"The teeny, weenie king...true king - Lesson 3

     Hello and welcome to you! This is the last of the three online November Learning Together lessons with sections for both children and adults.
     We are today wrapping up our discussion of the story “The Teeny, Weenie … True King” found on pages 116-121 of The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones.
     Children: Please re-read the story anyway you wish, silently or out loud, alone or with a family member.
      


Now this particular lesson is actually going to be about David, the great king of Israel, but it took my first two lessons to explain Samuel (a high priest and judge) and Jesse (a man with many sons, including David) in order to understand David’s story.                                                                               
     

Back in Jesus’ time, most kings were chosen to be kings because they were the tallest and strongest men in the neighborhood. David, though, was the opposite. He was short and not very strong compared to his six older brothers.
     But God knew David’s heartfelt, innermost thoughts, and He knew David had a heart full of love, just as God himself does. That is why God spoke quietly to Samuel that He had chosen David to be the next King of Israel.
     When David grew up, he DID become Israel’s king for many years and was known as a wise and Godly ruler. He is one of the most important people in the entire Bible! Keep in mind also that King David was part of Jesus’ family tree!
     Our next two stories in December and January will also be about King David, one about David as a soldier and the other about David as a poet who wrote special poems about praising God called psalms.
     Skip the next section for adults, read the prayer of the week below, and check out the information about Sunday School this coming weekend.    
     Comments and questions are always welcome by Pastor Steve on this blog.
     Adults:  Biblical reference for this story is 1 Samuel 16.
     Apart from a few Jewish sources written over a thousand years later, all that is known of David comes from biblical literature, the historicity of which has been extensively challenged, and there is little detail about David that is concrete and undisputed.
     Having said that, the story of King David in the Bible is about a shepherd boy who became king of Israel, expanded Israel’s territories, and left the country more prosperous and peaceful than he found it.
     Highlights from his life are as follow:
         ~The prophet Samuel anointed David as the future king of Israel.
         ~ David defeated the giant Goliath with a slingshot and a stone.
         ~ David fled into exile after Saul, the first king, became jealous 
            of David’s popularity and plotted to kill him.
         ~ David led a group of outlaws and refugees in the desert,
            protecting the local population from bandits.
         ~ After Saul and his son, Jonathon, were killed in battle, David
            became king as the true successor to Saul.
         ~ David built his palace in the City of David and moved the Holy
            Ark to Jerusalem.
         ~ David expanded Israel’s territories and defeated its enemies.
         ~ David gathered building materials and drew blueprints for the
            temple for his son, Solomon.
      In medieval Western Europe and Eastern Christendom, David was considered a modern ruler and a symbol of divinely ordained monarchy.
     We will continue looking into King David’s life in the next two months.
     Comments and questions are always welcome by Pastor Steve on this blog.
 For Children and Adults:
~This Week’s Prayer: I pray that I will be like King David, who never lost faith in the Lord.
     Sunday School will gather this coming Sunday, November 24, at 11 am-12 pm right after church service. There will be a snack, an oral read and story discussion, and a follow-up craft. All are invited!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Margo Greer

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