. 4, pencils, Bibles joined David’s side. Soon afterward, all the tribes
declared David as their king. With the tribes united,
they recaptured Jerusalem from the Canaanite
Bible Response Jebusites and made it Israel’s religious and political
To apply the Bible story, children will make a plan to center.
give God credit for good things that happen to them.
-- Friends, Lesson 8

▫▫This symbol will appear whenever preparation takes more than five minutes or whenever supplies are
needed that are not included on the list of standard materials (on page 6). 57
LESSON 8

When Teaching the Bible to

When Teaching the Bible to
Elementary Students . . .
Elementary Students
Teacher Devotional
Second and third graders, who are focused on the present,

W
MS-Body NoIndent SpaceAfter hen David finally became king,
have difficulty putting historical time into perspective.
he was full of thanksgiving. He
They may not appreciate David’s ascent to the throne since
• MS-Body Bulleted expressed it elaborately, with a
they did not live through his 15 or so years of waiting. Yet
• MS-Body Bulleted. regal procession to bring the ark
children this age are developing a sense of time and can
of the covenant back to Jerusalem. He freely
think about past and future events. Try these ideas to help
gave away delicious gifts of food to all the
your students grasp a sense of time and history with Bible
people. He told the Israelites to take some time
stories.
off from work. He offered a joyful dance to the
• Have students add a Lord. He clearly gave God the credit for this
time component to the wonderful event. David was so full of joy that it
Bible Overview Chart poured out of him in many creative ways.
(Teaching Aid 2). It’s not always easy to see God’s hand in
Using butcher paper our successes. Often we are more inclined
and markers, have the to take credit instead of giving credit when
children mark events something good happens in our lives.
and estimate how What good things have happened to you
many years passed. (The Bible does not give specific dates recently?
for some of the events of this quarter.) Add this underneath Challenge yourself to try a new and creative
the chart. way to express your thanks to God and give
• Relate time spans to people and events that children know. Him credit for all the good things He has done
For example, if 80 years passed between events, compare it for you. How will you say thanks to God this
to “before your grandparents were born.” week?
• Remind the children that God is in charge of all time and
history and that He doesn’t change over time.

Early
Early
Bird
Bird
Options
Options
Good Things List—Set out a length of butcher paper and title it, “Good Things God
Has Done for Me.” Let the children draw or write down some of the good things that have
happened in their lives.
Sign Language Songs—Bring in a sign language book (check the
local library) or printouts from an online sign language dictionary. Provide
copies of the downloadable PDF song sheets for the Unit 26 song found
on the PraisePac CD from the Creative Teaching Aids packet. Let the
children learn the signs for key words in the chorus of the song. Then the
children may sing the song using the signs.

58
 LESSON FOCUS: Give God credit for the good things that happen.
Bible
Readiness
To connect to the Bible story of
David giving God credit, children
will share about their own good
times and giving others credit.
Materials:
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 1
-- Pencils
In this week’s Bible story, David gives credit
to God for all the good things that have
happened to him. To help the children
connect the Bible story to their own
experiences, lead them through the following
activity page and discussion.
We’ve all had some good things and
even some great things happen. It’s fun to
remember these things and celebrate them.
..What are some of the good
things that have happened to you?
(The children will have a wide variety of
answers. Rather than letting the children
go into detail at this point, have them just
briefly name the good things that happened.
Children’s answers might include getting a new
pet, getting a good grade, being on a winning
team, receiving a good birthday gift, and so
on.)
These good things don’t happen all
by themselves, do they? There’s usually
someone else involved. And it’s good to
give them credit for their part in what
happened.
..What does it mean to “give
credit” to someone? (Some children
may be unfamiliar with the expression “to
give credit.” If so, give a few examples such
as “I can’t take all the credit—my friend
helped me too” or “I need to give credit to
my teacher for taking extra time to help me.”
Children might repeat words they have heard
when someone said that others helped or
did a part in something. Explain why giving
credit is good and important.)
When children are familiar with the term,
hand out Bible Discoveries for Lesson 8. Read
aloud the directions on page 1. Point out
the second sentence, which mentions giving
credit. Ask children to volunteer to read the
statements. After each, have the children mark
Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 31; 2 Samuel 2:1-7, 11; 5:1—6:19; Psalm 21
the circles according to the directions. Then let
the children share their answers. Also explain
why the child in each sentence was giving
credit or not. The correct answers are: 1. sad
face; 2. happy face; 3. happy face; 4. sad face;
5. sad face; 6. happy face. The sad faces show
children who did not give credit to others
because they thought they could win alone or
that they didn’t need others. The happy faces
show children who gave credit to others and
recognized they needed others to help them
win.
Good things often happen to us because
someone helped us. Think about the good
things you named before.
L8
..Who had a part in making
those good things happen? What
did they do? (Allow time for the children
to give their answers. Encourage all the
children to participate in the discussion.
The children will name people such as
teachers, coaches, parents, friends, relatives,
neighbors, and people from church.)
..Did you give these people
credit? What did you do? (Thanked
them, told others that they had helped, made
a thank-you card, etc. Many children accept
help as a matter of expectation and don’t
recognize the need to say thanks or give
credit. If few children answer this question,
don’t press the matter, as the Bible story will
help the children explore this idea.)
Tie to the Bible
There’s someone else we need to give credit
to when good things happen. We can learn
from David in our Bible story who that is.
David had something very good happen
to him. Let’s find out what good thing
happened and who he gave the credit to.
59
 Bible Study:
1 Samuel 31; 2 Samuel 2:1-7,
11; 5:1—6:19; Psalm 21

Children will study how David
becomes king.
Materials:
Bible Study
-- Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3
-- Teaching Aid 2
-- Bibles
-- Pencils
Bible Review Activity
-- Teaching Aid 10
-- Strips of paper, marker
Memory Verse Practice
-- No materials needed
L8
Let volunteers summarize the life of David
learned so far in Lessons 3-7. (Because
King Saul was disobedient, God chose the
shepherd boy David to be the next king.
David defeated Goliath. David played
music for Saul and helped him win battles.
David became best friends with Saul’s son
Jonathan. For years David had to run for his
life because Saul kept trying to kill him.)
Today’s lesson goes into the books of
2 Samuel and Psalms. Have students find
these books both on the Bible Overview
Chart (Teaching Aid 2) and in their Bibles.
They should bookmark Psalm 21:1 in their
Bibles.
Have the students turn in Bible
drama. The class pretends to be watching a
parade (taking their Bible Discoveries pages
with them). Assign the parts of Persons 1,
2, 3, and 4. Assign another child to read
David’s part and walk past the line as if in a
parade. Parts labeled “All” should be read by
all the children.
Have the children read through the
skit, pausing to read Psalm 21:1 and
discussing how to fill in the blank. (For your
convenience, the correct answer appears on
the Bible Discoveries pages shown below.) If
time allows, read through the skit twice with
different children assigned the parts. At the
end, have the class joyfully read the memory
verse in unison, as part of the parade

Discoveries to pages 2-3. Set the scene for the celebration.

Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3

You give

60
 LESSON FOCUS: Give God credit for the good things that happen.
Bible Review Questions
..What happened to King Saul?
(He and some of his sons died in the battle.)
If children express concern about what
happened to David’s best friend Jonathan,
explain that he was one of Saul’s sons who
was killed in a battle against the Philistines.
Assure the children David did not kill Saul or
his sons in order to become king.
..How did David feel about being
king? (He was joyful, happy, thankful, etc.)
..What good things could David
give God credit for? (Making him king,
helping him defeat the Philistines, having the
ark of the covenant back, keeping him safe
all those years, keeping His promise, etc.)
..How did David give thanks to
God? (He had a parade that included music,
celebrating, dancing, and bringing the ark
of the covenant back to the tent of worship.
He also gave offerings to God and gifts to the
people.)
If children are unfamiliar with the
ark of the covenant, explain that it was a
special box that had been with the Israelites
for hundreds of years; it was a symbol or
reminder of God’s presence and was kept in
the tabernacle—the special tent of worship.
The ark had been kept in another town
during Saul’s reign.
Memory Verse Practice
Have the children sit in a circle. Choose one child to start the verse by
saying the first word. Let the children go around the circle with each
child saying the next word in the verse. The child who says the reference
stands up and remains standing. The next child begins saying the verse
again. Continue saying the verse around the circle until
all the children are standing. Memory
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.
Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 31; 2 Samuel 2:1-7, 11; 5:1—6:19; Psalm 21
..The memory verse says to
ascribe glory to God. What does
that mean? (To give God credit and
praise and honor.)
Bible Review Activity
To help the children
understand the
chronological order
of events in this
week’s Bible story,
do this activity with
them. Have the students name facts from
the Bible story in any order. Print each fact
as a sentence on a strip of paper. Use the
statement on Teaching Aid 10 as one of the
facts. The facts the children name might
include: David planned a big parade; Saul
was killed; David brought back the ark of the
covenant; David won Jerusalem in a battle;
David gave credit to God; David gave gifts
L8
of food to the people; and so on. Try to have
about nine sentences.
Mix up the papers, and have the class
work together to put Teaching Aid 10 and
the strips of paper in the correct order. Note
that the Bible story skit does not mention the
facts in order. For example, Saul was killed
before David became king, and David won
Jerusalem before he had a parade there. So
those two facts should come first. Some of
the others don’t have a right or wrong order,
such as David giving credit to God, because
David gave God credit many times.
Verse
Psalm 29:2
61
 Bible Children will practice giving God credit for the good things that happen.

Activity Use these activity choices to reinforce the teaching from the Bible
story from 1 Samuel 31; 2 Samuel 2:1-7, 11; 5:1—6:19; Psalm 21.
Choices Plan on spending several minutes visiting each activity to answer
questions or help out if needed.

CubeCredit
Give God Toss Flap Posing Pictures David the Psalm
Poster Writer Maze
▫▫ MS-Material 2 -- Teaching Aids 3, 4, 6, and 10
-- Discovery Pack, Project H -- Bibles -- Bible Discoveries, p. 4
-- Bibles Divide students into groups of three -- Pencils
▫▫ Self-adhesive
MS-Body foam dots or tape
NoIndent. or four. Let students pick a scene -- Bibles
-- Pencils
MS-Body from David’s life they have studied The Scripture maze on page 4
Have students complete Discovery this quarter by looking through of Bible Discoveries will help the
Pack, Project H according to the the David posters and their Bibles. children see some of the good things
directions on page 20 to make a 3D When each group has chosen a that David gave God credit for. Have
poster of times they can give God scene, they pose in that scene. the children follow the directions
credit. When students have finished The rest of the class then guesses on the page to complete the maze
L8

putting together the poster, have
them look up the Bible verses on the
poster. They can fill in the poster
throughout the week or you can have
them fill in the
poster in class.
what story and scene the group is
depicting. If the class can’t guess
what the story is, the group should
depict another scene from the story
for the class. If students pick scenes
not illustrated in the David posters
they will be more challenging for the
class to guess.
and match the words to the correct
sentences. Children look up the
verses in their Bibles to check that
the words are in the right place. The
correct answers are shown on the
page pictured here.
Answers are: Psalm 18:39—
Goliath; Psalm 25:20—run; Psalm
18:23—Saul; Psalm 18:43—king;
Psalm 25:16—family.

Goliath
run

Saul king

family

62
 LESSON FOCUS: Give God credit for the good things that happen.
Bible
Response
To apply the Bible story, children
will make a plan to give God
credit for good things that happen
to them.
Materials:
-- Friends, Lesson 8
Seeing God throughout the Week
Encourage children to give God credit for the good
things that happen this week. Invite them to get their
families and friends to do the same.
When the children have cleaned up their
activities and gathered back together, help
them apply the Bible lesson to their lives
with the following discussion.
We can give God credit for the good
things that happen. David went to great
effort to give God credit, and he was
creative in the many ways he did that. We
can make a big effort to give God credit
for things we’re really thankful for. We can
also remember to give God credit in small
ways for the many small things He does for
us each day.
..What are ways you can give
God credit for good things that
happen to you? (You will probably hear
a lot of responses that might include: pray
to say thanks, draw a picture to display the
good thing that happened, tell someone
about how God helped me, give a special
offering in Jesus’ name, sing a song to praise
God, etc. Allow time for children to think of
more ideas after the initial burst of answers.)
..What can you do to remind
yourself to give God credit?
(Students will come up with their own
ideas that might include hang up my Credit
poster from Discovery Pack as a reminder,
keep a list of good things that happen, and
TAKE–HOMES
55 Friends, Lesson 8
55 Bible Discoveries, Lesson 8
55 Discovery Pack, Credit Poster
Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 31; 2 Samuel 2:1-7, 11; 5:1—6:19; Psalm 21
thank God each day for what’s on the list,
say the memory verse each day and choose
something to thank God for each time, make
a poster to remind myself, etc. The students’
ideas will be as diverse as their personalities.
Accept all reasonable answers. When the
class has finished brainstorming, encourage
the children to each choose one idea to put
into practice this week.)
Prayer Time
Let’s take time right now to give God the
credit for some good things that have
happened to us.
Have the children stoop in a circle for
L8
“popcorn prayers.” Begin the prayer time by
praying, “Dear God, we thank You for . . .”
The children may randomly pop up to call
out a good thing that has happened to them.
The children may pop up as many times
as they want, naming something different
each time. If there’s a lull, you could pray,
“Lord, we also give You credit for . . .” and
let the popcorn prayers continue for another
minute. To close the prayer time, say the
memory verse in unison.
Before dismissing class, have the children
say together, “Give God credit for the good
things that happen.”
63
LESSON 9

Showing Kindness
Four Step Lesson Path
Bible Basis: 2 Samuel 4:4; 9:1-13
Lesson Focus: Remember to show kindness to
Bible Readiness others.
By playing a game that shows things worth
remembering, children will connect to the Bible Memory Verse: Whoever is kind to the needy
story about David’s remembering to show kindness. honors God. Proverbs 14:31

-- Construction paper,
marker, masking tape
Lesson Video
for Steps 2 & 4!
Available @
BibleInLife.com/video

Bible Study: Understanding the Bible

2 Samuel 4:4; 9:1-13
Children will study how David remembers his
promise to show kindness to Mephibosheth.
-- Bible Story: Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3,
Teaching Aids 2 and 11 (from Elementary
Creative Teaching Aids), Bibles, pencils
▫▫ Bible Review: Teaching Aid 11, prepared
notes, envelopes
-- Memory Verse Practice: Butcher paper,
marker
Bible Activity Choices
Children will investigate ways to remember to show
kindness.
▫▫ Life of David Reenactment: Bibles, Bible-
time clothes, Teaching Aids 3, 4, 6, 10, and 11;
Optional: video recording device
▫▫ 3-D Board Game: “Rise to the Throne”
Teaching Aids 7—9 (from Elementary Creative
Teaching Aids)—prepared before class, tape,
coin, game markers
-- Kindness Cubes: Discovery Pack, Project I,
tape, markers
Bible Response
Children will follow David’s example of remembering
to show kindness by creating a reminder to show
kindness.
-- Bible Discoveries, pp. 1, 4, colored markers;
Optional: hole punch, yarn, Friends, Lesson 9
Many years had passed since David became the king
of Judah and Israel. Mephibosheth was five at the
time of his father’s death, and he now had a young
son (2 Sam. 9:12).
It was common in Bible-times for a new king
to destroy any descendants of the previous king.
This ensured that no relatives would try to reclaim
the throne. Although Saul had made David’s life
miserable, David refused to retaliate against any
descendants of the man who had once been ordained
by God.
David remembered his promise to Jonathan to
show kindness to his family (1 Sam. 20:14-15). The
Hebrew word used for “kindness” here (hesed) may
be translated “loving-kindness.” Used about 250
times in the Old Testament, hesed signified steadfast,
loyal, unfailing love. Hesed is used repeatedly in the
Old Testament to describe God’s faithful love for His
unfaithful people. The kindness promise between
David and Jonathan emphasized love and loyalty.
Mephibosheth was originally called Merib-Baal
(l Chron. 8:34; 9:40). This type of compound
name was common in the ancient Near East and
incorporated the name of a deity. Merib-Baal may
have meant “an opponent of Baal.” Mephibosheth
means “from the mouth of the shameful thing” and
may have been changed to that after Saul’s death.

▫▫This symbol will appear whenever preparation takes more than five minutes or whenever supplies are
64 needed that are not included on the list of standard materials (on page 6).
 LESSON 9

When Teaching the Bible to

Elementary Students . . .
Teacher Devotional

Second and third graders are used to being rewarded with
material things, like money, treats, prizes, or even words of
praise. They don’t usually expect to put out positive effort
and not feel a positive, external result. This week’s lesson, to
remember to show kindness, will challenge your students
to look for internal motivation for doing good. Keep these
ideas in mind as you teach.
• Focus on the joy and satisfaction that come from serving
and helping willingly. Even if the children don’t see an
outward result or reward, they can still feel good about
having done what pleases God.
• You could get your class involved in a short service project
to help others without expecting anything in return.
• Designate a month when the children can be “Sweet
Sneaks.” They can look for chances to secretly do kind
things for others in your class or church.
B
eing kind to someone you love
doesn’t take much effort. It can take a
little more effort to offer help to people
we find unlikable. And it can seem
nearly impossible to be kind to our enemies.
David was helping the grandson of his
former enemy, King Saul—a man who had a
birthright claim to the throne. As the new king,
he had every right to destory Mephibosheth.
David could have kept his promise to Jonathan
by simply decreeing Mephibosheth’s safety.
Mephibosheth didn’t have to come live at the
palace and eat at the king’s table. But David
treated Mehibosheth as one of his own sons.
David’s kindness to Mephibosheth can help
us understand God’s kindness to us. We too
deserve death. We have no right to any claim
on God’s kingdom. But Jesus the King is our
advocate. He has ensured our place at God’s
table.
Is there someone in your life who needs
an extra dose of God’s kindness? A co-
worker, relative, neighbor, or even one of your
students? If so, write down how this person
might need help, and plot some ways you can
show God’s kindness as David did.

Early Bird Options

The students who arrive early need something meaningful to do. These suggested
activities will free you to greet children as they arrive while engaging those who are
already there.
Kindness Acrostic—Write the word KINDNESS vertically down the side of the board
leaving space between letters. Let early arrivers begin thinking about today’s lesson by
writing a word or sentence that has to do with kindness that begins with each letter.
Children around the World—Introduce your students to stories of children around
the world who need kindness. Print off bios of children from websites of different mission
organizations or a mission group your congregation supports. Set out the stories and
have your students brainstorm needs the various children might have.

Bible Basis: 2 Samuel 4:4; 9:1-13

65
 LESSON FOCUS: Remember to show kindness to others.

Bible
Readiness

By playing a game that shows
things worth remembering,
children will connect to the
Bible story about David’s
remembering to show kindness.
Materials:
-- Construction paper
-- Marker
-- Masking tape
L9
Help the children begin to connect with
this week’s Bible story about remembering
to show kindness with this active game. On
separate sheets of construction paper, write
Remember and Forget. Tape the papers on
opposite walls of your classroom. Clear space
between the signs so the children have room
to move.
There are lots of things that are
important for us to remember. But
sometimes we have so many things to
remember that we sometimes forget! Let’s
play a game to find out what you usually
remember and what you usually forget.
Instruct the children to stand in the
middle of the room between the two signs.
Tell them that you will name something
they might have to do. If it’s something
they usually remember, they go stand by
..What kinds of things do
you usually remember to do?
(The children’s answers will vary greatly,
depending on their chores, priorities, and
maturity. They may name things like brush
their teeth, get dressed every morning, obey
their parents, and so on.)
..What kinds of things do you
often forget to do? (Again, the children
will have a wide range of answers, which
may include unpleasant chores, homework,
picking up their room, and so on. Accept
all their honest answers without showing
disapproval.)
..What kinds of things do you
think are important to remember?
(Though the children will probably begin
by naming responsibilities that affect others

the Remember sign. If it’s something they
usually forget, they go stand by the Forget
sign. If it’s something they never have to do,
they stand in the center. Read the following
statements, pausing after each to let the
children move.
Do your homework.
Feed your pet.
Keep a promise to your brother or sister.
Tell your parent where you’ll be.
Brush your teeth.
Come home on time.
Take an offering to Sunday school.
Keep your promises.
Show kindness.
or have consequences, like feeding the dog
or brushing their teeth, lead them to think
about actions like helping others, caring,
sharing, and showing kindness.)
Tie to the Bible
In our Bible story today, we will see that
King David knew what was important
to remember. Even though he was now a
powerful king, he did what he needed to
do to keep promises he made before he
became king. Let’s see what they were.

You may add more items to the list if

you wish. Gather the children back together
and sit down. Then discuss the following
questions.

66
 Bible Study:
2 Samuel 4:4; 9:1-13
Children will study how David
remembers his promise to show
kindness to Mephibosheth.
Materials:
Bible Study
-- Bible Discoveries, pp.
2-3
-- Teaching Aids 2 and 11
-- Bibles
-- Pencils
Bible Review Activity
-- Teaching Aid 11
▫▫ Prepared notes
▫▫ Envelopes
Memory Verse Practice
-- Butcher paper
-- Marker
show kindness
Let a volunteer tell what happened in last
week’s Bible story. (David became king and
gave God credit for it.) Explain that in this
week’s Bible story, David has been king
for many years. Because only part of Israel
accepted him as king for the first seven
years, it took time for him to have a peaceful
kingdom over all of Israel. Add Teaching
Aid 11 to your visual timeline, leaving a little
space between Teaching Aids 10 and 11.
Have the children find 2 Samuel on the
Bible Overview Chart (Teaching Aid 2)
and then find 2 Samuel 9 in their Bibles.
Distribute Bible Discoveries for Lesson 9
and have children look at pages 2-3. Teach
the students how to pronounce the name
Mephibosheth [muh-FIB-uh-sheth]. Then
let volunteers take turns reading a paragraph
answers will
vary
each of the Bible story, pausing to read 2
Samuel 9:1 and discussing how to fill in the
blank. (For your convenience, the correct
answer appears on the Bible Discoveries
pages shown below.) Let another volunteer
read the memory verse.
When finished reading the story, direct
the students to the two empty speech
balloons on page 3. Ask them to talk about
what David and Mephibosheth might be
saying to each other that reflects the Bible
story. Let the students write one sentence in
each speech balloon. For David they might
write a sentence like, “I’ll give you back all
your family’s land” or “I’ll keep my promise
to be kind.” For Mephibosheth they might
write a sentence like, “Thank you for being
kind to me” or “You are a kind king.”
L9
Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3
answers will
vary
Bible Basis: 2 Samuel 4:4; 9:1-13
67
 LESSON FOCUS: Remember to show kindness to others.

Bible Review Questions walk also couldn’t work, he probably didn’t

..What did David remember one
day? (His promise to Jonathan to show
kindness to Jonathan’s family.)
..Why would it be unusual for a
king to keep this kind of promise?
(Kings usually killed the families of former
or rival kings to prevent them from taking
the throne.)
..Why might Mephibosheth have
been worried when David sent for
him? (He might have thought David wanted
to kill him so there would be no members of
King Saul’s family left.)
..What did David do to show
kindness to Mephibosheth? (David
gave him back all of his family’s land that had
been taken from him; Mephibosheth would
receive all the money from the farming on
his land; David asked Mephibosheth to come
live at the palace and eat with him at his
table.)
..What did David know was
L9
have any way to support himself. He might
have been scared that someone would try to
kill him because he was Saul’s grandson.)
..According to the memory
verse, why should we remember
to show kindness? (Because it honors
God.)
Bible Review Activity
Before class, write the following clues on
slips of paper and put them in envelopes
hidden around the room. Then in class, have
students search together for the envelopes,
open the envelopes, and sort the clues. Using
Teaching Aid 11 in your visual timeline,
have students put the David clues under the
picture of David, the Mephibosheth clues
under his picture, and the Ziba clues in a
third pile.
I remembered a promise. (David.)
I could not walk without help.
(Mephibosheth.)
I was Saul’s chief servant. (Ziba.)

important to remember? (To keep his
promises and to show kindness.)
..Our memory verse says to
be kind to the needy. How was
Mephibosheth needy? (He had
nothing of his own to live on because his
family’s land had been taken when Saul died.
Because people in Bible times who couldn’t
I took time to show kindness. (David.)
I needed someone to be kind to me.
(Mephibosheth.)
I brought Mephibosheth to David.
(Ziba.)
Now I am taken care of. (Mephibosheth.)
I honored God by showing kindness.
(David.)

Memory Verse Practice

On butcher paper, randomly draw 10 large boxes. In eight of the
boxes, print one word of the memory verse. In the remaining two
boxes write the Bible book and the chapter/verse. Do not write the
words in order.
Have the students practice the memory verse by walking on the
butcher paper from box to box in the right order, saying
the verse aloud. The children walk through the verse one Memory Verse
at a time but may begin shortly after one another, so that
a few children will be walking to different words at the
same time. Whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
Proverbs 14:31

68
 Bible Children will investigate ways to remember to show kindness.

Activity Use these activities to give the children an opportunity to

investigate ways to remember to show kindness, as taught
Choices in the Bible story from 2 Samuel 9. You may want to work
on Kindness Cubes as a whole class activity before moving
on to the other activities.

Life of David
Treasure Hunt
Reenactment
-- Bible
-- Bible-time clothes
-- Teaching Aids 3, 4, 6, 10, and 11
▫▫ Optional: video recording device
Let the children review the life of
David by acting it out. To refresh
their memories, let them look at
Teaching Aids 3, 4, 6, 10, and 11,
or unused Bible Discovery pages.
Use Bible-time clothes if available.
Here is a brief summary of the seven
lessons about David: Lesson 3—
3-D Board Game
▫▫ “Rise to the Throne” (Teaching
Aids 7—9)—assembled before class
-- Tape
-- Coin
-- Game markers
If you did not use this game in
Lesson 7, you will need to assemble
it before class.
This 3-D board game reviews
the life of David, from Lessons 3-9,
and his example of always trusting
God. Provide game markers (such
as buttons or small squares of paper)
and a coin. The children may read
Kindness Cubes
-- Discovery Pack, Project I
-- Tape
-- Markers
To get the children started on
showing kindness, as taught in
the Bible story of David and
Mephibosheth, have the children
make Kindness Cubes. Before
beginning the craft, create a list of
people, that students know, who
have needs. Be sure to adapt the
names of people as appropriate.
Give out Project I from Discovery

David fights Goliath; Lesson 4—Saul
is jealous of David’s success; Lesson
5—Jonathan helps David; Lesson
6—David doesn’t kill Saul when he
has the chance; Lesson 7—David
turns to God during very hard times;
Lesson 8—David becomes king;
Lesson 9—David remembers his
promise to help Jonathan’s family.
Children may want to record their
reenactments.
the directions under “To Play” on the
bottom of Teaching Aid 9 and then
play the game.
L9
Pack, page 21. Have students write
the names of people, from the list,
onto the lines of their projects.
Directions for assembling the cubes
are on page 22.
After the cubes are assembled,
children should follow the directions
on page 21 to talk together about
how they can show kindness to the
people named on their cubes.

Bible Basis: 2 Samuel 4:4; 9:1-13

69
 LESSON FOCUS: Remember to show kindness to others.

Bible
Response

Children will follow David’s
example of remembering to
show kindness by creating a
reminder to show kindness.
Materials:
-- Bible Discoveries,
pp. 1, 4
-- Colored markers
-- Optional: hole punch,
yarn
-- Friends, Lesson 9
L9
After the children have cleaned up their
activities and gathered back together, lead
them in this planning activity to help them
apply the Bible story from 2 Samuel 9.
God is pleased when we remember
to show kindness to others. David
remembered his promise from many
years before. He went to the effort to show
kindness.
How we show kindness to others is up
to us. However, God always recognizes
our kind actions. Let the children examine
the kind actions shown on Bible Discoveries,
page 1 and match verses that fit. There are no
wrong matches.
We’ve been talking about the
importance of showing kindness and the
many ways to show kindness. The problem
is sometimes in the remembering. We also
..What are some other ways
to remind yourself to show
kindness? (Put a reminder on the
refrigerator or note board at home; put a
note on my bedroom door or mirror or on
a school notebook; make a poster from the
memory verse, Proverbs 14:31, or Lesson
Focus, “Remember to show kindness to
others”; put my Bible Discoveries Kindness
Reminder page in a place where I’ll see it
each day; etc. Encourage the children to
brainstorm a variety of ideas. Accept all
reasonable suggestions.)
Have each child choose a way to
remember to be kind and write it on the
hand on page 4 of Bible Discoveries. As an
option, you could let the children punch a
hole on either side of one finger on the page;
then they tie a short piece of yarn around the

can make an effort to remember to show finger.

kindness, because that honors and pleases
God.
Have the children turn to page 4 in Bible
Discoveries. Read the directions at the top
of the page. Take a moment to talk about a
few traditional reminders that we sometimes
think of, pictured or mentioned on the
page—jotting a note on a hand, tying a string
on a finger, or the myth that “elephants never
forget.”
Prayer Time
God is honored and pleased when we show
kindness to others. Let’s ask for His help as
we try to be kind. Have the children gather
in small groups of three or four. Let them go
around the group and pray for the person
on their left to be able to remember to show
kindness to others.

Seeing God throughout the Week

Extra–Time Activity 55 MS-TakeHome text-
Encourage children to follow through on showing TAKE–HOMES
MS-LtoL week text bulleteds
kindness to others this week. Remind them that
being kind to the needy honors God. 55 MS-TakeHome text-
55 Friends, Lesson 9
bulleted
55 Bible Discoveries, Lesson 9
55 MS-TakeHome text-
55 Discovery
bulletedPack, Kindness Cubes

Bible Basis: 2 Samuel 4:4; 9:1-13

70
LESSON 10

God’s Wisdom
Four Step Lesson Path
Bible Basis: 1 Kings 3:5-15; 4:29-34
Lesson Focus: We can ask God for wisdom.
Bible Readiness Memory Verse: If any of you lacks wisdom, he
To connect to the Bible story of Solomon asking for
wisdom, children will recognize the importance of should ask God, who gives generously to all without
wisdom and their own need for it. finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

▫▫ Several objects that are

important to children,
Lesson Video
Bible Discoveries, for Steps 2 & 4!
p. 1, colored markers Available @
BibleInLife.com/video

Bible Study: Understanding the Bible

1 Kings 3:5-15; 4:29-34
Children will study how King Solomon asks God for
wisdom.
-- Bible Story: Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3,
Bibles, Teaching Aids 2 and 12 (from Elementary
Creative Teaching Aids), pencils
▫▫ Bible Review: Beach ball or a soft foam ball,
slips of paper
-- Memory Verse Practice: Paper, marker
Bible Activity Choices
Children will explore wisdom from God.
-- Bible Memory Decoder: Discovery Pack,
Project J, tape, Bibles, scrap paper, pencils
-- Words of Wisdom: Bible Discoveries, p. 4,
pencils, Bibles, construction paper, markers
-- Action Music: PraisePac CD and song
sheets (from Elementary Creative Teaching
Aids), CD player
Bible Response
Children will apply the Bible story of Solomon asking
God for wisdom by planning to ask God for wisdom
throughout the week.
-- Bible, PraisePac CD and song sheets (from
Elementary Creative Teaching Aids), CD player,
Friends, Lesson 10
Solomon was
MS-Body NoIndent
David’s chosen heir and the third
kingMS-Body
of Israel. He was the second child of David and
Bathsheba—the eighth of David’s wives—but their
first living offspring. The son born as a result of their
premarital union died soon after birth (2 Sam. 12:15,
18). After Solomon’s birth, God sent Nathan the
prophet to announce God’s love for Solomon and to
give Solomon a second name—Jedidiah, meaning
“loved by the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:24-25).
Adonijah, the fourth-born and oldest surviving
of David’s 19 sons, wanted to be king after David. He
persuaded Abiathar, the high priest, and Joab, the
commander of the army, to support him in his own
coronation just outside of Jerusalem. But Nathan
the prophet and others loyal to David told the aging
king of this coup attempt. David immediately had a
public coronation to crown Solomon. The new King
Solomon showed mercy to Adonijah until he tried
again later to claim the throne (1 Kings 2:13-25).
The amount of time that David and Solomon
reigned together is not mentioned in Scripture.
Scholars estimate that Solomon was about 20 years
old at the time he became king and that his dream
took place four years later.

▫▫This symbol will appear whenever preparation takes more than five minutes or whenever supplies are
needed that are not included on the list of standard materials (on page 6). 71
LESSON 10

When Teaching the Bible to

Elementary Students . . .
Teacher Devotional

Second and third graders are learning to distinguish
between real and pretend. For example, most children this
age know that puppets are not “real,” but children may
become confused when talking about a live character in a
favorite movie or TV show. As the children study how God
spoke to Solomon in a dream, the children may wonder
if the story is real or reliable, since dreams fall into the
category of “not really real.” Try these ideas to help the
children distinguish what’s real about God and the Bible.
• Always be clear on the fact that God, angels, and spiritual
things are part of the real world, even though they are
invisible.
• Encourage the children not to use rote prayers, but to
speak to God as they would a person. You can set the
pattern by speaking to God as you would to a father or
friend.
• Emphasize that Bible stories are true, not fiction. Remind
the children of the factual, historical setting for any Bible
story.
T
here were many abilities Solomon
needed in order to be an effective
king. Why did Solomon ask for
wisdom? His motivation is seen in
1 Kings 3:7—“I am only a little child and do not
know how to carry out my duties.”
Solomon was keenly aware of his
inadequacy. He humbled himself before God
and admitted his weakness and inability.
What “duties” are you faced with today?
In what ways do you feel inadequate to carry
them out?
Solomon’s humble and honest attitude is
a great example for us when we come to God
in prayer. If we come thinking we need only “a
little” help or just some guidance to get started
with, we miss our need to depend on God.
When we admit our complete need of Him, we
can receive so much more from Him.
God has promised us wisdom when we
ask—a simple promise with a lot of power
behind it. How can you humble yourself before
God as you ask Him for wisdom this week?

Early
Early
Bird
Bird
Options
Options
To give children who arrive early something
meaningful to do, try one of these activities.
Rise to the Throne—Set out the board game
“Rise to the Throne” (Teaching Aids
7—9), played last week, and let the
children review the life of David as they
play.
Living Letters—Write WISDOM
on the board in large capital letters.
Children can twist and bend their
bodies to form each letter of the word.
Or they can work together in pairs or
groups of three to form each letter.

Bible Basis: 1 Kings 3:5-15; 4:29-34

72
 LESSON FOCUS: We can ask God for wisdom.
Bible
Readiness
To connect to the Bible story
of Solomon asking for wisdom,
children will recognize the
importance of wisdom and their
own need for it.
Materials:
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 1
-- Markers
▫▫ Several objects that are
important to children
To prepare the children to hear the Bible
story about Solomon’s need for God’s
wisdom, lead the children in this activity and
discussion.
Before class, gather several objects that
represent things that children think are
important to have. You might choose objects
like a popular toy, a piece of clothing, a
picture of a family, child’s sports equipment,
medicine, a piece of food, a Bible, a picture
of a computer, and money.
Begin class by spreading these objects
out where all the children can reach them,
perhaps on a table with all the children
seated around them. Different things are
important to different people. These are
some of the things that might be important
to you. Let’s see what you think.
Let the children, one at a time, choose
one of the objects and explain to the class
why he or she chose it. It’s okay if different
children choose the same object. Ask this
question after each child chooses:
..Why do you think that’s
important? (The children’s answers will
vary, but may include that they need that
object in order to live, to be safe, to be happy,
or to be healthy.)
Continue until everyone who wants to
has chosen an object to talk about. Then
push the objects to the center and give out
the Bible Discoveries for Lesson 10 and
markers. Have the children turn to page
1. Read the directions. Emphasize that the
children can write or draw their own answers
around the page. Allow time for them to
circle or write on the page.
..What things on this page did
you circle? (Let volunteers tell their
answers along with why they circled those
things. Children will circle different things.)
..What’s not on this page that
you think is really important? (Some
children may add things like good health,
friends, special toys or hobbies, church,
school books, money, and so on. Accept all
answers. This discussion will help you find
out what your students value.)
..When would you ever choose
something like love, safety, or
being smart? (Encourage the children
to give their opinions on these options. Let
them add these to their page if they feel these
things are important.)
..Have you ever thought it was
important to have wisdom? What
is wisdom? (Let volunteers express their
thoughts about wisdom. Most children
will have heard the word but will probably
describe it as being smart or always knowing
L10
what to do. During the Bible story, the
children will learn what wisdom is.)
..Why do you think you might
need wisdom? (Some children will not
have an answer to this question. children will
say they might need wisdom when they don’t
know the right answers or are not sure what
to do. Encourage the children to speculate.)
Tie to the Bible
A king in the Bible had a chance to ask
God for anything he wanted. He could have
asked for anything that we’ve been talking
about. Let’s see what he thought was the
most important to have.
Bible Basis: 1 Kings 3:5-15; 4:29-34
73
 Bible Study:
1 Kings 3:5-15; 4:29-34

Children will study how King King David lived a long life and was a good
Solomon asks God for wisdom. king. He died when he was 70 years old.
Materials: One of his sons, Solomon, became the next
Bible Study king. Solomon was a young man when he
-- Bible Discoveries, pp. became king—around 20 years old. This
2-3 is the story of something that happened
-- Bibles when Solomon was still a new king.
-- Teaching Aids 2 and 12 Ask a child to find 1 Kings on the Bible
-- Pencils Overview Chart (Teaching Aid 2). Talk
Bible Review Game about how 1 Kings tells about King Solomon.
▫▫ Beach ball or a soft Let another student find James. Talk about
foam ball today’s Bible verse coming from this New
-- Slips of paper Testament book and how it encourages us to
Memory Verse Practice do what King Solomon did in his dream.
-- Paper Add Teaching Aid 12 to your visual
-- Marker timeline, leaving space between Teaching
Aids 11 and 12 to show that time has passed
between stories. Have the children open
Bible Discoveries to pages 2-3 and find 1
Kings in their Bibles. Let volunteers take
turns reading paragraphs of the Bible story
in Bible Discoveries. When you reach the
Bible reference, have the class look in 1
Kings 3:5 and find the sentence that God
said to Solomon. Let the students write the
answer on the blank lines. Then continue
reading the story. (For your convenience,
the correct answer appears on the Bible
Discoveries pages shown below.)
Before reading the last paragraph, show
the children Proverbs and Song of Songs in a
Bible. Point out that Solomon wrote many of
the proverbs, Song of Songs, and the Book of
Ecclesiastes.
Finish reading the story, including the
memory verse from James 1:5.

Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3

L10

Ask for whatever

you want me
to give you

Bible Basis: 1 Kings 3:5-15; 4:29-34

74
 LESSON FOCUS: We can ask God for wisdom.

Bible Review Game* something Solomon imagined.)

Combine the Bible review questions and
activity with this fun game. Before class,
write each question below on a slip of paper.
Read a question aloud for the child who bats
the ball on the word ‘wisdom.’
Have the students stand in a circle. They
should say the Lesson Focus in unison as
they bat the ball at random around the circle.
The child who bats the ball on the word
‘wisdom’ answers the question. If that child
can’t answer the question, another child may
volunteer. Whoever gives the correct answer
begins batting the ball while the group says
the Lesson Focus again. Continue until
everyone has had a turn.
..Who was Solomon? (David’s son
and the king of Israel after David died.)
..Why did Solomon ask God for
wisdom? (He knew he needed help doing
his job as king. He wanted to understand
right from wrong and make good choices.
Some children may wonder how Solomon
could trust a dream. If so, explain that God
is able to speak to people through dreams.
Even though Solomon was asleep, God really
..What does it mean to be wise?
(To know the difference between right and
wrong, to know how to make good choices,
to handle things in a way that honors God.)
..How did God answer after
Solomon asked for wisdom? (He was
pleased at what Solomon asked for; He gave
Solomon wisdom and made him the wisest
man in the world.)
..What did God give Solomon
besides wisdom? (Long life, riches, and
greatness.)
..How did Solomon thank God
for wisdom and the other gifts?
(Solomon gave offerings to God.)
..According to the memory
verse, how do we get wisdom? (We
ask God for it.)
..How do you think God gives us
wisdom? (Through reading the Bible, from
His guidance when we pray, through other
Christians, through church and Sunday
school, etc.)

L10
was there and really did speak to Solomon.
We know this because God kept His promise
to make Solomon wise, so it wasn’t just

Memory Verse Practice

Write each phrase (four to five words) of the memory verse on separate
sheets of paper. Mix them up and give them out to your students.
Have the remainder of the class work together to line
up the children holding papers in the right order. When
finished, mix up the papers, give them to different
Memory Verse
children, and play again.
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God,
who gives generously to all without finding fault,
and it will be given to him.
James 1:5

Bible Basis: 1 Kings 3:5-15; 4:29-34 75

 Bible Children will explore wisdom from God.

Activity To help the children explore more about God’s wisdom, as taught in the
Bible story from 1 Kings 3:5-15; 4:29-34, use as many of these choices as
Choices possible. Set them up to be done at the same time, and let the children
choose from among them.

Cube
Bible Toss
Memory Words of Wisdom Action Music
Decoder
▫▫ MS-Material 2 -- Bible Discoveries, p. 4 -- PraisePac CD and downloadable
-- Discovery Pack, Project J -- Pencils PDF song sheets
-- Tape -- Bibles -- CD player
-- Bibles NoIndent. -- Construction paper
MS-Body Have the children listen to the song
-- Scrap paper -- Markers
MS-Body for Unit 27 found on the PraisePac
-- Pencils To help the children learn ways that CD in the Creative Teaching Aids
To help the children have fun as God gives His wisdom, have them packet. They may follow along on the
they are exploring words of wisdom do the matching game on page 4 song sheets. Then the children should
from the Bible, let them use the of Bible Discoveries. The correct work together to think of a simple
Bible Memory Decoders from page answers are marked on this sample action or motion for each line of the
23 of Discovery Pack (Project J). of the Bible Discoveries page. chorus. If time allows, they may also
The directions for putting together After students have completed make up actions for the verse. Then
the decoders are at the top of the the page, have them choose one let the children sing the song using
page. The directions for coding verse from the game or the memory the actions they made up.
and decoding messages are at verse to create a mini-poster to
the bottom. The sample encoded remember God’s words of wisdom.
L10

message in the directions should

translate to: “The Lord gives wisdom
and understanding.”
If the children want suggestions
for short sentences or Bible verses
that they could encode for each
other, suggest things like “God loves
you” or part of a memory verse from
this quarter such as “Be strong in the
Lord.”

76
 LESSON FOCUS: We can ask God for wisdom.
Bible
Response
Children will apply the Bible
story of Solomon asking God for
wisdom by planning to ask God
for wisdom throughout the week.
Materials:
-- Bible
-- PraisePac CD and
downloadable PDF song
sheets
-- CD player
-- Friends, Lesson 10
Seeing God throughout the Week
Encourage children to ask God for wisdom each day.
Invite them to read their memory verse, James 1:5, to
serve as a reminder.
When the children have cleaned up their Prayer Time
activities, gather them back together to plan
Let’s talk to God right now about our need
ways to apply the Bible story from 1 Kings
for wisdom. Have the children sit in a circle.
3:5-15; 4:29-34.
Pass a Bible around the circle. Whoever
God was pleased when Solomon asked
is holding the Bible has a turn to pray a
Him for wisdom. God is also pleased when
sentence prayer to ask God for wisdom. The
we ask Him for wisdom. Asking God for
children might pray general prayers about
wisdom shows that we trust Him and need
wisdom such as, “Please help me find Your
Him. And asking for wisdom can help
wisdom this week” or “I praise You for being
make our lives better because we will know
so wise and for giving me Your wisdom.”
how to make good decisions. Wisdom is
Some children might want to ask God for
important! So let’s think of ways to remind
wisdom in a specific situation.
ourselves to ask God for wisdom.
Before singing the song, have the class
say the memory verse together.
..What could you do to Sing together the song for
remember to ask God for wisdom?
Unit 27 from the PraisePac
(Encourage the whole class to take part in
CD found in the Creative
the brainstorming. Accept all reasonable
Teaching Aids packet. If
answers, allowing for the fact that different
children made up actions
personalities and interests will affect what
to the song during Step 3,
they suggest. Ideas may include: say this
ask them to demonstrate and
week’s memory verse each morning, take
L10
teach the actions for the rest of the class.
time each day just to ask God for wisdom,
Then have the class sing along, using the
read this week’s Bible story again, etc.)
actions.
Encourage each child to choose one idea
that he or she wants to do. Let the students
whisper their choice to a friend.
TAKE–HOMES
55 Friends, Lesson 10
55 Bible Discoveries, Lesson 10
55 Discovery Pack, Bible
Memory Decoders
Bible Basis: 1 Kings 3:5-15; 4:29-34
77
LESSON 11

Wisdom for Problems

Four Step Lesson Path
Bible Basis: 1 Kings 3:16-28
Lesson Focus: God’s wisdom helps us know
Bible Readiness what to do.
To connect with the Bible story of Solomon using
God’s wisdom, children will participate in a mystery
Memory Verse: For the Lord gives wisdom, and
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
needing wisdom.
Proverbs 2:6
-- “Mystery of the Messed-up Classroom”
(Teaching Aid 13 from Elementary Creative
Teaching Aids)

Lesson Video
for Steps 2 & 4!
Bible Study:
BibleInLife.com/video
1 Kings 3:16-28
Children will study how Solomon’s
wisdom is tested.
-- Bible Story: Bible Discoveries, pp. 1-2,
Bibles, Teaching Aid 2, pencils
▫▫ Bible Review: Doll, Bible-time clothes, prop
to use as a sword
-- Memory Verse Practice: Index cards, marker
Bible Activity Choices
Children will practice using God’s wisdom in
situations they face.
-- Wise Up! Game: Teaching Aid 14 (from
Elementary Creative Teaching Aids), paper
fastener, paper clip
▫▫ Proverb Calendar: Discovery Pack, Project
K—assemble project before class, stapler,
Bibles, pencils
-- Scripture Wisdom: Bible Discoveries, pp.
3-4, pencils, Bibles
Bible Response
Children will apply the Bible story from 1 Kings 3 by
asking God for wisdom with a problem.
-- Index cards, colored markers, PraisePac
CD and downloadable PDF song sheets (from
Elementary Creative Teaching Aids), CD player,
Friends, Lesson 11
Understanding the Bible
Available @
MS-Body
God granted NoIndent
Solomon wisdom and discernment.
MS-Body
Wisdom is the knowledge of how life works. Wisdom
is also the application of knowledge for the benefit
of everyone involved. Discernment is the ability to
recognize the true nature of things and to distinguish
one thing from another.
The time of the incident involving the two
prostitutes who claimed the same baby must have
been early in Solomon’s reign because it helped
establish his reputation for wisdom. Solomon
evidently at times held open court when ordinary
citizens could bring their complaints to him.
Prostitution seems to have been practiced though
unlawful in Israel. Since mostly men traveled, the
connection between brothels and public inns was
so strong that the Hebrew word for “prostitute”
could also mean “innkeeper.” Solomon’s decision
was critical for both women. Children provided
a measure of respect to women, and offspring—
especially males—also promised that the future
would not be desperate. Grown sons would be able to
provide for their single mothers in old age.
Solomon needed to distinguish between a
mother’s love for her son and a selfish woman’s desire
not to lose having a child. God’s gift of wisdom and
discernment led Solomon to the correct solution.

▫▫This symbol will appear whenever preparation takes more than five minutes or whenever supplies are
78 needed that are not included on the list of standard materials (on page 6).
 LESSON 11

When Teaching the Bible to

Elementary Students . . .
Teacher Devotional

As your students study God’s wisdom, they will learn that
God’s wisdom is readily available to them in the Bible.
And memorizing significant verses can give them a way
to access God’s wisdom. Second and third graders tend to
memorize quickly. But their long-term retention is poor
unless the subject or verse is taught in a meaningful way
and repeated often over several weeks. Memorizing words
without knowing what they mean will not help children this
age apply God’s Word to their lives. Try these ideas to help
students memorize effectively.
• Since different children have different learning styles, vary
the memorization technique each week. Review the same
verse week after week using a different memory technique
each time.
• Check to make sure the children understand what the
verses mean. Have them say it in their own words, draw a
picture of it, or give an example of how it would help them
during the week.
• Let the children choose Bible verses to memorize that are
meaningful to them.
F
irst Kings 3:9 tells us that the
gift God gave Solomon was “a
discerning heart to govern [God’s]
people and to distinguish between
right and wrong.” The real-life example that
came to Solomon in this week’s passage
shows the kinds of situations where we need
more than human common sense.
From time to time, we must face tough
problems. Sometimes the solution isn’t clear.
There may be many circumstances to factor
in. When that happens you may feel like you
don’t know what to do! What are some tough
problems you are facing?
God can give you discernment in many
ways—the maturity of life experiences, wise
counsel from other Christians, direction from a
passage in the Bible, guidance from His Spirit
as you talk it over with Him in prayer. This
week take time to seek God’s wisdom in every
dilemma you face. You might want to keep
track here of ways God grants you wisdom.

Early Bird Options

To occupy early arrivers in a meaningful way, let them take part in these activities.
Puppet Problems—Provide puppets and write a problem on the board such as “Your
best friend is angry at you and you don’t know why.” Let children work out possible
solutions to the situation using the puppets.
Memory Verse Practice Puzzles—Write a memory verse from the quarter on a piece
of 4"x 6" cardstock. Cut the cardstock into five or six puzzle pieces. Create puzzles for
several verses. Set out the puzzles for children to review the verses.

Bible Basis: 1 Kings 3:16-28

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 LESSON FOCUS: God’s wisdom helps us know what to do.
Bible
Readiness
To connect with the Bible story The following game will lead the children
of Solomon using God’s wisdom, into a discussion about times when they
children will participate in a
might need wisdom. This will prepare the
mystery needing wisdom.
children to learn from the Bible story of
Materials: Solomon using God’s wisdom, from 1 Kings
3:16-28.
-- “Mystery of the Messed-
up Classroom” (Teaching Before class, separate the clue cards from
Aid 13) the poster, “The Mystery of the Messed-up
Classroom” (Teaching Aid 13). Familiarize
yourself with the story and solution. (The
guilty students based on the clue cards have
been circled on the reduction here and on
the back of the teaching aid.)
Begin class by gathering the children in a
half circle around you so that they can all see
the poster when you hold it up. Do you like
mysteries? Some mysteries are fun because
we can use our knowledge to figure them
out. Let’s see if you’re wise enough to figure
out the solution to this mystery.
Hold up the poster (with the clue
cards detached and set aside). Let all the
children have a good look at it. Read the
story, “The Mystery
of the Messed-up
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Classroom,” on the
back of the poster.
Let children have
another look at the
poster. Encourage
them to offer
suggestions on how
to solve the problem.
Let them suggest
solutions. Don’t
give out any right or
wrong answers yet.
14
When the children have offered all of
their ideas, hand out the clue cards. (If you
have more than eight students, let some
work in pairs.) Ask the children to find clues
on their cards. If they don’t name the paint
spatters, bars of soap, and empty toilet paper
rolls, point them out.
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Now that the children have the clues, let
them look at the poster again and find the
guilty classroom students. (Note the clue
cards show the students from the back, so
the view would be the opposite angle from
what’s on the poster.)
..Would it have been wise to
punish the whole class?
..Could you have figured out this
mystery without the clue cards?
..Could the innocent students
in the class have figured out the
mystery without the clue cards?
(Probably. They could have used wisdom
to figure it out, looking for the clues
themselves.)
Set aside the poster and cards.
Sometimes we come up against mysteries
or problems that need wisdom to be
figured out. And when we’re in the middle
of a problem, it’s not as fun as figuring out
someone else’s mystery!
..What are situations or
problems that you find you need
wisdom for? The children will have a
variety of answers. Encourage them to share
from their own experiences. Children’s
answers might include how to get along with
a sibling, how to get everything done we
have to do, how to answer hard homework
problems, and so on.
Tie to the Bible
Our Bible story today is about how to
use God’s wisdom to figure out tough
problems. King Solomon had a mystery to
figure out. The wrong answer would have
hurt innocent people. But the right answer
was hard to find. Let’s see how Solomon
used God’s wisdom.
 Bible Study:
1 Kings 3:16-28
Children will study how
Solomon’s wisdom is tested.
Materials:
Bible Study
-- Bible Discoveries, pp.
1-2
-- Bibles
-- Teaching Aid 2
-- Pencils
Bible Review Activity
▫▫ Doll
-- Bible-time clothes
▫▫ Prop to use as a sword
Memory Verse Practice
-- Index cards
-- Marker
With the children seated for the Bible study,
pass out the Bibles and Bible Discoveries for
Lesson 11.
Play a short game, using the Bible
Overview Chart (Teaching Aid 2), to talk
about 1 Kings. Use these clues to find the
book: Find a book in the Old Testament;
find a book with a number; find a book
that tells about a king; find a book that tells
about Solomon. Ask the students to tell who
Solomon was and what happened to him in
last week’s Bible story. (Solomon was one
of David’s sons. He became the king when
he was a young man. God appeared to him
in a dream and promised him anything he
wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom. God
was pleased and made him the wisest person
who ever lived.)
Today’s Bible story is presented in
narrative form. Let children take turns
reading the different paragraphs or assign
three children to read the parts of the two
women and Solomon and let a fourth
volunteer read the other portions.
When the class reaches the Bible
reference on page 2, have the whole class
find 1 Kings 3:27 in their Bibles. They
should find the right answer and write it
on the blank line. (For your convenience,
the correct answer appears on the Bible
Discoveries pages shown below.) Then finish
reading the Bible story.
Read the memory verse aloud by
yourself, then have the class read it aloud
together.
Bible Discoveries, pp. 1-2
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first
Bible Basis: 1 Kings 3:16-28
81
 LESSON FOCUS: God’s wisdom helps us know what to do.
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Bible Review Questions
..Why did people bring their
problems to King Solomon?
(Because he was wise; he had lots of wisdom
from God.)
..What was the problem
between the two women who
came to King Solomon? (Both of
them said they were the mother of the baby,
and they wanted Solomon to decide whose
baby it was.)
answer. He knew God would show him the
true mother before he would hurt the baby.)
..How does wisdom help us
know what to do? (It helps us
understand why people say or do what they
do, it helps us know right from wrong, it
helps us think up good plans, it helps us treat
others as God would like us to, etc.)
..Why do we need God’s
wisdom? (God’s wisdom helps us know
what to do.)

Some children may ask how these women
came to be sharing a house, since that is
uncommon in our society. If so, explain that
in Bible times it was more common to share
homes, especially for extended families and
for people who couldn’t afford a home. These
women, who were apparently unmarried,
probably could not afford to live alone or
possibly lived at an inn.
..How did Solomon know whose
baby it was? (In his wisdom, Solomon
came up with a test that would show which
woman really cared about the baby and
which was just being selfish. The mother
would be the one who really cared about her
baby.)
..Do you think Solomon would
really have cut the baby in half?
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..According to the memory
verse, who gives wisdom,
knowledge, and understanding?
(God.)
Bible Review Activity
The children will enjoy reenacting this lively
Bible story, which will also reinforce the
content in their heads and let you know
how much of the story they have accurately
grasped. Provide Bible-time clothes, a doll,
a chair to use as Solomon’s throne, and any
safe prop on hand to use as a sword. Let four
volunteers be the two women, Solomon, and
the guard. The other children may be visitors
to Solomon’s court. Let the actors do the
story from memory, putting the discussion
in their own words.

(He knew his idea would bring out the right

Memory Verse Practice

Memory Verse
Write each word Practice
of the verse and reference on a separate index card.
--Mix up the cards and place them facedown at one end of the room. Have
MS-Material
MS-Body
your students
NoIndentline up at the other end of the room for a relay.
The first player races to the pile of memory verse cards. He or she
turns up one card, places it on the floor, and races back to tag the next
player. The next player races to turn up the next card in the pile and
places it in the correct order with the first card.
Each player does the same until all the cards have
Memory
Memory
Verse
Verse
been turned up and placed in order. Finally, have the
whole class repeat the verse together.
For the Lord gives
MS-Memory Verse wisdom,
text and from his mouth
come knowledge and understanding.
MS-MV Scripture Ref
Proverbs 2:6

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Bible Children will practice using God’s wisdom in situations they face.

Activity Give the children an opportunity to explore and practice what

they’ve been learning from the Bible story in 1 Kings 3:16-28. By
Choices participating in these activities, the children will learn that God’s
wisdom helps them know what to do.

Wise Up! Game Proverb Calendar Scripture Wisdom

-- “Wise Up!” (Teaching Aid 14)
-- Paper fastener
-- Paper clip
The children may play this game
to practice following Solomon’s
example of using God’s wisdom to
solve problems. Before class, attach
the paper clip to the numbered circle
using the paper fastener to make
a spinner. Also separate the game
cards. This game may be played in
pairs or small groups.
Players must first take turns
turning over two cards to find the
Problem and Wise Way cards with
matching color borders. Each Wise
Way card has a right answer, a wrong
answer, and an option for children
to give their own answers. To solve
the problems on the problem cards,
▫▫ Discovery Pack, Project K—one
sample assembled before class
-- Stapler
-- Bibles
-- Pencils
The children can start exploring
practical ways to apply God’s
wisdom through the Proverb
Calendar, found on page 25 of
Discovery Pack (Project K). You
may want to have a sample of the
completed craft at this activity.
The children may follow the
directions on page 26 by the large
numbers 1-4. When the calendars
are put together, the children may
either look up the Bible verses to
solve the rebus puzzles or take them
home and look them up each day
as directed on the calendar. Even if
-- Bible Discoveries, pp. 3-4
-- Pencils
-- Bibles
Pages 3 and 4 of Bible Discoveries
both will help the children apply
wise advice from the Bible. The
children at this activity may work
together or individually. Page 3 is
a matching activity. Though the
answers are flexible, a good way to
match them would be the woman
with Ephesians 6:18, the boy with
Proverbs 20:18, and the girl with 2
Corinthians 9:7.
On page 4, the children read the
letters and look up the verses. Then
they may finish the advice column
with any wise advice based on the
verses they just read.

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the players should choose either the the children look up the verses now,
right answer or offer their own idea they should still take their calendars
of a wise solution. home to use during the week.

Bible Basis: 1 Kings 3:16-28

83
 LESSON FOCUS: God’s wisdom helps us know what to do.
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Bible
Response
Children will apply the Bible
story from 1 Kings 3 by asking
God for wisdom with a problem.
Materials:
-- Index cards
-- Colored markers
-- PraisePac CD and
downloadable PDF song
sheets
-- CD player
-- Friends, Lesson 11
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Seeing God throughout the Week
Extra–Time Activity
Encourage children to keep asking God for wisdom to
MS-LtoL week text
help them know what to do when they have problems.
Remind them to use their Proverb Calendar each day
this week to help them find wise answers in the Bible
to hard questions.
84
When the children have cleaned up their
activities, gather them back together to help
them choose ways to apply this week’s Bible
story from 1 Kings 3:16-28.
God’s wisdom helps us know what to
do when we have problems. Wisdom is
something that God will give us as we ask
for it. God also gives us wisdom as we grow
older, learn from wise people, and study
the Bible.
Give each child an index card and
marker.
..What are some situations that
you need God’s wisdom for this
week? (Rather than answering aloud, have
the children draw or write their answer on
one side of the index card. Let volunteers
share their answers with the rest of the class.
The children’s problems might include a
conflict with a family member or friend,
something they need to learn in school, a
fear of failing at something, and so on.)
Do you remember the clue cards we
used at the beginning of class to help us
figure out the Mystery of the Messed-up
Classroom? Well, you can keep a clue card,
too, to remind you that God’s wisdom can
help you know what to do. On the back
of your index card, draw a picture that’s a
TAKE–HOMES
55 Friends, Lesson 11
55 Bible Discoveries, Lesson 11
55 Discovery Pack, Proverb Calendar
55 Clue cards from Bible Response
clue—like the clues we used earlier—that
would remind you that God’s wisdom can
help you know what to do. You might talk
through some ideas of what the children can
draw such as a picture of praying hands or a
Bible, the face of a watch to show a certain
time of day to pray, a question mark with
an X drawn over it, or a shining cloud to
represent God’s presence. Some children
might simply want to write the memory
verse. Let each child choose a unique “clue”
to remind them that God’s wisdom can help
them know what to do with their problem
this week.
Prayer Time
Have the children divide into pairs or small
groups for prayer time. Let them tell their
partners about their problem needing
wisdom and then pray for each other that
God would give them wisdom.
When the children are through praying,
gather them together to sing the Unit 27
song from the PraisePac CD in the Creative
Teaching Aids packet.
Close by having the
class say together, “God’s
wisdom helps us know
what to do.”
Bible Basis: 1 Kings 3:16-28
LESSON 12
The Way to God
Four Step Lesson Path
Bible Readiness
By participating in an activity where access to
something good is blocked, children will connect to
the Bible story of Jesus opening the way to God.
▫▫ Jar with tight-fitting lid, candy
Lesson Video
for Steps 2 & 4!
Bible Study: Available @
BibleInLife.com/video
1 Kings 5:1—9:9;
Hebrews 9; Matthew 27:51
Children will study how Solomon builds a temple for
worshiping God.
▫▫ Bible Story: Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3, Bibles,
pencils, Teaching Aids 2, 15-18 (from Elementary
Creative Teaching Aids)—assemble “Solomon’s
Temple” (Teaching Aid 16) prior to class, tape
-- Bible Review: Teaching Aids 16-18
-- Memory Verse Practice: 2 colors of beanbags,
masking tape
Bible Activity Choices
Children will investigate how Jesus opens the way to
God.
-- One Way: Bible Discoveries, p. 1, pencils,
Bibles
-- Jesus and You Board Game: Teaching Aid 19
(from Elementary Creative Teaching Aids), coin,
game markers
▫▫ Relief Collage: Craft sticks, fabric scraps,
glitter, glue, colored markers, scissors,
construction paper
Bible Response
Children will apply the Bible story by choosing a way to
personally respond to Jesus opening the way to God.
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 4, pencils, PraisePac
CD and downloadable PDF song sheets (from
Elementary Creative Teaching Aids), CD player,
Friends, Lesson 12
▫▫This symbol will appear whenever preparation takes more than five minutes or whenever supplies are
needed that are not included on the list of standard materials (on page 6).
Bible Basis: 1 Kings 5:1—9:9; Hebrews 9;
Matthew 27:51
Lesson Focus: Jesus opens the way to God.
Memory Verse: Let us draw near to God with a
sincere heart. Hebrews 10:22
Understanding the Bible
In the absence of a temple, the Israelites entered
into the spiritual danger of decentralized worship
at various high places (see 1 Kings 3:2), which was
forbidden. The pagan Canaanites had worshiped on
hilltops and housetops. But even godly people like
Samuel participated to some extent in this practice.
David further confused the situation by bringing
the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem and leaving the
tabernacle in Gibeon (2 Chron. 1:3-5). The building
of a centrally located temple would eliminate the
need for high places.
When dedicating the completed temple, Solomon
acknowledged that it was not literally God’s abode
on earth. Not even the heavens could claim to
contain God in any sort of physical sense. Through
the temple and worship regulations, the Israelites
recognized that they had no direct access to the
presence of God. Thus the temple and its sacrificial
system were an illustration of how the old covenant
failed to deal effectively with the sins of humanity.
God, who is righteous, could not accept
unrighteous human beings into His presence.
Therefore Christ, who is both God and human, lived
a perfectly righteous life and then sacrificed that life
so that people can be made righteous before God.
Being made acceptable, those who believe in Jesus
can now enter the presence of God. Because Christ
died for them, believers inherit eternal life in heaven.
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LESSON 12

When Teaching the Bible to

Elementary Students . . .
Teacher Devotional

Second and third graders still rely strongly on concrete
ideas and images for learning. Things that they can see, hear,
touch, or experience are more readily understandable to
them than those that are abstract. Elementary students are
mature enough to grasp some hard concepts that are simply
stated or have clear comparisons. This week’s salvation
lesson is an example of this. Help your students more clearly
understand the message of salvation with these ideas.
• Use clear and simple wording when explaining anything
that can’t be physically seen or touched. Avoid using clichés
and figurative expressions.
• Whenever possible, compare an abstract idea to something
concrete. One example would be to compare eternity to a
circle—without beginning or end. Simple sketches make
your explanation even more concrete.
• Refer to Jesus as a here-and-now friend. Children this
age will not relate to a Savior who lived in the distant past
in a foreign country and now lives in an invisible heaven
far away. They need to recognize Jesus as ever-present and
interacting with them.
I
n a little booklet called “My Heart,
Christ’s Home,” Robert Boyd Munger
describes making the Lord welcome
in each room of our lives. Once we’ve
accepted Christ into our life, He should be able to
enter any closet, pantry, basement, or crawl space
in ourselves. In other words, every nook and cranny
should be open to His control and cleansing.
However, Jesus will not force His way into any
area of your life. He waits to be invited in (as in Rev.
3:20). He does not want to be confined to rooms for
guests only—He wants to dwell with you. Are there
any rooms or corners in your life or heart where you
will ask God to clean and refresh you?
When Jesus opened the way for us to come
to God, it wasn’t an admission that only included
entry-level salvation. Jesus continually serves as
a “high priest,” interceding for us (Heb. 7:25). So
our access to God, as believers, is always open.
And it’s a two-way street—God continually wants
communion with us.
In what ways can you strengthen your
communion with God this week?

Early
Early
Bird
Bird
Options
Options
Children who arrive early need something meaningful to do while they wait for class to
begin. Engage children with these activities.
Thanksgiving Place Cards—Provide Discovery Pack, Project L, and tape so children
can make place cards to use at home during Thanksgiving. You may want to provide a
sample.
Thankful Cards—Provide construction paper, colored
markers, and scissors. Let the children use these to make
thankful cards to give to someone for whom they are thankful.
For example, on the front a child could write “I am thankful.”
Inside the child could write the reason such as “because you are
my friend.”

86
 LESSON FOCUS: Jesus opens the way to God.
Bible
Readiness
By participating in an activity
where access to something good
is blocked, children will connect
to the Bible story of Jesus
opening the way to God.
Materials:
-- Jar with tight-fitting lid
▫▫ Candy*
In today’s Bible story from 1 Kings 5—9;
Hebrews 9; and Matthew 27:51, the children
will learn that in Old Testament times God’s
people could not come into God’s presence
but that, in the New Testament, Jesus opened
the way to God. To help the children begin to
connect to the frustration of being blocked
from something they want access to, let them
do the following activity.
Before class, fill a clear jar (glass or
plastic) with candy that your students like.
Close the lid on the jar so tightly that none of
your students will be able to open it.
Begin class by bringing out the candy jar.
Pass it around and tell children they can help
themselves. If they ask for help opening it,
tell them they can only have the candy if they
open the jar themselves (without breaking
the jar). Encourage all the children to give it
a try. Allow time for the frustration to build.
As the children take turns trying to open it,
you could talk about how delicious the candy
is and how much trouble you went to to find
just the right candy that they would like.
The goal of this activity is for the children
to become frustrated when the jar does
not open. If for some reason the children
manage to open the jar, you can still have
the following discussion (while sharing the
candy).
..How badly do you want the
candy in this jar? (Some children will
say it’s worth it to keep trying, but others will
say it’s not worth the effort.)
..How do you feel about not
being able to open the jar?
(Frustrated, confused, angry, challenged,
etc.)
Bible Basis: 1 Kings 5:1—9:9; Hebrews 9; Matthew 27:51
If the children didn’t open the jar, you
may open it now—if you can—and share the
candy.
Sometimes we can’t have something we
want because it wouldn’t be good for us.
But just because something might be okay
for us to have, we may still not be able to
have it. That happens to all of us.
..What kinds of things have
you wanted but you couldn’t get?
(All the children should be able to name
something they wanted but couldn’t have.
Some will cite something their parents
said no about because it “wasn’t good for
them.” Those examples are fine, but also
encourage the children to name things that
were good for them but were out of their
reach—because of age, money, size, health,
or opportunity.)
Tie to the Bible
In today’s Bible story, the people of Israel
couldn’t have something that was good
for them that they wanted. They wanted to
come into God’s presence. But they were
blocked by their own sin. Let’s find out
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more about the problem and how it was
solved.
*Check with parents for any food allergies students may
have.
87
 Bible Study:
1 Kings 5:1—9:9;
Hebrews 9;
Matthew 27:51
Children study how Solomon built
a temple for worshiping God.
Materials:
Bible Study
-- Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3
-- Bibles
-- Pencils
▫▫ Teaching Aids 2 and 15-
18—assemble “Solomon’s
Temple (Teaching Aid 16) the
week before class, tape
Bible Review Activity
-- Chairs
▫▫ Teaching Aids 16-18
-- Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3
Memory Verse Practice
-- 2 colors of beanbags
-- Masking tape
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88
Before class, assemble the model of
“Solomon’s Temple” (Teaching Aid 16), using
the instructions on Teaching Aid 17.
Before reading the Bible story, set out the
temple model. Identify the different parts
of the temple for them using Teaching Aid
18. Be sure to point out the outdoor area of
the temple where sacrifices were made, the
Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies inside the
temple building.
Hand out Bible Discoveries and have the
children turn to pages 2-3. Point out the sea
of bronze, which is pictured in the center.
Have the students also find it on the model.
See if they find anything else in common
between the picture and the model.
On the Bible Overview Chart (Teaching
Aid 2), have the children find 1 Kings and
Hebrews. Explain that the first half of the
Bible story takes place in the Old Testament
and the second half takes place in the
New Testament. Have children bookmark
Hebrews 10:22 in their Bibles.
Put Teaching Aid
15 in your visual time
line next to Teaching
Aid 12. Explain that
today’s story takes
place while Solomon
is king.
Let the children take turns reading
paragraphs of the Bible story. At the end,
have them read the memory verse from their
Bibles. Explain that draw near means to get
closer to something.
Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3
 LESSON FOCUS: Jesus opens the way to God.
Bible Review Questions
..Why did Solomon build the
temple? (To make a place for the Israelites
to worship God, to honor God, as a place to
bring their sacrifices.)
..Where does God live? (God lives
in heaven; His Spirit lives in people who
believe in Jesus.)
Some may wonder why we have church
buildings. Explain that people can worship
God anywhere, but having a special place to
worship God reminds us of how important it
is to worship Him. It also gives us a place to
get together with other Christians to worship
and learn about God.
..How did people come to God
in Solomon’s time? (They came to the
temple courtyard, bringing a live sheep or
goat with them. They gave the animal to a
priest, who sacrificed it to God. This was a
symbol of the person’s sins being forgiven.
The people could not go into the temple
building because only priests were allowed
there. A person had to make sacrifices over
and over again—because he kept sinning
over and over again.)
Even though the people went through
this pattern to have their sins forgiven, people
could still pray to God, as shown by David,
Nehemiah, the prophets, etc. The people had no
final forgiveness of sins until Christ came.
Memory Verse Practice
Before class, make a masking tape tic-tac-toe grid on the floor. Divide
your class into two teams, and assign each team a beanbag color.
A child on one team tosses the beanbag and says the memory verse.
If the verse is said correctly, the beanbag stays in that
square. If the verse is incorrect, the team picks up their
beanbag. Then a child from the other team goes. You
Memory Verse
may want to play the first round by letting the whole
team say the verse. Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart.
Hebrews 10:22
Bible Basis: 1 Kings 5:1—9:9; Hebrews 9; Matthew 27:51
..How can people come to God
now? (Through Jesus.)
..Why? (Jesus was God’s perfect Son.
When He gave His life, it was the perfect
sacrifice. Jesus’ death completely took care of
sin so people who believe in Him can go into
God’s presence without an animal sacrifice.)
..What does the word ‘sincere’
mean in our memory verse? (Sincere
means whole, pure, or genuine. God wants
us to come to Him wholeheartedly, with an
honest and open heart.)
Bible Review Activity
Have children help you set up the classroom
to represent the three main areas of the
temple: the outdoor area, the Holy Place,
and the Holy of Holies. Use something as
simple as a row of chairs to designate the
three areas. Using the model of “Solomon’s
Temple” (Teaching Aid 16) and the
explanation sheet (Teaching Aid 18), have
children place chairs or other props to show
where the significant temple items were
(such as the altar and the sea of bronze).
Once your classroom is set up, reread
the Bible story from Bible Discoveries with
yourself playing Caleb, the tour guide. The
children may play the tour group visiting the
temple. Walk them through the “courtyard”
and point out things mentioned in the Bible
story.
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 Bible Children will investigate how Jesus opens the way to God.

Activity This time of Bible activity choices will allow the students to learn
more about how Jesus opened the way to God, as taught in the Bible
Choices story from 1 Kings 5—9 and Hebrews 9. Let the children choose
which activities are most appropriate for them.

One Way Relief Collage Jesus and You

-- Bible Discoveries, p. 1
-- Pencils
-- Bibles
To learn more about salvation
through the Book of Hebrews, let the
children do the Scripture search and
matching game on page 1 of Bible
Discoveries.
Have your students work in
pairs for this activity. Encourage
them to work through the page
together, talking about the answers.
The correct answers are 1. anyone, 2.
sacrifice, 3. faith, 4. Draw near.
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-- Construction paper
-- Craft sticks
▫▫ Fabric scraps
-- Glitter
-- Glue
-- Markers
-- Scissors
Reinforce that Jesus opened the
way to God as the children work
on creating their own three-
dimensional reminders. On
construction paper, the children
glue craft sticks, fabric scraps, or any
other handy supplies to make their
own representation of the curtain of
the temple tearing in two because of
Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
-- “Jesus and You” (Teaching Aid
19)
-- Coin
-- Game markers
To help the children think through
the process of becoming a Christian,
the children may play this game
individually or with others. Players
read the top paragraph and then
place their markers on it. Children
flip a coin to find out how many
blocks to move: 1 for heads, 2 for
tails. Players choose the path that
they think fits them. As they go
along, if players decide they don’t
like that path after all, they may
move backward and take another
path. This game is not a race, so it
doesn’t matter who finishes first.

90
 LESSON FOCUS: Jesus opens the way to God.

Bible
Response

Children will apply the Bible story
by choosing a way to personally
respond to Jesus opening the way
to God.
Materials:
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 4
-- Pencils
-- PraisePac CD and
downloadable PDF song
sheets
-- CD player
-- Friends, Lesson 12
Help students apply the Bible story from
1 Kings 5—9 and Hebrews 9.
Solomon built a magnificent temple to
honor God so God’s people would have a
place to worship Him.
When Jesus died on the cross, the
curtain that separated people from God
was torn open. Jesus took away what
blocked people from God—sin. He made it
possible for people to know God personally.
He made it possible for people to go right
into God’s presence. Because Jesus opened
the way to God, all who believe in Him
can have their sins forgiven and be right in
God’s presence—because God’s Spirit lives
in all those who believe in Him.
This is a great gift from God—that He
gave His own Son so that we can go into
His presence.
..How do you want to respond to
God’s gift?
Rather than answering aloud, have the
children open Bible Discoveries to page 4 and
read the directions at the top of the page.
Different children will respond differently to
today’s Bible lesson. As the children think,
play the Unit 27 song from the PraisePac CD
first time the meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice
on the cross. These children may want to
ask Jesus to be their Savior. Other children
will feel the importance of worshiping God
because of Jesus’ sacrifice. Those children
might choose to write their own prayer on
the page. The children may choose as many
prayer sentences on the page as they like or
fill in their own. Let the children keep their
choices private.
If any children express to you an interest
in receiving Christ and His eternal life,
let them decide if they would like to pray
with the class listening or wait until after
class to pray individually with you. Let the
child pray in his or her own words so you
will know if the child really understands
this decision. See “Helping Grade-School
Children Understand Salvation” on the
inside back cover of this teacher’s guide for
more information.
Prayer Time
After the children have chosen their
responses, say the memory verse aloud
together. Then have a time of silent prayer
for the children to pray their chosen prayers
to God. After the prayer time, sing together

L12
in the background. the Unit 27 song from the PraisePac CD.
Some children may understand for the

Seeing God throughout the Week

Remind the children that “Jesus opens the
TAKE–HOMES
way to God.” Ask students to think about
what Jesus’ sacrifice means to them. Invite 55 Friends, Lesson 12
them to draw near to God with a sincere
55 Bible Discoveries, Lesson 12
heart.
55 Discovery Pack, Thanksgiving Place Cards from
Early Bird Options
55 Relief Collages from Step 3

Bible Basis: 1 Kings 5:1—9:9; Hebrews 9; Matthew 27:51

91
LESSON 13

Keep Going God’s Way

Four Step Lesson Path
Bible Basis: 1 Kings 11—12
Lesson Focus: Don’t let anything turn you from
Bible Readiness God.
To connect with the Bible story of Solomon turning
from God, children will share about times when
Memory Verse: I have hidden your word in my
heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11
they have been tempted to turn from doing what
was right.
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 1, pencils

Lesson Video
Bible Study: for Steps 2 & 4!
Available @
Understanding the Bible
1 Kings 11—12 BibleInLife.com/video

Children will read 1 Kings 11—12:
Solomon turns from obeying God.
-- Bible Story: Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3,
Bibles, Teaching Aid 2 (from Elementary Creative
Teaching Aids), pencils
-- Bible Review: Teaching Aids 12, 15, 20
-- Memory Verse Practice: No materials needed
Bible Activity Choices
Children will examine ways they can keep from
turning from God.
-- How Wise Are Your Eyes?: Teaching Aid 21
(from Elementary Creative Teaching Aids), Bible
Discoveries from past lessons this quarter
-- God’s Word Banner: Discovery Pack, Project
M, construction paper, markers, scissors, yarn
or ribbon
-- Hide and Seek: Bible Discoveries, p. 4,
Bibles, pencils
Bible Response
Children will apply the Bible story from 1 Kings 11—12
by praying for God’s help in not turning from Him.
-- PraisePac CD and downloadable PDF song
sheets (from Elementary Creative Teaching Aids),
CD player, Friends, Lesson 13
The kings of Israel had been given detailed
instructions about how to behave (Deut. 17:14-20),
which included not accumulating horses, wives, or
silver and gold. Neither Kings nor Chronicles faults
Solomon for his horses or money, probably because
the Lord had promised him unusual wealth as a
unique sign of divine blessing (1 Kings 3:13). But
1 Kings does discuss Solomon’s many wives, for
which the Word of God holds him accountable.
Ancient kings often married many wives as
a way of forming alliances with large and small
dynasties around them. Solomon married into the
Moabites and Ammonites to the east, the Edomites
and Egyptians to the south, and the Sidonians and
Hittites to the north. God had warned the Israelites
not to marry Canaanite people lest they be led into
apostasy (Deut. 7:1-4). In all, Solomon had 700 wives
and 300 concubines.
The verb “to tear” in 1 Kings 11:11 indicates
the finality and forcefulness of God’s judgment on
Solomon. What the Lord said to Solomon matched
God’s pronouncement on King Saul by Samuel when
Saul’s disobedience lost the monarchy for his heirs (1
Sam. 15:28). Solomon reigned for 40 years, dying at
the age of 60.

▫▫This symbol will appear whenever preparation takes more than five minutes or whenever supplies are
92 needed that are not included on the list of standard materials (on page 6).
 LESSON 13

When Teaching the Bible to

Elementary Students . . .
Teacher Devotional

Second and
MS-Body NoIndent
third graders
SpaceAfter
are not yet strongly into the
issues of peer pressure and going along with the crowd. Yet
• MS-Body
children thisBulleted
age are developing a fear of rejection and don’t
• MS-Body
usually haveBulleted.
the inner strength to go against what all the
rest of their friends might be doing. Seven and eight year
olds feel a need to belong to a group. As they study how
Solomon gave in to his wives’ requests for false gods, help
your students with ideas like these.
• Remind the children that Jesus loves them and is
committed to them, even if their friends reject them.
• Give an example of a time when you had to go against the
crowd. Let your students know that these kinds of conflicts
are a part of choosing to obey God.
• Point out that it’s not always bad to do what their group of
friends does. It becomes bad when children feel they have to
do something wrong in order to be liked.
D
o you think there’s anything that
would turn you from God? For some,
it would take some enticement
to turn them from God such as
Solomon’s desire for women. For others, it
might be losing someone valuable or not
getting something they need, resulting in loss
of trust in God.
This passage tells us two key things about
Solomon: (1) His sin began by giving in to a
comparatively small, ordinary temptation—lust.
(2) He never denied the Lord with his mouth;
his sin was in not following God with his whole
heart. That was enough for God’s judgment.
If we want to avoid following in Solomon’s
footsteps, we need to examine our own lives
in light of giving in to temptation and not loving
God wholeheartedly.
What can you do this week to avoid giving
in to temptation?
What can you do to continue to grow in
wholehearted love for God?

Early Bird Options

The children who arrive early need something meaningful to do. These
suggested activities will free you up to greet children as they arrive
while engaging the students who are already there.
Temptations—Set out magazines and catalogs. Let children find
pictures of things that they might be tempted to put ahead of
God.
Temple Model—Using the model of “Solomon’s Temple”
(Teaching Aids 16-18) from last week, have students examine
the model and review the parts of the temple and how they
were used.
Graphic Novels—Print and copy the downloadable graphic
novel coloring sheets on the PraisePac CD. Set out markers, the sheets, and construction
paper for students to create graphic novels about David and Solomon.

Bible Basis: 1 Kings 11—12

93
 LESSON FOCUS: Don’t let anything turn you from God.
Bible
Readiness
To connect with the Bible story
of Solomon turning from God,
children will share about times
when they have been tempted to
turn from doing what was right.
Materials:
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 1
-- Pencils
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94
In order to relate to the Bible story of
Solomon turning from God, from 1 Kings
11—12, the children need to be aware of
times when they have been tempted to turn
from God. The following activity page and
discussion will help the children connect the
Bible story to their own life experiences.
Hand out Bible Discoveries for Lesson 13
and have the children turn to page 1. Let a
volunteer read the first scenario aloud. Have
the children whisper in pairs to come up with
an answer to the first question. Allow time for
all the pairs to write down an answer.
..How did Otto turn from what
was right? (Let pairs share their answers
with the rest of the class. The correct answer
should be something like: because Otto
chose to disobey his mother.)
Let a second volunteer read the second
scenario. Again, let pairs whisper together
to decide on an answer. Then discuss the
question together:
..Why did Otto turn from what
was right? (Because he didn’t want the
other kids laughing at him or calling him
chicken.)
Let a third volunteer read the third
scenario. Let pairs decide on an answer.
..What should Otto do to not
turn from God? (Let pairs share their
answers. The children will have different
ideas which might include Otto should
continue to not let his brother eat the candy,
or Otto should admit to his mother that he
disobeyed her.)
Otto sure had an easy time disobeying!
Sometimes it’s easy to do what’s wrong.
When we do what’s wrong, it shows that
we’re not trusting God or that we don’t love
Him enough to obey Him. We’ve all been
in situations where we ended up doing the
wrong thing—or at least we wanted to!
..When are some times that
you’ve turned away from what you
knew was right? (If children are hesitant
to start sharing, you could share an example
from your own life. If children continue to
be hesitant, let them whisper about their
situation with the friend they worked with
earlier on the Bible Discoveries page. Most
children will be able to come up with an
example of disobeying a parent or teacher
and most examples will be sins such as not
coming when called or making an excuse for
not doing homework. Be careful not to judge
children who admit to wrongdoing since the
children are confessing that they know these
things were wrong.)
..What wrongdoings “get you
every time”—the things that are
hard for you to resist? (Children this
age might have a hard time seeing patterns
or habits in their own lives, but taking time
to think about this question will help them
understand Solomon’s sin. The answers to
this question might include never obeying
a parent about an unpleasant chore or
continually wanting to get back at a younger
sibling.)
Tie to the Bible
Because it’s easy to turn away from God
and do what is wrong, we need to keep a
close eye on the things that will tempt us
to do wrong. A very wise man in the Bible
learned this lesson—but he learned it too
late. Let’s read our Bible story and find out
what happened.
 Bible Study:
1 Kings 11—12

Children will study how
Solomon turns from obeying
God.
Materials:
Bible Study
-- Bible Discoveries, pp.
2-3
-- Bibles
-- Teaching Aid 2
-- Pencils
Bible Review Activity
-- Teaching Aids 12, 15, 20
Memory Verse Practice
-- No materials needed
Review the quarter using the Bible Overview
Chart (Teaching Aid 2). Let the children
briefly tell about Samuel, Saul, and David as
you point out the books of 1 and 2 Samuel.
Point out 1 Kings and how it tells about
Solomon. Ask volunteers to tell about the
life of Solomon, which your class studied in
the last three lessons. (Solomon became king
after David. Solomon loved God and wanted
to be wise. God made him the wisest person
ever. Solomon built a beautiful temple where
the people could go to worship God.)
Have the students find 1 Kings 11 in
their Bibles and bookmark to use later in the
lesson. Also have them turn to pages 2-3 in
Bible Discoveries.
Let volunteers start reading the Bible
story presentation a paragraph at a time.
When a reader reaches a Bible reference,
have the whole class look it up. The class
should discuss the answer together and write
it on the blank lines of their Bible Discoveries
pages. (For your convenience, the correct
answer appears on the Bible Discoveries
pages shown below.) Then let another reader
keep reading.
At the end, have the class read the
memory verse in unison.

God was angry. Bible Discoveries, pp. 2-3

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turned his
heart

Bible Basis: 1 Kings 11—12

95
 LESSON FOCUS: Don’t let anything turn you from God.
Bible Review Questions
Before beginning your review discussion,
point out the differences from the earlier
lessons on Solomon’s life to today’s lesson,
where he chose not to follow God. Teaching
Aids 12, 15, and 20 can provide visual clues.
..What were Solomon’s sins?
(He married women from countries that
worshiped idols; he let his wives bring their
false gods with them into Israel; he started
worshiping them and built places for people
to worship the false gods.)
..What turned Solomon’s heart
away from God? (He tried to please his
wives instead of pleasing only God.)
..How did Solomon’s sin get
worse as he went along? (He let
someone else do wrong; then he himself did
wrong; then he led others to do wrong.)
..What was Solomon’s
punishment for disobeying? (God
took the kingdom away from his family.
When Solomon’s son became king, some
Israelites chose a different king and the
country was torn in two.)
Share how things turned out: Israel
became two countries: Israel and Judah.
Solomon’s son ruled Judah, and some good
kings ruled after him. Many bad kings ruled
Israel. By the time of Jesus, the Jews were
ruled by the Roman Empire.
..Why does God correct us when
L13
Memory Verse Practice
Have the class help you make up simple actions to go with the verse.
Then have the class practice saying the verse using the actions. For
example:
Hidden—cup hands together and pull to chest
Your word—hold hands like holding an open Bible Memory Verse
Heart—draw heart outline on chest
Might not—shake index finger back and forth I have hidden your word in my heart that I might
You—point up not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11
96
we turn away from Him? (Because
He knows His rules are best for us; He wants
us to follow Him; He doesn’t want us to lead
others into disobedience; etc.)
..How does having God’s Word in
our hearts keep us from sinning?
(When we know and understand God’s
Word, we can better remember how to obey
God and why we should obey God, etc.)
Bible Review Activity
Have children line up shoulder to shoulder.
Tell them they should turn away from
you if you tell a sentence about Solomon
turning from God. If a sentence doesn’t say
something that turned Solomon from God,
they should face front. Read the following
sentences pausing to let students move.
Solomon was a wise, great, and
powerful king. (Face front.)
Solomon married women from other
countries who worshiped other gods.
(Turn.)
Solomon knew God’s commandment
not to worship idols. (Face front.)
Solomon built altars to false gods.
(Turn.)
Solomon tried to make his wives happy.
(Turn.)
People came from all over the world to
hear Solomon’s wisdom. (Face front.)
Solomon bowed down to the false gods.
(Turn.)
God punished Solomon. (Face front.)
 Bible Children will examine ways they can keep from turning from God.

Activity Through the activities below, the children will have

an opportunity to further explore the Bible story from
Choices 1 Kings 11—12.

How Wise Are Your
Eyes?
-- “How Wise Are Your Eyes?”
(Teaching Aid 21),
-- Bible Discoveries from past
lessons
Have the children play “How Wise
Are Your Eyes?” to review lessons
from this quarter. The children may
look at past Bible stories in Bible
Discoveries if they need help.
The correct answers are: 1) Saul,
not Solomon, listened to David play
a harp, not a guitar. 2) Solomon, not
Saul, settled a fight over a baby, not
a puppy. 3) David, not Jonathan,
fought Goliath with a slingshot and
stones, not a sword. 4) Solomon,
not Saul, sang when the ark with
cherubim, not a calf, was brought to
the temple. 5) Saul, not Samuel, was
sleeping on his cloak, not a table. 6)
Samuel anointed Saul, not Jonathan,
using a ram’s horn, not an oil can.
God’s Word Banner
-- Discovery Pack, Project M
-- Construction paper
-- Markers
-- Scissors
-- Yarn or ribbon
Have students follow the directions
on Discovery Pack, Project M to
create the banner. If time permits,
have students add to the banners
or make a separate one for your
classroom with other verses
they have memorized or want to
memorize using construction paper
and scissors.
Hide and Seek
-- Bible Discoveries, p. 4
-- Bibles
-- Pencils
To help the children examine things
that might turn them from God and to
help them practice the memory verse,
provide Bible Discoveries, page 4.
Have them find the things
hidden in the word search. They
should put an ! next to the things
that are problems.
Then have them seek God by
finding Psalm 119:11 in their Bibles.
After filling in the blanks have the
children talk about what they should
seek and what they should hide.

L13

Bible Basis: 1 Kings 11—12

97
 LESSON FOCUS: Don’t let anything turn you from God.

Bible
Response

Children will apply the Bible
story from 1 Kings 11—12 by
praying for God’s help in not
turning from Him.
Materials:
-- PraisePac CD and
downloadable PDF song
sheets
-- CD player
-- Friends, Lesson 13
L13
When God tells us to obey Him, it’s
because He knows what’s best for us. We
can learn how to obey God by reading His
Word and by hiding it in our hearts.
..What things might make you
want to turn from God? (Let the
children share their own individual ideas of
what would make it hard for them to obey.
Children will have different opinions about
what influences them. Be open to all ideas,
and allow time for the children to discuss this
question.)
It’s good to keep in mind the areas
where we have problems. Now let’s think of
ways to overcome those problems.
..What would help you keep
following God’s way and obeying
Him? (Keep working on the memory verses
for this quarter so I don’t forget them, read
Bible verses or Bible stories about the areas
where I tend to disobey, ask a friend to help
encourage me to obey, carry a reminder on a
school notebook, etc. Encourage the children
to each choose one idea to try this week.)
God really cares when we disobey Him.
And He’s willing to help us obey! Let’s pray
and ask God to help us. Let’s ask Him to
keep us from the things that might turn us
from Him.
Prayer Time
Have the children sit in a circle. Go around
the circle, with each child praying for the
person to his or her left. The students may
pray short sentence prayers asking God
to help that child not turn from Him or
pray specifically for any problem area that
child is facing. Remind children who are
uncomfortable praying aloud that they
may pray silently. Close the prayer time by
praising God for being a great and loving
God and thanking Him for His help when
we struggle.
To help the message of
today’s lesson sink in, let
the children sing the Unit
27 song from the PraisePac
CD in the Creative Teaching
Aids packet.
End the class by encouraging them to
pray for God’s help during the week.

Seeing God throughout the Week

Encourage children to hide God’s Word in their TAKE–HOMES
heart this week to keep them from being tempted
to turn from God. Invite them to continue to ask 55 Friends, Lesson 13
God to help them obey Him.
55 Bible Discoveries, Lesson 13
55 Discovery Pack, God’s Word Banner

Bible Basis: 1 Kings 11—12

98
Helping Grade-School Children Understand Salvation
Spiritual Development
Second and third graders can fall in love with Jesus and want Him as a friend for life.
n They can grasp that God is a loving, heavenly Father.
n They can feel sorry about their own wrongdoing.
n They can say with sincerity that they are sorry.
n They can understand that Jesus took their place for the punishment
they deserve.
n They can understand that Jesus came back to life and so is able to do
what He says.
n They can understand that there’s a commitment involved in receiving Christ.
n They can pray with faith and enthusiasm because of their wholehearted
trust in God.

Bible Truths
You can help children understand the biblical basis for these truths by reading and
discussing these verses with them: Romans 5:8; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; John 3:16;
1 John 1:9. When possible, use a Bible translation that kids can understand
and read for themselves.

Personal Decisions
Group discussions on what it means to become a part of God’s family are great. But
if a child expresses a desire to accept Christ, take a few minutes in private to talk
about this important decision. Encourage the child to express the desire to accept Christ
in his or her own words so that your student is not just mimicking what you’ve said. And
it’s helpful to allow the child to pray his or her own prayer expressing love
for God, sadness over sin, and trust in Jesus. Be aware that every child grows
spiritually at a different pace, so allow children to make the decision to accept Christ
when they are ready. Be sure to include the child’s parents in this important decision.

Coming Next Quarter

Willing to Serve
In December, your students will learn about the willing heart and commitment that God
desires from His children. They’ll hear the Christmas story and meet Paul and Barnabas.
Scripture: Luke, Acts
Value: Joy

Ready to Serve
January introduces your children to missions through the travels of Paul.
Scripture: Acts, Romans, 2 Corinthians
Value: Evangelism

Power to Serve
February brings your students to a study of Christ’s power and nearness through the
examples of Christians in the early church.
Scripture: Acts, Ephesians, Philippians, 2 Timothy.
Value: Generosity
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E
Elementary
Teacher’s Guide
No. 1040

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