To Study: 1
Samuel 16:1-23.
To Read in class: 1 Samuel 16:1-23.
Memory Texts:
Younger: Matthew 17:5. “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased; hear ye Him.”
Older: Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud
overshadowed them: and
behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, “This is my beloved Son, in
whom I am
well pleased; hear ye Him.”
OBJECTIVES: To teach
that:
1. Youth is a time of learning. Between his being anointed king and his
actual coronation, David spent some years learning lessons that God taught
him.
2. The selection of David as the future king over Israel was made through
God’s direct revelation to
Samuel the prophet.
3. God does not evaluate a person according to his appearance. He has an
entirely different point of view, for God looks on the heart.
4. During the time of learning, one may encounter bittersweet experiences,
misunderstandings, and suffering due to envy.
5. The young person who knows God and lives in fellowship with Him can be
used by God even in the lives of people older than himself.
SCENE No. 1. VISUAL AIDS. A countryside
scene of David with his harp, shepherding the flock of Jesse his father. On
a patch, figures David practicing with his sling, also a lion and a bear.
DEVELOPMENT:
- God rejected Saul as king but he continued to occupy the throne, for he
did not accept God’s
decision about the king who would follow him.
- Meanwhile, God was secretly preparing David who later would be crowned
king.
- David learned to recognize and attend to the needs of his father’s flock.
This taught him to be
sensitive to the needs of the people that he would later govern (Psalm
78:70-72.).
- God’s desire was that kings were to govern for the good of the people,
rather than for their own
benefit.
- By what David wrote in Psalm 23, we know he realized that people had needs
similar to those that exist among the sheep.
- No doubt David practiced with his sling and became an expert at hitting
the mark.
- As a youth alone in the field, he learned to count on God’s help when
facing danger, as when he had to face the bear and the lion courageously.
Apl. David’s concern for the sheep, along with his skill with the sling, and
the courage he showed
when confronting wild animals would develop certain abilities that would
serve him later in life.
- He also developed his talent for music, which he used later to compose
psalms and to soothe Saul in his times of agitation.
Sug. It would be profitable to dialogue with the older students about how
life’s experiences prepare
them for the future. Many have problems in the home, amongst their
companions, and in school.
These are experiences used by God to form a value system and to produce
maturity.
SCENE No. 2. VISUAL AIDS: Near the house
of Jesse, David’s father, figures of Jesse and 7 of his sons with Samuel and
a sign with the words "Look not on his appearance ... the Lord looks on the
heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Later add the figure of David. On a patch, a figure
of Samuel weeping and praying.
DEVELOPMENT:
- Samuel wept over Saul, whom God had rejected as king,
- Saul continued as king of Israel for some years longer, but he had no
peace and caused many others to suffer.
- In the end, David would succeed him on the throne.
- God communicated to Samuel that he should anoint a new king in Bethlehem.
- Samuel told God about his fear of Saul, who had lost his fear of God and
had become increasingly ruthless (1 Samuel 16:2).
- The elders of the city were also fearful (1 Samuel 16:4).
Cns. These conditions show that Saul had not been a good king and had not
brought peace and
quietness to the nation.
- Samuel visited Jesse because the future king of Israel was to be anointed
from among his sons.
- The prophet was impressed by the good looks of Eliab, Jesse’s older son.
- God reminds Samuel of the difference between what man looks at and what He
sees 1 Samuel 16:7.
- It appears that David’s father did not consider him neither apt nor
important enough and thus left
him caring for the sheep (1 Samuel 16:11). This was not God’s view.
Apl. Show once again that man does not see what God sees.
Cmt. The naming of the king was not a democratic act. David was declared
king by God. He was
not chosen by popular vote.
Apl. God Himself has declared the Lord Jesus the only Saviour of mankind.
People are not called to “elect” or choose Him from among various options,
but to ACCEPT Him. See Acts 2:36.
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made
that same Jesus, whom
ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” See also Philippians 2:9-10;
Romans 1:4.
- Once anointed by Samuel, the Spirit of God came upon David, equipping him
for the service God
had for him.
Apl. We do not have the aptitudes or strength within ourselves for serving
God, but “our sufficiency
is of God" (2 Corinthians 3:5).
Cns. Believers today have the Spirit of God living within them from the
moment they accept Christ
as Saviour.
Cmt. David is a figure of the Lord Jesus, who also was born in Bethlehem and
was of the tribe of
Judah. He was anointed by God (Hebrews 1:9), and at present is rejected by
many. The day is
coming when He will sit upon His throne.
SCENE No. 3. VISUAL AIDS: A palace with
figures of Saul, depressed, a servant and David playing on his harp.
DEVELOPMENT:
- Saul had all he could have wished for -- an important position, servants
and power. Still he was not happy, and he did not have peace.
Cns. Since Saul had rejected the Word of God (1 Samuel 15:26), he
consequently did not enjoy the presence and fellowship of God.
Apl. Happiness does not depend on having power or material things, but
rather it depends upon being right with God.
- Saul did not allow the Spirit of God to work and thus left himself open to
the work of an evil spirit
who came to torment him.
- This unpleasant experience does not bring him back to God.
- It was decided to look for someone who gifted in music to calm Saul.
- He sent his servants to bring David. Besides his other qualities, it was
known that "The Lord is with him".
- God used these circumstances to prepare young David for his life later on
when he became king and lived in a palace.
- David was a youth who had come to know his God in the experiences of daily
life.
- His songs about God brought relief to the king in his tormented state.
Apl. A young person who knows God and lives in fellowship with Him can be
used in service to
others who are older, as was David with Saul. |
